house, so she hasted, and slew it, and she took flour, and mix

ed it, and baked unleavened cakes, and set them before Saul 25 and his servants. And when they had eaten, they arose and departed that night.

XXIX. The Philistines had now assembled all their armies at Aphek, and Israel were encamped at Endor which is in Jezrael. 2 Now when the lords of the Philistines were on their march, at the head of their hundreds and thousands, and David and his 3 men were marching in the rear with Angchus, the lords of the Philistines said, Who are these marching here? And Angchus said to the generals of the Philistines, Who, but David the servant of Saul? He hath been long with us. This is the second year, and I have found no fault in him from the day he came to 4 me to this day. But the generals of the Philistines were offended at him, and said to him, Send this man away and let him return to his place where thou hast fixed him, and let him not go with us to battle, nor be let into the councils of the army. How can he reconcile himself to his master? Will it not be 5 with the heads of these men? Is not this the David of whom they sung the responsive song in choirs, saying, Saul hath slain 6 his thousands, and David his ten thousands? Then Angchus called David, and said to him, As the Lord liveth, Thou art good, and upright in my eyes, and so is thy going out and thy coming in with me in the army. Indeed I have not found any thing amiss in thee from the day of thy coming to me even to this 7 day. But thou art not in favour with the lords. Now therefore

return, and go in peace, that thou mayst not give offence to 8 the lords of the Philistines. And David said to Angchus, i What have I done to thee, and what hast thou found in thy servant from the day I came to thee to this day, that I may not go 9 and fight the enemies of my lord the king? And Angchus replied to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, but the lords of the Philistines say, He shall not go with us to battle; 10 now therefore rise early to-morrow morning, thou and the servants of thy lord who have come with thee, and go to the place where I have fixed thee, and harbour not an evil thought in thy heart; for thou art good in my sight. Be up betimes for the 11 march, and soon as you have light depart. So David arose

early, he and his men, to go and guard the land of the Philistines, while the Philistines went up to battle at Jezrael.

XXX. But when David and his men arrived at Sekelak, on the third day, Amelek had invaded the South, and Sekelak, and had smitten Sekelak. Though they had burned it with fire, 2 yet with regard to the women, and all who were in it, they had not slain a man, or a woman, small or great, but had taken 3 them captive, and marched off. So when David and his men came to the city, and saw that it was burned with fire, and that their wives, and their sons, and their daughters were ta4 ken captive, David and his men raised their voices, and wept 5 till they had no more power to weep. Now both David's wives were taken captive; both Achinaam the Jezraelitess, and Abi6 gaia, the wife of Nabal, the Carmelite. And David was in great distress, for the people talked of stoning him; for the soul of all the people was exasperated, every one for his sons, and his daughters. David, however, was strengthened by the Lord 7 his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of 8 Abimelech, Bring hither the ephod. And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue this horde? Shall I overtake them? And he said to him, Pursue, for thou shalt over9 take them and without fail rescue. Then David set out, he and the six hundred men who were with him; and when they 10 came to the brook Bosor, the reserve halted. He pursued

with four hundred men, and two hundred, who halted on the 11 bank of the brook Bosor, guarded the baggage. And they found an Egyptian in the field, and took him, and brought him to David, and they gave him bread, and he ate, and they 12 gave him water to drink. Then they gave him a piece of fig

cake, and when he had eaten, and his spirit was come to him; for he had not tasted bread, nor drank water for three days and 13 three nights, David said to him, To whom dost thou belong,

and whence art thou? And the Egyptian lad said, I am a ser14 vant of a man, an Amelekite. My master left me because I

fell sick three days ago. We made an invasion on the south of the Chelethites, and on those parts of Judea, and on the south 15 of Chelub, and we burned Sekelak with fire. Then David said to him, Wilt thou conduct me to this horde? And he said, Swear to me now by God, that thou wilt not put me to death nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will conduct thee to 16 the horde. So he conducted him thither, and behold they were

spread abroad on the face of the whole land, eating and drinking, and celebrating a festival, for all the great spoil which they had taken from the country of the Philistines, and from the land 17 of Judea. And David came upon them, and smote them, from break of day till late in the evening, and part of the next day, so that not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young 18 men, who mounted camels and fled. And David recovered 19 all that the Amelekites had taken. He recovered also his two wives. There was none missing among them, small or great, nor any of the spoils, nor sons nor daughters, nor any thing 20 of what they had taken. David recovered all. He took also

all their flocks, and herds, and drove them before the spoils. 21 And of this prey it was said, These are David's prey. And when David came to the two hundred that were left to follow David, and whom he had caused to halt by the brook Bosor, they came out to meet David, and to meet the people who 22 were with him. But when David introduced them to the people, and they had saluted them; all the turbulent and bad men among the warriors, who went with David, answered and said, Because they did not accompany us in the pursuit we will not give them any of the spoils which we have taken, save that every one may take his wife and children. Let them take these 23 and depart. But David said, You must not do so, since the Lord hath given them to us and preserved us. The Lord indeed hath delivered into our hands this wandering horde, 24 which came against us, who then will hearken to your words?

For these are not less entitled to them than we are. For as is the share of him who goeth down to the battle, so shall be the 25 share of him who guardeth the baggage. They shall all share

alike. So from that day forward this was the rule, and it became a statute, and an established custom in Israel even to this day. 26 And when David came to Sekelak, he sent some of the spoils 27 to the elders of Juda, and to his friends, saying, Here are some

of the spoils of the enemies of the Lord for those at Baithsur, and for those at South Rama, and for those at Gethor, and for 28 those at Aroer, and for those at Ammadi, and for those at Saphi, and for those at Esthie, and for those at Geth, and for 29 those at Kimath, and for those at Saphek, and for those at Themath, and for those at Carmel, and for those in the cities

30 of Jeremeel, and for those in the cities of the Kenezites, and for those at Jerimuth, and for those at Bersabee and for those 31 at Nomba, and for those at Chebron, even all the places through which David and his men had passed.

XXXI.

Now when the Philistines attacked Israel, the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and the wounded fell on the 2 mountain Gelbua, and the Philistines came to a close engagement with Saul and his sons, and the Philistines smote Jona3 than, and Aminadab, and Melchisa, sons of Saul. And the battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he 4 was wounded in the hypochondres, whereupon Saul said to his armour bearer, Draw thy sword, and run me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and stab me, and insult me. But his armour bearer would not, for he was struck with horror. 5 Therefore Saul took the sword, and fell on it. And when his armour bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his 6 sword, and died with him. Thus Saul, and his three sons, and his armour bearer, died on the same day in the same place. 7 And when the men of Israel who were on this side the vale, and they who were on the bank of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled; and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their cities, and fled, and the Philistines came and dwelt 8 therein. Now on the morrow when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul, and his three sons, fallen on the 9 mountains of Gelbua. And they treated him scornfully, and stripped off his armour, and sent it to the land of the Philistines, proclaiming the good news all around to their idols, and 10 to the people. And they hung up his arms in the temple of 11 Astarte, and fixed up his body on the wall of Baithsam. But

when the inhabitants of Jabis Galaad heard what the Philistines 12 had done to Saul, they arose, even all the men of valour, and

marched the whole night, and took the body of Saul, and the body of Jonathan his son, from the wall of Baithsam, and car13 ried them to Jabis and there burned them. Then they took their bones, and buried them in the field at Jabis, and fasted seven days.

END OF VOL. I.