Old/New Testament

Samuel’s Victory at Mizpah

7 Then the men of Kiriath-jearim came and fetched up the ark of Adonai, brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of Adonai. ² From the day the ark rested in Kiriath-jearim it was a long time, 20 years, and the whole house of Israel yearned after Adonai. ³ Then Samuel spoke to the whole house of Israel saying, “If you are returning to Adonai with all your heart, then remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, direct your hearts to Adonai and serve Him only. Then He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So Bnei-Yisrael removed the Baalim^[a] and the Ashtaroth, and served Adonai alone.

⁵ Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to Adonai for you.” ⁶ So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water and poured it out before Adonai. They fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against Adonai.” Then Samuel was judging Bnei-Yisrael at Mizpah.

⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that Bnei-Yisrael had assembled at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines marched against Israel. When Bnei-Yisrael heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. ⁸ So Bnei-Yisrael said to Samuel, “Don’t stop crying out to Adonai our God for us, so He may save us from the hand of the Philistines!”

⁹ Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to Adonai. Then Samuel cried out to Adonai for Israel and Adonai answered him. ¹⁰ As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But Adonai thundered with loud thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them so that they were defeated before Israel. ¹¹ Then the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and struck them down all the way to below Beth-car.

¹² Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named Eben-ezer^[b] saying, “Thus far Adonai has helped us.” ¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and they did not invade the border of Israel anymore. The hand of Adonai was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴ The towns that the Philistines had taken from Israel, from Ekron to Gath, were restored to Israel, and Israel recovered its territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵ Now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. ¹⁶ He used to go annually on a circuit to Beth-el and Gilgal and Mizpah, and would judge over Israel in all those places. ¹⁷ Then his return was to Ramah, because his home was there, and from there he would judge Israel. So he built an altar to Adonai there.

Israel Demands a King

8 Now when Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. ² The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second Abijah—they were judges in Beersheba. ³ His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain—they 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, “Behold, you have grown old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us—like all the nations.” ⁶ But the matter was displeasing in Samuel’s eyes when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to Adonai.

⁷ Then Adonai said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For they have not rejected you, rather they have rejected Me from being king over them. ⁸ Like all the deeds that they have done since the day I brought them out of Egypt to this day—forsaking Me and worshiping other gods—so they are doing to you also. ⁹ So now, listen to their voice. However, you must earnestly forewarn them, and declare to them the rulings of the king who will reign over them.”

¹⁰ Now Samuel reported all the words of Adonai to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ “This will be the practice of the king that will reign over you,” he said. “He will draft your sons and assign them as his charioteers and horsemen, and they will run before his chariots. ¹² He will appoint them as commanders of thousands and captains of fifties, also some to plow his fields, reap his harvest, make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. ¹³ Also he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks and bakers. ¹⁴ He will seize the best of your fields, vineyards and olive groves, and give them to his courtiers. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage and give it to his officials and slaves. ¹⁶ He will also take your male and female servants, your best young men and your donkeys and make them do his work. ¹⁷ He will also take the tenth of your flocks. Then you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸ When the day comes and you cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, Adonai will not answer you on that day.”

¹⁹ But the people refused to listen to Samuel, and they said, “No! But a king should be over us! ²⁰ So we may become like all the nations—having our king who will judge us, go out before us and fight our battles.”

²¹ After Samuel heard all the words of the people, he reported them back in the hearing of Adonai. ²² Adonai said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint a king to reign for them.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go, each one to his town.”

Saul Meets Samuel

9 Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish son of Abiel son of Zeror son of Becorath son of Aphiah son of a Benjamite. He was a mighty man of valor ^{[c] 2} and he had a son whose name was Saul—young and handsome—there was no one among Bnei-Yisrael better than him. From his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.

³ Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Take now one of the servants with you, get up and look for the donkeys.” ⁴ So he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he passed through the land of Benjamin, but still did not find them. ⁵ When they arrived in the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant with him, “Come, let’s go back—otherwise my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”

⁶ Then his servant said to him, “Behold now, there is a man of God in this town, and he is a man held in honor—everything he says is sure to come true. Now, let’s go there. Perhaps he’ll tell us the way we should go.”

