1 Samuel 1:6-8

1:6 Her rival wife used to upset her and make her worry, ¹  for the Lord had not enabled her to have children. 1:7 Peninnah ²  would behave this way year after year. Whenever Hannah ³  went up to the Lord’s house, Peninnah ⁴  would upset her so that she would weep and refuse to eat. 1:8 Finally her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep and not eat? Why are you so sad? ⁵  Am I not better to you than ten ⁶  sons?”

1 Samuel 1:10

1:10 She was very upset ⁷  as she prayed to the Lord, and she was weeping uncontrollably. ⁸ 

1 Samuel 1:13

1:13 Now Hannah was speaking from her heart. Although her lips were moving, her voice was inaudible. Eli therefore thought she was drunk.

1 Samuel 1:15-16

1:15 But Hannah replied, “That’s not the way it is, ⁹  my lord! I am under a great deal of stress. ¹⁰  I have drunk neither wine nor beer. Rather, I have poured out my soul to ¹¹  the Lord. 1:16 Don’t consider your servant a wicked woman, ¹²  for until now I have spoken from my deep pain and anguish.”

1 Samuel 2:3

2:3 Don’t keep speaking so arrogantly, ¹³ 

letting proud talk come out of your mouth!

For the Lord is a God who knows;

he ¹⁴  evaluates what people do.

1 Samuel 4:20

4:20 As she was dying, the women who were there with her said, “Don’t be afraid! You have given birth to a son!” But she did not reply or pay any attention. ¹⁵ 

1 Samuel 6:6

6:6 Why harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? ¹⁶  When God ¹⁷  treated them harshly, didn’t the Egyptians send the Israelites on their way? ¹⁸ 

1 Samuel 6:13

6:13 Now the residents of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they were pleased at the sight.

1 Samuel 7:3

7:3 Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you are really turning to the Lord with all your hearts, remove from among you the foreign gods and the images of Ashtoreth. ¹⁹  Give your hearts to the Lord and serve only him. Then he will deliver you ²⁰  from the hand of the Philistines.”

1 Samuel 9:5

9:5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come on, let’s head back before my father quits worrying about the donkeys and becomes anxious about us!”

1 Samuel 9:20

9:20 Don’t be concerned ²¹  about the donkeys that you lost three days ago, for they have been found. Whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you, and all your father’s family?” ²² 

1 Samuel 10:2

10:2 When you leave me today, you will find two men near Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah on Benjamin’s border. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you have gone looking for have been found. Your father is no longer concerned about the donkeys but has become anxious about you two! ²³  He is asking, “What should I do about my son?”’

1 Samuel 10:9

Saul Becomes King

10:9 As Saul ²⁴  turned ²⁵  to leave Samuel, God changed his inmost person. ²⁶  All these signs happened on that very day.

1 Samuel 11:7

11:7 He took a pair ²⁷  of oxen and cut them up. Then he sent the pieces throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, who said, “Whoever does not go out after Saul and after Samuel should expect this to be done to his oxen!” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they went out as one army. ²⁸ 

1 Samuel 12:20

12:20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. You have indeed sinned. ²⁹  However, don’t turn aside from the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart.

1 Samuel 13:14

13:14 But now your kingdom will not continue! The Lord has sought out ³⁰  for himself a man who is loyal to him ³¹  and the Lord has appointed ³²  him to be leader over his people, for you have not obeyed what the Lord commanded you.”

1 Samuel 14:7

14:7 His armor bearer said to him, “Do everything that is on your mind. ³³  Do as you’re inclined. I’m with you all the way!” ³⁴ 

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 15:6

15:6 Saul said to the Kenites, “Go on and leave! Go down from among the Amalekites! Otherwise I will sweep you away ³⁵  with them! After all, you were kind to all the Israelites when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 15:11

15:11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned away from me and has not done what I told him to do.” Samuel became angry and he cried out to the Lord all that night.

