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the cause of the victory was about to die, and seizing him, they appeased God with prayers. And Saul, having destroyed about sixty thousand of the Palestinians, returned. And he subdued the Ammanites and Moabites, and Palestinians and Idumeans and Amalekites and the king of Souba, and delivered Israel from the hand of the foreigners. And Saul had three sons, Jonathan and Isoui and Melchisoui, and two daughters, Merob and Melchol; and he had as commander-in-chief Abner the son of Ner, his kinsman. And Samuel told Saul that God commanded him to strike Amalek, and having conquered, to spare nothing, not women, not infants, not beasts of burden, not cattle, but to wipe out his name from the earth. And Saul, engaging Amalek, powerfully conquers and kills all, and he also captures the king of the country, named Agag, and did not kill him, admiring him for his beauty and size; and he kept for himself the choice things of the herds and flocks and of the others, being unmindful of the divine command. And Samuel, having received an oracle from God, who said that he regretted that he had made Saul king, met the king. And he said he gave thanks to God for giving him power over his enemies, and that he had done all that was commanded. And the prophet said, "I hear the sound of beasts of burden and other cattle. Whence are these?" But Saul said the people had kept them for a sacrifice to God, and that all the Amalekites had been destroyed except for their king. To this Samuel said, "Since you have transgressed what was commanded to you by God, know that the kingdom will be taken away from you," and he confessed to have sinned, and begged the prophet to offer a sacrifice of atonement. And as he was withdrawing, Saul seized his cloak and tore it, forcing him to stay. And the prophet said, "Thus your kingdom will be torn and will be given to a man who is just and good." But as the king was still begging, he was persuaded, and he asks for Agag to be brought, and after he was killed at his command, he immediately withdraws to Armathaim. And God commands him to go to Jesse and to anoint with oil as king one of his sons, whom he would show him. And going to Bethlehem and having sacrificed, he called Jesse and his sons. And seeing the firstborn, who was tall and handsome, he thought that God was pleased with him. But God said, "Do not look upon his appearance, nor upon the size of his body; for man will look on the face, but God looks on the heart." And when the other sons of Jesse had passed by, God was pleased with none of them. And Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen among these, and if there is still one remaining, let him come forward." And Jesse said, "There is still a small