1 Samuel 1-12

English Standard Version

The Birth of Samuel

1 There was a certain man of ^(A)Ramathaim-zophim of ^(B)the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, ^(C)an Ephrathite. ²He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³Now this man used to go up ^(D)year by year from his city ^(E)to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts ^(F)at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. ⁴On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, ^(G)he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. ⁵But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.^[a] ⁶And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. ⁷So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. ⁸And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? ^(H)Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

⁹After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of ^(I)the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰She was ^(J)deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. ¹¹And she ^(K)vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed ^(L)look on the affliction of your servant and ^(M)remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, ^(N)and no razor shall touch his head.”

¹²As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. ¹³Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. ¹⁴And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” ¹⁵But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but ^(O)I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. ¹⁶Do not regard your servant as ^(P)a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” ¹⁷Then Eli answered, ^(Q)“Go in peace, and the God of Israel ^(R)grant your petition that you have made to him.” ¹⁸And she said, ^(S)“Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman ^(T)went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

¹⁹They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at ^(U)Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord ^(V)remembered her. ²⁰And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”^[b]

Samuel Given to the Lord

²¹The man Elkanah and all his house ^(W)went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. ²²But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord ^(X)and dwell there forever.” ²³^(Y)Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; ^(Z)only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. ²⁴And when she had weaned him, ^(AA)she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull,^[c] an ephah^[d] of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to ^(AB)the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. ²⁵Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. ²⁶And she said, “Oh, my lord! ^(AC)As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. ²⁷For this child I prayed, ^(AD)and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. ²⁸Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”

^(AE)And he worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah's Prayer

2 And Hannah prayed and said,

^(AF)“My heart exults in the Lord;
^(AG)my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because ^(AH)I rejoice in your salvation.

²^(AI)“There is none holy like the Lord:
    for there is none besides you;
    there is ^(AJ)no rock like our God.
³Talk no more so very proudly,
    let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
    and by him actions are weighed.
⁴^(AK)The bows of the mighty are broken,
    but the feeble bind on strength.
⁵Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
    but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
^(AL)The barren has borne seven,
    ^(AM)but she who has many children is forlorn.
⁶^(AN)The Lord kills and brings to life;
    he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
⁷^(AO)The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
    ^(AP)he brings low and he exalts.
⁸^(AQ)He raises up the poor from the dust;
    he lifts the needy from the ash heap
^(AR)to make them sit with princes
    and inherit a seat of honor.
^(AS)For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
    and on them he has set the world.

⁹^(AT)“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
    but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
    for not by might shall a man prevail.
¹⁰^(AU)The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
    ^(AV)against them he will thunder in heaven.
^(AW)The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
    he will give strength to his king
    ^(AX)and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

¹¹Then Elkanah went home ^(AY)to Ramah. ^(AZ)And the boy^[e] was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.

Eli's Worthless Sons

¹²Now the sons of Eli were ^(BA)worthless men. ^(BB)They did not know the Lord. ¹³The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, ¹⁴and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. ¹⁵Moreover, ^(BC)before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” ¹⁶And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” ¹⁷Thus the sin of the young men was very great ^(BD)in the sight of the Lord, ^(BE)for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

¹⁸^(BF)Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy ^(BG)clothed with a linen ephod. ¹⁹And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year ^(BH)when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. ²⁰Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman ^(BI)for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.

²¹^(BJ)Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. ^(BK)And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.

Eli Rebukes His Sons

²²Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who ^(BL)were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²³And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. ²⁴No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. ²⁵If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, ^(BM)for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.

²⁶Now the boy Samuel ^(BN)continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.

The Lord Rejects Eli's Household

²⁷And there came ^(BO)a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ^(BP)‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? ²⁸^(BQ)Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, ^(BR)to wear an ephod before me? ^(BS)I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. ²⁹Why then do you ^(BT)scorn^[f] my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ ³⁰Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ^(BU)‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ ^(BV)but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. ³¹Behold, ^(BW)the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. ³²Then ^(BX)in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, ^(BY)and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. ³³The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his^[g] eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants^[h] of your house shall die by the sword of men.^[i] ³⁴^(BZ)And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die ^(CA)on the same day. ³⁵^(CB)And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. ^(CC)And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before ^(CD)my anointed forever. ³⁶And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests' places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’”

The Lord Calls Samuel

3 ^(CE)Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. ^(CF)And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

²At that time Eli, ^(CG)whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. ³^(CH)The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down ^(CI)in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

⁴Then the Lord called Samuel, and he said, “Here I am!” ⁵and ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down.

⁶And the Lord called again, “Samuel!” and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” ⁷Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

⁸And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” ¹¹Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel ^(CJ)at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. ¹²On that day I will fulfill against Eli ^(CK)all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ¹³^(CL)And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, ^(CM)because his sons were blaspheming God,^[j] ^(CN)and he did not restrain them. ¹⁴Therefore I swear to the house of Eli ^(CO)that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

¹⁵Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. ¹⁶But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” ¹⁷And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. ^(CP)May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” ¹⁸So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, ^(CQ)“It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.”

¹⁹^(CR)And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him ^(CS)and let none of his words fall to the ground. ²⁰And all Israel ^(CT)from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. ²¹And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel ^(CU)at Shiloh ^(CV)by the word of the Lord.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

4 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.

Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They encamped at ^(CW)Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped at ^(CX)Aphek. ²The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle. ³And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here ^(CY)from Shiloh, that it^[k] may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” ⁴So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, ^(CZ)who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

⁵As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel ^(DA)gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. ⁶And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, “What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, ⁷the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “A god has come into the camp.” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before. ⁸Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. ⁹^(DB)Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews ^(DC)as they have been to you; be men and fight.”

¹⁰So the Philistines fought, ^(DD)and Israel was defeated, ^(DE)and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. ¹¹^(DF)And the ark of God was captured, ^(DG)and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

The Death of Eli

¹²A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day, ^(DH)with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. ¹³When he arrived, ^(DI)Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told the news, all the city cried out. ¹⁴When Eli heard the sound of the outcry, he said, “What is this uproar?” Then the man hurried and came and told Eli. ¹⁵Now Eli was ninety-eight years old ^(DJ)and his eyes were set so that he could not see. ¹⁶And the man said to Eli, “I am he who has come from the battle; I fled from the battle today.” And he said, ^(DK)“How did it go, my son?” ¹⁷He who brought the news answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has also been a great defeat among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” ¹⁸As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward ^(DL)from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

¹⁹Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, about to give birth. And when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. ²⁰And about the time of her death the women attending her said to her, ^(DM)“Do not be afraid, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention. ²¹And she named the child ^(DN)Ichabod, saying, ^(DO)“The glory has departed^[l] from Israel!” because ^(DP)the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. ²²And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, ^(DQ)for the ark of God has been captured.”

The Philistines and the Ark

5 When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from ^(DR)Ebenezer to ^(DS)Ashdod. ²Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside ^(DT)Dagon. ³And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, ^(DU)Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. ⁴But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, ^(DV)and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. ⁵This is why the priests of Dagon and all who enter the house of Dagon ^(DW)do not tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

⁶^(DX)The hand of the Lord was heavy against the people of Ashdod, and he terrified and afflicted them with ^(DY)tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. ⁷And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” ⁸So they sent and gathered together all ^(DZ)the lords of the Philistines and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath.” So they brought the ark of the God of Israel there. ⁹But after they had brought it around, ^(EA)the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great panic, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that ^(EB)tumors broke out on them. ¹⁰So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. But as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought around to us the ark of the God of Israel to kill us and our people.” ¹¹^(EC)They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not kill us and our people.” For there was a deathly panic throughout the whole city. ^(ED)The hand of God was very heavy there. ¹²The men who did not die were struck with ^(EE)tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

The Ark Returned to Israel

6 The ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. ²And the Philistines called for the priests and ^(EF)the diviners and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place.” ³They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return him ^(EG)a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why ^(EH)his hand does not turn away from you.” ⁴And they said, “What is the guilt offering that we shall return to him?” They answered, “Five golden ^(EI)tumors and five golden mice, ^(EJ)according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for the same plague was on all of you and on your lords. ⁵So you must make images of your ^(EK)tumors and images of your mice that ravage the land, ^(EL)and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps ^(EM)he will lighten his hand from off you ^(EN)and your gods and your land. ⁶Why should you harden your hearts as ^(EO)the Egyptians and ^(EP)Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, ^(EQ)did they not send the people away, and they departed? ⁷Now then, take and prepare ^(ER)a new cart and two milk cows ^(ES)on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. ⁸And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side ^(ET)the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as ^(EU)a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way ⁹and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to ^(EV)Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not ^(EW)his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”

¹⁰The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. ¹¹And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. ¹²And the cows went straight in the direction of ^(EX)Beth-shemesh along ^(EY)one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of ^(EZ)Beth-shemesh. ¹³Now the people of ^(FA)Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. ¹⁴The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. ^(FB)A great stone was there. And they split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. ¹⁵And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box that was beside it, in which were the golden figures, and set them upon ^(FC)the great stone. And the men of ^(FD)Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices on that day to the Lord. ¹⁶And when ^(FE)the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron.

¹⁷These are the golden tumors that the Philistines returned as a ^(FF)guilt offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron, ¹⁸and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, ^(FG)both fortified cities and unwalled villages. ^(FH)The great stone beside which they set down the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.

¹⁹^(FI)And he struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they looked upon the ark of the Lord. He struck seventy men of them,^[m] and the people mourned because the Lord had struck the people with a great blow. ²⁰Then the men of Beth-shemesh said, ^(FJ)“Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall he go up away from us?” ²¹So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of ^(FK)Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you.”

7 And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the Lord and brought it to the house of ^(FL)Abinadab on the hill. And they consecrated his son Eleazar to have charge of the ark of the Lord. ²From the day that the ark was lodged at Kiriath-jearim, a long time passed, some twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.

Samuel Judges Israel

³And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, ^(FM)“If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then ^(FN)put away the foreign gods and the ^(FO)Ashtaroth from among you and ^(FP)direct your heart to the Lord ^(FQ)and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the Lord only.

⁵Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel at ^(FR)Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” ⁶So they gathered at ^(FS)Mizpah ^(FT)and drew water and poured it out before the Lord ^(FU)and fasted on that day and said there, ^(FV)“We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the people of Israel at Mizpah. ⁷Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And ^(FW)Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. ¹⁰As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. ^(FX)But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. ¹¹And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.

¹²Then Samuel ^(FY)took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen^[n] and called its name Ebenezer;^[o] for he said, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” ¹³^(FZ)So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴The cities that the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵^(GA)Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶And he went on a circuit year by year to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all these places. ¹⁷Then he would return to ^(GB)Ramah, for his home was there, and there also he judged Israel. ^(GC)And he built there an altar to the Lord.

