Samuel Rules Israel (1SA 7:2-17)

[7:2] The Covenant Box of the Lord stayed in Kiriath Jearim a long time, some twenty years. During this time all the Israelites cried to the Lord for help.

[7:3] Samuel said to the people of Israel, “If you are going to turn to the Lord with all your hearts, you must get rid of all the foreign gods and the images of the goddess Astarte. Dedicate yourselves completely to the Lord and worship only him, and he will rescue you from the power of the Philistines.”

[7:4] So the Israelites got rid of their idols of Baal and Astarte, and worshiped only the Lord.

[7:5] Then Samuel called for all the Israelites to meet at Mizpah, telling them, “I will pray to the Lord for you there.”

[7:6] So they all gathered at Mizpah. They drew some water and poured it out as an offering to the Lord and fasted that whole day. They said, “We have sinned against the Lord.” (It was at Mizpah where Samuel settled disputes among the Israelites.)

[7:7] When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the five Philistine kings started out with their men to attack them. The Israelites heard about it and were afraid,

[7:8] and said to Samuel, “Keep praying to the Lord our God to save us from the Philistines.”

[7:9] Samuel killed a young lamb and burned it whole as a sacrifice to the Lord. Then he prayed to the Lord to help Israel, and the Lord answered his prayer.

[7:10] While Samuel was offering the sacrifice, the Philistines moved forward to attack; but just then the Lord thundered from heaven against them. They became completely confused and fled in panic.

[7:11] The Israelites marched out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines almost as far as Bethcar, killing them along the way.

[7:12] Then Samuel took a stone, set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and said, “The Lord has helped us all the way”—and he named it “Stone of Help.”

[7:13] So the Philistines were defeated, and the Lord prevented them from invading Israel's territory as long as Samuel lived.

[7:14] All the cities which the Philistines had captured between Ekron and Gath were returned to Israel, and so Israel got back all its territory. And there was peace also between the Israelites and the Canaanites.

[7:15] Samuel ruled Israel as long as he lived.

[7:16] Every year he would go around to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and in these places he would settle disputes.

[7:17] Then he would go back to his home in Ramah, where also he would serve as judge. In Ramah he built an altar to the Lord.

The People Ask for a King (1SA 8:1-22)

[8:1] When Samuel grew old, he made his sons judges in Israel.

[8:2] The older son was named Joel and the younger one Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.

[8:3] But they did not follow their father's example; they were interested only in making money, so they accepted bribes and did not decide cases honestly.

[8:4] Then all the leaders of Israel met together, went to Samuel in Ramah,

[8:5] and said to him, “Look, you are getting old and your sons don't follow your example. So then, appoint a king to rule over us, so that we will have a king, as other countries have.”

[8:6] Samuel was displeased with their request for a king; so he prayed to the Lord,

[8:7] and the Lord said, “Listen to everything the people say to you. You are not the one they have rejected; I am the one they have rejected as their king.

[8:8] Ever since I brought them out of Egypt, they have turned away from me and worshiped other gods; and now they are doing to you what they have always done to me.

[8:9] So then, listen to them, but give them strict warnings and explain how their kings will treat them.”

[8:10] Samuel told the people who were asking him for a king everything that the Lord had said to him.

[8:11] “This is how your king will treat you,” Samuel explained. “He will make soldiers of your sons; some of them will serve in his war chariots, others in his cavalry, and others will run before his chariots.

[8:12] He will make some of them officers in charge of a thousand men, and others in charge of fifty men. Your sons will have to plow his fields, harvest his crops, and make his weapons and the equipment for his chariots.

[8:13] Your daughters will have to make perfumes for him and work as his cooks and his bakers.

[8:14] He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his officials.

[8:15] He will take a tenth of your grain and of your grapes for his court officers and other officials.

[8:16] He will take your servants and your best cattle and donkeys, and make them work for him.

[8:17] He will take a tenth of your flocks. And you yourselves will become his slaves.

[8:18] When that time comes, you will complain bitterly because of your king, whom you yourselves chose, but the Lord will not listen to your complaints.”

[8:19] The people paid no attention to Samuel, but said, “No! We want a king,

[8:20] so that we will be like other nations, with our own king to rule us and to lead us out to war and to fight our battles.”

[8:21] Samuel listened to everything they said and then went and told it to the Lord.

