2 ⌊From⌋a the day the ark stayed in Kiriath Jearim, ⌊days multiplied and became twenty years⌋b while all the house of Israel mourned after Yahweh. 3 And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If with all your heart you are turning to Yahweh, remove the foreign gods and Ashtorethsc from your midst. Commit your hearts to Yahweh and serve him alone. Then he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the ⌊Israelites⌋d removed the Baalse and the Ashtoreths, and they served Yahweh alone.

5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to Yahweh for you.” 6 So they gathered to Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before Yahweh. They fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against Yahweh!” So Samuel judged the ⌊Israelites⌋f at Mizpah. 7 Now when the Philistines heard that the ⌊Israelites⌋g had gathered at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the ⌊Israelites⌋h heard of it, ⌊they were afraid of the Philistines⌋.i 8 Then the ⌊Israelites⌋j said to Samuel, “⌊You must not cease⌋k from crying out to Yahweh our God, so that he will deliver us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 So Samuel took a single ⌊nursing lamb⌋l and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to Yahweh. Then Samuel cried out to Yahweh on behalf of Israel, and Yahweh answered him. 10 ⌊While⌋m Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near for the battle against Israel. But Yahweh thundered against the Philistines with a great noise on that day and threw them into confusion so that they were defeated before Israel. 11 Then the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and they struck them down as far as below Beth Car.

12 So Samuel took a single stone and put it between Mizpah and Shen, and he named it Ebenezer and said, “Up to here Yahweh has helped us.” 13 So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come into the territory of Israel again, and the hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 The townsn which the Philistines had taken from Israel were returned to Israel from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territories from the hand of the Philistines. Then there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

The Circuit Ministry of Samuel

15 Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 He used to go on the circuit ⌊from year to year⌋.o He went around Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. 17 Then ⌊he returned⌋p to Ramah, because his house was there, and there he judged Israel, and he built an altar to Yahweh there.

Israel’s Demand for a King

8 When Samuel grew old he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after gain, they took bribes, and they perverted justice.

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old and your sons do not follow in your ways. So then appoint a king for us to judgea us, like all the nations. 6 But the matter ⌊was displeasing to Samuel⌋b when they said, “Give us a king to judgec us,” so Samuel prayed to Yahweh.

7 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people concerning all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 Like all the deeds they have done from the day I brought them up from Egypt until this day, they have forsaken me and have served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 And so then, listen to their voice. However, you must earnestly warn them; you must explain to them the custom of the king who will rule over them.”

10 So Samuel spoke all the words of Yahweh to the people who were requesting a king from him. 11 He said, “This will be the custom of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and those ⌊to do his plowing⌋d and to reap his harvest, and those to make weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters as his perfume makers and as cooks and as bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive trees and will give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and to his servants. 16 He will take your male slaves and your female slaves and the best of your young mene and your donkeys and ⌊will use them for his projects⌋.f 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks,g and you yourselves will become his servants. 18 So you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but Yahweh will not answer you on that day!” 19 However, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel and they said, “No, but there must be a king over us, 20 so that we ⌊also⌋h may be like all the nations, and our king may rule us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 Now when Samuel heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of Yahweh. 22 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and appoint a king for them.” So Samuel spoke to the men of Israel, “Each of you go to his own town.”