1 Samuel 12:13-13:14

English Standard Version

¹³ And now ^(A)behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, ^(B)the Lord has set a king over you. ¹⁴ If you will ^(C)fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. ¹⁵ But ^(D)if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then ^(E)the hand of the Lord will be against you and ^(F)your king.^{[a] 16} Now therefore ^(G)stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. ^17 (H)Is it not wheat harvest today? ^(I)I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that ^(J)your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.” ¹⁸ So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, ^(K)and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

¹⁹ And all the people said to Samuel, ^(L)“Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.” ²⁰ And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet ^(M)do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ And ^(N)do not turn aside after ^(O)empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. ^22 (P)For the Lord will not forsake his people, ^(Q)for his great name's sake, because ^(R)it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. ²³ Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing ^(S)to pray for you, ^(T)and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. ^24 (U)Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider ^(V)what great things he has done for you. ²⁵ But if you still do wickedly, ^(W)you shall be swept away, ^(X)both you and your king.”

Saul Fights the Philistines

13 Saul lived for one year and then became king, and when he had reigned for two years over Israel,^{[b] 2} Saul chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in ^(Y)Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in ^(Z)Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent home, every man to his tent. ³ Jonathan defeated ^(AA)the garrison of the Philistines that was ^(AB)at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul ^(AC)blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” ⁴ And all Israel heard it said that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ And the Philistines mustered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and troops ^(AD)like the sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of ^(AE)Beth-aven. ⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard pressed), the people hid themselves ^(AF)in caves and in holes and in rocks and in tombs and in cisterns, ⁷ and some Hebrews crossed the fords of the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

Saul's Unlawful Sacrifice

^8 (AG)He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. ⁹ So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. ¹¹ Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, ¹² I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” ¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, ^(AH)“You have done foolishly. ^(AI)You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now ^(AJ)your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man ^(AK)after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince^[c] over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”