1Samuel:11-13

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* Then came up Nachash the ‘Ammonite , and encamped against Yabesh –gil ’ad : and all the men of Yabesh said unto Nachash , Make a covenant with us , and we will serve thee . * And Nachash the ‘Ammonite said unto them , On this condition will I make it with you , that ye all have put out the right eye , that I may lay it as a reproach upon all Israel . * And the elders of Yabesh said unto him , Grant us seven days ’ respite , that we may send messengers throughout all the boundary of Israel ; and then , if there be none to save us , will we come out to thee . * And the messengers came to Gib ’ah of Saul , and spoke the words in the ears of the people ; and all the people lifted up their voice , and wept . * And , behold , Saul was coming after the herds out of the field ; and Saul said , What aileth the people that they weep ? And they told him the words of the men of Yabesh . * And the spirit of God came suddenly over Saul when he heard these words , and his anger was kindled greatly , * And he took a yoke of oxen , and cut them in pieces , and sent them about throughout all the boundary of Israel by the hand of the messengers , saying , Whosoever goeth not forth after Saul and after Samuel , shall have his herds thus treated . And the dread of the Lord fell on the people , and they went out as one man . * And he numbered them in Bezek ; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand , and the men of Judah thirty thousand . * And they said unto the messengers that were come , Thus shall ye say unto the men of Yabesh –gil ’ad , Tomorrow shall ye have help , when the sun shineth hot . And the messengers came and told it to the men of Yabesh ; and these were glad . * And the men of Yabesh said , Tomorrow will we go out unto you , and ye can do unto us in accordance with all that seemeth good in your eyes . * And it happened on the morrow , that Saul put the people in three companies ; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch , and they smote the ‘Ammonites until the heat of the day : and it came to pass , that those that remained were scattered , and no two among them were left together . * And the people said unto Samuel , Who is there that saith , Shall Saul reign over us ? give up the men , and we will put them to death . * And Saul said , There shall not a man be put to death on this day ; for today the Lord hath wrought deliverance in Israel . * And Samuel said to the people , Come and let us go to Gilgal , and renew there the choice of the king . * And all the people went to Gilgal ; and they appointed there Saul as king before the Lord in Gilgal ; and they sacrificed there sacrifices of peace –offerings before the Lord ; and Saul with all the men of Israel rejoiced there very greatly . * And Samuel said unto all Israel , Behold , I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me , and I have set a king over you . * And now , behold , the king is walking before you ; and I am old and gray –headed ; and my sons , behold , they are with you ; and I have walked before you from my youth even until this day . * Behold , here am I ; testify against me in the presence of the Lord , and in the presence of his anointed : Whose ox have I taken ? or whose ass have I taken ? or whom have I defrauded ? whom have I oppressed ? or from whose hand have I received any ransom so that I withdrew my eyes from him ? and I will restore it you . * And they said , Thou hast not defrauded us , nor hast thou oppressed us , and thou hast not taken from any man ’s hand the least . * And he said unto them , The Lord is witness against you , and his anointed is witness this day , that ye have not found in my hand the least : and they answered , He is witness . * And Samuel said unto the people , It is the Lord who did Moses and Aaron , and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt . * And now stand up , that I may hold judgment with you before the Lord concerning all the benefits of the Lord , which he hath done to you and to your fathers . * When Jacob was come into Egypt , then did your fathers cry unto the Lord , and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron , and they brought forth your fathers out of Egypt , and caused them to dwell in this place . * And when they forgot the Lord their God , he sold them into the hand of Sissera , the chief of the host of Chazor , and into the hand of the Philistines , and into the hand of the king of Moab , and they made war against them . * And they cried unto the Lord , and said , We have sinned , because we have forsaken the Lord , and have served the Be ’alim and the ‘Ashtaroth ; and now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies , and we will serve thee . * And the Lord sent Yerubba ’al , and Bedan , and Yiphthach , and Samuel , and he delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side , so that ye dwelt safely . * But when ye saw that Nachash the king of the children of ‘Ammon came against you , ye said unto me , No ; but a king shall reign over us : when the Lord your God is your king . * And now here is the king whom ye have chosen , whom ye have asked for ! and , behold , the Lord hath set over you a king . * If ye will fear the Lord , and serve him , and obey his voice , and will not rebel against the will 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 hearken to the voice of the Lord , and rebel against the will of