Israel Demands a King

8 When Samuel became old, ^(GD)he made his sons judges over Israel. ²The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. ³Yet his sons did not walk in his ways ^(GE)but turned aside after gain. ^(GF)They took bribes and perverted justice.

⁴Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at ^(GG)Ramah ⁵and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. ^(GH)Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” ⁶But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. ⁷And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, ^(GI)for they have not rejected you, ^(GJ)but they have rejected me from being king over them. ⁸According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. ⁹Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them ^(GK)and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

Samuel's Warning Against Kings

¹⁰So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. ¹¹He said, ^(GL)“These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: ^(GM)he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. ¹²And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some ^(GN)to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. ¹³He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴^(GO)He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. ¹⁵He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. ¹⁶He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men^[p] and your donkeys, and put them to his work. ¹⁷He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. ¹⁸And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, ^(GP)but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

The Lord Grants Israel's Request

¹⁹But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, ²⁰^(GQ)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.” ²¹And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. ²²And the Lord said to Samuel, ^(GR)“Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”

Saul Chosen to Be King

9 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was ^(GS)Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. ²And he had a son whose name was Saul, ^(GT)a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. ^(GU)From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.

³Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” ⁴And he passed through ^(GV)the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of ^(GW)Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them.

⁵When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant^[q] who was with him, “Come, let us go back, ^(GX)lest my father cease to care about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” ⁶But he said to him, “Behold, there is ^(GY)a man of God in this city, and he is a man who is held in honor; ^(GZ)all that he says comes true. So now let us go there. Perhaps he can tell us the way we should go.” ⁷Then Saul said to his servant, “But if we go, ^(HA)what can we bring the man? For the bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?” ⁸The servant answered Saul again, “Here, I have with me a quarter of a shekel^[r] of silver, and I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way.” ⁹(Formerly in Israel, when a man ^(HB)went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let us go to the seer,” for today's “prophet” was formerly called a seer.) ¹⁰And Saul said to his servant, “Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.

¹¹As they went up the hill to the city, ^(HC)they met young women coming out to draw water and said to them, “Is the seer here?” ¹²They answered, “He is; behold, he is just ahead of you. Hurry. He has come just now to the city, because the people ^(HD)have a sacrifice today on ^(HE)the high place. ¹³As 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 till he comes, since he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now go up, for you will meet him immediately.” ¹⁴So they went up to the city. As they were entering the city, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.

¹⁵Now the day before Saul came, ^(HF)the Lord had ^(HG)revealed to Samuel: ¹⁶“Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, ^(HH)and you shall anoint him to be prince^[s] over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. ^(HI)For I have seen^[t] my people, because their cry has come to me.” ¹⁷When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, ^(HJ)“Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.” ¹⁸Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Tell me where is the house of the seer?” ¹⁹Samuel answered Saul, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. ²⁰^(HK)As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set 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?” ²¹Saul answered, “Am I not a Benjaminite, ^(HL)from the least of the tribes of Israel? ^(HM)And is not my clan the humblest of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?”

²²Then Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, who were about thirty persons. ²³And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.’” ²⁴So the cook took up ^(HN)the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.”^[u]

So Saul ate with Samuel that day. ²⁵And when they came down from the high place into the city, a bed was spread for Saul ^(HO)on the roof, and he lay down to sleep.^[v] ²⁶Then at the break of dawn^[w] Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Up, that I may send you on your way.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.

²⁷As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to pass on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God.”

Saul Anointed King

10 ^(HP)Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head ^(HQ)and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince^[x] over ^(HR)his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince^[y] over his heritage. ²When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by ^(HS)Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, ^(HT)‘The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now ^(HU)your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”’ ³Then you shall go on from there farther and come to the ^(HV)oak of Tabor. Three men ^(HW)going up ^(HX)to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. ⁴And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand. ⁵After that you shall come to ^(HY)Gibeath-elohim,^[z] ^(HZ)where there is a garrison of the Philistines. And there, as soon as you come to the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down ^(IA)from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. ⁶^(IB)Then the Spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, ^(IC)and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. ⁷Now when ^(ID)these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, ^(IE)for God is with you. ⁸Then go down before me ^(IF)to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and ^(IG)to sacrifice peace offerings. ^(IH)Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.”

⁹When he turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all these signs came to pass that day. ¹⁰When they came to ^(II)Gibeah,^[aa] behold, a group of prophets met him, ^(IJ)and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied among them. ¹¹And when all who knew him previously saw how he prophesied with the prophets, the people said to one another, “What has come over the son of Kish? ^(IK)Is Saul also among the prophets?” ¹²And a man of the place answered, ^(IL)“And who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb, ^(IM)“Is Saul also among the prophets?” ¹³When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

¹⁴^(IN)Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, ^(IO)“To seek the donkeys. And when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.” ¹⁵And Saul's uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.” ¹⁶And Saul said to his uncle, ^(IP)“He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything.

Saul Proclaimed King

¹⁷Now Samuel called the people together ^(IQ)to the Lord ^(IR)at Mizpah. ¹⁸And he said to the people of Israel, ^(IS)“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ ¹⁹^(IT)But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore ^(IU)present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands.”

²⁰Then Samuel ^(IV)brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. ²¹He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot;^[ab] and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. ²²^(IW)So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” ²³Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, ^(IX)he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. ²⁴And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him ^(IY)whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, ^(IZ)“Long live the king!”