1 Samuel 15:19

15:19 Why haven’t you obeyed ³⁶  the Lord? Instead you have greedily rushed upon the plunder! You have done what is wrong in the Lord’s estimation.” ³⁷ 

1 Samuel 15:23

15:23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,

and presumption is like the evil of idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,

he has rejected you as ³⁸  king.”

1 Samuel 16:1

Samuel Anoints David as King

16:1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel. ³⁹  Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem, ⁴⁰  for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.” ⁴¹ 

1 Samuel 16:7

16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by ⁴²  his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. ⁴³  People look on the outward appearance, ⁴⁴  but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 17:11

17:11 When Saul and all the Israelites ⁴⁵  heard these words of the Philistine, they were upset and very afraid.

1 Samuel 17:32

17:32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged. ⁴⁶  Your servant will go and fight this Philistine!”

1 Samuel 18:1

Saul Comes to Fear David

18:1 When David ⁴⁷  had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan and David became bound together in close friendship. ⁴⁸  Jonathan loved David as much as he did his own life. ⁴⁹ 

1 Samuel 18:8-9

18:8 This made Saul very angry. The statement displeased him and he thought, ⁵⁰  “They have attributed to David tens of thousands, but to me they have attributed only thousands. What does he lack, except the kingdom?” 18:9 So Saul was keeping an eye on David from that day onward.

1 Samuel 18:17

18:17 ⁵¹ Then Saul said to David, “Here’s my oldest daughter, Merab. I want to give her to you in marriage. Only be a brave warrior ⁵²  for me and fight the battles of the Lord.” For Saul thought, “There’s no need for me to raise my hand against him. Let it be the hand of the Philistines!”

1 Samuel 19:2

19:2 So Jonathan told David, “My father Saul is trying ⁵³  to kill you. So be careful tomorrow morning. Find ⁵⁴  a hiding place and stay in seclusion. ⁵⁵ 

1 Samuel 19:5

19:5 He risked his life ⁵⁶  when he struck down the Philistine and the Lord gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you were happy. So why would you sin against innocent blood by putting David to death for no reason?”

1 Samuel 20:3

20:3 Taking an oath, David again ⁵⁷  said, “Your father is very much aware of the fact ⁵⁸  that I have found favor with you, and he has thought, ⁵⁹  ‘Don’t let Jonathan know about this, or he will be upset.’ But as surely as the Lord lives and you live, there is about one step between me and death!”

1 Samuel 20:12

20:12 Jonathan said to David, “The Lord God of Israel is my witness. ⁶⁰  I will feel out my father about this time the day after tomorrow. If he is favorably inclined toward David, will I not then send word to you and let you know? ⁶¹ 

1 Samuel 20:34

20:34 Jonathan got up from the table enraged. He did not eat any food on that second day of the new moon, for he was upset that his father had humiliated David. ⁶² 

1 Samuel 20:41

20:41 When the servant had left, David got up from beside the mound, ⁶³  knelt ⁶⁴  with his face to the ground, and bowed three times. Then they kissed each other and they both wept, especially David.

1 Samuel 22:2

22:2 All those who were in trouble or owed someone money or were discontented ⁶⁵  gathered around ⁶⁶  him, and he became their leader. He had about four hundred men with him.

1 Samuel 23:16

23:16 Then Jonathan son of Saul left and went to David at Horesh. He encouraged him ⁶⁷  through God.

1 Samuel 23:20

23:20 Now at your own discretion, ⁶⁸  O king, come down. Delivering him into the king’s hand will be our responsibility.”

1 Samuel 24:5

24:5 Afterward David’s conscience bothered him ⁶⁹  because he had cut off an edge of Saul’s robe.

1 Samuel 24:10

24:10 Today your own eyes see how the Lord delivered you – this very day – into my hands in the cave. Some told me to kill you, but I had pity ⁷⁰  on you and said, ‘I will not extend my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s chosen one.’ ⁷¹ 

1 Samuel 25:6

25:6 Then you will say to my brother, ⁷²  “Peace to you and your house! Peace to all that is yours!

