1 Samuel 1-19

New Life Version

The Family of Elkanah at Shiloh

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim. His name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² He had two wives. The name of one was Hannah. The name of the other was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ³ This man would go from his city each year to worship and to give gifts on the altar in Shiloh to the Lord of All. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were the Lord’s religious leaders there. ⁴ On the day when Elkanah killed animals on the altar in worship, he would give part of the gift to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. ⁵ But he would give twice as much to Hannah, for he loved Hannah. But the Lord had made it so she could not have children. ⁶ Peninnah would try to make her very angry, because the Lord would not let her have children. ⁷ So it happened, year after year, each time Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, Peninnah would make her angry. Hannah cried and would not eat. ⁸ Then her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why are you not eating, and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

Hannah and Eli

⁹ Then Hannah stood up after they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh. Eli the religious leader was sitting on the seat by the door of the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ Hannah was very troubled. She prayed to the Lord and cried with sorrow. ¹¹ Then she made a promise and said, “O Lord of All, be sure to look on the trouble of Your woman servant, and remember me. Do not forget Your woman servant, but give me a son. If You will, then I will give him to the Lord all his life. And no hair will ever be cut from his head.”

¹² While she kept praying to the Lord, Eli was watching her mouth. ¹³ Hannah was speaking in her heart. Her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she had drunk too much. ¹⁴ Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put wine away from you.” ¹⁵ But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have not drunk wine or strong drink, but I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. ¹⁶ Do not think of your woman servant as a woman of no worth. For I have been speaking out of much trouble and pain in my spirit.” ¹⁷ Then Eli answered, “Go in peace. May the God of Israel do what you have asked of Him.” ¹⁸ And Hannah said, “Let your woman servant find favor in your eyes.” So she went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

Samuel Is Born

¹⁹ The family got up early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord. Then they returned to their house in Ramah. Elkanah lay with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. ²⁰ The Lord made it possible for her to have a child, and when the time came she gave birth to a son. She gave him the name Samuel, saying, “I have asked the Lord for him.”

²¹ Then Elkanah went up with all those of his house to give the Lord the gift on the altar in worship as he did each year, and to pay what he had promised. ²² But Hannah did not go. For she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child no longer needs to be nursed. Then I will bring him before the Lord, to stay there forever.” ²³ Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what you think is best. Stay here until he no longer needs to be nursed. Only may the Lord do as He has said.” So Hannah stayed and nursed her son until he no longer needed to be nursed. ²⁴ When she had finished nursing him, she took him with her to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, and the child was young. ²⁵ She brought a three year old bull, one basket of flour and a jar of wine also. Then they killed the bull, and brought the boy to Eli. ²⁶ Hannah said, “O, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. ²⁷ I prayed for this boy, and the Lord has given me what I asked of Him. ²⁸ So I have given him to the Lord. He is given to the Lord as long as he lives.” And they worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah’s Prayer

2 Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart is happy in the Lord. My strength is honored in the Lord. My mouth speaks with strength against those who hate me, because I have joy in Your saving power. ² There is no one holy like the Lord. For sure, there is no one other than You. There is no rock like our God. ³ Speak no more in your pride. Do not let proud talk come out of your mouth. For the Lord is a God Who knows. Actions are weighed by Him. ⁴ The bows of the powerful are broken. But the weak are dressed in strength. ⁵ Those who were full go out to work for bread. But those who were hungry are filled. She who could not give birth has given birth to seven. But she who has many children has become weak. ⁶ The Lord kills and brings to life. He brings down to the grave, and He raises up. ⁷ The Lord makes poor and makes rich. He brings low and He lifts up. ⁸ He lifts the poor from the dust. He lifts those in need from the ashes. He makes them sit with rulers and receive a seat of honor. For what holds the earth belongs to the Lord. He has set the world in its place. ⁹ He watches over the steps of His good people. But the sinful ones will be made quiet in darkness. For a man will not win by strength. ¹⁰ Those who fight with the Lord will be broken to pieces. He will thunder in heaven against them. The Lord will decide about all people to the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king. He will give power to His chosen one.”

¹¹ Elkanah went home to Ramah. But the boy served the Lord with Eli the religious leader.

Eli’s Sons

¹² The sons of Eli were men of no worth. They did not know the Lord. ¹³ This is the way the religious leaders acted toward the people. When any man brought an animal to give to the Lord, the religious leader’s servant would come with a meat-hook in his hand, while the meat was hot. ¹⁴ Then he would put it in the pot. The religious leader would take for himself all that the meat-hook brought up. They did this to all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh. ¹⁵ And before they burned the fat, the religious leader’s servant would come and say to the man who brought the gift in worship, “Give meat for the religious leader to make ready. For he will not take boiled meat from you, but only meat that has just been killed.” ¹⁶ But if the man says to him, “Let them burn the fat first, then take as much as you want,” then the religious leader’s servant would say, “No, give it to me now; and if not, I will take it from you against your will.” ¹⁷ So the sin of the young men was very bad before the Lord. For the men hated the gift of the Lord.

Samuel Serves the Lord at Shiloh

¹⁸ Now Samuel was serving the Lord, even as a boy, wearing a linen vest. ¹⁹ Each year his mother would make him a little coat. She would bring it to him when she came with her husband to bring the gift in worship each year. ²⁰ Then Eli would pray that good would come to Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children from this woman in place of the one she gave to the Lord.” Then they would return to their home. ²¹ And the Lord visited Hannah. She gave birth to three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up to serve the Lord.

The Future of Eli’s Sons

²² Now Eli was very old. He heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the door of the meeting tent. ²³ And he said to them, “Why do you do such things, the sinful things I hear from all these people? ²⁴ No, my sons, the news is not good which I hear from the Lord’s people. ²⁵ If one man sins against another, God will help make peace for him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who can make peace for him?” Yet they would not listen to what their father said, for it was the Lord’s will to kill them. ²⁶ Now the boy Samuel grew and was in favor both with the Lord and with men.