[8:22] The Lord answered, “Do what they want and give them a king.” Then Samuel told all the men of Israel to go back home.

Saul Meets Samuel (1SA 9:1-26)

[9:1] There was a wealthy and influential man named Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin; he was the son of Abiel and grandson of Zeror, and belonged to the family of Becorath, a part of the clan of Aphiah.

[9:2] He had a son named Saul, a handsome man in the prime of life. Saul was a foot taller than anyone else in Israel and more handsome as well.

[9:3] Some donkeys belonging to Kish had wandered off, so he said to Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.”

[9:4] They went through the hill country of Ephraim and the region of Shalishah, but did not find them; so they went on through the region of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then they went through the territory of Benjamin, but still did not find them.

[9:5] When they came into the region of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, “Let's go back home, or my father might stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”

[9:6] The servant answered, “Wait! In this town there is a holy man who is highly respected because everything he says comes true. Let's go to him, and maybe he can tell us where we can find the donkeys.”

[9:7] “If we go to him, what can we give him?” Saul asked. “There is no food left in our packs, and we don't have a thing to give him, do we?”

[9:8] The servant answered, “I have a small silver coin. I can give him that, and then he will tell us where we can find them.” (At that time a prophet was called a seer, and so whenever someone wanted to ask God a question, he would say, “Let's go to the seer.”)

[9:14] So Saul and his servant went on to the town, and as they were going in, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way to the place of worship.

[9:15] Now on the previous day the Lord had told Samuel,

[9:16] “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the tribe of Benjamin; anoint him as ruler of my people Israel, and he will rescue them from the Philistines. I have seen the suffering of my people and have heard their cries for help.”

[9:17] When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man I told you about. He will rule my people.”

[9:18] Then Saul went over to Samuel, who was near the gate, and asked, “Tell me, where does the seer live?”

[9:19] Samuel answered, “I am the seer. Go on ahead of me to the place of worship. Both of you are to eat with me today. Tomorrow morning I will answer all your questions and send you on your way.

[9:20] As for the donkeys that were lost three days ago, don't worry about them; they have already been found. But who is it that the people of Israel want so much? It is you—you and your father's family.”

[9:21] Saul answered, “I belong to the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important one in the tribe. Why, then, do you talk like this to me?”

[9:22] Then Samuel led Saul and his servant into the large room and gave them a place at the head of the table where the guests, about thirty in all, were seated.

[9:23] Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you, which I told you to set aside.”

[9:24] So the cook brought the choice piece of the leg and placed it before Saul. Samuel said, “Look, here is the piece that was kept for you. Eat it. I saved it for you to eat at this time with the people I invited.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

[9:25] When they went down from the place of worship to the town, they fixed up a bed for Saul on the roof,

[9:26] and he slept there.

Samuel Anoints Saul as Ruler (1SA 9:26-10:16)

[9:26] At dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get up, and I will send you on your way.” Saul got up, and he and Samuel went out to the street together.

[9:27] When they arrived at the edge of town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” The servant left, and Samuel continued, “Stay here a minute, and I will tell you what God has said.”

[10:1] Then Samuel took a jar of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, “The Lord anoints you as ruler of his people Israel. You will rule his people and protect them from all their enemies. And this is the proof to you that the Lord has chosen you to be the ruler of his people:

[10:2] When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys you were looking for have been found, so that your father isn't worried any more about them but about you, and he keeps asking, ‘What shall I do about my son?’

[10:3] You will go on from there until you come to the sacred tree at Tabor, where you will meet three men on their way to offer a sacrifice to God at Bethel. One of them will be leading three young goats, another one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and the third one will have a leather bag full of wine.

[10:4] They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept.

[10:5] Then you will go to the Hill of God in Gibeah, where there is a Philistine camp. At the entrance to the town you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the altar on the hill, playing harps, drums, flutes, and lyres. They will be dancing and shouting.

[10:6] Suddenly the spirit of the Lord will take control of you, and you will join in their religious dancing and shouting and will become a different person.

[10:7] When these things happen, do whatever God leads you to do.

[10:8] You will go ahead of me to Gilgal, where I will meet you and offer burnt sacrifices and fellowship sacrifices. Wait there seven days until I come and tell you what to do.”

[10:9] When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God gave Saul a new nature. And everything Samuel had told him happened that day.

[10:10] When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Suddenly the spirit of God took control of him, and he joined in their ecstatic dancing and shouting.