1 Samuel 25:31

25:31 Your conscience will not be overwhelmed with guilt ⁷³  for having poured out innocent blood and for having taken matters into your own hands. When the Lord has granted my lord success, ⁷⁴  please remember your servant.”

1 Samuel 25:36

25:36 When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his house like that of the king. Nabal was having a good time ⁷⁵  and was very intoxicated. She told him absolutely nothing ⁷⁶  until morning’s light.

1 Samuel 27:1

David Aligns Himself with the Philistines

27:1 David thought to himself, ⁷⁷  “One of these days I’m going to be swept away by the hand of Saul! There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of searching for me through all the territory of Israel and I will escape from his hand.”

1 Samuel 29:4

29:4 But the leaders of the Philistines became angry with him and said ⁷⁸  to him, “Send the man back! Let him return to the place that you assigned him! Don’t let him go down with us into the battle, for he might become ⁷⁹  our adversary in the battle. What better way to please his lord than with the heads of these men? ⁸⁰ 

1 Samuel 29:6

29:6 So Achish summoned David and said to him, “As surely as the Lord lives, you are an honest man, and I am glad to have you ⁸¹  serving ⁸²  with me in the army. ⁸³  I have found no fault with you from the day that you first came to me until the present time. But in the opinion ⁸⁴  of the leaders, you are not reliable. ⁸⁵ 

1 Samuel 30:6

30:6 David was very upset, for the men ⁸⁶  were thinking of stoning him; ⁸⁷  each man grieved bitterly ⁸⁸  over his sons and daughters. But David drew strength from the Lord his God.

[1:6]  ¹ tn Heb “and her rival wife grieved her, even [with] grief so as to worry her.”

[1:7]  ² tn The MT has a masculine form of the verb here יַעֲשֶׂה (ya’aseh, “he used to do”); the subject in that case would presumably be Elkanah. But this leads to an abrupt change of subject in the following part of the verse, where the subject is the rival wife who caused Hannah anxiety. In light of v. 6 one expects the statement of v. 7 to refer to the ongoing actions of the rival wife: “she used to behave in this way year after year.” Some scholars have proposed retaining the masculine form but changing the vocalization of the verb so as to read a Niphal rather than a Qal (i.e., יֵעֲשֶׂה, ye’aseh, “so it used to be done”). But the problem here is lack of precedent for such a use of the Niphal of this verb. It seems best in light of the context to understand the reference to be to Hannah’s rival Peninnah and to read here, with the Syriac Peshitta, a feminine form of the verb (“she used to do”). In the translation the referent (Peninnah) has been specified for clarity.

[1:7]  ³ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Hannah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “she”; the referent (Peninnah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “why is your heart displeased?”

[1:8]  ⁶ sn Like the number seven, the number ten is sometimes used in the OT as an ideal number (see, for example, Dan 1:20, Zech 8:23).

[1:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “she [was in] bitterness of soul.”

[1:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “and weeping, she was weeping.” The infinitive absolute emphasizes the extent of her sorrow. The imperfect verbal form emphasizes the continuation of the action in past time.

[1:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “No.”

[1:15]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “I am a woman difficult of spirit.” The LXX has “for whom the day is difficult,” apparently mistaking the Hebrew word for “spirit” רוּחַ (ruakh) to be the word for “day” יוֹם (yom).

[1:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “before.”

[1:16]  ¹² tn Heb “daughter of worthlessness.”

[2:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “proudly, proudly.” If MT is original, the repetition of the word is for emphasis, stressing the arrogance of those addressed. However, a few medieval Hebrew manuscripts and some other textual witnesses do not reflect the repetition, suggesting that the Hebrew text may be dittographic.

[2:3]  ¹⁴ tc The MT (Qere) reads “and by him actions are weighed.” The translation assumes that reading of the Qere וְלוֹ (vÿlo, “and by him”), which is supported by many medieval Hebrew mss, is correct, rather than the reading of the Kethib וְלוֹא (vÿlo’, “and not”).

[4:20]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and she did not set her heart.”

[6:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “like Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their heart.”