²⁷ Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says. ‘Did I not let Myself be known to those of your father’s family when they were in Egypt being made to work for Pharaoh’s house? ²⁸ Did I not choose them from all the families of Israel to be My religious leaders, to go up to My altar, to burn special perfume, and to wear a linen vest before Me? Did I not give all the gifts made by fire of the people of Israel to the family of your father? ²⁹ Why do you show no respect to My gifts which I have asked for, and honor your sons more than Me? You make yourselves fat with the best part of every gift given in worship by My people Israel.’ ³⁰ So the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I did promise that those of your family and the family of your father should walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says, ‘May this be far from Me. For I will honor those who honor Me. And those who hate Me will not be honored. ³¹ See, the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s family. So there will not be an old man in your family. ³² You will see the trouble of My family, even in all the good I do for Israel. And an old man will not be in your family forever. ³³ But I will not destroy every man of yours from My altar. Some will be left to cry and be filled with sorrow. But all the children of your family will die in their best years. ³⁴ This will be the special thing that you will see. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will both die on the same day. ³⁵ I will raise up for Myself a faithful religious leader who will act by what is in My heart and mind. I will build him a family to last. And he will walk before My chosen one forever. ³⁶ Everyone who is left in your family will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and say, “I beg you, put me in one of the religious leader’s places so that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”

Samuel’s Call

3 Now the boy Samuel was working for the Lord with Eli. There were few words from the Lord given in those days, and there were not many special dreams. ² At that time Eli was lying down in his own place. His eyes had become weak and he could not see well. ³ The lamp of God had not gone out yet. And Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord where the special box of God was. ⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel, and Samuel said, “Here I am.” ⁵ He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call you. Lie down again.” So Samuel went and lay down. ⁶ The Lord called again, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Lie down again.” ⁷ Now Samuel did not know the Lord yet. And the Word of the Lord had not been made known to him. ⁸ The Lord called Samuel again for the third time. He got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down. If He calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ Then the Lord came and stood and called as He did the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” ¹¹ The Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do a thing in Israel which will make both ears of everyone who hears it feel strange. ¹² On that day I will do all I have said I will do against the family of Eli. ¹³ I have told him that I will punish his family forever for the sin he knew about. Because his sons brought the sin upon themselves, and Eli did not stop them. ¹⁴ So I swear to the family of Eli that the sin of his family will not be paid for with gifts given on the altar forever.”

¹⁵ Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the special dream. ¹⁶ Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And Samuel said, “Here I am.” ¹⁷ Eli said, “What did the Lord tell you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more, if you hide anything from me of all He said to you.” ¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And Eli said, “It is the Lord. Let Him do what is good in His eyes.”

¹⁹ Samuel grew. And the Lord was with him and made everything he said come true. ²⁰ All Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had become a man of God. ²¹ The Lord came again to Shiloh. For the Lord made Himself known to Samuel at Shiloh, by the Word of the Lord.

The Philistines Take the Special Box of the Agreement

4 So the news of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They set up their tents beside Ebenezer while the Philistines stayed at Aphek. ² The Philistines came dressed for battle to meet Israel. When the battle spread, Israel lost to the Philistines. The Philistines killed about 4,000 men on the battle-field. ³ When the people returned to the tents, the leaders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord made us lose today to the Philistines? Let us bring the special box that holds the Law of the Lord here from Shiloh. Then He may come among us and save us from the power of those who fight against us.” ⁴ So the people sent men to Shiloh to take the special box with the Law of the Lord of All Who sits above the cherubim. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the special box with the Law of God.

⁵ When the box with the Law of the Lord came among the tents, all Israel called out with a loud noise, so that the earth shook. ⁶ When the Philistines heard the noise, they said, “What does this loud noise among the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the special box of the Lord had come among the Israelites. ⁷ The Philistines were afraid. They said, “A god has come among the tents. Trouble has come to us! Nothing like this has happened before. ⁸ Trouble has come to us! Who will save us from the hand of these powerful gods? These are the gods who destroyed the Egyptians with all kinds of troubles in the desert. ⁹ Be strong and act like men, O Philistines. Or you will be made to work for the Hebrews, as they have been made to work for you. Be men and fight.” ¹⁰ So the Philistines fought, and Israel lost. Every man ran to his tent. And many were killed, for 30,000 foot soldiers of Israel fell. ¹¹ The special box of God was taken. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Death of Eli

¹² A man of Benjamin ran from the battle and came to Shiloh the same day. His clothes were torn and he had dust on his head. ¹³ When he came, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for he was very worried about the special box of God. The man told the news in the city, and all the city cried out. ¹⁴ When Eli heard the noise in the city, he said, “What does this noise mean?” Then the man came in a hurry and told Eli. ¹⁵ Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were weak so that he could not see. ¹⁶ The man said to Eli, “I have come from the battle. I ran from the battle today.” And Eli said, “How did it go, my son?” ¹⁷ The one who brought the news answered, “Israel has run from the Philistines and there have been many people killed. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead. And the special box of God has been taken.” ¹⁸ When he told about the special box of God, Eli fell back off the seat by the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

¹⁹ Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was going to have a child and about to give birth. When she heard the news that the special box of God was taken and that her father-in-law and husband had died, she started to give birth, for her pains came upon her. ²⁰ About the time of her death, the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not be afraid. For you have given birth to a son.” But she did not answer or listen to them. ²¹ She gave the boy the name Ichabod, saying, “The honor has left Israel,” because the special box of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and husband. ²² She said, “The honor has left Israel, for the special box of God was taken.”

The Philistines and the Special Box

5 The Philistines took the special box of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. ² They took the special box of God into the house of Dagon, and set it beside Dagon. ³ When the Ashdodites got up early the next morning, they saw that Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the special box of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again. ⁴ But when they got up early the next morning, they saw that Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground in front of the special box of the Lord. And Dagon’s head and both his hands were cut off and lying in the doorway. Only the body of Dagon was left. ⁵ So the religious leaders of Dagon and all who go into Dagon’s house do not step on the bottom part of the doorway in Ashdod to this day.

⁶ The hand of the Lord was heavy on the Ashdodites. He filled them with fear and punished them with pain and sores, both Ashdod and its lands. ⁷ When the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The special box of the God of Israel must not stay with us. For His hand is hard on us and on our god Dagon.” ⁸ So they called together all the leaders of the Philistines and said, “What should we do with the special box of the God of Israel?” And they said, “Let the special box of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the box of the God of Israel there. ⁹ But after they had brought it there, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing much fear. He punished both the young and old men of the city, so that sores broke out upon them. ¹⁰ So they sent the special box of God to Ekron. When the box of God came to Ekron, the people there cried out, “They have brought the special box of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people.” ¹¹ So they called together all the leaders of the Philistines and said, “Send away the special box of the God of Israel. Let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For the people of the city were afraid. The hand of God was very heavy there. ¹² The men who did not die were punished with sores, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

