1 Samuel 8-14

New King James Version

Israel Demands a King

8 Now it came to pass when Samuel was ^(A)old that he ^(B)made his ^(C)sons judges over Israel. ² The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. ³ But his sons ^(D)did not walk in his ways; they turned aside ^(E)after dishonest gain, ^(F)took bribes, and perverted justice.

⁴ Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, ⁵ and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now ^(G)make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

⁶ But the thing ^(H)displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel ^(I)prayed to the Lord. ⁷ And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for ^(J)they have not rejected you, but ^(K)they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. ⁸ According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. ⁹ Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and ^(L)show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”

¹⁰ So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. ¹¹ And he said, ^(M)“This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your ^(N)sons and appoint them for his own ^(O)chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. ¹² He will ^(P)appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. ¹⁴ And ^(Q)he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. ¹⁶ And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest ^[a]young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. ¹⁸ And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord ^(R)will not hear you in that day.”

¹⁹ Nevertheless the people ^(S)refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, ²⁰ that we also may be ^(T)like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

²¹ And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord. ²² So the Lord said to Samuel, ^(U)“Heed their voice, and make them a king.”

And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”

Saul Chosen to Be King

9 There was a man of Benjamin whose name was ^(V)Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of ^[b]power. ² And he had a choice and handsome son whose name was Saul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. ^(W)From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.

³ Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. And Kish said to his son Saul, “Please take one of the servants with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” ⁴ So he passed through the mountains of Ephraim and through the land of ^(X)Shalisha, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and they were not there. Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find them.

⁵ When they had come to the land of ^(Y)Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, let ^(Z)us return, lest my father cease caring about the donkeys and become worried about us.”

⁶ And he said to him, “Look now, there is in this city ^(AA)a man of God, and he is an honorable man; ^(AB)all that he says surely comes to pass. So let us go there; perhaps he can show us the way that we should go.”

⁷ Then Saul said to his servant, “But look, if we go, ^(AC)what shall we bring the man? For the bread in our vessels is all gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”

⁸ And the servant answered Saul again and said, “Look, I have here at hand one-fourth of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God, to tell us our way.” ⁹ (Formerly in Israel, when a man ^(AD)went ^[c]to inquire of God, he spoke thus: “Come, let us go to the seer”; for he who is now called a prophet was formerly called ^(AE)a seer.)

¹⁰ Then Saul said to his servant, ^[d]“Well said; come, let us go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.

¹¹ As they went up the hill to the city, ^(AF)they met some young women going out to draw water, and said to them, “Is the seer here?”

¹² And they answered them and said, “Yes, there he is, just ahead of you. Hurry now; for today he came to this city, because ^(AG)there is a sacrifice of the people today ^(AH)on the high place. ¹³ As soon as you come into the city, you will surely find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now therefore, go up, for about this time you will find him.” ¹⁴ So they went up to the city. As they were coming into the city, there was Samuel, coming out toward them on his way up to the high place.

^15 (AI)Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, ¹⁶ “Tomorrow about this time ^(AJ)I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, ^(AK)and you shall anoint him ^[e]commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have ^(AL)looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.”

¹⁷ So when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, ^(AM)“There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you. This one shall reign over My people.” ¹⁸ Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, “Please tell me, where is the seer’s house?”

¹⁹ Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is in your heart. ²⁰ But as for ^(AN)your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And ^[f]on whom ^(AO)is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father’s house?”

²¹ And Saul answered and said, ^(AP)“Am I not a Benjamite, of the ^(AQ)smallest of the tribes of Israel, and ^(AR)my family the least of all the families of the ^[g]tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak like this to me?”

²² Now Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and had them sit in the place of honor among those who were invited; there were about thirty persons. ²³ And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Set it apart.’ ” ²⁴ So the cook took up ^(AS)the thigh with its upper part and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here it is, what was kept back. It was set apart for you. Eat; for until this time it has been kept for you, since I said I invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵ When they had come down from the high place into the city, ^[h]Samuel spoke with Saul on ^(AT)the top of the house. ²⁶ They arose early; and it was about the dawning of the day that Samuel called to Saul on the top of the house, saying, “Get up, that I may send you on your way.” And Saul arose, and both of them went outside, he and Samuel.

