Hannah’s Prayer

2 Then Hannah prayed and said:^(A)

²⁰ When Samuel had all Israel come forward by tribes, the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. ²¹ Then he brought forward the tribe of Benjamin, clan by clan, and Matri’s clan was taken.^(A) Finally Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. ²² So they inquired^(B) further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord said, “Yes, he has hidden himself among the supplies.”

⁷ Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad^(A) and Gilead.

Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking^(B) with fear. ⁸ He waited seven^(C) days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. ⁹ So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered^(D) up the burnt offering.

¹¹ “What have you done?” asked Samuel.

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash,^(A)

⁸ He took Agag^(A) king of the Amalekites alive,^(B) and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. ⁹ But Saul and the army spared^(C) Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves^[a] and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.

¹³ When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”

¹⁴ But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

¹⁵ Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”

²² But Samuel replied:

²³ Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit^(A) would leave him.

⁷ As they danced, they sang:^(A)

⁸ Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?^(C)” ⁹ And from that time on Saul kept a close^(D) eye on David.