1 Samuel 2:3

2:3 Don’t keep speaking so arrogantly, ¹ 

letting proud talk come out of your mouth!

For the Lord is a God who knows;

he ²  evaluates what people do.

1 Samuel 2:7

2:7 The Lord impoverishes and makes wealthy;

he humbles and he exalts.

1 Samuel 5:12

5:12 The people ³  who did not die were struck with sores; the city’s cry for help went all the way up to heaven.

1 Samuel 6:16

6:16 The five leaders of the Philistines watched what was happening and then returned to Ekron on the same day.

1 Samuel 8:3

8:3 But his sons did not follow ⁴  his ways. Instead, they made money dishonestly, accepted bribes, and perverted justice. ⁵ 

1 Samuel 9:11

9:11 As they were going up the ascent to the town, they met some girls coming out to draw water. They said to them, “Is this where the seer is?”

1 Samuel 12:6

12:6 Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is the one who chose Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestors ⁶  up from the land of Egypt.

1 Samuel 16:22

16:22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse saying, “Let David be my servant, for I really like him.” ⁷ 

1 Samuel 17:11

17:11 When Saul and all the Israelites ⁸  heard these words of the Philistine, they were upset and very afraid.

1 Samuel 17:44

17:44 The Philistine said to David, “Come here to me, so I can give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the field!” ⁹ 

1 Samuel 18:4

18:4 Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with the rest of his gear, including his sword, his bow, and even his belt.

1 Samuel 20:16

20:16 and called David’s enemies to account.” So Jonathan made a covenant ¹⁰  with the house of David. ¹¹ 

1 Samuel 20:38

20:38 Jonathan called out to the servant, “Hurry! Go faster! Don’t delay!” Jonathan’s servant retrieved the arrow and came back to his master.

1 Samuel 24:13

24:13 It’s like the old proverb says: ‘From evil people evil proceeds.’ But my hand will not be against you.

1 Samuel 24:16

24:16 When David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is that your voice, my son David?” Then Saul wept loudly. ¹² 

1 Samuel 25:6

25:6 Then you will say to my brother, ¹³  “Peace to you and your house! Peace to all that is yours!

1 Samuel 28:6

28:6 So Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him – not by dreams nor by Urim ¹⁴  nor by the prophets.

1 Samuel 28:10

28:10 But Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not incur guilt in this matter!”

1 Samuel 28:25

28:25 She brought it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they arose and left that same night.

1 Samuel 30:7

30:7 Then David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

1 Samuel 31:13

31:13 They took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh; then they fasted for seven days.

[2:3]  ¹ 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]  ² 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”).

[5:12]  ³ tn Heb “men.”

[8:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “walk in” (also in v. 5).

[8:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “and they turned aside after unjust gain and took bribes and perverted justice.”

[12:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 7, 8).

[16:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “Let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my eyes.”

[17:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “all Israel.”

[17:44]  ⁹ tc Many medieval Hebrew mss have “the earth” here, instead of the MT’s “the field.”

[20:16]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “cut.” The object of the verb (“covenant”) must be supplied.

[20:16]  ¹¹ tn The word order is different in the Hebrew text, which reads “and Jonathan cut with the house of David, and the Lord will seek from the hand of the enemies of David.” The translation assumes that the main clauses of the verse have been accidentally transposed in the course of transmission. The first part of the verse (as it stands in MT) belongs with v. 17, while the second part of the verse actually continues v. 15.

[24:16]  ¹² tn Heb “lifted his voice and wept.”

[25:6]  ¹³ 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).

[28:6]  ¹⁴ sn See the note at 1 Sam 14:41.