the Lord : then will the hand of the Lord be against you , as it was against your fathers . * And now stand up and see this great thing , which the Lord is about doing before your eyes . * Is there not wheat –harvest today ? I will call unto the Lord , and he will send thunders and rain ; and ye will perceive and see that your wickedness is great , which ye have done , in the eyes of the Lord , to ask for yourselves a king . * And Samuel called unto the Lord ; and the Lord sent thunders and rain on that day : and all the people feared greatly the Lord and Samuel . * And all the people said unto Samuel , Pray in behalf of thy servants unto the Lord thy God , that we may not die ; for we have added unto all our sins yet this evil , to ask for ourselves a king . * And Samuel said unto the people , Fear not ; ye have indeed done all this evil : yet turn not aside from following the Lord , and serve ye the Lord with all your heart ; * And turn ye not aside ; for then would ye go after vain things , which cannot profit nor deliver ; because they are vain . * For the Lord will not forsake his people for the sake of his great name ; because it hath pleased the Lord to make you a people unto himself . * Moreover as for me , far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray in behalf of 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 see what great things he hath done with you . * But if ye will in any wise do wickedly , both ye yourselves as also your king shall perish . * When Saul had reigned one year ,––and two years he reigned over Israel ,–– * Saul chose for himself three thousand men out of Israel ; and there were with Saul two thousand in Michmash and on the mountain of Beth –el , and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gib ’ah of Benjamin : and the rest of the people he sent away every man to his tents . * And Jonathan smote the outpost of the Philistines that was at Geba ’, and the Philistines heard of it . And Saul blew the cornet throughout all the land , saying , Let the Hebrews hear it . * And all Israel heard it , saying , Saul hath smitten the outpost of the Philistines , and the Israelites also have put themselves in ill –favor 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 encamped in Michmash , eastward from Bethaven . * And when the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait , then did the people hide themselves in caves , and in thickets , and in rocks , and in strongholds , and in pits . * And some of the Hebrews passed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gil ’ad . As for Saul , he was still in Gilgal , and all the people followed him hastily . * And he tarried seven days , according to the set time that Samuel had appointed ; but Samuel came not to Gilgal ; and the people were scattering themselves from him . * And Saul said , Bring hither to me the burnt –offering and the 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 greet him . * And Samuel said , What hast thou done : And Saul said , Because I saw that the people were scattering themselves from me , whereas thou camest not at the appointed day , and the Philistines are gathering themselves together at Michmash ; * And I said , The Philistines will now come down unto me to Gilgal , and I have not yet made supplication unto the Lord : wherefore I forced myself , and offered the burnt –offering . * And Samuel said to Saul , Thou hast done foolishly : thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God , which he had commanded thee ; for now would the Lord have established thy government over Israel for ever . * But now thy government shall not endure : the Lord hath sought out for himself a man after his own heart , and the Lord hath ordained him to be chief over his people ; because thou hast not kept what the Lord had commanded thee . * And Samuel arose , and went up from Gilgal unto Gib ’ah of Benjamin . And Saul numbered the people that were to be found with him , about six hundred men . * And Saul , and Jonathan his son , and the people that were to be found with them , were lying in Geba ’ of Benjamin ; but the Philistines were encamped in Michmash . * And the troop of freebooters went out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies : one company turned into the way to ‘Ophrah , unto the land of Shu ’al ; * And another company turned into the way to Beth –choron ; and the other company turned into the way to the frontier that looketh over the valley of Zebo ’im toward the wilderness . * Now there was no smith to be found throughout all the land of Israel ; for the Philistines said , So that the Hebrews shall not make themselves swords or spears . * But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines , to sharpen every man his plough –share , and his coulter , and his axe , and his mattock . * And they used a file for the mattocks , and for the coulters , and for the three –pronged forks , and for the axes , and to sharpen the goads . * So it came to pass on 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 they were found with Saul and with Jonathan his son . * And the outpost of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash . * Now it happened one day , that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bore his armor , Come , and let us go over to the Philistines ’ outpost , that is on the other side yonder . But unto his father he told nothing .

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