This is the first time that Saul speaks, since he is said to have been sleeping in verse 7. While the text does not say so directly, it is quite clear that Saul had awakened from his sleep at some point. In some languages it may be necessary to make this implicit information explicit, since this is certainly not a case of his talking in his sleep.

This verse contains the verb said two times. The first introduces a question and the second the response. So they may be better translated “asked” and “answered” in some languages. But in view of the distance between the speakers, it may be more natural to continue using verbs like “call out” and “shout back.”

My son David: see the comments on 24.11.

The vocative, O king, will be better rendered in some languages by a different term of respect.

In languages where indirect discourse is favored, the following model may be helpful for this verse:

• Saul thought it was David’s voice he had heard. So he asked if it was really David. And David answered politely that it had indeed been his voice.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The introductory words And he said may again be considered redundant, as in verse 10, since David is still the speaker here. They are omitted by Contemporary English Version.

David continues to speak, addressing Saul as my lord and referring to himself as the servant of Saul. In many languages it will be necessary to substitute or at least add personal pronouns to make the meaning clear. But the element of politeness involved in the use of these third person expressions is not to be overlooked. Good News Translation adds the pronouns “you” and “me” but retains “sir” for my lord and transforms his servant into “your servant.”

The question What guilt is on my hands? should probably not be translated literally. The idea is “For what wrong am I condemned?”—essentially a repetition of the first question, what have I done? In some languages the last two questions in this verse may be translated as categorical statements: “I have done nothing wrong at all! I am not guilty of evil doing!”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

At the beginning of this verse, David continues speaking in the third person in reference to himself and in addressing the king. But in the second sentence David switches to using the first person (me) when referring to himself, and second person (you) when addressing Saul. In most languages the first and second person will have to be used from the beginning (verse 18).

Stirred you up against me: while many English versions use the verb “incited,” the meaning may be better expressed in some language by using a causative verb such as “caused you to be angry with me” (New Century Version) or “made me your enemy.”

May he accept an offering: literally “may he smell an offering [or, sacrifice].” The rising smoke of sacrifices was considered to be a pleasing odor for God, who would then accept the offering.

Men: literally “the sons of a man.” This expression occurs elsewhere in the Old Testament and means simply “men” or “human beings.” It stands in contrast with the LORD, mentioned earlier in this verse.

Driven me out, that is, out of land of Israel. See also verse 20.

This day: as in verse 8 above, this may be better translated “tonight,” unless it is thought that the sun had risen by the time this exchange occurred. Or in the present context it may bear the meaning “from this time forward.” In a sense David had already been driven out for some time, so this day may also be understood in the broader sense of “at this time.” It is perhaps for this reason that Good News Translation leaves it implicit.

The heritage of the LORD: see the comment on 10.1, where the people themselves are the heritage. Here the heritage is the land of Israel (see also Psa 136.21-22). Moffatt renders this “for they have banished me this day from all contact with the Eternal’s own land.”

Go, serve other gods: Good News Translation (also Revised English Bible) restructures and does not keep these words as a direct quotation, since it is actually a quote within a quote. Other gods are, of course, the gods that non-Israelite people worship in their countries.

The last half of this verse is expressed as a hypothetical situation in New Jerusalem Bible: “since they have as effectively banished me today from sharing in Yahweh’s heritage as if they had said ‘Go and serve other gods!’ ” This translation seems to express the correct sense of the Hebrew in English.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Now therefore: literally “And now.” Revised Standard Version makes the logical relationship somewhat stronger than it is in the original.

David’s request, that his blood not fall to the earth away from the presence of the LORD, means that he does not want to be killed in another country where the God of Israel is not known and worshiped. Some other renderings of this expression are “don’t let me die far away from the LORD’s presence” (New Century Version) and “but as for me, I don’t want to die far from the presence of the Lord” (Bible en français courant).

As the footnote in Revised Standard Version shows, Revised Standard Version follows the Septuagint in reading my life (also New Jerusalem Bible) instead of the reading “a flea” in the Masoretic Text. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament shows, however, that the text in the Septuagint is the result of a scribal error within the Greek text and should not be followed. Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the Masoretic Text, which is the basis for the Good News Translation rendering.