²⁵Then Samuel told the people ^(JA)the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. ²⁶Saul also went to his home ^(JB)at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. ²⁷But some ^(JC)worthless fellows said, “How can this man save us?” And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

Saul Defeats the Ammonites

11 ^(JD)Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged ^(JE)Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, ^(JF)“Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” ²But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, ^(JG)that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus ^(JH)bring disgrace on all Israel.” ³The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days' respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.” ⁴When the messengers came to ^(JI)Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people, ^(JJ)and all the people wept aloud.

⁵Now, behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, “What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh. ⁶^(JK)And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. ⁷He took a yoke of oxen ^(JL)and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, ^(JM)“Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out ^(JN)as one man. ⁸When he mustered them at ^(JO)Bezek, ^(JP)the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. ⁹And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have ^(JQ)salvation.’” When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad. ¹⁰Therefore the men of Jabesh said, ^(JR)“Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.” ¹¹^(JS)And the next day Saul put the people ^(JT)in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

The Kingdom Is Renewed

¹²Then the people said to Samuel, ^(JU)“Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ ^(JV)Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” ¹³But Saul said, ^(JW)“Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today ^(JX)the Lord has worked ^(JY)salvation in Israel.” ¹⁴Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom.” ¹⁵So all the people went to ^(JZ)Gilgal, and there they made Saul king ^(KA)before the Lord in Gilgal. There ^(KB)they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

Samuel's Farewell Address

12 And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have obeyed ^(KC)your voice in all that you have said to me ^(KD)and have made a king over you. ²And now, behold, the king ^(KE)walks before you, ^(KF)and I am old and gray; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day.

Footnotes

1 Samuel 1:5 Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. Septuagint And, although he loved Hannah, he would give Hannah only one portion, because the Lord had closed her womb
1 Samuel 1:20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for heard of God
1 Samuel 1:24 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text three bulls
1 Samuel 1:24 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
1 Samuel 2:11 Hebrew na‘ar can be rendered boy (2:11, 18, 21, 26; 3:1, 8), servant (2:13, 15), or young man (2:17), depending on the context
1 Samuel 2:29 Hebrew kick at
1 Samuel 2:33 Septuagint; Hebrew your; twice in this verse
1 Samuel 2:33 Hebrew increase
1 Samuel 2:33 Septuagint; Hebrew die as men
1 Samuel 3:13 Or blaspheming for themselves
1 Samuel 4:3 Or he
1 Samuel 4:21 Or gone into exile; also verse 22
1 Samuel 6:19 Most Hebrew manuscripts struck of the people seventy men, fifty thousand men
1 Samuel 7:12 Hebrew; Septuagint, Syriac Jeshanah
1 Samuel 7:12 Ebenezer means stone of help
1 Samuel 8:16 Septuagint cattle
1 Samuel 9:5 Hebrew young man; also verses 7, 8, 10, 27
1 Samuel 9:8 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
1 Samuel 9:16 Or leader
1 Samuel 9:16 Septuagint adds the affliction of
1 Samuel 9:24 Hebrew appointed, saying, ‘I have invited the people’
1 Samuel 9:25 Septuagint; Hebrew city, he spoke with Saul on the roof
1 Samuel 9:26 Septuagint; Hebrew And they arose early, and at the break of dawn
1 Samuel 10:1 Or leader
1 Samuel 10:1 Septuagint; Hebrew lacks over his people Israel? And you shall…. to be prince
1 Samuel 10:5 Gibeath-elohim means the hill of God
1 Samuel 10:10 Gibeah means the hill
1 Samuel 10:21 Septuagint adds finally he brought the family of the Matrites near, man by man

1 Samuel 1-12

New International Version

The Birth of Samuel

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim,^(A) a Zuphite^[a]^(B) from the hill country^(C) of Ephraim,^(D) whose name was Elkanah^(E) son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ²He had two wives;^(F) one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

³Year after year^(G) this man went up from his town to worship^(H) and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh,^(I) where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli,^(J) were priests of the Lord. ⁴Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice,^(K) he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.^(L) ⁵But to Hannah he gave a double portion^(M) because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.^(N) ⁶Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.^(O) ⁷This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.^(P) ⁸Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?^(Q)”

⁹Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house.^(R) ¹⁰In her deep anguish^(S) Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. ¹¹And she made a vow,^(T) saying, “Lord Almighty^(U), if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember^(V) me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life,^(W) and no razor^(X) will ever be used on his head.”

¹²As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. ¹³Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk ¹⁴and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

¹⁵“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled.^(Y) I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring^(Z) out my soul to the Lord. ¹⁶Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”^(AA)

¹⁷Eli answered, “Go in peace,^(AB) and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.^(AC)”

¹⁸She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.^(AD)” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.^(AE)

¹⁹Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah.^(AF) Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered^(AG) her. ²⁰So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.^(AH) She named^(AI) him Samuel,^[b]^(AJ) saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

Hannah Dedicates Samuel

²¹When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual^(AK) sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow,^(AL) ²²Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present^(AM) him before the Lord, and he will live there always.”^[c]

²³“Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good^(AN) his^[d] word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned^(AO) him.

²⁴After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull,^[e]^(AP) an ephah^[f] of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. ²⁵When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, ²⁶and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. ²⁷I prayed^(AQ) for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. ²⁸So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life^(AR) he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah’s Prayer

2 Then Hannah prayed and said:^(AS)

“My heart rejoices^(AT) in the Lord;
in the Lord my horn^[g]^(AU) is lifted high.
My mouth boasts^(AV) over my enemies,^(AW)
for I delight in your deliverance.

²“There is no one holy^(AX) like^(AY) the Lord;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock^(AZ) like our God.

³“Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance,^(BA)
for the Lord is a God who knows,^(BB)
and by him deeds^(BC) are weighed.^(BD)

⁴“The bows of the warriors are broken,^(BE)
    but those who stumbled are armed with strength.^(BF)
⁵Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
    but those who were hungry^(BG) are hungry no more.
She who was barren^(BH) has borne seven children,
    but she who has had many sons pines away.

⁶“The Lord brings death and makes alive;^(BI)
    he brings down to the grave and raises up.^(BJ)
⁷The Lord sends poverty and wealth;^(BK)
    he humbles and he exalts.^(BL)
⁸He raises^(BM) the poor^(BN) from the dust^(BO)
    and lifts the needy^(BP) from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
    and has them inherit a throne of honor.^(BQ)

“For the foundations^(BR) of the earth are the Lord’s;
on them he has set the world.
⁹He will guard the feet^(BS) of his faithful servants,^(BT)
but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.^(BU)

“It is not by strength^(BV) that one prevails;
¹⁰ those who oppose the Lord will be broken.^(BW)
The Most High will thunder^(BX) from heaven;
the Lord will judge^(BY) the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength^(BZ) to his king
and exalt the horn^(CA) of his anointed.”

¹¹Then Elkanah went home to Ramah,^(CB) but the boy ministered^(CC) before the Lord under Eli the priest.

Eli’s Wicked Sons

¹²Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard^(CD) for the Lord. ¹³Now it was the practice^(CE) of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat^(CF) was being boiled ¹⁴and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. ¹⁵But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

¹⁶If the person said to him, “Let the fat^(CG) be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”

¹⁷This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they^[h] were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.^(CH)

¹⁸But Samuel was ministering^(CI) before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod.^(CJ) ¹⁹Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual^(CK) sacrifice. ²⁰Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed^(CL) for and gave to^[i] the Lord.” Then they would go home. ²¹And the Lord was gracious to Hannah;^(CM) she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew^(CN) up in the presence of the Lord.

²²Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything^(CO) his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women^(CP) who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²³So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. ²⁴No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. ²⁵If one person sins against another, God^[j] may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will^(CQ) intercede^(CR) for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.

²⁶And the boy Samuel continued to grow^(CS) in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.^(CT)

Prophecy Against the House of Eli

²⁷Now a man of God^(CU) came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? ²⁸I chose^(CV) your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense,^(CW) and to wear an ephod^(CX) in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings^(CY) presented by the Israelites. ²⁹Why do you^[k] scorn my sacrifice and offering^(CZ) that I prescribed for my dwelling?^(DA) Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’

³⁰“Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.^(DB)’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor,^(DC) but those who despise^(DD) me will be disdained.^(DE) ³¹The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age,^(DF) ³²and you will see distress^(DG) in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age.^(DH) ³³Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants^(DI) will die in the prime of life.

³⁴“‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign^(DJ) to you—they will both die^(DK) on the same day.^(DL) ³⁵I will raise up for myself a faithful priest,^(DM) who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed^(DN) one always. ³⁶Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead,^(DO) “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.^(DP)”’”

The Lord Calls Samuel

3 The boy Samuel ministered^(DQ) before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare;^(DR) there were not many visions.^(DS)

²One night Eli, whose eyes^(DT) were becoming so weak that he could barely see,^(DU) was lying down in his usual place. ³The lamp^(DV) of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house^(DW) of the Lord, where the ark^(DX) of God was. ⁴Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.^(DY)” ⁵And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

⁶Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

⁷Now Samuel did not yet know^(DZ) the Lord: The word^(EA) of the Lord had not yet been revealed^(EB) to him.

⁸A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!^(EC)”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

¹¹And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.^(ED) ¹²At that time I will carry out against Eli everything^(EE) I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. ¹³For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,^[l] and he failed to restrain^(EF) them. ¹⁴Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned^(EG) for by sacrifice or offering.’”

¹⁵Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, ¹⁶but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

¹⁷“What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide^(EH) it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely,^(EI) if you hide from me anything he told you.” ¹⁸So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”^(EJ)

¹⁹The Lord was with^(EK) Samuel as he grew^(EL) up, and he let none^(EM) of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. ²⁰And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba^(EN) recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.^(EO) ²¹The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed^(EP) himself to Samuel through his word.

4 And Samuel’s word came to all Israel.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer,^(EQ) and the Philistines at Aphek.^(ER) ²The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. ³When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why^(ES) did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark^(ET) of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh,^(EU) so that he may go with us^(EV) and save us from the hand of our enemies.”

⁴So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim.^(EW) And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

⁵When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout^(EX) that the ground shook. ⁶Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew^(EY) camp?”

When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, ⁷the Philistines were afraid.^(EZ) “A god has^[m] come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before. ⁸We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck^(FA) the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues^(FB) in the wilderness. ⁹Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they^(FC) have been to you. Be men, and fight!”

¹⁰So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated^(FD) and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. ¹¹The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.^(FE)

Death of Eli

¹²That same day a Benjamite^(FF) ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dust^(FG) on his head. ¹³When he arrived, there was Eli^(FH) sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.

¹⁴Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?”

The man hurried over to Eli, ¹⁵who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes^(FI) had failed so that he could not see. ¹⁶He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”

Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”

¹⁷The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead,^(FJ) and the ark of God has been captured.”^(FK)

¹⁸When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led^[n]^(FL) Israel forty years.^(FM)

¹⁹His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. ²⁰As she was dying, the women attending her said, “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention.