Saul Anointed King

²⁷ As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” And he went on. “But you stand here ^[i]awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God.”

Samuel Anoints Saul

10 Then ^(AU)Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, ^(AV)and kissed him and said: “Is it not because ^(AW)the Lord has anointed you commander over ^(AX)His ^[j]inheritance? ² When you have departed from me today, you will find two men by ^(AY)Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin ^(AZ)at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. And now your father has ceased caring about the donkeys and is worrying about ^(BA)you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?” ’ ³ Then you shall go on forward from there and come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. There three men going up ^(BB)to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. ⁴ And they will ^[k]greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hands. ⁵ After that you shall come to the hill of God ^(BC)where the Philistine garrison is. And it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down ^(BD)from the high place with a stringed instrument, a tambourine, a flute, and a harp before them; ^(BE)and they will be prophesying. ⁶ Then ^(BF)the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and ^(BG)you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. ⁷ And let it be, when these ^(BH)signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for ^(BI)God is with you. ⁸ You shall go down before me ^(BJ)to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. ^(BK)Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.”

⁹ So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God ^[l]gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. ^10 (BL)When they came there to the hill, there was ^(BM)a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. ¹¹ And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has come upon the son of Kish? ^(BN)Is Saul also among the prophets?” ¹² Then a man from there answered and said, “But ^(BO)who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” ¹³ And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.

¹⁴ Then Saul’s ^(BP)uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?”

So he said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.”

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

¹⁶ So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been ^(BQ)found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, he did not tell him what Samuel had said.

Saul Proclaimed King

¹⁷ Then Samuel called the people together ^(BR)to the Lord ^(BS)at Mizpah, ¹⁸ and said to the children of Israel, ^(BT)“Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.’ ^19 (BU)But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your ^[m]clans.”

²⁰ And when Samuel had ^(BV)caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. ²¹ When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. ²² Therefore they ^(BW)inquired of the Lord further, “Has the man come here yet?”

And the Lord answered, “There he is, hidden among the equipment.”

²³ So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, ^(BX)he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. ²⁴ And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him ^(BY)whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?”

So all the people shouted and said, ^(BZ)“Long^[n] live the king!”

²⁵ Then Samuel explained to the people ^(CA)the behavior of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. ²⁶ And Saul also went home ^(CB)to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. ^27 (CC)But some ^(CD)rebels said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him, ^(CE)and brought him no presents. But he ^[o]held his peace.

Saul Saves Jabesh Gilead

11 Then ^(CF)Nahash the Ammonite came up and ^[p]encamped against ^(CG)Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, ^(CH)“Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”

² And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring ^(CI)reproach on all Israel.”

³ Then the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Hold off for seven days, that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then, if there is no one to ^[q]save us, we will come out to you.”

⁴ So the messengers came ^(CJ)to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And ^(CK)all the people lifted up their voices and wept. ⁵ Now there was Saul, coming behind the herd from the field; and Saul said, “What troubles the people, that they weep?” And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. ^6 (CL)Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. ⁷ So he took a yoke of oxen and ^(CM)cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, ^(CN)“Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen.”

And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out ^[r]with one consent. ⁸ When he numbered them in ^(CO)Bezek, the children ^(CP)of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. ⁹ And they said to the messengers who came, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.’ ” Then the messengers came and reported it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. ¹⁰ Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you.”

¹¹ So it was, on the next day, that ^(CQ)Saul put the people ^(CR)in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

¹² Then the people said to Samuel, ^(CS)“Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ ^(CT)Bring the men, that we may put them to death.”

¹³ But Saul said, ^(CU)“Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today ^(CV)the Lord has accomplished salvation in Israel.”

