menu_book Chapter 1

then nahash the ammonite came up and encamped against jabesh gilead and all the men of jabesh said unto nahash make a covenant with us and we will serve thee and nahash the ammonite said unto them on this condition will i make it with you that all your right eyes be put out and i will lay it for a reproach upon all israel and the elders of jabesh said unto him give us seven days respite that we may send messengers unto all the borders of israel and then if there be none to save us we will come out to thee then came the messengers to gibeah of saul and spake these words in the ears of the people and all the people lifted up their voice and wept and behold saul came following the oxen out of the field and saul said what aileth the people that they weep and they told him the words of the men of jabesh

and the spirit of god came mightily upon saul when he heard those words and his anger was kindled greatly and he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the borders of israel by the hand of messengers saying whosoever cometh not forth after saul and after samuel so shall it be done unto his oxen and the dread of jehovah fell on the people and they came out as one man and he numbered them in bezek and the children of israel were three hundred thousand and the men of judah thirty thousand and they said unto the messengers that came thus shall ye say unto the men of jabesh gilead to-morrow by the time the sun is hot ye shall have deliverance and the messengers came and told the men of jabesh and they were glad therefore the men of jabesh said to-morrow we will come out unto you and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you and it was so on the morrow that saul put the people in three companies and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and smote the ammonites until the heat of the day and it came to pass that they that remained were scattered so that not two of them were left together

and the people said unto samuel who is he that said shall saul reign over us bring the men that we may put them to death and saul said there shall not a man be put to death this day for to-day jehovah hath wrought deliverance in israel then said samuel to the people come and let us go to gilgal and renew the kingdom there and all the people went to gilgal and there they made saul king before jehovah in gilgal and there they offered sacrifices of peace offerings before jehovah and there saul and all the men of israel rejoiced greatly chapter twelve and samuel said unto all israel behold i have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me and have made a king over you and now behold the king walketh before you and i am old and grey-headed and behold my sons are with you and i have walked before you from my youth unto this day

here i am witness against me before jehovah and before his anointed whose ox have i taken or whose ass have i taken or whom have i defrauded whom have i oppressed or of whose hand have i taken a ransom to blind mine eyes therewith and i will restore it you and they said thou hast not defrauded us nor oppressed us neither hast thou taken aught of any man's hand and he said unto them jehovah is witness against you and his anointed is witness this day that ye have not found aught in my hand and they said he is witness and samuel said unto the people it is jehovah that appointed moses and aaron and that brought your fathers up out of the land of egypt now therefore stand still that i may plead with you before jehovah concerning all the righteous acts of jehovah which he did to you and to your fathers when jacob was come into egypt and your fathers cried unto jehovah then jehovah sent moses and aaron who brought forth your fathers out of egypt and made them to dwell in this place

but they forgat jehovah their god and he sold them into the hand of sisera captain of the host of hazor and into the hand of the philistines and into the hand of the king of moab and they fought against them and they cried unto jehovah and said we have sinned because we have forsaken jehovah and have served the balim and the ashteroth but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies and we will serve thee and jehovah sent jerubbubal and beden and jephthah and samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side and ye dwelt in safety and when ye saw that nahash the king of the children of ammon came against you ye said unto me nay but a king shall reign over us when jehovah your god was your king now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen and whom ye have asked for and behold jehovah hath set a king over you

if ye will fear jehovah and serve him and hearken unto his voice and not rebel against the commandment of jehovah and both ye and also the king that reigneth over you be followers of jehovah your god well but if ye will not hearken unto the voice of jehovah but rebel against the commandment of jehovah then will the hand of jehovah be against you as it was against your fathers now therefore stand still and see this great thing which jehovah will do before your eyes is it not wheat harvest to-day i will call unto jehovah that he may send thunder and rain and ye shall know and see that your wickedness is great which ye have done in the sight of jehovah in asking you a king so samuel called unto jehovah and jehovah sent thunder and rain that day and all the people greatly feared jehovah and samuel and all the people said unto samuel pray for thy servants unto jehovah thy god that we die not for we have added unto all our sins this evil to ask us a king

and samuel said unto the people fear not ye have indeed done all this evil yet turn not aside from following jehovah but serve jehovah with all your heart and turn ye not aside for then would ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver for they are vain for jehovah will not forsake his people for his great name's sake because it hath pleased jehovah to make you a people unto himself moreover as for me far be it from me that i should sin against jehovah in ceasing to pray for you but i will instruct you in the good and the right way only fear jehovah and serve him in truth with all your heart for consider how great things he hath done for you but if ye shall still do wickedly ye shall be consumed both ye and your king chapter twelve chapter thirteen saul was forty years old when he began to reign and when he had reigned two years over israel saul chose him three thousand men of israel whereof two thousand were with saul in michmash in the mount of bethel and a thousand were with jonathan in gibeah of benjamin