The Special Box Returned to Israel

6 The special box of the Lord had been in the country of the Philistines seven months. ² The Philistines called for the religious leaders and those who were wise in secret ways, saying, “What should we do with the special box of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it to its place.” ³ And they said, “If you send away the special box of the God of Israel, do not send it empty. But be sure to return to Him a sin gift. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand does not turn away from you.” ⁴ Then they said, “What should we return to Him for a sin gift?” And they said, “Five sores made of gold and five gold mice, as many as there are Philistine leaders. For the same trouble was upon all of you and on your leaders. ⁵ So make objects to look like your sores and your mice that destroyed the land, and you will give honor to the God of Israel. It may be that He will be easier on you, your gods, and your land. ⁶ Why do you make your hearts hard as the Egyptians and Pharaoh made their hearts hard? Do not forget how the God of Israel made it hard for them. And did they not let the people go? ⁷ So now take and make ready a new wagon and two milk cows that have never pulled a load. Tie the cows to the wagon and take their calves away from them. ⁸ Take the special box of the Lord and put it on the wagon. Put the objects of gold which you return to Him as a sin gift in a box by its side. Then send it away, and let it be gone. ⁹ And watch. If it goes on the way to its own land, to Bethshemesh, then He has done this very bad thing to us. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that destroyed us. It will have just happened for no reason.”

¹⁰ The men did so. They took two milk cows and tied them to the wagon, and shut up their calves at home. ¹¹ They put the special box of the Lord on the wagon, and the box with the gold mice and the objects made to look like their sores. ¹² And the cows went straight toward Bethshemesh. They went along the straight road, making a sound as they went. They did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the leaders of the Philistines followed them to the outside of Bethshemesh. ¹³ Now the people of Bethshemesh were gathering their grain in the valley. They looked up and saw the special box of the Lord, and were glad to see it. ¹⁴ The wagon came into the field of Joshua the Bethshemite and stopped there by a big stone. They cut the wood of the wagon into pieces and gave the cows as a burnt gift to the Lord. ¹⁵ The Levites took down the special box of the Lord and the box that was with it that had the objects of gold, and put them on the big stone. The men of Bethshemesh gave burnt gifts in worship that day to the Lord. ¹⁶ When the five leaders of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

¹⁷ These are the sores made of gold which the Philistines returned for a sin gift to the Lord. There was one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. ¹⁸ And the gold mice were as many as the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five leaders, both cities with walls and country towns. The big stone where they set the special box of the Lord is there in the field of Joshua the Bethshemite to this day.

¹⁹ The Lord killed some of the men of Bethshemesh because they had looked into the special box of the Lord. He killed 70 (50,070) men. And the people were filled with sorrow because the Lord had killed so many of them.

The Special Box at Kiriath-jearim

²⁰ The men of Bethshemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? To whom can we send Him?” ²¹ So they sent men to the people living in Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the special box of the Lord. Come down and get it.”

7 The men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the special box of the Lord and brought it to the house of Abinadab on the hill. They set apart his son Eleazar to keep the special box of the Lord.

Samuel Judges for Israel

² The special box stayed in Kiriath-jearim a long time, for it was twenty years. And all the family of Israel cried with sorrow for the Lord.

³ Then Samuel said to all the family of Israel, “Return to the Lord with all your heart. Put away the strange gods and the false goddess Ashtaroth from among you. Turn your hearts to the Lord and worship Him alone. Then He will save you from the Philistines.” ⁴ So the people of Israel put away from among them the false gods of Baal and Ashtaroth and worshiped the Lord alone.

⁵ Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel together at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶ So they gathered at Mizpah. They got water and poured it out before the Lord as a gift, and did not eat that day. They said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. ⁷ The Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, so the leaders of the Philistines went to battle against them. When the people of Israel heard about it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸ The Israelites said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the Philistines.” ⁹ Samuel took a young lamb and gave it as a whole burnt gift to the Lord. Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. ¹⁰ As Samuel was burning the gift to the Lord, the Philistines came near to battle against Israel. But the Lord made a loud thunder that day against the Philistines, making them afraid. So they lost the battle with Israel. ¹¹ The men of Israel left Mizpah and went after the Philistines, killing them almost as far as Bethcar.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen. He gave it the name Ebenezer, saying, “The Lord has helped us this far.” ¹³ So the Philistines were beaten. They did not come into the land of Israel again. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel’s life. ¹⁴ The cities the Philistines had taken from Israel were returned, from Ekron to Gath. Israel saved their land from the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵ Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶ Every year he went around to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places. ¹⁷ Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there. He judged Israel there also, and built an altar to the Lord.

Israel Asks for a King

8 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges in Israel. ² The name of his first-born son was Joel. And the name of his second son was Abijah. They were men who judged in Beersheba. ³ But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside to get money. They took pay to do things that were not right and fair. ⁴ Then all the leaders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. ⁵ They said to him, “See, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Choose a king to rule over us like all the nations.” ⁶ But Samuel was not pleased when they said, “Give us a king to rule over us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. ⁷ The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all they say to you. For they have not turned away from you. They have turned away from Me, that I should not be king over them. ⁸ They are doing to you what they have done since the day I brought them out of Egypt until now. They have turned away from Me and worshiped other gods. ⁹ So listen to their voice. But tell them of the danger and show them the ways of the king who will rule over them.”

¹⁰ So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked him for a king. ¹¹ He said, “This will be the way the king will rule over you. He will take your sons and make them drive his war-wagons, be his horsemen, and run in front of his war-wagons. ¹² He will choose leaders of thousands and of fifties. He will choose men to plow his ground, gather his grain, and make objects for war and for his war-wagons. ¹³ He will take your daughters to make perfume, work with the food, and make bread. ¹⁴ He will take the best of your fields and vines and olives, and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth part of your grain and your vines to give to his leaders and his servants. ¹⁶ He will take your men servants and your women servants and the best of your cattle and your donkeys, and use them for his work. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth part of your flocks, and you yourselves will be made to work for him. ¹⁸ You will cry out in that day because of your king you have chosen for yourselves. But the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

¹⁹ But the people would not listen to Samuel. They said, “No! We will have a king rule over us, ²⁰ so we may be like other nations. Our king may rule over us and go out before us and fight our battles.” ²¹ After Samuel heard all the people’s words, he told the Lord what they had said. ²² The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and choose a king for them.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every one of you go home to his city.”

Saul Is Chosen to Be the King

9 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, a Benjamite. He was a powerful man of action. ² He had a son whose name was Saul, a good-looking young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel who was better looking than he. He was a head taller than any of the people. ³ Now the donkeys of Saul’s father Kish were lost. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys.” ⁴ They passed through the hill country of Ephraim and the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. They passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them.

