Chapter 8

Israel Demands a King

1 And it came about when Samuel was old that ahe appointed his sons judges over Israel.

2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in aBeersheba.

3 His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and atook bribes and perverted justice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at aRamah;

5 and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now aappoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.”

6 But the thing was 1adispleasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And bSamuel prayed to the Lord.

7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for athey have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.

8 “Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.

9 “Now then, listen to their voice; ahowever, you shall solemnly 1warn them and tell them of bthe 2procedure of the king who will reign over them.”

Warning concerning a King

10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to athe people who had asked of him a king.

11 He said, “aThis will be the 1procedure of the king who will reign over you: bhe will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and cthey will run before his chariots.

12 “aHe will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to 1do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

13 “He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers.

14 “aHe will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants.

15 “He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants.

16 “He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and 1use them for his work.

17 “He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.

18 “Then ayou will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but bthe Lord will not answer you in that day.”

19 Nevertheless, the people arefused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us,

20 athat we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, ahe repeated them in the Lord’s hearing.

22 The Lord said to Samuel, “aListen to their voice and 1appoint them a king.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”

Chapter 9

Saul’s Search

1 Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was aKish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of 1valor.

2 He had a son whose name was Saul, a achoice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; bfrom his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.

3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Take now with you one of the servants, and arise, go search for the donkeys.”

4 He passed through athe hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of bShalishah, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of cShaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them.

5 When they came to the land of aZuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, and let us return, bor else my father will cease to be concerned about the donkeys and will become anxious for us.”

6 He said to him, “Behold now, there is aa man of God in this city, and the man is held in honor; ball that he says surely comes true. Now let us go there, cperhaps he can tell us about our journey on which we have set out.”

7 Then Saul said to his servant, “But behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our sack and there is ano present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”

8 The servant answered Saul again and said, “Behold, I have in my hand a fourth of a shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God and he will atell us our way.”

9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he used to say, “Come, and let us go to the seer”; for he who is called a prophet now was formerly called aa seer.)

10 Then Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.

11 As they went up the slope to the city, athey found young women going out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?”

12 They answered them and said, “He is; 1see, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today, for athe people have a sacrifice on bthe high place today.

13 “As soon as you enter the city you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes, because ahe must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now therefore, go up for you will find him at once.”

14 So they went up to the city. As they came into the city, behold, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the high place.

God’s Choice for King

15 Now a day before Saul’s coming, athe Lord had 1revealed this to Samuel saying,

16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and ayou shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For bI have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me.”

17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord 1said to him, “aBehold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over My people.”

18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”

19 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 in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is on your mind.

20 “aAs for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And bfor whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s household?”

21 Saul replied, “aAm I not a Benjamite, of bthe smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the 1tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?”

22 Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty men.

23 Samuel said to the cook, “1Bring the portion that I gave you, concerning which I said to you, ‘Set it 2aside.’ ”

24 Then the cook atook up the leg with what was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here is what has been reserved! Set it before you and eat, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, 1since I said I have invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

25 When they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul aon the 1roof.

26 And they arose early; and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, that I may send you away.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.

27 As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Say to the servant that he might go ahead of us and pass on, but you remain standing now, that I may proclaim the word of God to you.”

Chapter 10

Saul among Prophets

1 Then aSamuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his head, bkissed him and said, “Has not cthe Lord anointed you a ruler over dHis inheritance?

2 “When you go from me today, then you will find two men close to aRachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘bThe donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has 1ceased to be concerned about the donkeys and is anxious for you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’

3 “Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the 1aoak of Tabor, and there three men going up bto God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine;

4 and they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand.

5 “Afterward you will come to 1athe hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet ba group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre before them, and cthey will be prophesying.

6 “Then athe Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and byou shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man.

7 “It shall be when these signs come to you, ado for yourself what 1the occasion requires, for bGod is with you.

8 “And ayou shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and bsacrifice peace offerings. cYou shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do.”

9 Then it happened when he turned his back to leave Samuel, God achanged 1his heart; and all those signs came about on that day.

10 aWhen they came to 1the hill there, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him mightily, so that he prophesied among them.

11 It came about, when all who knew him previously saw that he prophesied now with the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? aIs Saul also among the prophets?”

12 A man there said, “Now, who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “aIs Saul also among the prophets?”

13 When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

14 Now aSaul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “bTo look for the donkeys. When we saw that they could not be found, we went to Samuel.”

15 Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”

16 So Saul said to his uncle, “aHe told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned.

Saul Publicly Chosen King

17 Thereafter Samuel called the apeople together to the Lord at Mizpah;

18 and he said to the sons of Israel, “aThus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the 1power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’

19 “But you ahave today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses; yet you have 1said, ‘No, but set a king over us!’ Now therefore, bpresent yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.”

20 Thus Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.

21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the Matrite family was taken. And Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.

22 Therefore athey inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” So the Lord said, “Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage.”

23 So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, ahe was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.

24 Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him awhom the Lord has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.” So all the people shouted and said, “1bLong live the king!”

25 Then Samuel told the people athe ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book and bplaced it before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house.

26 Saul also went ato his house at Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

27 But certain 1aworthless men said, “How can this one deliver us?” And they despised him and bdid not bring him any present. But he kept silent.

Chapter 11

Saul Defeats the Ammonites

1 Now aNahash the Ammonite came up and 1besieged bJabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make ca covenant with us and we will serve you.”

2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “I will make it with you on this condition, athat I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, thus I will make it ba reproach on all Israel.”

3 aThe elders of Jabesh said to him, “Let us alone for seven days, that we may send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to deliver us, we will come out to you.”

4 Then the messengers came ato Gibeah of Saul and spoke these words in the hearing of the people, and all the people blifted up their voices and wept.

5 Now behold, Saul was coming from the field abehind the oxen, and 1he said, “What is the matter with the people that they weep?” So they related to him the words of the men of Jabesh.

6 Then athe Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and 1he became very angry.

7 He took a yoke of oxen and acut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “bWhoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.” Then the dread of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out cas one man.

8 He 1numbered them in aBezek; and the bsons of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000.

9 They said to the messengers who had come, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have deliverance.’ ” So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.

10 Then the men of Jabesh said, “aTomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good 1to you.”

11 The next morning Saul put the people ain three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

12 Then the people said to Samuel, “aWho is he that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ 1bBring the men, that we may put them to death.”

13 But Saul said, “aNot a man shall be put to death this day, for today bthe Lord has accomplished deliverance in Israel.”

14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come and let us go to aGilgal and brenew the kingdom there.”

15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king abefore the Lord in Gilgal. There they also boffered sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

Chapter 12

Samuel Addresses Israel

1 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, aI have listened to your voice in all that you said to me and I bhave 1appointed a king over you.

2 “Now, ahere is the king walking before you, but bI am old and gray, and behold cmy sons are with you. And dI have walked before you from my youth even to this day.

3 “Here I am; bear witness against me before the Lord and aHis anointed. bWhose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or cfrom whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you.”

4 They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.”

5 He said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that ayou have found nothing bin my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”

6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who 1aappointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.

7 “So now, take your stand, athat I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did for you and your fathers.

8 “aWhen Jacob went into Egypt and byour fathers cried out to the Lord, then cthe Lord sent Moses and Aaron 1dwho brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

9 “But athey forgot the Lord their God, so bHe sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and cinto the hand of the Philistines and dinto the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.

10 “aThey cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned because we have forsaken the Lord and have served bthe Baals and the Ashtaroth; but cnow deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’

11 “Then the Lord sent aJerubbaal and 1bBedan and cJephthah and dSamuel, and delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that you lived in security.

The King Confirmed

12 “When you saw athat Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, you said to me, ‘bNo, but a king shall reign over us,’ calthough the Lord your God was your king.

13 “Now therefore, ahere is the king whom you have chosen, bwhom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has set a king over you.

14 “aIf you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the 1command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God.

15 “aIf you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the 1command of the Lord, then bthe hand of the Lord will be against you, cas it was against your fathers.

16 “Even now, atake your stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes.

17 “aIs it not the wheat harvest today? bI will call to the Lord, that He may send 1thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that cyour wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord by asking for yourselves a king.”

18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent 1thunder and rain that day; and aall the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

19 Then all the people said to Samuel, “aPray for your servants to the Lord your God, so that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins bthis evil by asking for ourselves a king.”

20 Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet ado not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.

21 “You must not turn aside, for then you would go after afutile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile.

22 “For athe Lord will not abandon His people bon account of His great name, because the Lord chas been pleased to make you a people for Himself.

23 “Moreover, as for me, afar be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but bI will instruct you in the good and right way.

24 “aOnly 1fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider bwhat great things He has done for you.

25 “aBut if you still do wickedly, bboth you and your king cwill be swept away.”