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1 Samuel
| And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he
made his sons judges over Israel. |
| Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name
of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. |
| And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned
aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. |
| Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves
together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, |
| And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy
sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the
nations. |
| But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said,
Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. |
| And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the
voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not
rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over
them. |
| According to all the works which they have done
since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day,
wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also
unto thee. |
| Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet
protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that
shall reign over them. |
| And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the
people that asked of him a king. |
| And he said, This will be the manner of the king
that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for
himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run
before his chariots. |
| And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and
captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap
his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his
chariots. |
| And he will take your daughters to be
confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. |
| And he will take your fields, and your vineyards,
and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his
servants. |
| And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your
vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. |
| And he will take your menservants, and your
maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them
to his work. |
| He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall
be his servants. |
| And ye shall cry out in that day because of your
king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in
that day. |
| Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of
Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; |
| That we also may be like all the nations; and that
our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. |
| And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he
rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. |
| And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their
voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go
ye every man unto his city. |
| Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was
Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son
of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. |
| And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice
young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel
a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher
than any of the people. |
| And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. And
Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and
arise, go seek the asses. |
| And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed
through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed
through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed
through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. |
| And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul
said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my
father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us. |
| And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this
city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh
surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can show us our
way that we should go. |
| Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we
go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels,
and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we? |
| And the servant answered Saul again, and said,
Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that
will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way. |
| (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of
God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now
called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) |
| Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let
us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was. |
| And as they went up the hill to the city, they found
young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer
here? |
| And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he
is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there
is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place: |
| As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall
straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the
people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice;
and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for
about this time ye shall find him. |
| And they went up into the city: and when they were
come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up
to the high place. |
| Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before
Saul came, saying, |
| To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out
of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my
people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the
Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come
unto me. |
| And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him,
Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my
people. |
| Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said,
Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is. |
| And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer:
go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day,
and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in
thine heart. |
| And as for thine asses that were lost three days
ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all
the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house? |
| And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of
the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the
families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to
me? |
| And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought
them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among
them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons. |
| And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion
which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee. |
| And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which
was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which
is left! set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time hath it been
kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat
with Samuel that day. |
| And when they were come down from the high place
into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house. |
| And they arose early: and it came to pass about the
spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house,
saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out
both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. |
| And as they were going down to the end of the city,
Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed
on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may show thee the word of God. |
| Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon
his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the LORD hath
anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? |
| When thou art departed from me to day, then thou
shalt find two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at
Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to
seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left the care of the asses, and
sorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? |
| Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou
shalt come to the plain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men
going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying
three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: |
| And they will salute thee, and give thee two loaves
of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands. |
| After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where
is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou
art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets
coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a
pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: |
| And the spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and
thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. |
| And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee,
that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee. |
| And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and,
behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to
sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry,
till I come to thee, and show thee what thou shalt do. |
| And it was so, that when he had turned his back to
go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to
pass that day. |
| And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a
company of prophets met him; and the spirit of God came upon him, and he
prophesied among them. |
| And it came to pass, when all that knew him
beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the
people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of
Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? |
| And one of the same place answered and said, But who
is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the
prophets? |
| And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came
to the high place. |
| And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant,
Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses: and when we saw that
they were no where, we came to Samuel. |
| And Saul's uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what
Samuel said unto you. |
| And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly
that the asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof
Samuel spake, he told him not. |
| And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD
to Mizpeh; |
| And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the
LORD God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you
out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms,
and of them that oppressed you: |
| And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself
saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have
said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present
yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands. |
| And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel
to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. |
| When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come
near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son
of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found. |
| Therefore they inquired of the LORD further, if the
man should yet come thither. And the LORD answered, Behold, he hath hid
himself among the stuff. |
| And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he
stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his
shoulders and upward. |
| And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom
the LORD hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?
And all the people shouted, and said, God save the king. |
| Then Samuel told the people the manner of the
kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And
Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. |
| And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went
with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched. |
| But the children of Belial said, How shall this man
save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held
his peace. |
| Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped
against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a
covenant with us, and we will serve thee. |
| And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this
condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all
your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel. |
| And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us
seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of
Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to
thee. |
| Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told
the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up
their voices, and wept. |
| And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the
field; and Saul said, What aileth the people that they weep? And they
told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh. |
| And the spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard
those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly. |
| And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in
pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands
of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after
Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell
on the people, and they came out with one consent. |
| And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of
Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty
thousand. |
| And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus
shall ye say unto the men of Jabeshgilead, To morrow, by that time the
sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and showed it to
the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. |
| Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To morrow we will
come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto
you. |
| And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the
people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the host in
the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and
it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of
them were not left together. |
| And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that
said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to
death. |
| And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death
this day: for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel. |
| Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go
to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there. |
| And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they
made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed
sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all
the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. |
| And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have
hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a
king over you. |
| And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I
am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have
walked before you from my childhood unto this day. |
| Behold, here I am: witness against me before the
LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have
I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose
hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will
restore it you. |
| And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor
oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand. |
| And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against
you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought
in my hand. And they answered, He is witness. |
| And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that
advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the
land of Egypt. |
| Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with
you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did
to you and to your fathers. |
| When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers
cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought
forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place. |
| And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold
them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the
hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they
fought against them. |
| And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have
sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and
Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we
will serve thee. |
| And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah,
and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every
side, and ye dwelled safe. |
| And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children
of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign
over us: when the LORD your God was your king. |
| Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen,
and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over
you. |
| If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey
his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall
both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the
LORD your God: |
| But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but
rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the
LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers. |
| Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which
the LORD will do before your eyes. |
| Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the
LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see
that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the
LORD, in asking you a king. |
| So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent
thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD
and Samuel. |
| And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy
servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto
all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. |
| And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have
done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD,
but serve the LORD with all your heart; |
| And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after
vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. |
| For the LORD will not forsake his people for his
great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his
people. |
| Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin
against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the
good and the right way: |
| Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all
your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you. |
| But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be
consumed, both ye and your king. |
| Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two
years over Israel, |
| Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof
two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a
thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the
people he sent every man to his tent. |
| And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines
that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the
trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. |
| And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a
garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination
with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to
Gilgal. |
| And the Philistines gathered themselves together to
fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen,
and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they
came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven. |
| When the men of Israel saw that they were in a
strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide
themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places,
and in pits. |
| And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land
of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people
followed him trembling. |
| And he tarried seven days, according to the set time
that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people
were scattered from him. |
| And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me,
and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. |
| And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an
end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went
out to meet him, that he might salute him. |
| And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said,
Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou
camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered
themselves together at Michmash; |
| Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now
upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I
forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. |
| And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly:
thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he
commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon
Israel for ever. |
| But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD
hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded
him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which
the LORD commanded thee. |
| And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto
Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with
him, about six hundred men. |
| And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that
were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but the Philistines
encamped in Michmash. |
| And the spoilers came out of the camp of the
Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that
leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual: |
| And another company turned the way to Bethhoron: and
another company turned to the way of the border that looketh to the
valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. |
| Now there was no smith found throughout all the land
of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords
or spears: |
| But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines,
to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his ax, and his
mattock. |
| Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the
coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. |
| So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there
was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that
were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was
there found. |
| And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the
passage of Michmash. |
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