[6:6]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:6]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and they sent them away and they went.”

[7:3]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “the Ashtarot” (plural; also in the following verse). The words “images of” are supplied for clarity.

[7:3]  sn The Semitic goddess Astarte was associated with love and war in the ancient Near East. The presence of Ashtarot in Israel is a sign of pervasive pagan and idolatrous influences; hence Samuel calls for their removal. See 1 Sam 31:10, where the Philistines deposit the armor of the deceased Saul in the temple of the Ashtarot, and 1 Kgs 11:5, 33; 2 Kgs 23:13, where Solomon is faulted for worshiping the Ashtarot.

[7:3]  ²⁰ tn Following imperatives, the jussive verbal form with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result.

[9:20]  ²¹ tn Heb “do not fix your heart.”

[9:20]  ²² tn Heb “and all the house of your father.”

[10:2]  ²³ sn In the Hebrew text the pronoun you is plural, suggesting that Saul’s father was concerned about his son and the servant who accompanied him.

[10:9]  ²⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:9]  ²⁵ tn Heb “turned his shoulder.”

[10:9]  ²⁶ tn Heb “God turned for him another heart”; NAB, NRSV “gave him another heart”; NIV, NCV “changed Saul’s heart”; TEV “gave Saul a new nature”; CEV “made Saul feel like a different person.”

[11:7]  ²⁷ tn Heb “yoke.”

[11:7]  ²⁸ tn Heb “like one man.”

[12:20]  ²⁹ tn Heb “you have done all this evil.”

[13:14]  ³⁰ tn This verb form, as well as the one that follows (“appointed”), indicates completed action from the standpoint of the speaker. This does not necessarily mean that the Lord had already conducted his search and made his choice, however. The forms may be used for rhetorical effect to emphasize the certainty of the action. The divine search for a new king is as good as done, emphasizing that the days of Saul’s dynasty are numbered.

[13:14]  ³¹ tn Heb “according to his heart.” The idiomatic expression means to be like-minded with another, as its use in 1 Sam 14:7 indicates.

[13:14]  ³² tn Heb “commanded.”

[14:7]  ³³ tn Heb “in your heart.”

[14:7]  ³⁴ tn Heb “Look, I am with you, according to your heart.” See the note at 13:14.

[15:6]  ³⁵ tc The translation follows the Syriac Peshitta and Vulgate which assume a reading אֶסִפְךָ (’esfÿka, “I sweep you away,” from the root ספה [sfh]) rather than the MT אֹסִפְךָ (’osifÿka, “I am gathering you,” from the root אסף[’sf]).

[15:19]  ³⁶ tn Heb “listened to the voice of the Lord.”

[15:19]  ³⁷ tn Heb “you have done what is evil in the eyes of the Lord.”

[15:23]  ³⁸ tn Or “from [being].”

[16:1]  ³⁹ tc The Lucianic recension of the Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And the Lord said to Samuel.”

[16:1]  ⁴⁰ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[16:1]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “for I have seen among his sons for me a king.”

[16:7]  ⁴² tn Heb “don’t look toward.”

[16:7]  ⁴³ tn Heb “for not that which the man sees.” The translation follows the LXX, which reads, “for not as man sees does God see.” The MT has suffered from homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 274.

[16:7]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “to the eyes.”

[17:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “all Israel.”

[17:32]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “Let not the heart of a man fall upon him.” The LXX reads “my lord,” instead of “a man.”

[18:1]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[18:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “the soul of Jonathan was bound with the soul of David.”

[18:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “like his [own] soul.”

[18:1]  sn On the nature of Jonathan’s love for David, see J. A. Thompson, “The Significance of the Verb Love in the David-Jonathan Narratives in 1 Samuel,” VT 24 (1974): 334-38.

[18:8]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “said.” So also in vv. 11, 17.

[18:17]  ⁵¹ tc Much of the ms evidence for the LXX lacks vv. 17-19.

[18:17]  ⁵² tn Heb “son of valor.”

[19:2]  ⁵³ tn Heb “seeking.”

