nkjv 1Samuel:1-10 SEEK
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Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim ,
of the mountains of Ephraim ,
and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham ,
the son of Elihu ,
the son of Tohu ,
the son of Zuph ,
an Ephraimite .
*
And he had two wives :
the name of one was Hannah ,
and the name of the other Peninnah .
Peninnah had children ,
but Hannah had no children .
*
This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh .
Also the two sons of Eli ,
Hophni and Phinehas ,
the priests of the LORD ,
were there .
*
And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering ,
he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters .
*
But to Hannah he would give a double portion ,
for he loved Hannah ,
although the LORD had closed her womb .
*
And her rival also provoked her severely ,
to make her miserable ,
because the LORD had closed her womb .
*
So it was ,
year by year ,
when she went up to the house of the LORD ,
that she provoked her ;
therefore she wept and did not eat .
*
Then Elkanah her husband said to her , "
Hannah ,
why do you weep ?
Why do you not eat ?
And why is your heart grieved ?
Am I not better to you than ten sons ?"
*
So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh .
Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the LORD .
*
And she was in bitterness of soul ,
and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish .
*
Then she made a vow and said , "
O LORD of hosts ,
if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me ,
and not forget Your maidservant ,
but will give Your maidservant a male child ,
then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life ,
and no razor shall come upon his head ."
*
And it happened ,
as she continued praying before the LORD ,
that Eli watched her mouth .
*
Now Hannah spoke in her heart ;
only her lips moved ,
but her voice was not heard .
Therefore Eli thought she was drunk .
*
So Eli said to her , "
How long will you be drunk ?
Put your wine away from you !"
*
But Hannah answered and said , "
No ,
my lord ,
I am a woman of sorrowful spirit .
I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink ,
but have poured out my soul before the LORD .
*
Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman ,
for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now ."
*
Then Eli answered and said , "
Go in peace ,
and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him ."
*
And she said , "
Let your maidservant find favor in your sight ."
So the woman went her way and ate ,
and her face was no longer sad .
*
Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD ,
and returned and came to their house at Ramah .
And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife ,
and the LORD remembered her .
*
So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son ,
and called his name Samuel ,
saying , "
Because I have asked for him from the LORD ."
*
Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and his vow .
*
But Hannah did not go up ,
for she said to her husband , "
Not until the child is weaned ;
then I will take him ,
that he may appear before the LORD and remain there forever ."
*
So Elkanah her husband said to her , "
Do what seems best to you ;
wait until you have weaned him .
Only let the LORD establish His word ."
Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him .
*
Now when she had weaned him ,
she took him up with her ,
with three bulls ,
one ephah of flour ,
and a skin of wine ,
and brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh .
And the child was young .
*
Then they slaughtered a bull ,
and brought the child to Eli .
*
And she said , "
O my lord !
As your soul lives ,
my lord ,
I am the woman who stood by you here ,
praying to the LORD .
*
For this child I prayed ,
and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him .
*
Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD ;
as long as he lives he shall be lent to the LORD ."
So they worshiped the LORD there .
*
And Hannah prayed and said : "
My heart rejoices in the LORD ;
My horn is exalted in the LORD .
I smile at my enemies ,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation .
* "
No one is holy like the LORD ,
For there is none besides You ,
Nor is there any rock like our God .
* "
Talk no more so very proudly ;
Let no arrogance come from your mouth ,
For the LORD is the God of knowledge ;
And by Him actions are weighed .
* "
The bows of the mighty men are broken ,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength .
*
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread ,
And the hungry have ceased to hunger .
Even the barren has borne seven ,
And she who has many children has become feeble .
* "
The LORD kills and makes alive ;
He brings down to the grave and brings up .
*
The LORD makes poor and makes rich ;
He brings low and lifts up .
*
He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap ,
To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory . "
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD '
s ,
And He has set the world upon them .
*
He will guard the feet of His saints ,
But the wicked shall be silent in darkness . "
For by strength no man shall prevail .
*
The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces ;
From heaven He will thunder against them .
The LORD will judge the ends of the earth . "
He will give strength to His king ,
And exalt the horn of His anointed ."
*
Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah .
But the child ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest .
*
Now the sons of Eli were corrupt ;
they did not know the LORD .
*
And the priests '
custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice ,
the priest '
s servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling .
*
Then he would thrust it into the pan ,
or kettle ,
or caldron ,
or pot ;
and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up .
So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there .
*
Also ,
before they burned the fat ,
the priest '
s servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed , "
Give meat for roasting to the priest ,
for he will not take boiled meat from you ,
but raw ."
*
And if the man said to him , "
They should really burn the fat first ;
then you may take as much as your heart desires ,"
he would then answer him , "
No ,
but you must give it now ;
and if not ,
I will take it by force ."
*
Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD ,
for men abhorred the offering of the LORD .
*
But Samuel ministered before the LORD ,
even as a child ,
wearing a linen ephod .
*
Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe ,
and bring it to him year by year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice .
*
And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife ,
and say , "
The LORD give you descendants from this woman for the loan that was given to the LORD ."
Then they would go to their own home .
*
And the LORD visited Hannah ,
so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters .
Meanwhile the child Samuel grew before the LORD .
*
Now Eli was very old ;
and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel ,
and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting .
*
So he said to them , "
Why do you do such things ?
For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people .
*
No ,
my sons !
For it is not a good report that I hear .
You make the LORD '
s people transgress .
*
If one man sins against another ,
God will judge him .
But if a man sins against the LORD ,
who will intercede for him ?"
Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father ,
because the LORD desired to kill them .
*
And the child Samuel grew in stature ,
and in favor both with the LORD and men .
*
Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him , "
Thus says the LORD : "
Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh '
s house ?
*
Did I not choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest ,
to offer upon My altar ,
to burn incense ,
and to wear an ephod before Me ?
And did I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire ?
*
Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling place ,
and honor your sons more than Me ,
to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people ?'
*
Therefore the LORD God of Israel says : "
I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever .'
But now the LORD says : "
Far be it from Me ;
for those who honor Me I will honor ,
and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed .
*
Behold ,
the days are coming that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father '
s house ,
so that there will not be an old man in your house .
*
And you will see an enemy in My dwelling place ,
despite all the good which God does for Israel .
And there shall not be an old man in your house forever .
*
But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart .
And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age .
*
Now this shall be a sign to you that will come upon your two sons ,
on Hophni and Phinehas :
in one day they shall die ,
both of them .
*
Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind .
I will build him a sure house ,
and he shall walk before My anointed forever .
*
And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread ,
and say , "
Please ,
put me in one of the priestly positions ,
that I may eat a piece of bread .""'
*
Now the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli .
And the word of the LORD was rare in those days ;
there was no widespread revelation .
*
And it came to pass at that time ,
while Eli was lying down in his place ,
and when his eyes had begun to grow so dim that he could not see ,
*
and before the lamp of God went out in the tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was ,
and while Samuel was lying down ,
*
that the LORD called Samuel .
And he answered , "
Here I am !"
*
So he ran to Eli and said , "
Here I am ,
for you called me ."
And he said , "
I did not call ;
lie down again ."
And he went and lay down .
*
Then the LORD called yet again , "
Samuel !"
So Samuel arose and went to Eli ,
and said , "
Here I am ,
for you called me ."
He answered , "
I did not call ,
my son ;
lie down again ."
* (
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD ,
nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him .)
*
And the LORD called Samuel again the third time .
So he arose and went to Eli ,
and said , "
Here I am ,
for you did call me ."
Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy .
*
Therefore Eli said to Samuel , "
Go ,
lie down ;
and it shall be ,
if He calls you ,
that you must say , "
Speak ,
LORD ,
for Your servant hears ."'
So Samuel went and lay down in his place .
*
Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times , "
Samuel !
Samuel !"
And Samuel answered , "
Speak ,
for Your servant hears ."
*
Then the LORD said to Samuel : "
Behold ,
I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle .
*
In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house ,
from beginning to end .
*
For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows ,
because his sons made themselves vile ,
and he did not restrain them .
*
And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli '
s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever ."
*
So Samuel lay down until morning ,
and opened the doors of the house of the LORD .
And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision .
*
Then Eli called Samuel and said , "
Samuel ,
my son !"
He answered , "
Here I am ."
*
And he said , "
What is the word that the LORD spoke to you ?
Please do not hide it from me .
God do so to you ,
and more also ,
if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you ."
*
Then Samuel told him everything ,
and hid nothing from him .
And he said , "
It is the LORD .
Let Him do what seems good to Him ."
*
So Samuel grew ,
and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground .
*
And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been established as a prophet of the LORD .
*
Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh .
For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD .
*
And the word of Samuel came to all Israel .
Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines ,
and encamped beside Ebenezer ;
and the Philistines encamped in Aphek .
*
Then the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel .
And when they joined battle ,
Israel was defeated by the Philistines ,
who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field .
*
And when the people had come into the camp ,
the elders of Israel said , "
Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines ?
Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us ,
that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies ."
*
So the people sent to Shiloh ,
that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts ,
who dwells between the cherubim .
And the two sons of Eli ,
Hophni and Phinehas ,
were there with the ark of the covenant of God .
*
And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp ,
all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook .
*
Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout ,
they said , "
What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean ?"
Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp .
*
So the Philistines were afraid ,
for they said , "
God has come into the camp !"
And they said , "
Woe to us !
For such a thing has never happened before .
*
Woe to us !
Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods ?
These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness .
*
Be strong and conduct yourselves like men ,
you Philistines ,
that you do not become servants of the Hebrews ,
as they have been to you .
Conduct yourselves like men ,
and fight !"
*
So the Philistines fought ,
and Israel was defeated ,
and every man fled to his tent .
There was a very great slaughter ,
and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers .
*
Also the ark of God was captured ;
and the two sons of Eli ,
Hophni and Phinehas ,
died .
*
Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day ,
and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head .
*
Now when he came ,
there was Eli ,
sitting on a seat by the wayside watching ,
for his heart trembled for the ark of God .
And when the man came into the city and told it ,
all the city cried out .
*
When Eli heard the noise of the outcry ,
he said , "
What does the sound of this tumult mean ?"
And the man came quickly and told Eli .
*
Eli was ninety-eight years old ,
and his eyes were so dim that he could not see .
*
Then the man said to Eli , "
I am he who came from the battle .
And I fled today from the battle line ."
And he said , "
What happened ,
my son ?"
*
So the messenger answered and said , "
Israel has fled before the Philistines ,
and there has been a great slaughter among the people .
Also your two sons ,
Hophni and Phinehas ,
are dead ;
and the ark of God has been captured ."
*
Then it happened ,
when he made mention of the ark of God ,
that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate ;
and his neck was broken and he died ,
for the man was old and heavy .
And he had judged Israel forty years .
*
Now his daughter-in-law ,
Phinehas '
wife ,
was with child ,
due to be delivered ;
and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured ,
and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead ,
she bowed herself and gave birth ,
for her labor pains came upon her .
*
And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her , "
Do not fear ,
for you have borne a son ."
But she did not answer ,
nor did she regard it .
*
Then she named the child Ichabod ,
saying , "
The glory has departed from Israel !"
because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband .
*
And she said , "
The glory has departed from Israel ,
for the ark of God has been captured ."
*
Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod .
*
When the Philistines took the ark of God ,
they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon .
*
And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning ,
there was Dagon ,
fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD .
So they took Dagon and set it in its place again .
*
And when they arose early the next morning ,
there was Dagon ,
fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD .
The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold ;
only Dagon '
s torso was left of it .
*
Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon '
s house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day .
*
But the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod ,
and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors ,
both Ashdod and its territory .
*
And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was ,
they said , "
The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us ,
for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god ."
*
Therefore they sent and gathered to themselves all the lords of the Philistines ,
and said , "
What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel ?"
And they answered , "
Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried away to Gath ."
So they carried the ark of the God of Israel away .
*
So it was ,
after they had carried it away ,
that the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction ;
and He struck the men of the city ,
both small and great ,
and tumors broke out on them .
*
Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron .
So it was ,
as the ark of God came to Ekron ,
that the Ekronites cried out ,
saying , "
They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us ,
to kill us and our people !"