⁵ When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let us return. My father might stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” ⁶ The servant said, “See, there is a man of God in this city, and people honor him. All that he says comes true. Let us go there. It may be that he can tell us where we should go.” ⁷ Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, what can we bring the man? The bread in our bags is gone. There is no gift to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” ⁸ The servant answered Saul and said, “See, I have a fourth of a piece of silver in my hand. I will give it to the man of God and he will tell us the way to go.” ⁹ (Before in Israel, when a man went to ask God a question, he would say, “Come, let us go to the man of God.” For he who is called a man who speaks for God now, was called a seer before.) ¹⁰ Saul said to his servant, “What you said is good. Come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.

¹¹ As they went up the hill to the city, they met young women going out to get water. They said to them, “Is the man of God here?” ¹² The women answered, “He is. Look, he is up in front of you. Hurry now, for he has come to the city today because the people are giving a gift in worship on the high place today. ¹³ You will find him as you go into the city, before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not eat until he comes to give thanks for the gift. Then those who are asked to come will eat. Now go up, for you will find him at once.” ¹⁴ So they went up to the city. As they came into the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them to go up to the high place.

¹⁵ Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had told Samuel, ¹⁶ “I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin about this time tomorrow. Choose him to be the leader of My people Israel. And he will save My people from the Philistines. For I have seen the trouble of My people. I have heard their cry. ¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “Here is the man I told you about. He is the one who will rule over My people.” ¹⁸ Then Saul came to Samuel in the gate, and said, “Tell me, where is the man of God’s house?” ¹⁹ Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the man of God. Go up before me to the high place. For you will eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let you go. And I will tell you all that is on your mind. ²⁰ Do not worry about your donkeys which were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And for whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s house?” ²¹ Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest of the family groups of Israel? Is not my family the least important of all the families of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me this way?”

²² Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the meeting room. He gave them a place at the head of those who were asked to come, about thirty men. ²³ Samuel said to the one who was making the food ready, “Bring the part I gave you and told you to set aside.” ²⁴ So the man picked up the leg with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. And Samuel said, “Here is what has been saved for you. Eat. It has been kept for you until the right time, ever since I asked the people to come.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵ When they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof. ²⁶ They got up early the next day. Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.

Saul Is Made King

²⁷ As they were going out of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on before us, but you stand here. Then I will make the Word of God known to you.”

10 Then Samuel took a bottle of oil and poured it on Saul’s head. He kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord chosen you to be a ruler over His land? ² When you leave me today, you will meet two men by Rachel’s grave in the land of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you went to look for have been found. Now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and is worried about you, saying, “What should I do about my son?”’ ³ Then you will go farther and come to the oak tree of Tabor. There three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you. One will be carrying three young goats. Another will be carrying three loaves of bread. And another will be carrying a bottle of wine. ⁴ They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will take from their hand. ⁵ Then you will come to the hill of God where there are Philistine soldiers. When you come there to the city, you will meet a group of men who speak for God coming down from the high place. They will have harps, an object to beat sounds of joy, and a horn. And they will be speaking God’s Word. ⁶ Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you with power. You will speak God’s Word with them and be changed into another man. ⁷ When you see these special things, do whatever you find that should be done. For God is with you. ⁸ You will go down before me to Gilgal. Then see, I will come down to you to give burnt gifts and peace gifts. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do.”

⁹ When Saul turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart. And all these special things happened on that day. ¹⁰ When they came to the hill, a group of men who speak for God met him. The Spirit of God came upon him with power, so that he spoke God’s Word with them. ¹¹ People who had known him before saw him doing this and asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul one of the men who speak God’s Word?” ¹² One of the men there answered, “Now, who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul one of the men who speak God’s Word?” ¹³ When Saul had finished speaking the Word of God, he went to the altar at the high place.

¹⁴ The brother of Saul’s father said to him and his servant, “Where have you been?” And Saul said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they could not be found, we went to Samuel.” ¹⁵ The brother of Saul’s father said, “Tell me, what did Samuel say to you?” ¹⁶ Saul said to his father’s brother, “He told us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him what Samuel had told him about being king.

¹⁷ Then Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. ¹⁸ He said to the people of Israel, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel out of Egypt. I saved you from the power of the Egyptians, and from the power of all the nations that made it hard for you.’ ¹⁹ But today you have turned away from your God, Who saves you from all your troubles. You have said, ‘No! Have a king rule over us!’ So now come before the Lord, by your family groups and by your thousands.” ²⁰ When Samuel brought all the families of Israel near, the name of the family group of Benjamin was drawn. ²¹ Then he brought the family group of Benjamin near by its families, and the name of the Matrite family was drawn. Then the name of Saul the son of Kish was drawn. But when they looked for him, he could not be found. ²² So they asked the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” The Lord said, “See, he is hiding among the bags.” ²³ They ran and brought him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was a head taller than any of them. ²⁴ Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? For sure there is no one like him among all the people.” So all the people called out and said, “Long live the king!” ²⁵ Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the king and his nation. He wrote them in a book and laid it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. ²⁶ Saul went home to Gibeah. And the strong men whose hearts God had touched went with him. ²⁷ But some men of no worth said, “How can this man save us?” They hated him and did not bring him any gift. But he kept quiet.

Saul Wins the Battle over the Ammonites

11 Then Nahash the Ammonite came and his soldiers set up their tents around Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make an agreement with us, and we will work for you.” ² But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “I will make an agreement with you only if I may cut out the right eye of every one of you. This way I will put all Israel to shame.” ³ The leaders of Jabesh said to him, “Let us alone for seven days, so we may send men with news through the land of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.” ⁴ The men came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news to the people. And all the people cried with a loud voice.

⁵ Now Saul was coming from the field behind the cattle, and he said, “What troubles the people? Why are they crying?” So they told him the news the men had brought from Jabesh. ⁶ The Spirit of God came upon Saul with power when he heard this news, and he became very angry. ⁷ He took two bulls and cut them in pieces and sent them through the land of Israel with the men who had brought the news, saying, “This will be done to the bulls of those who will not come out after Saul and Samuel.” The fear of the Lord came upon the people, and they all came out together. ⁸ Saul numbered them at Bezek. There were 300,000 men of Israel, and 30,000 men of Judah. ⁹ They said to the men who had brought the news, “Tell the men of Jabesh-gilead that tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have help.” So the men went and told the news to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. ¹⁰ Then the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you. And you may do to us whatever you think is good.” ¹¹ The next morning, Saul put the people in three groups. They came among the tents early in the morning and killed the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who were left alive were divided, so that no two of them stayed together.

¹² Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Should Saul rule over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” ¹³ But Saul said, “No man will be put to death this day. For today the Lord has saved Israel.”