²¹She named the boy Ichabod,^[o]^(FN) saying, “The Glory^(FO) has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. ²²She said, “The Glory^(FP) has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”^(FQ)

The Ark in Ashdod and Ekron

5 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer^(FR) to Ashdod.^(FS) ²Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.^(FT) ³When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen^(FU) on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. ⁴But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken^(FV) off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. ⁵That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.^(FW)

⁶The Lord’s hand^(FX) was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation^(FY) on them and afflicted them with tumors.^[p]^(FZ) ⁷When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.” ⁸So they called together all the rulers^(GA) of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?”

They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.^(GB)” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

⁹But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic.^(GC) He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.^[q] ¹⁰So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.^(GD)

As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.” ¹¹So they called together all the rulers^(GE) of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it^[r] will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it. ¹²Those who did not die^(GF) were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

The Ark Returned to Israel

6 When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months, ²the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners^(GG) and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”

³They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift;^(GH) by all means send a guilt offering^(GI) to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand^(GJ) has not been lifted from you.”

⁴The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?”

They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number^(GK) of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague^(GL) has struck both you and your rulers. ⁵Make models of the tumors^(GM) and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory^(GN) to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. ⁶Why do you harden^(GO) your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god dealt harshly with them,^(GP) did they^(GQ) not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?

⁷“Now then, get a new cart^(GR) ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked.^(GS) Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. ⁸Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, ⁹but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh,^(GT) then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance.”

¹⁰So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. ¹¹They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. ¹²Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

¹³Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat^(GU) in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. ¹⁴The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering^(GV) to the Lord. ¹⁵The Levites^(GW) took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock.^(GX) On that day the people of Beth Shemesh^(GY) offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. ¹⁶The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.

¹⁷These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one each^(GZ) for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. ¹⁸And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

¹⁹But God struck down^(HA) some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy^[s] of them to death because they looked^(HB) into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them. ²⁰And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand^(HC) in the presence of the Lord, this holy^(HD) God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”

²¹Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim,^(HE) saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town.” 7 ¹So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the ark^(HF) of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’s^(HG) house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. ²The ark remained at Kiriath Jearim^(HH) a long time—twenty years in all.

Samuel Subdues the Philistines at Mizpah

Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord.^(HI) ³So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returning^(HJ) to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid^(HK) yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths^(HL) and commit^(HM) yourselves to the Lord and serve him only,^(HN) and he will deliver^(HO) you out of the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

⁵Then Samuel^(HP) said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah,^(HQ) and I will intercede^(HR) with the Lord for you.” ⁶When they had assembled at Mizpah,^(HS) they drew water and poured^(HT) it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader^[t]^(HU) of Israel at Mizpah.

⁷When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid^(HV) because of the Philistines. ⁸They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying^(HW) out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹Then Samuel^(HX) took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.^(HY)

¹⁰While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered^(HZ) with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic^(IA) that they were routed before the Israelites. ¹¹The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.

¹²Then Samuel took a stone^(IB) and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,^[u]^(IC) saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

¹³So the Philistines were subdued^(ID) and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. ¹⁴The towns from Ekron^(IE) to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.^(IF)

¹⁵Samuel^(IG) continued as Israel’s leader^(IH) all^(II) the days of his life. ¹⁶From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethel^(IJ) to Gilgal^(IK) to Mizpah, judging^(IL) Israel in all those places. ¹⁷But he always went back to Ramah,^(IM) where his home was, and there he also held court^(IN) for Israel. And he built an altar^(IO) there to the Lord.

Israel Asks for a King

8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed^(IP) his sons as Israel’s leaders.^[v] ²The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah,^(IQ) and they served at Beersheba.^(IR) ³But his sons^(IS) did not follow his ways. They turned aside^(IT) after dishonest gain and accepted bribes^(IU) and perverted^(IV) justice.

⁴So all the elders^(IW) of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.^(IX) ⁵They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king^(IY) to lead^[w]^(IZ) us, such as all the other nations^(JA) have.”

⁶But when they said, “Give us a king^(JB) to lead us,” this displeased^(JC) Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. ⁷And the Lord told him: “Listen^(JD) to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected,^(JE) but they have rejected me as their king.^(JF) ⁸As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking^(JG) me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. ⁹Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know^(JH) what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

¹⁰Samuel told^(JI) all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take^(JJ) your sons and make them serve^(JK) with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.^(JL) ¹²Some he will assign to be commanders^(JM) of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴He will take the best of your^(JN) fields and vineyards^(JO) and olive groves and give them to his attendants.^(JP) ¹⁵He will take a tenth^(JQ) of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. ¹⁶Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle^[x] and donkeys he will take for his own use. ¹⁷He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer^(JR) you in that day.^(JS)”

¹⁹But the people refused^(JT) to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want^(JU) a king^(JV) over us. ²⁰Then we will be like all the other nations,^(JW) with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

²¹When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated^(JX) it before the Lord. ²²The Lord answered, “Listen^(JY) to them and give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

Samuel Anoints Saul

9 There was a Benjamite,^(JZ) a man of standing,^(KA) whose name was Kish^(KB) son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. ²Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome^(KC) a young man as could be found^(KD) anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller^(KE) than anyone else.