[10:11] People who had known him before saw him doing this and asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Has Saul become a prophet?”

[10:12] A man who lived there asked, “How about these other prophets—who do you think their fathers are?” This is how the saying originated, “Has even Saul become a prophet?”

[10:13] When Saul finished his ecstatic dancing and shouting, he went to the altar on the hill.

[10:14] Saul's uncle saw him and the servant, and he asked them, “Where have you been?” “Looking for the donkeys,” Saul answered. “When we couldn't find them, we went to see Samuel.”

[10:15] “And what did he tell you?” Saul's uncle asked.

[10:16] “He told us that the animals had been found,” Saul answered—but he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about his becoming king.

Saul Is Acclaimed as King (1SA 10:17-27)

[10:17] Samuel called the people together for a religious gathering at Mizpah

[10:18] and said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I brought you out of Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and all the other peoples who were oppressing you.

[10:19] I am your God, the one who rescues you from all your troubles and difficulties, but today you have rejected me and have asked me to give you a king. Very well, then, gather yourselves before the Lord by tribes and by clans.’”

[10:20] Then Samuel had each tribe come forward, and the Lord picked the tribe of Benjamin.

[10:21] Then Samuel had the families of the tribe of Benjamin come forward, and the family of Matri was picked out. Then the men of the family of Matri came forward, and Saul son of Kish was picked out. They looked for him, but when they could not find him,

[10:22] they asked the Lord, “Is there still someone else?” The Lord answered, “Saul is over there, hiding behind the supplies.”

[10:23] So they ran and brought Saul out to the people, and they could see that he was a foot taller than anyone else.

[10:24] Samuel said to the people, “Here is the man the Lord has chosen! There is no one else among us like him.” All the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

[10:25] Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of a king, and then wrote them in a book, which he deposited in a holy place. Then he sent everyone home.

[10:26] Saul also went back home to Gibeah. Some powerful men, whose hearts God had touched, went with him.

[10:27] But some worthless people said, “How can this fellow do us any good?” They despised Saul and did not bring him any gifts.

Saul Defeats the Ammonites (1SA 11:1-15)

[11:1] About a month later King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the town of Jabesh in the territory of Gilead and besieged it. The men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will accept you as our ruler.”

[11:2] Nahash answered, “I will make a treaty with you on one condition: I will put out everyone's right eye and so bring disgrace on all Israel.”

[11:3] The leaders of Jabesh said, “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout the land of Israel. If no one will help us, then we will surrender to you.”

[11:4] The messengers arrived at Gibeah, where Saul lived, and when they told the news, the people started crying in despair.

[11:5] Saul was just then coming in from the field with his oxen, and he asked, “What's wrong? Why is everyone crying?” They told him what the messengers from Jabesh had reported.

[11:6] When Saul heard this, the spirit of God took control of him, and he became furious.

[11:7] He took two oxen, cut them in pieces, and had messengers carry the pieces throughout the land of Israel with this warning: “Whoever does not follow Saul and Samuel into battle will have this done to his oxen!” The people of Israel were afraid of what the Lord might do, and all of them, without exception, came out together.

[11:8] Saul gathered them at Bezek: there were 300,000 from Israel and 30,000 from Judah.

[11:9] They said to the messengers from Jabesh, “Tell your people that before noon tomorrow they will be rescued.” When the people of Jabesh received the message, they were overjoyed

[11:10] and said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do with us whatever you wish.”

[11:11] That night Saul divided his men into three groups, and at dawn the next day they rushed into the enemy camp and attacked the Ammonites. By noon they had slaughtered them. The survivors scattered, each man running off by himself.

[11:12] Then the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Where are the people who said that Saul should not be our king? Hand them over to us, and we will kill them!”

[11:13] But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today, for this is the day the Lord rescued Israel.”

[11:14] And Samuel said to them, “Let us all go to Gilgal and once more proclaim Saul as our king.”

[11:15] So they all went to Gilgal, and there at the holy place they proclaimed Saul king. They offered fellowship sacrifices, and Saul and all the people of Israel celebrated the event.

Samuel Addresses the People (1SA 12:1-25)

[12:1] Then Samuel said to the people of Israel, “I have done what you asked me to do. I have given you a king to rule you,

[12:2] and now you have him to lead you. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are with you. I have been your leader from my youth until now.