¹⁴ Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and make it the place for the king.” ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal. There they made Saul king before the Lord, in Gilgal. There they gave peace gifts to the Lord. And there Saul and all the men of Israel were filled with much joy.

Samuel’s Last Words to Israel

12 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “See, I have listened to all you have said to me. I have chosen a king to rule over you. ² Now see, the king walks in front of you. But I am old. My hair is growing white. See, my sons are with you. I have walked in front of you since I was young, until this day. ³ Here I am. Speak against me to the Lord and Saul His chosen one. Whose bull have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? To whom have I not been honest? For whom have I made it hard? From whose hand have I taken pay for closing my eyes to the truth? I will return it to you.” ⁴ They said, “You have always been honest with us. You have not made it hard for us, or taken anything from any man’s hand.” ⁵ Samuel said to them, “The Lord has heard you. And His chosen one has heard this day that you have found nothing in my hand.” And they said, “The Lord has heard.” ⁶ Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is the One Who chose Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt. ⁷ Now stand where you are, that I may argue with you before the Lord about all His saving acts which He did for you and your fathers. ⁸ When Jacob went into Egypt and the Egyptians made it hard for them, your fathers cried to the Lord. And the Lord sent Moses and Aaron. They brought your fathers out of Egypt, and had them live in this place. ⁹ But they forgot the Lord their God. So He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab. And they fought against them. ¹⁰ Then they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned because we have turned away from the Lord. We have worshiped the false gods, the Baals and the Ashtaroth. But now save us from the power of those who hate us, and we will worship You.’ ¹¹ The Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah and Samuel, and saved you from the power of those all around who hated you. So you were safe. ¹² But then you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you. So you said to me, ‘No! A king must rule over us,’ when the Lord your God was your King. ¹³ Now see the king you have chosen, the king you have asked for. See, the Lord has given you a king. ¹⁴ Fear the Lord and worship Him. Listen to His voice and do not go against the Word of the Lord. If both you and the king who rules over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. ¹⁵ But if you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, and go against the Lord’s Word, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers. ¹⁶ Now stand still and see this great thing which the Lord will do in front of your eyes. ¹⁷ Is it not the time to gather grain today? I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that you have done a bad sin in the eyes of the Lord by asking for a king.” ¹⁸ So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people were very much afraid of the Lord and Samuel.

¹⁹ Then all the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, so we will not die. For we have added to all our sins this bad thing, to ask for a king.” ²⁰ Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid. You have done all these sins. But do not turn aside from following the Lord. Worship the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ Do not turn aside after things that have no worth and cannot save you, for they are nothing. ²² The Lord will not leave His people alone, because of His great name. The Lord has been pleased to make you His people. ²³ And as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by not praying for you. But I will teach you the good and the right way. ²⁴ Only fear the Lord and be faithful to worship Him with all your heart. Think of the great things He has done for you. ²⁵ But if you still sin, both you and your king will be destroyed.”

War with the Philistines

13 Saul was forty years old when he began to rule. He ruled over Israel thirty-two years. ² Saul chose 3,000 men of Israel. There were 2,000 of them with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel. And 1,000 were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent away the rest of the people, each to his tent. ³ Jonathan destroyed the place where the Philistine soldiers were in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul sounded the horn through all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” ⁴ All Israel heard the news that Saul had destroyed the place where the Philistine soldiers were. And they heard that Israel had become a hated thing to the Philistines. Then the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ The Philistines gathered to fight against Israel, with 30,000 war-wagons, 6,000 horsemen, and people like the sand on the sea shore. They came and set up their tents at Michmash, east of Beth-aven. ⁶ The men of Israel saw that they were in trouble. The people were in a place of danger. So the people hid themselves in caves, bushes, hill-sides, graves and wells. ⁷ Some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him in fear.

⁸ Saul waited seven days, the time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal. And the people were leaving him. ⁹ So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt gift and the peace gifts.” And he gave the burnt gift to the Lord. ¹⁰ As soon as he finished giving the burnt gift, Samuel came. Saul went out to meet him and say hello. ¹¹ But Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “I saw that the people were leaving me. You did not come when you said you would. And the Philistines were gathering at Michmash. ¹² So I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down upon me at Gilgal, and I have not asked for the Lord’s favor.’ So I made myself give the burnt gift.” ¹³ Samuel said to Saul, “You have done a foolish act. You have not kept the Law that the Lord your God gave you. For now the Lord would have made your rule over Israel last forever. ¹⁴ But now your rule will not last. The Lord has found a man who is pleasing to him in every way. He has chosen him to rule over his people, because you have not obeyed the Lord.”

¹⁵ Then Samuel got up and went from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul numbered the people that were left with him, about 600 men.

No Swords or Spears

¹⁶ Saul and his son Jonathan, and the people with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin, while the Philistines stayed at Michmash. ¹⁷ Soldiers came from the tents of the Philistines in three groups. One group turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual. ¹⁸ Another group turned toward Bethhoron. And another group turned toward the side of the country that looks over the valley of Zeboim toward the desert.

¹⁹ Now there was no one to be found in all the land of Israel who made things of iron. For the Philistines said, “The Hebrews might make swords or spears.” ²⁰ So each one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to get his plow, his pick, his ax, or his grain cutter sharpened. ²¹ He had to pay two-thirds part of a piece of silver to have the plows and picks sharpened, and one-third part of a piece of silver to have the axes and grain cutters sharpened. ²² So on the day of battle there was no sword or spear in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But Saul and his son Jonathan had them. ²³ And the Philistine soldiers went out to the pass of Michmash.

Jonathan’s Battle with the Philistines

14 One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who was carrying his battle-clothes, “Come, let us go over to the place where the Philistine soldiers are on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. ² Saul was staying beside Gibeah under the pomegranate tree in Migron. There were about 600 men with him, ³ and Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the religious leader of the Lord at Shiloh, wearing the linen vest. And the people did not know Jonathan had gone. ⁴ Between the passes where Jonathan went to cross over to the Philistine soldiers, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side. The name of one was Bozez. The name of the other was Seneh. ⁵ One rock stood on the north in front of Michmash. The other stood on the south in front of Geba.