³Now the donkeys^(KF) belonging to Saul’s father Kish were lost, and Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” ⁴So he passed through the hill^(KG) country of Ephraim and through the area around Shalisha,^(KH) but they did not find them. They went on into the district of Shaalim, but the donkeys^(KI) were not there. Then he passed through the territory of Benjamin, but they did not find them.

⁵When they reached the district of Zuph,^(KJ) Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying^(KK) about us.”

⁶But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God;^(KL) he is highly respected, and everything^(KM) he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.”

⁷Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we give the man? The food in our sacks is gone. We have no gift^(KN) to take to the man of God. What do we have?”

⁸The servant answered him again. “Look,” he said, “I have a quarter of a shekel^[y] of silver. I will give it to the man of God so that he will tell us what way to take.” ⁹(Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire^(KO) of God, they would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)^(KP)

¹⁰“Good,” Saul said to his servant. “Come, let’s go.” So they set out for the town where the man of God was.

¹¹As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw^(KQ) water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”

¹²“He is,” they answered. “He’s ahead of you. Hurry now; he has just come to our town today, for the people have a sacrifice^(KR) at the high place.^(KS) ¹³As soon as you enter the town, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not begin eating until he comes, because he must bless^(KT) the sacrifice; afterward, those who are invited will eat. Go up now; you should find him about this time.”

¹⁴They went up to the town, and as they were entering it, there was Samuel, coming toward them on his way up to the high place.

¹⁵Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel: ¹⁶“About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint^(KU) him ruler^(KV) over my people Israel; he will deliver^(KW) them from the hand of the Philistines.^(KX) I have looked on my people, for their cry^(KY) has reached me.”

¹⁷When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This^(KZ) is the man I spoke to you about; he will govern my people.”

¹⁸Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”

¹⁹“I am the seer,” Samuel replied. “Go up ahead of me to the high place, for today you are to eat with me, and in the morning I will send you on your way and will tell you all that is in your heart. ²⁰As for the donkeys^(LA) you lost three days ago, do not worry about them; they have been found. And to whom is all the desire^(LB) of Israel turned, if not to you and your whole family line?”

²¹Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe^(LC) of Israel, and is not my clan the least^(LD) of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?^(LE) Why do you say such a thing to me?”

²²Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and seated them at the head of those who were invited—about thirty in number. ²³Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you, the one I told you to lay aside.”

²⁴So the cook took up the thigh^(LF) with what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel said, “Here is what has been kept for you. Eat, because it was set aside for you for this occasion from the time I said, ‘I have invited guests.’” And Saul dined with Samuel that day.

²⁵After they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel talked with Saul on the roof^(LG) of his house. ²⁶They rose about daybreak, and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get ready, and I will send you on your way.” When Saul got ready, he and Samuel went outside together. ²⁷As they were going down to the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us”—and the servant did so—“but you stay here for a while, so that I may give you a message from God.”

10 Then Samuel took a flask^(LH) of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying, “Has not the Lord anointed^(LI) you ruler over his inheritance?^[z]^(LJ) ²When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb,^(LK) at Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys^(LL) you set out to look for have been found. And now your father has stopped thinking about them and is worried^(LM) about you. He is asking, “What shall I do about my son?”’

³“Then you will go on from there until you reach the great tree of Tabor. Three men going up to worship God at Bethel^(LN) will meet you there. One will be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. ⁴They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread,^(LO) which you will accept from them.

⁵“After that you will go to Gibeah^(LP) of God, where there is a Philistine outpost.^(LQ) As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets^(LR) coming down from the high place^(LS) with lyres, timbrels,^(LT) pipes^(LU) and harps^(LV) being played before them, and they will be prophesying.^(LW) ⁶The Spirit^(LX) of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed^(LY) into a different person. ⁷Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever^(LZ) your hand^(MA) finds to do, for God is with^(MB) you.

⁸“Go down ahead of me to Gilgal.^(MC) I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven^(MD) days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do.”

Saul Made King

⁹As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed^(ME) Saul’s heart, and all these signs^(MF) were fulfilled^(MG) that day. ¹⁰When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit^(MH) of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying.^(MI) ¹¹When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this^(MJ) that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”^(MK)

¹²A man who lived there answered, “And who is their father?” So it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”^(ML) ¹³After Saul stopped prophesying,^(MM) he went to the high place.

¹⁴Now Saul’s uncle^(MN) asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?”

“Looking for the donkeys,^(MO)” he said. “But when we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”

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

¹⁶Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys^(MP) had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.

¹⁷Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the Lord at Mizpah^(MQ) ¹⁸and said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed^(MR) you.’ ¹⁹But you have now rejected^(MS) your God, who saves^(MT) you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, ‘No, appoint a king^(MU) over us.’^(MV) So now present^(MW) yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans.”

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

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

²³They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller^(MZ) than any of the others. ²⁴Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the man the Lord has chosen?^(NA) There is no one like^(NB) him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “Long live^(NC) the king!”

²⁵Samuel explained^(ND) to the people the rights and duties^(NE) of kingship.^(NF) He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the Lord. Then Samuel dismissed the people to go to their own homes.

²⁶Saul also went to his home in Gibeah,^(NG) accompanied by valiant men^(NH) whose hearts God had touched. ²⁷But some scoundrels^(NI) said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts.^(NJ) But Saul kept silent.

Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh

11 Nahash^[aa]^(NK) the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh Gilead.^(NL) And all the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty^(NM) with us, and we will be subject to you.”

²But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition^(NN) that I gouge^(NO) out the right eye of every one of you and so bring disgrace^(NP) on all Israel.”