*
So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines ,
and said , "
Send away the ark of the God of Israel ,
and let it go back to its own place ,
so that it does not kill us and our people ."
For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city ;
the hand of God was very heavy there .
*
And the men who did not die were stricken with the tumors ,
and the cry of the city went up to heaven .
*
Now the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months .
*
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners ,
saying , "
What shall we do with the ark of the LORD ?
Tell us how we should send it to its place ."
*
So they said , "
If you send away the ark of the God of Israel ,
do not send it empty ;
but by all means return it to Him with a trespass offering .
Then you will be healed ,
and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you ."
*
Then they said , "
What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him ?"
They answered , "
Five golden tumors and five golden rats ,
according to the number of the lords of the Philistines .
For the same plague was on all of you and on your lords .
*
Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land ,
and you shall give glory to the God of Israel ;
perhaps He will lighten His hand from you ,
from your gods ,
and from your land .
*
Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts ?
When He did mighty things among them ,
did they not let the people go ,
that they might depart ?
*
Now therefore ,
make a new cart ,
take two milk cows which have never been yoked ,
and hitch the cows to the cart ;
and take their calves home ,
away from them .
*
Then take the ark of the LORD and set it on the cart ;
and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side .
Then send it away ,
and let it go .
*
And watch :
if it goes up the road to its own territory ,
to Beth Shemesh ,
then He has done us this great evil .
But if not ,
then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us--it happened to us by chance ."
*
Then the men did so ;
they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart ,
and shut up their calves at home .
*
And they set the ark of the LORD on the cart ,
and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors .
*
Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh ,
and went along the highway ,
lowing as they went ,
and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left .
And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh .
*
Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley ;
and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark ,
and rejoiced to see it .
*
Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh ,
and stood there ;
a large stone was there .
So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD .
*
The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the chest that was with it ,
in which were the articles of gold ,
and put them on the large stone .
Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to the LORD .
*
So when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it ,
they returned to Ekron the same day .
*
These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the LORD :
one for Ashdod ,
one for Gaza ,
one for Ashkelon ,
one for Gath ,
one for Ekron ;
*
and the golden rats ,
according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords ,
both fortified cities and country villages ,
even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the LORD ,
which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh .
*
Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh ,
because they had looked into the ark of the LORD .
He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people ,
and the people lamented because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter .
*
And the men of Beth Shemesh said , "
Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God ?
And to whom shall it go up from us ?"
*
So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim ,
saying , "
The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD ;
come down and take it up with you ."
*
Then the men of Kirjath Jearim came and took the ark of the LORD ,
and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill ,
and consecrated Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD .
*
So it was that the ark remained in Kirjath Jearim a long time ;
it was there twenty years .
And all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD .
*
Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel ,
saying , "
If you return to the LORD with all your hearts ,
then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you ,
and prepare your hearts for the LORD ,
and serve Him only ;
and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines ."
*
So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths ,
and served the LORD only .
*
And Samuel said , "
Gather all Israel to Mizpah ,
and I will pray to the LORD for you ."
*
So they gathered together at Mizpah ,
drew water ,
and poured it out before the LORD .
And they fasted that day ,
and said there , "
We have sinned against the LORD ."
And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah .
*
Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah ,
the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel .
And when the children of Israel heard of it ,
they were afraid of the Philistines .
*
So the children of Israel said to Samuel , "
Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us ,
that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines ."
*
And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD .
Then Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel ,
and the LORD answered him .
*
Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering ,
the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel .
But the LORD thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day ,
and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel .
*
And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines ,
and drove them back as far as below Beth Car .
*
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen ,
and called its name Ebenezer ,
saying , "
Thus far the LORD has helped us ."
*
So the Philistines were subdued ,
and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel .
And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel .
*
Then the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel ,
from Ekron to Gath ;
and Israel recovered its territory from the hands of the Philistines .
Also there was peace between Israel and the Amorites .
*
And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life .
*
He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel ,
Gilgal ,
and Mizpah ,
and judged Israel in all those places .
*
But he always returned to Ramah ,
for his home was there .
There he judged Israel ,
and there he built an altar to the LORD .
*
Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel .
*
The name of his firstborn was Joel ,
and the name of his second ,
Abijah ;
they were judges in Beersheba .
*
But his sons did not walk in his ways ;
they turned aside after dishonest gain ,
took bribes ,
and perverted justice .
*
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah ,
*
and said to him , "
Look ,
you are old ,
and your sons do not walk in your 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 ."
So Samuel prayed to the LORD .
*
And the LORD said to Samuel , "
Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you ;
for they have not rejected you ,
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 to this day--with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods--so they are doing to you also .
*
Now therefore ,
heed their voice .
However ,
you shall solemnly forewarn them ,
and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them ."
*
So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king .
*
And he said , "
This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you :
He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen ,
and some will run before his chariots .
*
He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties ,
will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest ,
and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots .
*
He will take your daughters to be perfumers ,
cooks ,
and bakers .
*
And he will take the best of your fields ,
your vineyards ,
and your olive groves ,
and give them to his servants .
*
He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage ,
and give it to his officers and servants .
*
And he will take your male servants ,
your female servants ,
your finest young men ,
and your donkeys ,
and put them to his work .
*
He will take a tenth of your sheep .
And you will be his servants .
*
And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves ,
and the LORD will not hear you in that day ."
*
Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel ;
and they said , "
No ,
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 repeated them in the hearing of the LORD .
*
So the LORD said to Samuel , "
Heed their voice ,
and make them a king ."
And Samuel said to the men of Israel , "
Every man go to his city ."
*
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 choice and handsome son whose name was Saul .
There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel .
From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people .
*
Now the donkeys of Kish ,
Saul '
s father ,
were lost .
And Kish said to his son Saul , "
Please take one of the servants with you ,
and arise ,
go and look for the donkeys ."
*
So he passed through the mountains of Ephraim and through the land of Shalisha ,
but they did not find them .
Then they passed through the land of Shaalim ,
and they were not there .
Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites ,
but they did not find them .
*
When they had come to the land of Zuph ,
Saul said to his servant who was with him , "
Come ,
let us return ,
lest my father cease caring about the donkeys and become worried about us ."
*
And he said to him , "
Look now ,
there is in this city a man of God ,
and he is an honorable man ;
all that he says surely comes to pass .
So let us go there ;
perhaps he can show us the way that we should go ."
*
Then Saul said to his servant , "
But look ,
if we go ,
what shall we bring the man ?
For the bread in our vessels is all gone ,
and there is no present to bring to the man of God .
What do we have ?"
*
And the servant answered Saul again and said , "
Look ,
I have here at hand one-fourth of a shekel of silver .
I will give that to the man of God ,
to tell us our way ."
* (
Formerly in Israel ,
when a man went to inquire of God ,
he spoke thus : "
Come ,
let us go to the seer ";
for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer .)
*
Then Saul said to his servant , "
Well said ;
come ,
let us go ."
So they went to the city where the man of God was .
*
As they went up the hill to the city ,
they met some young women going out to draw water ,
and said to them , "
Is the seer here ?"
*
And they answered them and said , "
Yes ,
there he is ,
just ahead of you .
Hurry now ;
for today he came to this city ,
because there is a sacrifice of the people today on the high place .
*
As soon as you come into the city ,
you will surely find him before he goes up to the high place to eat .
For the people will not eat until he comes ,
because he must bless the sacrifice ;
afterward those who are invited will eat .
Now therefore ,
go up ,
for about this time you will find him ."
*
So they went up to the city .
As they were coming into the city ,
there was Samuel ,
coming out toward them on his way up to the high place .
*
Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came ,
saying ,
* "
Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin ,
and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel ,
that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines ;
for I have looked upon My people ,
because their cry has come to Me ."
*
So when Samuel saw Saul ,
the LORD said to him , "
There he is ,
the man of whom I spoke to you .
This one shall reign over My people ."
*
Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate ,
and said , "
Please tell me ,
where is the seer '
s house ?"
*
Samuel answered Saul and said , "
I am the seer .
Go up before me to the high place ,
for you shall eat with me today ;
and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart .
*
But as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago ,
do not be anxious about them ,
for they have been found .
And on whom is all the desire of Israel ?
Is it not on you and on all your father '
s house ?"