¹⁴ Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go ^(CW)to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.” ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king ^(CX)before the Lord in Gilgal. ^(CY)There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

Samuel’s Address at Saul’s Coronation

12 Now Samuel said to all Israel: “Indeed I have ^[s]heeded ^(CZ)your voice in all that you said to me, and ^(DA)have made a king over you. ² And now here is the king, ^(DB)walking before you; ^(DC)and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. ³ Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before ^(DD)His anointed: ^(DE)Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any ^(DF)bribe with which to ^(DG)blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”

⁴ And they said, ^(DH)“You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”

⁵ Then he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, ^(DI)that you have not found anything ^(DJ)in my hand.”

And they answered, “He is witness.”

⁶ Then Samuel said to the people, ^(DK)“It is the Lord who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. ⁷ Now therefore, stand still, that I may ^(DL)reason with you before the Lord concerning all the ^(DM)righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and your fathers: ^8 (DN)When Jacob had gone into ^[t]Egypt, and your fathers ^(DO)cried out to the Lord, then the Lord ^(DP)sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. ⁹ And when they ^(DQ)forgot the Lord their God, He sold them into the hand of ^(DR)Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the ^(DS)Philistines, and into the hand of the king of ^(DT)Moab; and they fought against them. ¹⁰ Then they cried out to the Lord, and said, ^(DU)‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord ^(DV)and served the Baals and ^[u]Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ ¹¹ And the Lord sent ^[v]Jerubbaal, ^[w]Bedan, ^(DW)Jephthah, and ^(DX)Samuel,^[x] and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety. ¹² And when you saw that ^(DY)Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, ^(DZ)you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when ^(EA)the Lord your God was your king.

¹³ “Now therefore, ^(EB)here is the king ^(EC)whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, ^(ED)the Lord has set a king over you. ¹⁴ If you ^(EE)fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God. ¹⁵ However, if you do ^(EF)not obey the voice of the Lord, but ^(EG)rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

¹⁶ “Now therefore, ^(EH)stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes: ¹⁷ Is today not the ^(EI)wheat harvest? ^(EJ)I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and ^(EK)rain, that you may perceive and see that ^(EL)your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking a king for yourselves.”

¹⁸ So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and ^(EM)all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

¹⁹ And all the people said to Samuel, ^(EN)“Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves.”

²⁰ Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; ^(EO)yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ And ^(EP)do not turn aside; ^(EQ)for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. ²² For ^(ER)the Lord will not forsake ^(ES)His people, ^(ET)for His great name’s sake, because ^(EU)it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. ²³ Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord ^(EV)in ceasing to pray for you; but ^(EW)I will teach you the ^(EX)good and the right way. ^24 (EY)Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for ^(EZ)consider what ^(FA)great things He has done for you. ²⁵ But if you still do wickedly, ^(FB)you shall be swept away, ^(FC)both you and your king.”

Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice

13 Saul ^[y]reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, ² Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in ^(FD)Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with ^(FE)Jonathan in ^(FF)Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.

³ And Jonathan attacked ^(FG)the garrison of the Philistines that was in ^(FH)Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” ⁴ Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become ^[z]an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, ^[aa]thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people ^(FI)as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of ^(FJ)Beth Aven. ⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people ^(FK)hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. ⁷ And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the ^(FL)land of Gad and Gilead.

As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. ^8 (FM)Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. ⁹ So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might ^[ab]greet him.

¹¹ And Samuel said, “What have you done?”

Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, ¹² then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”

¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, ^(FN)“You have done foolishly. ^(FO)You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. ^14 (FP)But now your kingdom shall not continue. ^(FQ)The Lord has sought for Himself a man ^(FR)after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have ^(FS)not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

¹⁵ Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of ^[ac]Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with him, ^(FT)about six hundred men.

No Weapons for the Army

¹⁶ Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people present with them remained in ^[ad]Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines encamped in Michmash. ¹⁷ Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned onto the road to ^(FU)Ophrah, to the land of Shual, ¹⁸ another company turned to the road to ^(FV)Beth Horon, and another company turned to the road of the border that overlooks the Valley of ^(FW)Zeboim toward the wilderness.