⁶ Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his battle-clothes, “Come, let us go over to the place where the soldiers are who have not gone through the religious act of the Jews. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for there is nothing to keep the Lord from saving by many or by few.” ⁷ The young man who was carrying his battle-clothes said to him, “Do all that is in your mind. I am with you in whatever you think to do.” ⁸ Jonathan said, “We will cross over to the men and show ourselves to them. ⁹ If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the Lord has given them into our hands. This will be the special thing for us to see.” ¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine soldiers. The Philistines said, “See, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” ¹² The soldiers of that place said to Jonathan and the one who was carrying his battle-clothes, “Come up to us and we will tell you something.” Jonathan said to the one who was carrying his battle-clothes, “Come up after me. For the Lord has given them into the hands of Israel.” ¹³ Then Jonathan went up the hill on his hands and feet, with the one who was carrying his battle-clothes behind him. The soldiers fell in front of Jonathan. The young man, who was carrying his battle-clothes after him, killed them. ¹⁴ In that first killing done by Jonathan and the man who carried his battle-clothes, about twenty men fell dead within a small piece of land. ¹⁵ There was fear among the Philistines, in the field, and among all the people. Even the soldiers shook with fear. And the earth shook, so there was much fear.

¹⁶ Saul’s men who were watching in Gibeah of Benjamin looked and saw the people running away. They went here and there. ¹⁷ Saul said to the people who were with him, “Number them, and see who has left us.” When they numbered, they found that Jonathan and the young man who carried his battle-clothes were not there. ¹⁸ Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the special box of God here.” For the special box of God was with the people of Israel at that time. ¹⁹ While Saul talked to the religious leader, the noise of the Philistines became louder. So Saul said to the religious leader, “Take your hand away.” ²⁰ Then Saul and all the people with him gathered together and went into the battle. Every man’s sword was against the man next to him. It was as if no one knew what to do. ²¹ The Hebrews, who had been with the Philistines and had gone up with them among the tents returned. They returned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²² When all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had run away, they ran after them in the battle. ²³ So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle spread farther than Beth-aven.

²⁴ Now the men of Israel were troubled that day. For Saul made a promise and said to the people, “Cursed will be the man who eats food before evening and before I have punished those who fight against me.” So none of the people tasted any food. ²⁵ And all the people came among the trees, and there was honey on the ground. ²⁶ The people went among the trees and saw honey flowing, but no man tasted it. For the people were afraid of Saul’s promise. ²⁷ But Jonathan had not heard his father make the promise to the people. So he put the stick that was in his hand into the honeycomb. Then he put it to his mouth, and his eyes became bright. ²⁸ One of the men told him, “Your father put the people under a promise, saying, ‘Cursed will be the man who eats food today.’” The people were tired and weak. ²⁹ Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ How much better it would be if the men had been free to eat today of the food that had belonged to those who fought against them! For not many Philistines have been killed.”

³¹ They killed the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very tired and weak. ³² The people rushed upon the things that had belonged to the Philistines. They took sheep and cattle and calves, and killed them on the ground. And the people ate them with the blood. ³³ Then Saul was told, “See, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating meat with the blood in it.” And Saul said, “You have not been faithful. Roll a big stone to me here.” ³⁴ And he said, “Divide yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Each one of you bring me his bull or his sheep, and kill it here and eat. Do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’” So every one of the people brought his bull with him that night, and killed it there. ³⁵ And Saul built an altar to the Lord. It was the first altar that he built to the Lord.

³⁶ Then Saul said, “Let us go down to the Philistines during the night and take until morning what belongs to them. Let us not leave a man of them alive.” They said, “Do whatever you think is best.” So the religious leader said, “Let us ask of God here.” ³⁷ So Saul asked God, “Should I go down to the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?” But God did not answer him that day. ³⁸ Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people. Look and see how this sin has happened today. ³⁹ For as the Lord lives Who saves Israel, even if it is in Jonathan my son, he will die for sure.” But not one of all the people answered him. ⁴⁰ Then Saul said to all Israel, “You will be on one side and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what you think is best.” ⁴¹ So Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, “May the right name be drawn.” And the names of Saul and Jonathan were drawn, and the people went free. ⁴² Then Saul said, “Draw names between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan’s name was drawn.

⁴³ Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” So Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the end of the stick that was in my hand. Here I am. I must die.” ⁴⁴ Saul said, “May God do this to me and more also, for you will die for sure, Jonathan.” ⁴⁵ But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, who has saved all these people of Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground. For he has worked with God this day.” So the people saved Jonathan and he did not die. ⁴⁶ Then Saul stopped going after the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Saul’s Family

⁴⁷ When Saul had become king over Israel, he fought against all those around him who hated him. He fought against Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. He punished them in every way he turned. ⁴⁸ He acted with strength of heart and destroyed the Amalekites. He saved Israel from those who came to rob them.

⁴⁹ Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malchishua. And he had two daughters. The name of the first-born was Merab, and the name of the younger one was Michal. ⁵⁰ The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner, the brother of Saul’s father. ⁵¹ Kish was the father of Saul. And Abner’s father Ner was the son of Abiel.

⁵² There was fighting against the Philistines all of Saul’s life. When Saul saw any strong man, or any man with strength of heart, he would have the man join him.

War with the Amalekites

15 Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to choose you to be king over His people Israel. Now listen to the Words of the Lord. ² This is what the Lord of All says. ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel in standing against them on the way, when they came up from Egypt. ³ Now go and destroy Amalek. Destroy all they have, and do not let them live. Kill both man and woman, child and baby, cattle and sheep, camel and donkey.’”

⁴ So Saul called the people together and numbered them in Telaim. There were 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. ⁵ Saul came to the city of Amalek and hid, waiting in the valley. ⁶ Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, leave the Amalekites, or I might destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the people of Israel when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites left the Amalekites. ⁷ Then Saul destroyed the Amalekites, from Havilah as far as Shur, east of Egypt. ⁸ He took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and destroyed all the people with the sword. ⁹ But Saul and the people did not kill Agag and the best of the sheep, the cattle, the fat animals ready to be killed, the lambs, and all that was good. They would not destroy them. But they destroyed everything that was hated and was of no worth.

Saul Is No Longer King

¹⁰ The Word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, ¹¹ “I am sorry that I have made Saul king. For he has turned away from following Me. He has not done what I told him to do.” Samuel was much troubled in his heart. He cried out to the Lord all night. ¹² When Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul, he was told, “Saul came to Carmel and set up a stone in his honor. Then he turned and went down to Gilgal.” ¹³ Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “May the Lord bring good to you. I have done what the Lord told me to do.” ¹⁴ But Samuel said, “Then why do I hear the sounds of sheep and cattle?” ¹⁵ Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites. For the people saved the best of the sheep and cattle to give to the Lord your God. But we have destroyed all the rest.” ¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And Saul said to him, “Speak.”