*
And Saul answered and said , "
Am I not a Benjamite ,
of the smallest of the tribes of Israel ,
and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin ?
Why then do you speak like this to me ?"
*
Now Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall ,
and had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited ;
there were about thirty persons .
*
And Samuel said to the cook , "
Bring the portion which I gave you ,
of which I said to you , "
Set it apart ."'
*
So the cook took up the thigh with its upper part and set it before Saul .
And Samuel said , "
Here it is ,
what was kept back .
It was set apart for you .
Eat ;
for until this time it has been kept for you ,
since I said I invited the people ."
So Saul ate with Samuel that day .
*
When they had come down from the high place into the city ,
Samuel spoke with Saul on the top of the house .
*
They arose early ;
and it was about the dawning of the day that Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house ,
saying , "
Get up ,
that I may send you on your way ."
And Saul arose ,
and both of them went outside ,
he and Samuel .
*
As they were going down to the outskirts of the city ,
Samuel said to Saul , "
Tell the servant to go on ahead of us ."
And he went on . "
But you stand here awhile ,
that I may announce to you the word of God ."
*
Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head ,
and kissed him and said : "
Is it not because the LORD has anointed you commander over His inheritance ?
*
When you have departed from me today ,
you will find two men by Rachel '
s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah ;
and they will say to you , "
The donkeys which you went to look for have been found .
And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about you ,
saying , "
What shall I do about my son ?"'
*
Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor .
There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you ,
one carrying three young goats ,
another carrying three loaves of bread ,
and another carrying a skin of wine .
*
And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread ,
which you shall receive from their hands .
*
After that you shall come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is .
And it will happen ,
when you have come there to the city ,
that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with a stringed instrument ,
a tambourine ,
a flute ,
and a harp before them ;
and they will be prophesying .
*
Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you ,
and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man .
*
And let it be ,
when these signs come to you ,
that you do as the occasion demands ;
for God is with you .
*
You shall go down before me to Gilgal ;
and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings .
Seven days you shall wait ,
till I come to you and show you what you should do ."
*
So it was ,
when he had turned his back to go from Samuel ,
that God gave him another heart ;
and all those signs came to pass that day .
*
When they came there to the hill ,
there was a group of prophets to meet him ;
then the Spirit of God came upon him ,
and he prophesied among them .
*
And it happened ,
when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets ,
that the people said to one another , "
What is this that has come upon the son of Kish ?
Is Saul also among the prophets ?"
*
Then a man from there answered and said , "
But who is their father ?"
Therefore it became a proverb : "
Is Saul also among the prophets ?"
*
And when he had finished prophesying ,
he went to the high place .
*
Then Saul '
s uncle said to him and his servant , "
Where did you go ?"
So he said , "
To look for the donkeys .
When we saw that they were nowhere to be found ,
we went to Samuel ."
*
And Saul '
s uncle said , "
Tell me ,
please ,
what Samuel said to you ."
*
So Saul said to his uncle , "
He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found ."
But about the matter of the kingdom ,
he did not tell him what Samuel had said .
*
Then Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah ,
*
and said to the children of Israel , "
Thus says the LORD God of Israel : "
I brought up Israel out of Egypt ,
and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you .'
*
But you have today rejected your God ,
who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations ;
and you have said to Him , "
No ,
set a king over us !'
Now therefore ,
present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans ."
*
And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near ,
the tribe of Benjamin was chosen .
*
When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families ,
the family of Matri was chosen .
And Saul the son of Kish was chosen .
But when they sought him ,
he could not be found .
*
Therefore they inquired of the LORD further , "
Has the man come here yet ?"
And the LORD answered , "
There he is ,
hidden among the equipment ."
*
So they ran and brought him from there ;
and when he stood among the people ,
he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward .
*
And Samuel said to all the people , "
Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen ,
that there is no one like him among all the people ?"
So all the people shouted and said , "
Long live the king !"
*
Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty ,
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 valiant men went with him ,
whose hearts God had touched .
*
But some rebels said , "
How can this man save us ?"
So they despised him ,
and brought him no presents .
But he held his peace .
*
Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead ;
and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash , "
Make a covenant with us ,
and we will serve you ."