And the men of Cariathiarim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and carried it into the house of Abinadab, in Gabaa: and they sanctified Eleazar, his son, to keep the ark of the Lord.

²And it came to pass, that from the day the ark of the Lord abode in Cariathiarim, days were multiplied (for it was now the twentieth year) and all the house of Israel rested, following the Lord.

³And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying: If you turn to the Lord with all your heart, put away the strange gods from among you, Baalim and Astaroth: and prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

⁴Then the children of Israel put away Baalim and Astaroth, and served the Lord only.

⁵And Samuel said: Gather all Israel to Masphath, that I may pray to the Lord for you.

⁶And they gathered together to Masphath, and they drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and they fasted on that day, and they said there: We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Masphath.

⁷And the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Masphath, and the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard this, they were afraid of the Philistines.

⁸And they said to Samuel: Cease not to cry to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

⁹And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it whole for a holocaust to the Lord: and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him.

¹⁰And it came to pass, when Samuel was offering the holocaust, the Philistines began the battle against Israel: but the Lord thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and terrified them, and they were overthrown before the face of Israel.

¹¹And the men of Israel going out of Masphath, pursued after the Philistines, and made slaughter of them till they came under Bethchar.

¹²And Samuel took a stone, and laid it between Masphath and Sen: and he called the place The stone of help. And he said: Thus far the Lord hath helped us.

¹³And the Philistines were humbled, and they did not come any more into the borders of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines, all the days of Samuel.

¹⁴And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel, were restored to Israel, from Accaron to Geth, and their borders: and he delivered Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and there was peace between Israel and the Amorrhites.

¹⁵And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life:

¹⁶And he went every year about to Bethel and to Galgal and to Masphath, and he judged Israel in the foresaid places.

¹⁷And he returned to Ramatha: for there was his house, and there he judged Israel: he built also there an altar to the Lord.

Chapter 8

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel.

²Now the name of his firstborn son was Joel: and the name of the second was Abia, judges in Bersabee.

³And his sons walked not in his ways: but they turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

⁴Then all the ancients of Israel being assembled came to Samuel to Ramatha.

⁵And they said to him: Behold thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: make us a king, to judge us, as all nations have.

⁶And the word was displeasing in the eyes of Samuel, that they should say: Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord.

⁷And the Lord said to Samuel: Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to thee. For they have not rejected thee, but me, that I should not reign over them.

⁸According to all their works, they have done from the day that I brought them out of Egypt until this day: as they have forsaken me, and served strange gods, so do they also unto thee.

⁹Now, therefore, hearken to their voice: but yet testify to them, and foretell them the right of the king, that shall reign over them.

¹⁰Then Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people that had desired a king of him,

¹¹And said: This will be the right of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and put them in his chariots, and will make them his horsemen, and his running footmen, to run before his chariots,

¹²And he will appoint of them to be his tribunes, and his centurions, and to plough his fields, and to reap his corn, and to make him arms and chariots.

¹³Your daughters also he will take to make him ointments, and to be his cooks, and bakers.

¹⁴And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your best oliveyards, and give them to his servants.

¹⁵Moreover he will take the tenth of your corn, and of the revenues of your vineyards, to give to his eunuchs and servants.

¹⁶Your servants also, and handmaids, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, he will take away, and put them to his work.

¹⁷Your flocks also he will tithe, and you shall be his servants.

¹⁸And you shall cry out in that day from the face of the king, whom you have chosen to yourselves: and the Lord will not hear you in that day, because you desired unto yourselves a king.

¹⁹But the people would not hear the voice of Samuel, and they said, Nay: but there shall be a king over us,

²⁰And we also will be like all nations: and our king shall judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles for us.

²¹And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord.

²²And the Lord said to Samuel: Hearken to their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel: Let every man go to his city.

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