¹⁷ Samuel said, “Is it not true that even when you were not important in your own eyes, you were made the head of the families of Israel? The Lord chose you to be king over Israel. ¹⁸ And the Lord sent you to go and destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are no more. ¹⁹ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? You rushed upon what was left after the battle and did what was sinful in the Lord’s eyes.”

²⁰ Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the Lord. I went where the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek. And I have destroyed the Amalekites. ²¹ But the people took some of their things that were left. They took sheep and cattle and the best of the things to be destroyed, to give to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” ²² Samuel said, “Is the Lord pleased as much with burnt gifts as He is when He is obeyed? See, it is better to obey than to give gifts. It is better to listen than to give the fat of rams. ²³ To go against what you are told is like the sin of witchcraft. Not to obey is like the sin of worshiping false gods. You have turned away from the Word of the Lord. So He has turned away from you being king.”

²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I have sinned against the Word of the Lord and your words, because I was afraid of the people and listened to them. ²⁵ Now I beg you, forgive my sin and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.” ²⁶ But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have turned away from the Word of the Lord. And the Lord has turned away from you being king over Israel.” ²⁷ As Samuel turned to go, Saul took hold of part of his clothing, and it tore. ²⁸ So Samuel said to him, “Today the Lord has torn the rule of Israel away from you. He has given it to your neighbor who is better than you. ²⁹ And the shining greatness of Israel will not lie or change His mind. For He is not a man that He should change His mind.” ³⁰ Saul said, “I have sinned. But I beg you, honor me now in front of the leaders of my people and in front of Israel. Return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.” ³¹ So Samuel returned with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.

³² Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.” Agag was happy when he came to him. Agag said, “For sure the bad feelings of death are past.” ³³ But Samuel said, “As your sword has killed the children of women, so will your mother have no children.” And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.

³⁴ Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. ³⁵ Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death. But Samuel was filled with sorrow because of Saul. And the Lord was sorry that He had made Saul king over Israel.

David Becomes King

16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you be filled with sorrow because of Saul, since I have turned away from him being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse of Bethlehem. For I have chosen a king for Myself among his sons.” ² But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will kill me when he hears about it.” The Lord said, “Take a young cow with you, and say, ‘I have come to give a gift to the Lord.’ ³ Ask Jesse to come when you give the gift, and I will show you what you should do. You will choose for Me the one I name to you.” ⁴ So Samuel did what the Lord said, and came to Bethlehem. The leaders of the city came shaking with fear to meet him. They said, “Do you come in peace?” ⁵ Samuel said, “I have come in peace to give a gift to the Lord. Make yourselves holy and come with me as I give the gift.” He set apart Jesse and his sons also, and asked them to come to the gift-giving. ⁶ When they had come, Samuel looked at Eliab and thought, “For sure he is the Lord’s chosen one who is standing before Him.” ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at the way he looks on the outside or how tall he is, because I have not chosen him. For the Lord does not look at the things man looks at. A man looks at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.” ⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one.” ⁹ Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one.” ¹⁰ Jesse made seven of his sons pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” ¹¹ Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And Jesse said, “There is yet the youngest one. See, he is taking care of the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him. We will not sit down until he comes here.” ¹² So he sent for him and brought him in. His youngest son had good color in his skin, beautiful eyes and was good-looking. The Lord said, “Rise up and choose him. For this is the one.” ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and poured the oil on him in front of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord came upon David with strength from that day on. And Samuel got up and went to Ramah.

Saul’s Spirit Is Troubled

¹⁴ Now the Spirit of the Lord left Saul. And a bad spirit sent from the Lord brought trouble upon him. ¹⁵ Saul’s servants said to him, “See, a bad spirit from God is bringing you trouble. ¹⁶ Let our lord now tell your servants who are in front of you to look for a man who is a good player of the harp. When the bad spirit sent from God is upon you, he will play the harp, and you will be well.” ¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, “Find me a man who can play well, and bring him to me.” ¹⁸ One of the young men said, “I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who plays music well. He is a man with strength of heart, a man of war, wise in his speaking, and good-looking. And the Lord is with him.” ¹⁹ So Saul sent men with news to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David who is with the sheep.” ²⁰ Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a bottle of wine, and a young goat, and sent them to Saul with David his son. ²¹ David came to Saul and served him. Saul loved him very much, and he became the man who carried Saul’s battle-clothes. ²² Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let David serve me, for he has found favor in my eyes.” ²³ When the bad spirit sent from God came upon Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand. And Saul would receive new strength and be well. The bad spirit would leave him.

David and Goliath

17 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. They were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah. They set up their tents between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. ² Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and set up their tents in the valley of Elah. They came up dressed for battle to fight against the Philistines. ³ The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them. ⁴ Then a strong fighter came out from the armies of the Philistines. His name was Goliath, from Gath. He was almost twice as tall as most men. ⁵ He had a head covering of brass, and wore brass battle-clothes that weighed as much as 5,000 silver pieces. ⁶ He wore brass leg-coverings, and had a brass spear on his shoulders. ⁷ The long part of his spear was like a cross-piece used on a cloth-maker. The iron head of his spear weighed as much as 600 pieces of silver. A man walked before him to carry his shield. ⁸ Goliath stood and called out to the army of Israel, saying, “Why have you come out dressed for battle? Am I not the Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I fight him and kill him, then you must become our servants and work for us.” ¹⁰ Again the Philistine said, “I stand against the army of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were troubled and very afraid.

¹² Now David was the son of Jesse, an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and was old in the days of Saul. He had lived many years. ¹³ Jesse’s three older sons had followed Saul to the battle. Their names were Eliab the first-born, next Abinadab, and third Shammah. ¹⁴ David was the youngest. The three oldest sons followed Saul. ¹⁵ But David went to and from Saul, to take care of his father’s flock at Bethlehem. ¹⁶ The Philistine came out and showed himself morning and evening for forty days.

¹⁷ Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take for your brothers a basket of this baked grain and these ten loaves. Hurry and carry them to your brothers among the army. ¹⁸ And take these ten pieces of cheese to the leader of the thousand man group who is with them. See how your brothers are doing, and bring me news of them. ¹⁹ Saul and your brothers and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”

²⁰ So David got up early in the morning and left the flock in the care of a shepherd. He took the food and went, as Jesse had told him. And he came to the tents as the army was going out dressed for battle, calling out the war cry. ²¹ Israel and the Philistines came near each other dressed for battle, army against army. ²² David left the things with the man to take care of them. He ran to the army, and went to meet with his brothers. ²³ As he talked with them, Goliath the Philistine from Gath came out of the army of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. ²⁴ When all the men of Israel saw the man, they ran away from him and were very much afraid. ²⁵ The men of Israel said, “Have you seen the man who has come out? He has come out to stand against Israel. The king will make the man who kills him rich. And he will give him his daughter, and make his father’s family free from paying taxes in Israel.” ²⁶ Then David said to the men standing by him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away Israel’s shame? For who is this Philistine who has not gone through the religious act of the Jews? Who is he, that he should make fun of the armies of the living God?” ²⁷ And the people answered him in the same way, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

²⁸ His oldest brother Eliab heard what he said to the men. He became very angry with David and said, “Why have you come here? With whom have you left those few sheep in the desert? I know of your pride and the sin of your heart. You have come to see the battle.” ²⁹ But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?” ³⁰ Then David turned away from him to another and asked the same question. And the people gave him the same answer.

