1 Samuel 5:7

5:7 When the people ¹  of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, for he has attacked ²  both us and our god Dagon!”

1 Samuel 8:5

8:5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons don’t follow your ways. So now appoint over us a king to lead ³  us, just like all the other nations have.”

1 Samuel 11:1

Saul Comes to the Aid of Jabesh

11:1 ⁴ Nahash ⁵  the Ammonite marched ⁶  against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh Gilead said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us and we will serve you.”

1 Samuel 12:8

12:8 When Jacob entered Egypt, your ancestors cried out to the Lord. The Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and they led your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

1 Samuel 12:20

12:20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. You have indeed sinned. ⁷  However, don’t turn aside from the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart.

1 Samuel 14:19

14:19 While ⁸  Saul spoke to the priest, the panic in the Philistines’ camp was becoming greater and greater. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand!”

1 Samuel 14:40

14:40 Then he said to all Israel, “You will be on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side.” The army replied to Saul, “Do whatever you think is best.”

1 Samuel 16:16

16:16 Let our lord instruct his servants who are here before you to look for a man who knows how to play the lyre. Then whenever the evil spirit from God comes upon you, he can play the lyre ⁹  and you will feel better.” ¹⁰ 

1 Samuel 19:9

19:9 Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon ¹¹  Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing the lyre. ¹² 

1 Samuel 24:12

24:12 May the Lord judge between the two of us, and may the Lord vindicate me over you, but my hand will not be against you.

1 Samuel 24:15

24:15 May the Lord be our judge and arbiter. May he see and arbitrate my case and deliver me from your hands!”

1 Samuel 26:20

26:20 Now don’t let my blood fall to the ground away from the Lord’s presence, for the king of Israel has gone out to look for a flea the way one looks for a partridge ¹³  in the hill country.”

¹ tn Heb “men.”

² tn Heb “for his hand is severe upon.”

³ tn Heb “judge” (also in v. 6).

⁴ tc 4QSam^a and Josephus (Ant. 6.68-71) attest to a longer form of text at this point. The addition explains Nahash’s practice of enemy mutilation, and by so doing provides a smoother transition to the following paragraph than is found in the MT. The NRSV adopts this reading, with the following English translation: “Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the Gadites and the Reubenites. He would gouge out the right eye of each of them and would not grant Israel a deliverer. No one was left of the Israelites across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But there were seven thousand men who had escaped from the Ammonites and had entered Jabesh-gilead.” This reading should not be lightly dismissed; it may in fact provide a text superior to that of the MT and the ancient versions. But the external evidence for it is so limited as to induce caution; the present translation instead follows the MT. However, for a reasonable case for including this reading in the text see the discussions in P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 199, and R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 103.

⁵ sn The name “Nahash” means “serpent” in Hebrew.

⁶ tn Heb “went up and camped”; NIV, NRSV “went up and besieged.”

⁷ tn Heb “you have done all this evil.”

⁸ tn Or perhaps “until.”

⁹ tn Heb “and he will play with his hand.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “and it will be better for you.”

¹¹ tn Heb “[was] to.”

¹² tn The Hebrew text adds here “with his hand.”

¹³ tn Heb “the calling [one],” which apparently refers to a partridge.