Saul told his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and stab me with it. Otherwise these uncircumcised people will come and torture me.” ¹  But his armor bearer refused to do it, because he was very afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.

Some men from Manasseh joined ¹  David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (But in the end they did not help the Philistines because, after taking counsel, the Philistine lords sent David away, saying: “It would be disastrous for us if he deserts to his master Saul.”) ² 

When everyone who had known him previously saw him prophesying with the prophets, the people all asked one another, “What on earth has happened to the son of Kish? Does even Saul belong with the prophets?”

Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal ¹  to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. ²  Saul mustered the army that remained with him; there were about six hundred men.

Just when he had finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel appeared on the scene. Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. ¹ 

Then Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and my son Jonathan!” ¹  Jonathan was indicated by lot.

Then Jonathan called David and told him all these things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he served him as he had done formerly. ¹ 

When David realized that Saul was planning to harm him, ¹  he told Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod!”

Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, your servant has clearly heard that Saul is planning ¹  to come to Keilah to destroy the city because of me.

David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me and my men into Saul’s hand?” The Lord said, “They will deliver you over.”

The men of Judah came and there they anointed David as king over the people ¹  of Judah. David was told, ²  “The people ³  of Jabesh Gilead are the ones who buried Saul.”

namely, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah all the way from Dan to Beer Sheba!”

During the time of Saul they attacked the Hagrites and defeated them. They took over their territory in the entire eastern region of Gilead. ¹ 

Let’s move the ark of our God back here, ¹  for we did not seek his will ²  throughout Saul’s reign.” ³ 

But Saul became more and more capable, ¹  and was causing consternation ²  among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving ³  that Jesus ⁴  is the Christ. ⁵ 

Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled ¹  forty years.

David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the Lord said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems appropriate to you.’” ¹  So David got up and quietly cut off an edge of Saul’s robe.

he ¹  went and took the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan ²  from the leaders ³  of Jabesh Gilead. (They had secretly taken ⁴  them from the plaza at Beth Shan. It was there that Philistines ⁵  publicly exposed their corpses ⁶  after ⁷  they ⁸  had killed Saul at Gilboa.)

So Saul’s servants spoke these words privately ¹  to David. David replied, “Is becoming the king’s son-in-law something insignificant to you? I’m just a poor and lightly-esteemed man!”

Now there was a servant from Saul’s house named Ziba, so he was summoned to David. The king asked him, “Are you Ziba?” He replied, “At your service.” ¹