⁷ Then said Saul to his servant, “But look, if we go, what would we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our sacks, and there is nothing to bring to the man of God as a present. What do we have?”

⁸ The servant answered Saul again and said, “Behold, I have in my hand a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God and he will tell us our way.” ⁹ (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, “Come, let’s go to the seer”—for today’s prophet was formerly called a seer.)

¹⁰ Then Saul said to his servant, “Well said. Come, let’s go!” So they went to the town where the man of God was. ¹¹ As they went up the hill to the town, they found some girls going out to draw water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?” ¹² They answered them and said, “He is there, ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come today to the town because people have a sacrifice at the high place today. ¹³ As soon as you enter the town, you’ll find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he must first bless the sacrifice—afterward the guests can eat. So now, get up, for you will find him at once.” ¹⁴ So they went up to the town. As they were entering the town, behold, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the high place.

¹⁵ One day before Saul came, Adonai had revealed to Samuel saying: ¹⁶ “Tomorrow about this time, I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you will anoint him ruler over My people Israel. He will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. I have observed My people, because their cry has come to Me.”

¹⁷ When Samuel saw Saul, Adonai spoke to him, “Behold, this is the man I told you about. This one will govern My people.” ¹⁸ Then Saul approached Samuel inside the gate and asked, “Tell me, please, where the seer’s house is?”

¹⁹ Samuel answered Saul by saying, “I am the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place. For today you will eat with me. In the morning when I send you off, I will tell you everything that is in your heart. ²⁰ As for the donkeys that you lost three days ago, don’t set your heart on them, for they have been found. Now, for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s household?”

²¹ Saul answered by saying, “Am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my clan is the least of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? So why do you say such things to me?”

²² Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and gave them a place at the head of the guests, who numbered about 30 people. ²³ Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave you and told you to set aside.” ²⁴ So the cook took up the thigh, raised it, and set it before Saul. Then he said, “Here is what has been reserved! Set it before you and eat, because it has been kept until this appointed time for you, since I said, ‘I have invited the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵ When they came down from the high place to the town, he spoke with Saul on the roof. ²⁶ They rose early, and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof saying, “Get up, so I may send you off.” So Saul got up, and both of them, he and Samuel, went outside. ²⁷ As they were going down toward the edge of town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell your servant to go ahead of us and pass on, but as for you, stand still awhile, so that I may proclaim to you the word of God.”

Secrets Revealed to the Disciples Alone

¹⁸ Once when Yeshua was praying alone and His disciples were near, He put a question to them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?”

¹⁹ They replied, “John the Immerser, but others Elijah, and others that some prophet from among the ancients has arisen.”

²⁰ Then He said to them, “But who do you that say I am?”

Then Peter answered and said, “The Messiah of God.”

²¹ But Yeshua warned them, and He ordered them not to tell this to anyone, ²² saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and ruling kohanim and Torah scholars, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

²³ Then Yeshua was saying to everyone, “If anyone wants to follow Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross every day, and follow Me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

²⁵ “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself? ²⁶ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels. ^{[a] 27} But I tell you truthfully, there are some standing here who will never taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

Glorified on a Mountain

²⁸ About eight days after these teachings, Yeshua took Peter, John, and Jacob with Him and went up the mountain to pray. ²⁹ While He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothing flashed like white lightning. ³⁰ And behold, two men were talking with Him, Moses and Elijah. ³¹ Appearing in glory, they were speaking of Yeshua’s departure, which was about to take place in Jerusalem.

³² Now Peter and those with him were overcome with sleep. But when they awakened, they saw Yeshua’s glory and the two men standing with Him. ³³ And as they were leaving Yeshua, Peter said to Him, “Master, it’s good for us to be here. Let’s make three sukkot: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he was saying.

³⁴ While he was yet saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, the One I have chosen. Listen to Him!” ^{[b] 36} And after the voice happened, Yeshua was found alone. They kept quiet and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen.