Saul and David

 

 

part of Ruth Salles based on the Old Testament.

CHARACTERS:
Choir / Samuel / Saul / Isaac and his seven sons / Servant / David / Jonathan / Goliath / Women
dancing and singing / Soldiers of Saul, David and the Philistines / Nathan the prophet

The choir is in the background. The scene with Saul takes place on the left. Then Samuel heads to the right, where is Bethlehem, the land of David.

CHOIR:
— Samuel, the man of God,
obeyed the king of heaven
and anointed Saul king of Israel.

SAUL (receiving Samuel and giving him the news):
– Welcome, Samuel!
I defeated the Amalekites,
as ordered from heaven!
SAMUEL (hearing bleating and mooing):

– Saul, what are these bleating?
and these mooing that spreads?

SAUL:
- They are oxen and sheep obtained
like spoils of battle.

SAMUEL:
– God said, “No spoils!”
And you disobeyed!

SAUL:
- But I was going to sacrifice them
just in praise of God.

SAMUEL:
– For God prefers, indeed,
instead of that sacrifice,
obedience to your will.
If God was disobeyed,
He rejects the anointed king
and takes away his majesty.

CHORUS (while Samuel goes to Bethlehem and is received by Isaiah):
- And Samuel leaves the king there
and goes to the city of Bethlehem.
God wants you to talk to Isaí,
to call the children he has.
Only one of them will be chosen,
and as king he will be anointed.

ISAI:
– Samuel, is your coming of peace?

SAMUEL:
– Yes, Isaí, where are your children?
Quickly send someone to fetch them,
for I must purify them.
(The servant brings Isaiah's seven sons, having them pass one at a time before Samuel, who blesses them.)

SAMUEL (apart, with himself, before the first):
– The chosen one must be this one.

CHOIR:
- Samuel! Hear the voice of heaven!
Don't be impressed by the appearance,
with stature and beauty.
This is not the one, no.
The man looks at the face,
but the Lord sees the heart.

SAMUEL (with himself, in front of the second):
- Oh, this young man, for sure,
will be anointed for royalty.

CHOIR:
“It's not that one either, Samuel.
Try to hear the voice of heaven.

SAMUEL (with himself, before the third, fourth and fifth):
- It's this one? It's this one? Will this one?

CHOIR:
– Try to hear the heavenly voice.

SAMUEL (with himself, before the sixth and seventh):
- It's this one? And this one, will he be the anointed?

CHOIR:
– None of the seven is chosen.

SAMUEL:
– Are there only seven children, Isaí?

ISAI:
– The youngest remains, who is David.
He's in the field grazing.

SAMUEL:
- Then send someone to fetch him,
so that I can purify it.
(The servant brings David, who passes before Samuel.)

CHOIR:
- Samuel!
This is what must be anointed.
But keep it a secret
until Saul is dead.

SAMUEL (anointing David with oil):
— The spirit of the Lord is with David.
(sits with the harp and sings):
“I herd the sheep
with the staff in my hand.
When a beast approaches,
I'll scare her away with the stick.
But if from afar I see her coming,
the sling I turn, the stone casting,
and I hit the bear and the lion.
Then I shepherd the flock in peace,
playing the harp, sitting on the floor,
with the Lord in your heart.”

SAUL (to his son):
- Jonathan, beloved son,
since God rejected me,
an evil spirit approached,
and I am very tormented.

JONATES:
– Dad, I know a good singer,
who is a worthy musician.
It is David, son of Isaiah.
When he is shepherding,
play your harp and sing.
And he always sings in praise
of God the Father, who is your Lord.

CHORUS (while Jonathan goes to fetch David):
- And so David was summoned
to play in the king's house.
And the king, hearing, was calmed down,
and the evil spirit left him.

DAVID (sings Psalm 23):
“The Lord is my shepherd, and I will not want.
In green meadows he makes me rest.
And take me to the cool, calm waters
and remake my soul.
Along the straight paths he leads me
for your name's sake.
With your staff and your staff
I will be supported.
And if I must cross the gloomy valley,
I have nothing to fear, for He is with me.
And prepare my table,
my cup overflows,
will anoint my head.
Your divine grace, infinite wisdom
will be following me,
And there in the house of the Lord
I will be residing.” (this 2nd part is optional)

GOLIAH (appears in the center of the scene with the Philistines behind):
– I am Goliath, the Philistine champion,
O subjects of King Saul!
Send a man to fight me!
I came here to win
and make all my slaves!

DAVID (to Jonathan):
– Who is this Philistine?
who insults the Hebrew people?

JONATH (the Hebrew soldiers assemble near the king):
– The one that challenges us?
It's the giant Goliath.

DAVID (seeing Saul with his head down, discouraged):
— Do not lose heart, O king!
I can fight it.

SAUL:
– Fight it?
You are a boy, actually.
And he's a man of war
since youth.

DAVID:
– The Bear and the Lion
I have always won.
And Goliath insulted
the army of the living God.
From the claws of two beasts,
God defended me
and you will also save me
out of the hand of this Philistine.

GOLIAH (seeing David step forward to meet him):
– You come with a staff in your hand,
like i'm some dog

DAVID:
– You come in helmet and breastplate,
of shield and spear.
And I come in the name
of the God of Heaven.
Today the earth will know
that there is a god in Israel! (spins sling and takes down Goliath)

CHORUS (as the Hebrew soldiers advance towards the Philistines):
– And so David won.
the Philistine giant.
And the men of Israel,
shouting battle cries,
drove out the Philistines
of your land.
(Saul, David, Jonathan, and the Hebrew soldiers go behind the choir. The women enter.)

WOMEN (dance, and sing with choir accompaniment):
“On many missions, David went to fight,
and your victories we came to sing, sing, sing.
Such a brave shepherd no one has ever seen.
Saul conquered a thousand, and David conquered ten thousand, ten thousand!”

DAVID (entering with Jonathan):
- Friend,
what news do you bring me?

JONATES:
– My father is now your enemy.
He envies what you do.
And as much as I've said
of your dedication,
he intends to kill you
without the slightest pity.

DAVID:
– Jonathan, dear friend,
since I'm in danger,
I'm leaving for the desert. (He hugs Jonathan and leaves.)

CHORUS (while the scene takes place in the center):
- Saul goes, with his soldiers,
looking for David.
And fall asleep in a cave
of the Engadi desert.
Warned by your men,
approaches David
and cut the edge of the cloak
of the king who slept there.

DAVID (to his soldiers):
– Don't kill him! (wakes up the king)
- My king,
look at my hand at the tip
from your cloak that I cut.
I could have killed him,
but that I will never do.

SAUL:
- May God, the Lord,
reward my shepherd,
who drove out the Philistine,
and that was fairer than me,
and who repaid evil with good.
Now I know who it will be
the king after I die.

CHORUS (as King Saul leaves the scene):
— Fighting the Philistine,
one day King Saul died,
and it was David who reigned,
following the will of the Lord
and singing and playing in his praise.

CREAM:
— By the mouth of Nathan the prophet,
this is what the Lord of Heaven says:
“I took my servant David out of the pastures
and made him the leader of Judah and Israel.
I was always with him in peace and in war,
and made your name so illustrious
as the most illustrious names in all the earth.”

ALL (sing with David in the center):
"The earth is the Lord's
and all that it contains,
for He Himself seated it upon the seas.
Who will be worthy to go up to the mountain of the Lord?
or to stand in your holy place?
Who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not seek vanity or deceive his neighbor,
this will have the blessing of the Lord
and the reward of God your Saviour.”
(Psalm 24)

 

End