³¹ When David’s words were heard, they were told to Saul, and Saul sent for him. ³² David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart become weak because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” ³³ Saul said to David, “You are not able to go and fight against this Philistine. You are only a young man, while he has been a man of war since he was young.” ³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant was taking care of his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, ³⁵ I went after him and fought him and saved it from his mouth. When he came against me, I took hold of him by the hair of his head and hit him and killed him. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear. And this Philistine who has not gone through our religious act will be like one of them. For he has made fun of the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ And David said, “The Lord Who saved me from the foot of the lion and from the foot of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” ³⁸ Then Saul dressed David with his clothes. He put a brass head covering on his head, and dressed him with heavy battle-clothes. ³⁹ David put on his sword over his heavy battle-clothes and tried to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I am not used to them.” And David took them off. ⁴⁰ He took his stick in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the river. He put them in his shepherd’s bag. His sling was in his hand, and he went to the Philistine.

⁴¹ The Philistine came near to David, with the man carrying his shield in front of him. ⁴² When the Philistine looked and saw David, he thought nothing of him. For he was only a young man, with good color in his skin, and good-looking. ⁴³ The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine spoke against David by his gods. ⁴⁴ The Philistine said to David, “Come to me. I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the animals of the field.” ⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and spears. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of All, the God of the armies of Israel, Whom you have stood against. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will give you into my hands. I will knock you down and cut off your head. This day I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the earth. Then all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All these people gathered here may know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” ⁴⁸ Then the Philistine rose up and came to meet David. And David rushed to the center of the valley to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ David put his hand into his bag, took out a stone and threw it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone went into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.

⁵⁰ So David won the fight against the Philistine with a sling and a stone. He hit the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in David’s hand. ⁵¹ Then David ran and stood over the Philistine. He took his sword out of its holder and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their strong soldier was dead, they ran away. ⁵² The men of Israel and Judah rose up and called out and went after the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron. The dead Philistines lay on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ Then the Israelites returned from following the Philistines and took what had belonged to them among their tents. ⁵⁴ David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem. But he put his battle-clothes in his tent.

⁵⁵ When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the head of his army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.” ⁵⁶ The king said, “Find out whose son the young man is.” ⁵⁷ So when David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner brought him to Saul with the Philistine’s head in his hand. ⁵⁸ Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”

King Saul Is Jealous of David

18 When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan became one with the soul of David. Jonathan loved him as himself. ² Saul took David that day, and would not let him return to his father’s house. ³ Then Jonathan made an agreement with David, because he loved him as himself. ⁴ Jonathan took off his long coat and gave it to David. He gave him his battle-clothes, his sword, his bow and his belt also. ⁵ David went everywhere that Saul sent him, and did well. Saul had him lead the men of war. And it was pleasing to all the people and to Saul’s servants.

⁶ When David returned from killing the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, playing songs of joy on timbrels. ⁷ The women sang as they played, and said, “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” ⁸ Then Saul became very angry. This saying did not please him. He said, “They have given David honor for ten thousands, but for me only thousands. Now what more can he have but to be king?” ⁹ And Saul was jealous and did not trust David from that day on.

¹⁰ The next day a bad spirit sent from God came upon Saul with power. He acted like a crazy man in his house, while David was playing the harp. Saul had a spear in his hand, ¹¹ and he threw the spear, thinking, “I will nail David to the wall.” But David jumped out of his way twice. ¹² Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him but had left Saul. ¹³ So Saul made David go away from him, and had him lead a thousand men. And David went out to the people. ¹⁴ David did well in all that he did, because the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ When Saul saw how well he did, he was afraid of him. ¹⁶ But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.

David Marries Saul’s Daughter

¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you as a wife, if you only work for me with strength of heart and fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “I will not go against him. Let the Philistines go against him.” ¹⁸ David said to Saul, “Who am I? What is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” ¹⁹ But at the time when Saul’s daughter Merab should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.

²⁰ Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. When they told Saul, it pleased him. ²¹ Saul thought, “I will give her to David. I will use her to trap him, and the Philistines will go against him.” So Saul said to David a second time, “Now you may be my son-in-law.” ²² Then Saul told his servants, “Speak to David in secret. Tell him, ‘See, the king is happy with you, and all his servants love you. So now become the king’s son-in-law.’” ²³ So Saul’s servants said this to David. But David said, “Is it not important to you to become the king’s son-in-law? I am only a poor man and am not very respected.” ²⁴ Saul’s servants told Saul what David had said. ²⁵ Then Saul said, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no marriage gift except the pieces of skin from the sex parts of a hundred Philistines, to punish those who hate the king.’” Saul planned to have the Philistines kill David. ²⁶ When his servants told this to David, it pleased him to become the king’s son-in-law. Before the time was finished, ²⁷ David and his men went and killed 200 Philistine men. Then David brought their pieces of flesh and gave all of them to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. So Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. ²⁸ When Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him, ²⁹ Saul was even more afraid of David. So he hated David always.

³⁰ Then the Philistine leaders went out to battle. And when they did, David acted with more wisdom than all the servants of Saul. So his name became very important.

Saul Tries to Kill David

19 Now Saul told Jonathan his son and all his servants to kill David. But Saul’s son Jonathan found much joy in David. ² So Jonathan told David, “My father Saul wants to kill you. I beg you, be careful in the morning. Stay hidden in a secret place. ³ I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are. I will speak to my father about you. If I find out anything, I will tell you.” ⁴ Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, saying, “Do not let the king sin against his servant David. He has not sinned against you. What he has done has been good for you. ⁵ He put his life in danger and killed the Philistine. And the Lord helped all Israel with His saving power. You saw it and were glad. Why then will you sin against him who has done no wrong, by killing David for no reason?” ⁶ Saul listened to Jonathan, and promised, “As the Lord lives, David will not be killed.”