[12:3] Here I am. If I have done anything wrong, accuse me now in the presence of the Lord and the king he has chosen. Have I taken anybody's cow or anybody's donkey? Have I cheated or oppressed anyone? Have I accepted a bribe from anyone? If I have done any of these things, I will pay back what I have taken.”

[12:4] The people answered, “No, you have not cheated us or oppressed us; you have not taken anything from anyone.”

[12:5] Samuel replied, “The Lord and the king he has chosen are witnesses today that you have found me to be completely innocent.” “Yes, the Lord is our witness,” they answered.

[12:6] Samuel continued, “The Lord is the one who chose Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestors out of Egypt.

[12:7] Now stand where you are, and I will accuse you before the Lord by reminding you of all the mighty actions the Lord did to save you and your ancestors.

[12:8] When Jacob and his family went to Egypt and the Egyptians oppressed them, your ancestors cried to the Lord for help, and he sent Moses and Aaron, who brought them out of Egypt and settled them in this land.

[12:9] But the people forgot the Lord their God, and so he let the Philistines and the king of Moab and Sisera, commander of the army of the city of Hazor, fight against your ancestors and conquer them.

[12:10] Then they cried to the Lord for help and said, ‘We have sinned, because we turned away from you, Lord, and worshiped the idols of Baal and Astarte. Rescue us from our enemies, and we will worship you!’

[12:11] And the Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and finally me. Each of us rescued you from your enemies, and you lived in safety.

[12:12] But when you saw that King Nahash of Ammon was about to attack you, you rejected the Lord as your king and said to me, ‘We want a king to rule us.’

[12:13] “Now here is the king you chose; you asked for him, and now the Lord has given him to you.

[12:14] All will go well with you if you honor the Lord your God, serve him, listen to him, and obey his commands, and if you and your king follow him.

[12:15] But if you do not listen to the Lord but disobey his commands, he will be against you and your king.

[12:16] So then, stand where you are, and you will see the great thing which the Lord is going to do.

[12:17] It's the dry season, isn't it? But I will pray, and the Lord will send thunder and rain. When this happens, you will realize that you committed a great sin against the Lord when you asked him for a king.”

[12:18] So Samuel prayed, and on that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. Then all the people became afraid of the Lord and of Samuel,

[12:19] and they said to Samuel, “Please, sir, pray to the Lord your God for us, so that we won't die. We now realize that, besides all our other sins, we have sinned by asking for a king.”

[12:20] “Don't be afraid,” Samuel answered. “Even though you have done such an evil thing, do not turn away from the Lord, but serve him with all your heart.

[12:21] Don't go after false gods; they cannot help you or save you, for they are not real.

[12:22] The Lord has made a solemn promise, and he will not abandon you, for he has decided to make you his own people.

[12:23] As for me, the Lord forbid that I should sin against him by no longer praying for you. Instead, I will teach you what is good and right for you to do.

[12:24] Obey the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Remember the great things he has done for you.

[12:25] But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be destroyed.”

War against the Philistines (1SA 13:3-23)

[13:3] Jonathan killed the Philistine commander in Geba, and all the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul sent messengers to call the Hebrews to war by blowing a trumpet throughout the whole country.

[13:4] All the Israelites were told that Saul had killed the Philistine commander and that the Philistines hated them. So the people answered the call to join Saul at Gilgal.

[13:5] The Philistines assembled to fight the Israelites; they had thirty thousand war chariots, six thousand cavalry troops, and as many soldiers as there are grains of sand on the seashore. They went to Michmash, east of Bethaven, and camped there.

[13:6] Then they launched a strong attack against the Israelites, putting them in a desperate situation. Some of the Israelites hid in caves and holes or among the rocks or in pits and wells;

[13:7] others crossed the Jordan River into the territories of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and the people with him were trembling with fear.

[13:8] He waited seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him to do, but Samuel still had not come to Gilgal. The people began to desert Saul,

[13:9] so he said to them, “Bring me the burnt sacrifices and the fellowship sacrifices.” He offered a burnt sacrifice,

[13:10] and just as he was finishing, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and welcome him,

[13:11] but Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul answered, “The people were deserting me, and you had not come when you said you would; besides that, the Philistines are gathering at Michmash.

[13:12] So I thought, ‘The Philistines are going to attack me here in Gilgal, and I have not tried to win the Lord's favor.’ So I felt I had to offer a sacrifice.”

[13:13] “That was a foolish thing to do,” Samuel answered. “You have not obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. If you had obeyed, he would have let you and your descendants rule over Israel forever.

[13:14] But now your rule will not continue. Because you have disobeyed him, the Lord will find the kind of man he wants and make him ruler of his people.”

[13:15] Samuel left Gilgal and went on his way. The rest of the people followed Saul as he went to join his soldiers. They went from Gilgal to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. Saul inspected his troops, about six hundred men.

[13:16] Saul, his son Jonathan, and their men camped in Geba in the territory of Benjamin; the Philistine camp was at Michmash.

[13:17] The Philistine soldiers went out on raids from their camp in three groups: one group went toward Ophrah in the territory of Shual,

[13:18] another went toward Beth Horon, and the other one went to the border overlooking Zeboim Valley and the wilderness.

[13:19] There were no blacksmiths in Israel because the Philistines were determined to keep the Hebrews from making swords and spears. (

[13:20] The Israelites had to go to the Philistines to get their plows, hoes, axes, and sickles sharpened;

[13:21] the charge was one small coin for sharpening axes and for fixing goads, and two coins for sharpening plows or hoes.)

[13:22] And so on the day of battle none of the Israelite soldiers except Saul and his son Jonathan had swords or spears.

[13:23] The Philistines sent a group of soldiers to defend Michmash Pass.

Jonathan's Daring Deed (1SA 14:1-15)

[14:1] One day Jonathan said to the young man who carried his weapons, “Let's go across to the Philistine camp.” But Jonathan did not tell his father Saul,

[14:2] who was camping under a pomegranate tree in Migron, not far from Gibeah; he had about six hundred men with him.

[14:3] (The priest carrying the ephod was Ahijah, the son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub, who was the son of Phinehas and grandson of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh.) The men did not know that Jonathan had left.

[14:4] In Michmash Pass, which Jonathan had to go through to get over to the Philistine camp, there were two large jagged rocks, one on each side of the pass: one was called Bozez and the other Seneh.

[14:5] One was on the north side of the pass, facing Michmash, and the other was on the south side, facing Geba.

[14:6] Jonathan said to the young man, “Let's cross over to the camp of those heathen Philistines. Maybe the Lord will help us; if he does, nothing can keep him from giving us the victory, no matter how few of us there are.”

[14:7] The young man answered, “Whatever you want to do, I'm with you.”

[14:8] “All right,” Jonathan said. “We will go across and let the Philistines see us.

[14:9] If they tell us to wait for them to come to us, then we will stay where we are.

[14:10] But if they tell us to go to them, then we will, because that will be the sign that the Lord has given us victory over them.”

[14:11] So they let the Philistines see them, and the Philistines said, “Look! Some Hebrews are coming out of the holes they have been hiding in!”

[14:12] Then they called out to Jonathan and the young man, “Come on up here! We have something to tell you!” Jonathan said to the young man, “Follow me. The Lord has given Israel victory over them.”

[14:13] Jonathan climbed up out of the pass on his hands and knees, and the young man followed him. Jonathan attacked the Philistines and knocked them down, and the young man killed them.

[14:14] In that first slaughter Jonathan and the young man killed about twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

[14:15] All the Philistines in the countryside were terrified; the raiders and the soldiers in the camp trembled with fear; the earth shook, and there was great panic.

The Defeat of the Philistines (1SA 14:16-23)

[14:16] Saul's men on watch at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin saw the Philistines running in confusion.

[14:17] So Saul said to his men, “Count the soldiers and find out who is missing.” They did so and found that Jonathan and the young man who carried his weapons were missing.

[14:18] “Bring the ephod here,” Saul said to Ahijah the priest. (On that day Ahijah was carrying it in front of the people of Israel.)

[14:19] As Saul was speaking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp kept getting worse, so Saul said to him, “There's no time to consult the Lord!”

[14:20] Then he and his men marched into battle against the Philistines, who were fighting each other in complete confusion.

[14:21] Some Hebrews, who had been on the Philistine side and had gone with them to the camp, changed sides again and joined Saul and Jonathan.

[14:22] Others, who had been hiding in the hills of Ephraim, heard that the Philistines were running away, so they also joined in and attacked the Philistines,

[14:23] fighting all the way beyond Bethaven. The Lord saved Israel that day.