one left, shepherding." Therefore the prophet commanded him to be called. And when David came, having been called, a ruddy youth with beautiful eyes and otherwise handsome, God declares to Samuel that this is the one to be anointed. And he took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And he departed to Armathaim. And a divine spirit came upon David, but departed from Saul, and an evil spirit came upon him, choking and afflicting the man. It seemed good therefore for someone to stand by the king who knew how to play on the harp, so that when the troubling demon fell upon him, he might play on the harp and soothe the disturbance. Therefore David was sent for as such a person; and the young man was loved very much by the king, and he served as his armor-bearer. And when the evil spirit came upon the king, he would play for him, and it would depart, and Saul would return to himself. But the foreigners marched against the Israelites, and those of Israel stood against them. And in the middle ground of both armies a certain man of the foreigners stood, Goliath was his name, a mighty man and standing above all, for his height was six cubits and a span, and his breastplate weighed five thousand shekels, and his spear like a weaver's beam

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τὸν αιτιον τῆς νίκης ἀποθανούμενον, καὶ ἐξαρπάσαντες αὐτὸν εὐχαῖς τὸν θεὸν ἐξιλάσκοντο. διαφθείρας δὲ ὁ Σαοὺλ ὡσεὶ μυριάδας εξ τῶν Παλαιστηνῶν ἀνθυπέστρεψε. χειροῦται δὲ ̓Αμμανίτας καὶ Μωαβίτας Παλαιστηνούς τε καὶ ̓Ιδουμαίους καὶ ̓Αμαληκίτας καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τῆς Σουβᾶ, καὶ ἐξείλετο τὸν ̓Ισραὴλ ἐκ χειρὸς τῶν ἀλλοφύλων. ησαν δὲ τῷ Σαοὺλ υἱοὶ τρεῖς, ̓Ιωνάθαν καὶ ̓Ισουὶ καὶ Μελχισουί, καὶ θυγατέρες δύο, Μερὸβ καὶ Μελχόλ· ἀρχιστράτηγον δὲ ειχε τὸν ̓Αβεννὴρ υἱὸν Νὴρ συγγενοῦς αὐτοῦ. Εφη δὲ Σαμουὴλ τῷ Σαοὺλ κελεύειν αὐτῷ τὸν θεὸν πατάξαι τὸν ̓Αμαλήκ, καὶ κρατήσαντα μηδενὸς φείσασθαι, μὴ γυναικῶν, μὴ νηπίων, μὴ ὑποζυγίων, μὴ βοσκημάτων, ἐξαλεῖψαι δὲ τὸ ονομα αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς γῆς. καὶ ὁ Σαοὺλ τῷ ̓Αμαλὴκ συμβαλὼν κατὰ κρά1.88 τος νικᾷ καὶ κτείνει πάντας, χειροῦται δὲ καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τῆς χώρας Αγαγ ὠνομασμένον, καὶ οὐκ ἀπέκτεινεν, ἀγασθεὶς αὐτὸν διὰ κάλλος καὶ μέγεθος· καὶ τὰ τῶν βουκολίων καὶ ποιμνίων καὶ τῶν αλλων ἐξαίρετα περιεποιήσατο, ἀμνημονήσας τῆς θείας προστάξεως. χρηματισθεὶς δὲ Σαμουὴλ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰπόντος μεταμεμελῆσθαι οτι ἐβασίλευσε τὸν Σαούλ, συνήντησε τῷ βασιλεῖ. ὁ δ' εὐχαριστεῖν ελεγε τῷ θεῷ δόντι κράτος αὐτῷ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων, καὶ πάντα δὲ τὰ κεκελευσμένα ποιῆσαι. καὶ ὁ προφήτης "βοῆς" ειπεν "ἀκούω ὑποζυγίων καὶ βοσκημάτων αλλων. πόθεν ταῦτα;" Σαοὺλ δὲ τὸν λαὸν ειπεν εἰς θυσίαν τετηρηκέναι αὐτὰ τῷ θεῷ, τοὺς δὲ ̓Αμαληκίτας πάντας ἐξαφανισθῆναι ατερ τοῦ βασιλέως αὐτῶν. πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ Σαμουήλ "ἐπεὶ τὰ κεκελευσμένα σοι" εφη "πρὸς θεοῦ παραβέβηκας, ισθι οτι τὴν βασιλείαν ἀφαιρεθήσῃ," ὁ δὲ κατετίθετο ἁμαρτῆσαι, καὶ ἱλαστήριον θῦσαι τὸν προφήτην ἱκέτευε. καὶ ος ὑπεχώρει, Σαοὺλ δὲ τῆς διπλοΐδος ἐπιλαμβάνεται αὐτοῦ καὶ διαρρήσσει ταύτην βιαζόμενος αὐτὸν κατασχεῖν. καὶ ὁ προφήτης "ουτως ἡ βασιλεία σου" εφη "διαρρηχθήσεται καὶ δοθήσεται ἀνδρὶ δικαίῳ καὶ ἀγαθῷ." δεομένου δ' ετι τοῦ βασιλέως πείθεται, καὶ ἀχθῆναι τὸν Αγαγ αἰτεῖ, καὶ κτανθέντος ἐκείνου κελεύσει αὐτοῦ αὐτίκα εἰς ̓Αρμαθαῒμ ὑποχωρεῖ. Καὶ αὐτῷ ἐντέλλεται ὁ θεὸς πρὸς ̓Ιεσσαὶ ἀπελθεῖν καὶ χρῖσαι τῷ ἐλαίῳ εἰς βασιλέα ενα τῶν ἐκείνου υἱῶν, ον αν δείξῃ αὐτῷ. καὶ ἀπελθὼν εἰς Βηθλεὲμ καὶ θύσας κέκληκε τὸν ̓Ιεσσαὶ καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν πρωτότοκον μέγαν τε καὶ καλὸν ᾠήθη ἐπ' αὐτῷ τὸν θεὸν εὐδοκεῖν. ὁ δὲ θεός "μὴ ἐπιβλέψῃς" ειπεν "ἐπὶ τὴν οψιν αὐτοῦ, μηδ' εἰς τὸ 1.89 τοῦ σώματος μέγεθος· ανθρωπος μὲν γὰρ εἰς πρόσωπον οψεται, ὁ δὲ θεὸς εἰς καρδίαν." παρελθόντων δὲ καὶ τῶν αλλων παίδων τοῦ ̓Ιεσσαί, ἐπ' οὐδενὶ εὐδόκησεν ὁ θεός. καὶ ειπε Σαμουήλ "οὐκ ἐξελέξατο κύριος ἐν τούτοις, καὶ εἰ εστιν ετι λοιπός, παρελθέτω." καὶ ̓Ιεσσαί "μικρὸς ετι περιλέλειπται" εφη "ποιμαίνων." κληθῆναι ουν αὐτὸν ὁ προφήτης ἐκέλευσεν. ὡς δ' ηκε κληθεὶς ὁ ∆αβίδ, παῖς πυρράκης μετὰ κάλλους ὀφθαλμῶν καὶ ταλλα καλός, τοῦτον ειναι τὸν χρισθησόμενον δηλοῖ τῷ Σαμουὴλ ὁ θεός. καὶ λαβὼν ἐκεῖνος τὸ κέρας τοῦ ἐλαίου εχρισεν αὐτὸν ἐν μέσῳ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἀπῆλθεν εἰς ̓Αρμαθαΐμ. πνεῦμα δὲ θεῖον ἐφήλατο ἐπὶ ∆αβίδ, ἐκ δὲ Σαοὺλ ἀπέστη, καὶ πνεῦμα πονηρὸν μετῄει αὐτὸν συμπνῖγον καὶ κακοῦν τὸν ανδρα. εδοξεν ουν παρίστασθαί τινα τῷ βασιλεῖ εἰδότα ψάλλειν μετὰ κινύρας, ιν' οτε προσπέσοι αὐτῷ τὸ δαιμόνιον ἐκταράττον, ψάλλῃ ἐν τῇ κινύρᾳ καὶ κατευνάζῃ τὸν τάραχον. μεταπέμπεται τοίνυν ὡς τοιοῦτον τὸν ∆αβίδ· καὶ ἠγαπήθη ὁ νεανίας σφόδρα παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως, καὶ εἰς ὁπλοφόρον αὐτῷ ἐχρημάτισε. καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐπιέναι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ πονηρὸν κατεπῇδεν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀφίστατο, καὶ εἰς ἑαυτὸν ὁ Σαοὺλ ἐπανήρχετο. Οἱ δ' ἀλλόφυλοι κατὰ τῶν ̓Ισραηλιτῶν ἐπεστράτευσαν, ἀντικατέστησαν δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ οἱ ἐξ ̓Ισραήλ. καὶ ἐν μεταιχμίῳ τῶν στρατευμάτων ἀμφοῖν ἀνήρ τις τῶν ἀλλοφύλων στάς, Γολιὰθ ἐκείνῳ τὸ ονομα, ἀνὴρ δυνατὸς καὶ πάντων ὑπερανεστηκώς, πήχεων γὰρ εξ καὶ σπιθαμῆς τὸ υψος αὐτῷ, καὶ ὁ θώραξ αὐτοῦ πεντακισχιλίων σίκλων ειλκε σταθμόν, καὶ τὸ δόρυ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἀντίον