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1 Samuel 7
And the men of Kiriath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of Yahweh, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of Yahweh. 2 And it came to pass, from the day that the ark remained in Kiriath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after Yahweh.
3 And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, If you return to Yahweh with all your heart, then put away the foreign elohim and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to Yahweh, and serve him only; and he will deliver.you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4 Then the children of Israel put away the Baalim and the Ashtaroth, and served Yahweh only.
5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you to Yahweh. 6 And they gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before Yahweh, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against Yahweh. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah. 7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry to Yahweh our Elohim for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt-offering to Yahweh: and Samuel cried to Yahweh for Israel; and Yahweh answered him. 10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt-offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; but Yahweh thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and troubled them; and they were beaten before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and slaughtered them, until they came under Beth-car.
12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Thus far has Yahweh helped us. 13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more within the border of Israel: and the hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and the border of it did Israel deliver out of the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went from year to year in Circuit to Beth-el and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all those places. 17 And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house; and there he judged Israel: and he built there an altar to Yahweh.
1 Samuel 8
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his first-born was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain, and took bribes, and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel to Ramah; 5 and they said to him, Behold, you are old, and your sons walk not in your ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to Yahweh. 7 And Yahweh said to Samuel, Listen to 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 be king over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other elohim, so do they also to you. 9 Now therefore listen to their voice: however you shall protest solemnly to them, and shall show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
10 And Samuel told all the words of Yahweh to the people that asked of him a king. 11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots; 12 and he will appoint them to himself for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will set some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your best young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks: and you shall be his servants. 18 And you shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you shall have chosen; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, No; but we will have a king over us, 20 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. 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the ears of Yahweh. 22 And Yahweh said to Samuel, Listen to their voice, and give them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Go you every man to his city.
1 Samuel 9
Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, 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 valor. 2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a young man and good: and there was not among the children of Israel a better person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. 3 And the asses of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take one of the servants with you, and arise, go look for the asses. 4 And he passed through the hill-country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and they were not there: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them.
5 When they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return, lest my father stops caring for the asses, and is anxious for us. 6 And he said to him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of Elohim, and he is a man that is held in honor; all that he says surely comes to pass: now let us go there; perhaps he can tell us concerning our journey on which we go. 7 Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of Elohim: what do we have? 8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that I will give to the man of Elohim, to tell us our way. 9 (Before in Israel, when a man went to inquire of Elohim, he said, Come, and let us go to the seer; for he that is now called a Prophet was before called a Seer.) 10 Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of Elohim was.
11 As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, Is the seer here? 12 And they answered them, and said, He is; behold he is before you: hurry now, for he has just come today into the city; for the people have a sacrifice today in the high place: 13 as soon as you have come into the city, you shall immediately find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat; for the people will not eat until he comes, because he blesses the sacrifice; and afterwards they that are invited eat. Now therefore go up; for at this time you shall find him. 14 And they went up to the city; and as they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them, to go up to the high place.
15 Now Yahweh had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying, 16 Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel; and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry has come to me. 17 And when Samuel saw Saul, Yahweh said to him, Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This same shall have authority over my people. 18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray you, where the seer’s house is. 19 And 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 in your heart. 20 And as for your asses that were lost three days ago, set not your mind on them; for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you, and for all your father’s house? 21 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 to me after this manner?
22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the guest-chamber, and made them sit in the foremost place among them that were invited, who were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said to the cook, Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, Set it by you. 24 And the cook took up the thigh, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold, that which has been reserved! Set it before you and eat; because to the appointed time has it been kept for you, for I said, I have invited the people. So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 And when they had come down from the high place into the city, he communed with Saul on the housetop. 26 And they rose early: and it came to pass about the break of the day, that Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying, Arise, so I may send you away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. 27 As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Tell the servant to pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but you stand still first, that I may cause you to hear the word of Elohim.
