¹And the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of Jehovah, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and hallowed Eleazar his son to keep the ark of Jehovah. ²And it came to pass, from the day that the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years. And all the house of Israel lamented after Jehovah.

³And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, If ye return to Jehovah with all your heart, put away the strange gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and apply your hearts unto Jehovah, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. ⁴And the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths and served Jehovah only. ⁵And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray Jehovah for you. ⁶And they gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before Jehovah, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against Jehovah. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.

⁷And the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together at Mizpah; and the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel; and the children of Israel heard it, and were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry to Jehovah our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. ⁹And Samuel took a sucking-lamb, and offered it as a whole burnt-offering to Jehovah; and Samuel cried to Jehovah for Israel, and Jehovah answered him. ¹⁰And as Samuel was offering up the burnt-offering, the Philistines advanced to battle against Israel. And Jehovah thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were routed before Israel. ¹¹And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, as far as below Beth-car. ¹²And Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, and said, Hitherto Jehovah has helped us.

¹³And the Philistines were subdued, and came no more into the borders of Israel; and the hand of Jehovah was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴And the cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and their territory did Israel deliver out of the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorite. ¹⁵And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places. ¹⁷And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house, and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar to Jehovah.

Chapter 8

¹And it came to pass when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. ²And the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah; they judged in Beer-sheba. ³And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice.

⁴Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel to Ramah, ⁵and said to him, Behold, thou art become old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now appoint us a king to judge us, like all the nations. ⁶And the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to Jehovah. ⁷And Jehovah said to 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. ⁸According to all the deeds that they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, in that they have forsaken me and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. ⁹And now hearken unto their voice; only, testify solemnly unto them, and declare unto them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. ¹⁰And Samuel spoke all the words of Jehovah to the people that asked of him a king. ¹¹And 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, on his chariot and among his horsemen, and they shall run before his chariots; ¹²and he will take them that he may appoint for himself captains over thousands, and captains over fifties, and that they may plough his ground, and reap his harvest, and make his instruments of war and instruments of his chariots. ¹³And he will take your daughters for perfumers, and cooks, and bakers. ¹⁴And your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, the best, will he take and give to his servants. ¹⁵And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give to his chamberlains and to his servants. ¹⁶And he will take your bondmen, and your bondwomen, and your comeliest young men, and your asses, and use them for his work. ¹⁷He will take the tenth of your sheep. And ye shall be his servants. ¹⁸And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king whom ye have chosen; and Jehovah will not answer you in that day. ¹⁹And the people refused to hearken to the voice of Samuel; and they said, No, but there shall be a king over us, ²⁰that we also may be like all the nations; and our king shall judge us, and go out before us, and conduct our wars. ²¹And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the ears of Jehovah. ²²And Jehovah said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Go ye every man to his city.

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