[19:2]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “stay in.”

[19:2]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “and hide yourself.”

[19:5]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “and he put his life into his hand.”

[20:3]  ⁵⁷ tc The LXX and the Syriac Peshitta lack the word “again.”

[20:3]  ⁵⁸ tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.

[20:3]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “said,” that is, to himself. So also in v. 25.

[20:12]  ⁶⁰ tc The Hebrew text has simply “the Lord God of Israel.” On the basis of the Syriac version, many reconstruct the text to read “[is] my witness,” which may have fallen out of the text by homoioarcton (an error which is entirely possible if עֵד, ’ed, “witness,” immediately followed ַָדוִד, “David,” in the original text).

[20:12]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “and uncover your ear.”

[20:34]  ⁶² tn Heb “for he was upset concerning David for his father had humiliated him.” The referent of the pronoun “him” is not entirely clear, but the phrase “concerning David” suggests that it refers to David, rather than Jonathan.

[20:41]  ⁶³ tc The translation follows the LXX in reading “the mound,” rather than the MT’s “the south.” It is hard to see what meaning the MT reading “from beside the south” would have as it stands, since such a location lacks specificity. The NIV treats it as an elliptical expression, rendering the phrase as “from the south side of the stone (rock NCV).” This is perhaps possible, but it seems better to follow the LXX rather than the MT here.

[20:41]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “fell.”

[22:2]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “bitter of soul.”

[22:2]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “to.”

[23:16]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “strengthened his hand.”

[23:20]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “to all the desire of your soul.”

[24:5]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “the heart of David struck him.”

[24:10]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “it had pity,” apparently with the understood subject being “my eye,” in accordance with a common expression.

[24:10]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “anointed.”

[25:6]  ⁷² tc The text is difficult here. The MT and most of the early versions support the reading לֶחָי (lekhai, “to life,” or “to the one who lives”). Some of the older English versions (KJV, ASV; cf. NKJV) took the expression to mean “to him who lives (in prosperity),” but this translation requires reading a good deal into the words. While the expression could have the sense of “Long life to you!” (cf. NIV, NJPS) or perhaps “Good luck to you!” this seems somewhat redundant in light of the salutation that follows in the context. The Latin Vulgate has fratribus meis (“to my brothers”), which suggests that Jerome understood the Hebrew word to have an alef that is absent in the MT (i.e., לֶאֱחָי, le’ekhay). Jerome’s plural, however, remains a problem, since in the context David is addressing a single individual, namely Nabal, and not a group. However, it is likely that the Vulgate witnesses to a consonantal Hebrew text that is to be preferred here, especially if the word were to be revocalized as a singular rather than a plural. While it is impossible to be certain about this reading, the present translation essentially follows the Vulgate in reading “my brother” (so also NJB; cf. NAB, RSV, NRSV).

[25:31]  ⁷³ tn Heb “and this will not be for you for staggering and for stumbling of the heart of my lord.”

[25:31]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and the Lord will do well for my lord.”

[25:36]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “and the heart of Nabal was good upon him”; NASB, NRSV “Nabal’s heart was merry within him”; NIV “he was in high spirits”; NCV, TEV “was in a good mood”; CEV “was very drunk and feeling good.”

[25:36]  ⁷⁶ tn Heb “and she did not tell him a thing, small or large.”

[27:1]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “said to his heart.”

[29:4]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “and the leaders of the Philistines said.”

[29:4]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “so that he might not become.”

[29:4]  ⁸⁰ tn Or perhaps, “our men.” On this use of the demonstrative pronoun see Joüon 2:532 §143.e.

[29:6]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “it is good in my eyes.” Cf. v. 7.

[29:6]  ⁸² tn Heb “your going forth and your coming in.” The expression is a merism.

[29:6]  ⁸³ tn Heb “camp.”

[29:6]  ⁸⁴ tn Heb “eyes.”

[29:6]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “good.”

[30:6]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “people.”

[30:6]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “said to stone him.”

[30:6]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “for bitter was the soul of all the people, each one.”