As the discussion in Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament shows, however, the sense of the Hebrew is slightly different from the meaning expressed in Good News Translation and in most translations based on the Hebrew text. In Hebrew the presence of the direct object particle suggests that David in this narrative is referring to himself specifically as “the solitary flea.” That is, the author of this text has David speak as if David was referring to the “flea” in 24.14. Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente captures the force of the Hebrew, “because you have come to pursue this tiny flee.”

A partridge: the same Hebrew word is found in Jer 17.11. The exact kind of partridge is not certain, but these birds were well known for hiding themselves and their eggs.

Good News Translation has restructured the end of this verse by turning David’s statement into two rhetorical questions.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

My son David: see above on verse 17 and comments on 24.16.

I will no more do you harm sounds as if Saul had actually done real harm to David in the past. Since this was not the case, some may prefer to translate “I will not try to hurt you” (New Century Version) or “I will no longer try to harm you” (New Living Translation).

My life was precious in your eyes: some other ways of communicating this idea are “you considered my life worth saving” or “you did not see fit to take my life.” New Jerusalem Bible renders it “you have shown respect for my life.” Another possible model is that of Contemporary English Version, “you had the chance to kill me today. But you didn’t.”

This day: as in verse 8, this may be better translated “tonight” as Good News Translation has done.

I have played the fool: the same verb in 13.13 is translated “done foolishly.” Others may prefer to say “I have acted like a fool.”

Erred exceedingly: literally “gone astray [or, done wrong] to make great very.” The Hebrew verb implies that Saul behaved from ignorance or without intending to do wrong.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Made answer: literally “answered and said,” but in most cases it will be more natural to say simply “answered” as in Revised English Bible and New American Bible.

Here is the spear, O king: in the Masoretic Text David addresses Saul directly as “O king.” However, a note in the margin of the Masoretic Text, the Septuagint, and a manuscript from Qumran all say “Here is the king’s spear” (so also Revised English Bible, New American Bible, and New Jerusalem Bible). The difference is slight and either may be followed. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “Here is Your Majesty’s spear.”

On the word for young men, compare 2.17; 16.18; 21.2. The reference to youth is unnecessary, since the term is used for any of the men under the authority of the king. Compare Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, “Let a soldier come and get it.”

Instead of saying Let one of the young men come over, it will be more natural in certain languages to say “Send one of your men over.”

On the verb fetch see the comments on 16.11.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The first half of this verse seems to be a general statement in which David refers only indirectly to himself. Revised English Bible, however, translates this as a direct self-reference: “The LORD who rewards uprightness and loyalty will reward the man into whose power he put you today, for I refused to lift my hand against the LORD’s anointed.” It seems better, however, to follow the form of the Hebrew here and keep the first part of the verse as a general statement of what God does. The use of the word man should not be taken as an indication that David thinks that only males are rewarded for being just and faithful. Instead of every man, New Revised Standard Version has “everyone.”

His righteousness and his faithfulness: New Century Version says “for the things he does right and for his loyalty to him [to God].” Another way of expressing the meaning of this phrase may be “because that person is righteous and faithful.” And in those languages that require it, translators may have to indicate that the person is faithful to God, as New Century Version has done by using the pronoun “him.”

Into my hand: literally “into hand.” Some translations follow the ancient versions and say “into my hand.” Even if one follows the Masoretic Text, it will be necessary in many receptor languages to add the pronoun my. See the comments on 4.8.

Put forth my hand against: the essential meaning of the verb used here is “to do harm to” as indicated in Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version and New American Bible. New Living Translation “kill” is probably too strong. Certain versions attempt to retain an English image that contains the word for hand (New International Version: “lay a hand on”; New Jerusalem Bible: “raise my hand against”). But this will not be possible in many languages.

The LORD’s anointed: see the comments on 2.10.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Precious: literally “great.” Be precious: literally “be great.” After having established the fact that he had been merciful to Saul, David voices a wish that may be taken as a prayer that Yahweh will be equally gracious to him. In some languages it may be necessary to translate the last part of this verse “I pray that the LORD will also be kind to me and rescue me from all my troubles.”

Tribulation: this represents the same word that is translated “calamities” in 10.19. In 2 Sam 4.9 it is rendered “adversity.” The idea of the overall expression is that David would be kept safe in all circumstances. In this context it has been translated “distress” (An American Translation, Revised English Bible, La Bible du Semeur); “difficulties” (New American Bible); “trouble” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New International Version, New Century Version).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .