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To the Gileadites; they send an embassy to Saul; he came and fought with them, and took the enemies by force. They feasted in Gilgal. And Samuel addressed the people. Then he says: Whose calf have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken? And having commanded them to obey God, he prays, and rain falls on a day of harvest. The people were afraid, and confessed that they had sinned by asking for a king. But Samuel again exhorts them to follow the commands of God. Saul smites the Philistines. But they, being provoked, march against them with a greater force. The Israelites flee, Saul is left alone. He offers a burnt offering to God, not waiting for Samuel, though he had been commanded to wait for him. Samuel comes, is displeased at what happened, threatens him with the destruction of his kingdom; for it was to be transferred to another; he meant David. While Saul was sitting on the hill, and six hundred with him, his son Jonathan, secretly with his own servant, went against the enemies and killed some. And Saul, seeing this from opposite, and falling upon them in their confusion, conquers by force, and made an oath that no one should taste anything until evening. Jonathan, not having heard, tasted some honey. Saul comes to ask God if he should pursue after the enemies. God does not answer him. He understood that a sin had been committed among the people. And when Jonathan was revealed, he was ready to kill him. But the people rescued him from his hands. Samuel commands Saul to make war against Amalek, and to utterly destroy everything, and to spare no one. But he disobeyed, and spared Agag their king, and flocks, and herds. Samuel came and saw, was angered, and says: The Lord does not desire burnt offerings and sacrifices, as to hear His voice; 56.343 for behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. And then he threatens him with the removal of the kingdom. But Saul urged him to go away with him. But he was unwilling. But later, being urged, he went up. And after this, Samuel himself, having commanded Agag to be brought to him, killed him with his own hands. And from then on he did not see Saul until the day of his death, but he mourned for him. Then Samuel is sent by God to anoint David, and he came and anointed him. Then an evil spirit seized Saul, and they bring David to him, to play the harp, and to calm the evil spirit. And when Goliath made war, and all were terrified, David is sent to visit his brothers. And when he came to the camp, he asks what will be for the one who kills this Philistine. And they said: The daughter of the king will be given to him as a wife. He went in to Saul, promised to kill him. But he disbelieved. Finally he sent him out bare of weapons, because he could not bear the weapons. But he, slinging a stone at his forehead, brought him down, and cutting off his head with his own sword, returned gloriously from the war. And Jonathan, seeing him, was bound to his soul, and loved him very much, and gave him gifts. But Saul was jealous of him, because the dancing women said: Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands. Saul lifted the spear against David, so as to kill him; but he escaped. And as David was esteemed by all, Saul was even more vexed; and wanting to destroy him, he promised to give him his daughter, if he would kill one hundred men of the enemy; and when he had killed them, he becomes the king's son-in-law. And when another war arose, he is again successful; but he grew more savage against him, and speaks to his son Jonathan, that he wished to kill him. But he reported it to David, and tells him to hide. And when he had appeased his father, he brings David to him. And when war again came, David distinguishes himself, and again escapes Saul wanting to strike him with the spear. On the advice of his wife, he fled from there. Saul sends to take him, but she said he was sick. And when Saul knew that he had fled, having blamed his daughter, and having learned where David was,

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Γαλααδίταις· πρεσβεύονται πρὸς τὸν Σαούλ· ἐλθὼν συνεμάχησεν αὐτοῖς, καὶ εἷλε τοὺς πολεμίους κατὰ κράτος. Εὐωχοῦνται ἐν Γαλγάλοις. Καὶ δημηγορεῖ πρὸς τὸν λαὸν ὁ Σαμουήλ. Τότε λέγει· Μόσχον τινὸς εἴληφα, ἢ ὄνον τινὸς εἴληφα; Παραγγείλας δὲ αὐτοῖς ὑπακούειν τῷ Θεῷ, εὔχεται, καὶ ὑετὸς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θερισμοῦ γίνεται. Ἐφοβήθη ὁ λαὸς, καὶ ὡμολόγησαν ἡμαρτηκέναι αἰτήσαντες βασιλέα. Ὁ δὲ Σαμουὴλ πάλιν παραινεῖ, ὥστε ἀκολουθεῖν τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ προστάγμασιν. Κόπτει τοὺς ἀλλοφύλους ὁ Σαούλ. Οἱ δὲ παροξυνθέντες ἐπιστρατεύουσι μετὰ πλείονος δυνάμεως. Φεύγουσιν οἱ Ἰσραηλῖται, καταλιμπάνεται μόνος ὁ Σαούλ. Ἀναφέρει ὁλοκαύτωσιν τῷ Θεῷ, μὴ περιμείνας τὸν Σαμουὴλ, περιμεῖναι δὲ αὐτῷ παρηγγέλκει. Ἔρχεται ὁ Σαμουὴλ, δυσχεραίνει πρὸς τὸ γεγονὸς, ἀπειλεῖ αὐτῷ κατάλυσιν τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ· εἰς γὰρ ἕτερον αὐτὴν μετατίθεσθαι· τὸν ∆αυῒδ ἔφη. Καθημένου τοῦ Σαοὺλ ἐν τῷ βουνῷ, καὶ ἑξακοσίων μετ' αὐτοῦ, λάθρα Ἰωνάθαν ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ μετὰ τοῦ ἰδίου παιδὸς ἐπελθὼν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς, ἀναιρεῖ τινας. Ἰδὼν δὲ ἀντικρὺ ὁ Σαοὺλ, καὶ τεταραγμένοις ἐπιπεσὼν, νικᾷ κατὰ κράτος, καὶ ὥρκισε μηδένα τινὸς γεύσασθαι ἕως ἑσπέρας. Ὁ Ἰωνάθαν οὐκ ἐπακούσας ἐγεύσατο μέλιτος. Προσέρχεται ὁ Σαοὺλ ἐρωτῆσαι τὸν Θεὸν, εἰ δέοι ἐπιδιῶξαι ὀπίσω τῶν ἐχθρῶν. Οὐκ ἀποκρίνεται αὐτῷ ὁ Θεός. Συνῆκεν ἁμάρτημα γεγενῆσθαι ἐν τῷ λαῷ. Ὡς δὲ ἀνεδείχθη Ἰωνάθαν, ἕτοιμος ἦν αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν. Ὁ δὲ λαὸς ἐξείλετο αὐτὸν τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ. Παραγγέλλει ὁ Σαμουὴλ τῷ Σαοὺλ, ὥστε καταπολεμῆσαι τὸν Ἀμαλὴκ, καὶ ἀναθεματίσαι πάντα, καὶ μηδενὸς φείσασθαι. Ὁ δὲ παρήκουσε, καὶ περιεποιήσατο τὸν Ἀγὰγ τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῶν, καὶ ποίμνια, καὶ βουκόλια. Ἐλθὼν εἶδεν ὁ Σαμουὴλ, ὠργίσθη, καί φησιν· Οὐ θέλει Κύριος ὁλοκαυτώσεις καὶ θυσίας, ὡς τὸ ἀκοῦσαι τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ· 56.343 ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀκοὴ ἀγαθὸν ὑπὲρ θυσίαν. Ἀπειλεῖ καὶ τότε αὐτῷ τὴν ἐξαίρεσιν τῆς βασιλείας. Ὁ δὲ Σαοὺλ παρεβιάζετο αὐτὸν συναπελθεῖν αὐτῷ. Ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἐθέλησεν. Ὕστερον δὲ βιασθεὶς ἀνῆλθε. Καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα αὐτὸς ὁ Σαμουὴλ κελεύσας προσενεχθῆναι αὐτῷ τὸν Ἀγὰγ, ἀνεῖλεν αὐτὸν ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ χερσί. Καὶ ἔκτοτε οὐκ εἶδε τὸν Σαοὺλ ἕως τῆς ἡμέρας τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐπένθει αὐτόν. Εἶτα ἀποστέλλεται Σαμουὴλ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ χρῖσαι τὸν ∆αυῒδ, καὶ ἐλθὼν ἔχρισε. Τότε συνέσχε πνεῦμα πονηρὸν τὸν Σαοὺλ, καὶ εἰσάγουσιν αὐτῷ τὸν ∆αυῒδ, ὥστε ψάλλειν, καὶ καταπαύειν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πονηρόν. Ὡς δὲ ἐπεστράτευσεν ὁ Γολιὰθ, καὶ πάντες ἐξέστησαν, πέμπεται ∆αυῒδ ἐπισκεψόμενος τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἦλθεν εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον, ἐρωτᾷ τί ἔσται τῷ ἀποκτείνοντι τὸν ἀλλόφυλον τοῦτον. Οἱ δὲ εἶπον· Ἡ θυγάτηρ τοῦ βασιλέως δοθήσεται αὐτῷ γυνή. Εἰσῆλθε πρὸς τὸν Σαοὺλ, ὑπέσχετο ἀναιρήσειν. Ὁ δὲ διηπίστει. Τέλος ἐξέπεμψε γυμνὸν ὅπλων, διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι βαστάζειν τὰ ὅπλα. Ὁ δὲ λίθον ἀκοντίσας κατὰ τοῦ μετώπου, κατήνεγκεν αὐτὸν, καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ ἀποτεμὼν τῇ ἐκείνου ῥομφαίᾳ, ἐπανῆλθε λαμπρῶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πολέμου. Ἰδὼν δὲ αὐτὸν ὁ Ἰωνάθαν, συνεδέθη τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ, καὶ λίαν αὐτὸν ἠγάπησε, καὶ δῶρα ἔδωκεν. Ὁ δὲ Σαοὺλ διεφθονεῖτο αὐτῷ, ἐπειδὴ αἱ χορεύουσαι εἶπον· Ἐπάταξε Σαοὺλ ἐν χιλιάσι, καὶ ∆αυῒδ ἐν μυριάσιν. Ἐπῆρε τὸ δόρυ Σαοὺλ κατὰ τοῦ ∆αυῒδ, ὥστε ἀνελεῖν αὐτόν· ὁ δὲ ἐξέφυγεν. Ὡς δὲ ηὐδοκίμει παρὰ πᾶσιν ὁ ∆αυῒδ, μᾶλλον ἐδάκνετο ὁ Σαούλ· καὶ βουλόμενος αὐτὸν ἀπολέσαι, ὑπισχνεῖτο τὴν θυγατέρα αὐτοῦ δώσειν αὐτῷ, εἰ ἀνέλοι ἄνδρας ἑκατὸν τῶν ἐχθρῶν· ὡς δὲ ἀνεῖλε, γίνεται γαμβρὸς τοῦ βασιλέως. Καὶ πολέμου συστάντος ἑτέρου, πάλιν εὐδοκιμεῖ· ὁ δὲ μᾶλλον ἠγριαίνετο κατ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκλαλεῖ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ Ἰωνάθαν, ὅτι ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν βούλοιτο. Ὁ δὲ ἀπήγγειλε τῷ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ κελεύει κρύπτεσθαι. Ὡς δὲ ἐξηυμενίσατο τὸν πατέρα, εἰσάγει τὸν ∆αυῒδ πρὸς αὐτόν. Πολέμου τε πάλιν ἐπιστάντος, ἀριστεύει ὁ ∆αυῒδ, καὶ πάλιν ἐκφεύγει τὸν Σαοὺλ βουλόμενον αὐτὸν πατάξαι τῷ δόρατι. Συμβουλευσάσης αὐτῷ τῆς γυναικὸς, ἀπέδρα ἐκεῖθεν. Πέμπει ὁ Σαοὺλ λαβεῖν αὐτὸν, ἡ δὲ ἔφη αὐτὸν ἀῤῥωστεῖν. Ὡς δὲ ἔγνω ὁ Σαοὺλ ὅτι ἔφυγεν, ἐγκαλέσας τῇ θυγατρὶ, καὶ μαθὼν ὅπου ἦν ὁ ∆αυῒδ,