³The elders^(NQ) of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days so we can send messengers throughout Israel; if no one comes to rescue^(NR) us, we will surrender^(NS) to you.”

⁴When the messengers came to Gibeah^(NT) of Saul and reported these terms to the people, they all wept^(NU) aloud. ⁵Just then Saul was returning from the fields, behind his oxen, and he asked, “What is wrong with everyone? Why are they weeping?” Then they repeated to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

⁶When Saul heard their words, the Spirit^(NV) of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. ⁷He took a pair of oxen,^(NW) cut them into pieces, and sent the pieces by messengers throughout Israel,^(NX) proclaiming, “This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone^(NY) who does not follow Saul and Samuel.” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out together as one.^(NZ) ⁸When Saul mustered^(OA) them at Bezek,^(OB) the men of Israel numbered three hundred thousand and those of Judah thirty thousand.

⁹They told the messengers who had come, “Say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘By the time the sun is hot tomorrow, you will be rescued.’” When the messengers went and reported this to the men of Jabesh, they were elated. ¹⁰They said to the Ammonites, “Tomorrow we will surrender^(OC) to you, and you can do to us whatever you like.”

¹¹The next day Saul separated his men into three divisions;^(OD) during the last watch of the night they broke into the camp of the Ammonites^(OE) and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

Saul Confirmed as King

¹²The people then said to Samuel, “Who^(OF) was it that asked, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Turn these men over to us so that we may put them to death.”

¹³But Saul said, “No one will be put to death today,^(OG) for this day the Lord has rescued^(OH) Israel.”

¹⁴Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal^(OI) and there renew the kingship.^(OJ)” ¹⁵So all the people went to Gilgal^(OK) and made Saul king^(OL) in the presence of the Lord. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites held a great celebration.

Samuel’s Farewell Speech

12 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened^(OM) to everything you said to me and have set a king^(ON) over you. ²Now you have a king as your leader.^(OO) As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons^(OP) are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day.

Footnotes

1 Samuel 1:1 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 6:26-27,33-35; or from Ramathaim Zuphim.
1 Samuel 1:20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for heard by God.
1 Samuel 1:22 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls always. I have dedicated him as a Nazirite—all the days of his life.”
1 Samuel 1:23 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac your
1 Samuel 1:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text with three bulls
1 Samuel 1:24 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
1 Samuel 2:1 Horn here symbolizes strength; also in verse 10.
1 Samuel 2:17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text people
1 Samuel 2:20 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text and asked from
1 Samuel 2:25 Or the judges
1 Samuel 2:29 The Hebrew is plural.
1 Samuel 3:13 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text sons made themselves contemptible
1 Samuel 4:7 Or “Gods have (see Septuagint)
1 Samuel 4:18 Traditionally judged
1 Samuel 4:21 Ichabod means no glory.
1 Samuel 5:6 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate tumors. And rats appeared in their land, and there was death and destruction throughout the city
1 Samuel 5:9 Or with tumors in the groin (see Septuagint)
1 Samuel 5:11 Or he
1 Samuel 6:19 A few Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint 50,070
1 Samuel 7:6 Traditionally judge; also in verse 15
1 Samuel 7:12 Ebenezer means stone of help.
1 Samuel 8:1 Traditionally judges
1 Samuel 8:5 Traditionally judge; also in verses 6 and 20
1 Samuel 8:16 Septuagint; Hebrew young men
1 Samuel 9:8 That is, about 1/10 ounce or about 3 grams
1 Samuel 10:1 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate over his people Israel? You will reign over the Lord’s people and save them from the power of their enemies round about. And this will be a sign to you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his inheritance:
1 Samuel 11:1 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls gifts. Now Nahash king of the Ammonites oppressed the Gadites and Reubenites severely. He gouged out all their right eyes and struck terror and dread in Israel. Not a man remained among the Israelites beyond the Jordan whose right eye was not gouged out by Nahash king of the Ammonites, except that seven thousand men fled from the Ammonites and entered Jabesh Gilead. About a month later, ¹Nahash

English Standard Version (ESV)

New International Version (NIV)

1 Samuel 1-12 English Standard Version

The Birth of Samuel

Samuel Given to the Lord

Hannah's Prayer

Eli's Worthless Sons

Eli Rebukes His Sons

The Lord Rejects Eli's Household

The Lord Calls Samuel

The Philistines Capture the Ark

The Death of Eli

The Philistines and the Ark

The Ark Returned to Israel

Samuel Judges Israel

Israel Demands a King

Samuel's Warning Against Kings

The Lord Grants Israel's Request

Saul Chosen to Be King

Saul Anointed King

Saul Proclaimed King

Saul Defeats the Ammonites

The Kingdom Is Renewed

Samuel's Farewell Address

Footnotes

Cross references

1 Samuel 1-12 New International Version

The Birth of Samuel

Hannah Dedicates Samuel

Hannah’s Prayer

Eli’s Wicked Sons

Prophecy Against the House of Eli

The Lord Calls Samuel

The Philistines Capture the Ark

Death of Eli

The Ark in Ashdod and Ekron

The Ark Returned to Israel

Samuel Subdues the Philistines at Mizpah

Israel Asks for a King

Samuel Anoints Saul

Saul Made King

Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh

Saul Confirmed as King

Samuel’s Farewell Speech

Footnotes

Cross references

More on the NIV

1 Samuel 1-12

English Standard Version

1 Samuel 1-12

New International Version