¹⁹ Now ^(FX)there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” ²⁰ But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; ²¹ and the charge for a sharpening was a ^[ae]pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads. ²² So it came about, on the day of battle, that ^(FY)there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.

^23 (FZ)And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

Jonathan Defeats the Philistines

14 Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who ^[af]bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. ² And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of ^(GA)Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men. ^3 (GB)Ahijah the son of Ahitub, ^(GC)Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh, was ^(GD)wearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

⁴ Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over ^(GE)to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. ⁵ The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.

⁶ Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these ^(GF)uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For nothing restrains the Lord ^(GG)from saving by many or by few.”

⁷ So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.”

⁸ Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. ⁹ If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and ^(GH)this will be a sign to us.”

¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have ^(GI)hidden.” ¹² Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will ^[ag]show you something.”

Jonathan said to his armorbearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” ¹³ And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they ^(GJ)fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them. ¹⁴ That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about ^[ah]half an acre of land.

¹⁵ And ^(GK)there was ^[ai]trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and ^(GL)the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was ^(GM)a very great trembling. ¹⁶ Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they ^(GN)went here and there. ¹⁷ Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Now call the roll and see who has gone from us.” And when they had called the roll, surprisingly, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. ¹⁸ And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ^[aj]ark of God here” (for at that time the ark of God was with the children of Israel). ¹⁹ Now it happened, while Saul ^(GO)talked to the priest, that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” ²⁰ Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to the battle; and indeed ^(GP)every man’s sword was against his neighbor, and there was very great confusion. ²¹ Moreover the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the surrounding country, they also joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²² Likewise all the men of Israel who ^(GQ)had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle. ^23 (GR)So the Lord saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted ^(GS)to Beth Aven.

Saul’s Rash Oath

²⁴ And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had ^(GT)placed the people under oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food. ^25 (GU)Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was ^(GV)honey on the ground. ²⁶ And when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey, dripping; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. ²⁷ But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his ^[ak]countenance brightened. ²⁸ Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food this day.’ ” And the people were faint.

²⁹ But Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Look now, how my countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?”

³¹ Now they had ^[al]driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. So the people were very faint. ³² And the people rushed on the ^[am]spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them ^(GW)with the blood. ³³ Then they told Saul, saying, “Look, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood!”

So he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a large stone to me this day.” ³⁴ Then Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, ‘Bring me here every man’s ox and every man’s sheep, slaughter them here, and eat; and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’ ” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night, and slaughtered it there. ³⁵ Then Saul ^(GX)built an altar to the Lord. This was the first altar that he built to the Lord.

³⁶ Now Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light; and let us not leave a man of them.”

And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.”

Then the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.”

³⁷ So Saul ^(GY)asked counsel of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But ^(GZ)He did not answer him that day. ³⁸ And Saul said, ^(HA)“Come over here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see what this sin was today. ³⁹ For ^(HB)as the Lord lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But not a man among all the people answered him. ⁴⁰ Then he said to all Israel, “You be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side.”

And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”

⁴¹ Therefore Saul said to the Lord God of Israel, ^(HC)“Give^[an] a perfect lot.” ^(HD)So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. ⁴² And Saul said, “Cast lots between my son Jonathan and me.” So Jonathan was taken. ⁴³ Then Saul said to Jonathan, ^(HE)“Tell me what you have done.”

And Jonathan told him, and said, ^(HF)“I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. So now I must die!”

⁴⁴ Saul answered, ^(HG)“God do so and more also; ^(HH)for you shall surely die, Jonathan.”

⁴⁵ But the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not! ^(HI)As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked ^(HJ)with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

⁴⁶ Then Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Saul’s Continuing Wars

⁴⁷ So Saul established his sovereignty over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the people of ^(HK)Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of ^(HL)Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he ^[ao]harassed them. ⁴⁸ And he gathered an army and ^(HM)attacked^[ap] the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.

^49 (HN)The sons of Saul were Jonathan, ^[aq]Jishui, and Malchishua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger ^(HO)Michal. ⁵⁰ The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s ^(HP)uncle. ^51 (HQ)Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

⁵² Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, ^(HR)he took him for himself.