and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent and jonathan smote the garrison of the philistines that was in gibeah and the philistines heard of it and saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land saying let the hebrews hear and all israel heard say that saul had smitten the garrison of the philistines and also that israel was had in abomination with the philistines and the people were gathered together after saul to gilgal and the philistines assembled themselves together to fight with israel thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and people as the sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude and they came up and encamped in michmash eastward of beth-haven when the men of israel saw that they were in a strait for the people were distressed then the people did hide themselves in caves and in thickets and in rocks and in coverts and in pits now some of the hebrews had gone over the jordan to the land of gad and gilead but as for saul he was yet in gilgal and all the people followed him trembling

and he tarried seven days according to the set time that samuel had appointed but samuel came not to gilgal and the people were scattered from him and saul said bring hither the burnt offering to me and the peace offerings and he offered the burnt offering and it came to pass that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering behold samuel came and saul went out to meet him that he might salute him and samuel said what hast thou done and saul said because i saw that the people were scattered from me and that thou camest not within the days appointed and that the philistines assembled themselves together at michmash therefore said i now will the philistines come down upon me to gilgal and i have not entreated the favor of jehovah i forced myself therefore and offered the burnt offering and samuel said to saul thou hast done foolishly thou hast not kept the commandment of jehovah thy god which he commanded thee for now would jehovah have established thy kingdom upon israel forever but now thy kingdom shall not continue

jehovah hath sought him a man after his own heart and jehovah hath appointed him to be prince over his people because thou hast not kept that which jehovah commanded thee and samuel arose and gat him up from gilgal unto gibeah of benjamin and saul numbered the people that were present with him about six hundred men and saul and jonathan his son and the people that were present with them abode in gibeah of benjamin but the philistines encamped in michmash and the spoilers came out of the camp of the philistines in three companies one company turned unto the way that leadeth to ophrah unto the land of shual and another company turned the way to beth-horon and another company turned the way of the border that looketh down upon the valley of zeboim toward the wilderness now there was no smith found throughout all the land of israel for the philistines said lest the hebrews make them swords or spears but all the israelites went down to the philistines to sharpen every man his share and his coulter and his axe and his mattock

yet they had a file for the mattocks and for the coulters and for the forks and for the axes and to set the goads so it came to pass in the day of battle that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with saul and jonathan but with saul and with jonathan his son was there found and the garrison of the philistines went out unto the pass of michmash chapter thirteen chapter fourteen now it fell upon a day that jonathan the son of saul said unto the young man that bare his armor come and let us go over to the philistines garrison that is on yonder side but he told not his father and saul abode in the uttermost part of gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in migron and the people that were with him were about six hundred men and ahijah the son of aetub ichabod's brother the son of phinehas the son of eli the priest of jehovah in shiloh wearing an ephod and the people knew not that jonathan was gone

and between the passes by which jonathan sought to go over unto the philistines garrison there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side and the name of the one was bozzez and the name of the other sinah the one crag rose up on the north in front of michmash and the other on the south in front of gibeah and jonathan said to the young man that bare his armor come and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised it may be that jehovah will work for us for there is no restraint to jehovah to save by many or by few and his armor-bearers said unto him do all that is in thy heart turn thee behold i am with thee according to thy heart then said jonathan behold we will pass over unto the men and we will disclose ourselves unto them if they say thus unto us tarry until we come to you then we will stand still in our place and will not go up unto them but if they say thus come up unto us then we will go up for jehovah hath delivered them into our hand and this shall be the sign unto us

and both of them disclosed themselves unto the garrison of the philistines and the philistines said behold the hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves and the men of the garrison answered jonathan and his armor-bearer and said come up to us and we will show you a thing and jonathan said unto his armor-bearer come up after me for jehovah hath delivered them into the hand of israel and jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet and his armor-bearer after him and they fell before jonathan and his armor-bearer slew them after him and that first slaughter which jonathan and his armor-bearer made was about twenty men within as it were half a furrow's length and an acre of land and there was a trembling in the camp in the field and among all the people the garrison and the spoilers they also trembled and the earth quaked so there was an exceeding great trembling

and the watchmen of saul and gibeah of benjamin looked and behold the multitude melted away and they went hither and thither then said saul unto the people that were with him number now and see who is gone from us and when they had numbered behold jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there and saul said unto ahijah bring hither the ark of god for the ark of god was there at that time with the children of israel and it came to pass while saul talked unto the priest that the tumult that was in the camp of the philistines went on and increased and saul said unto the priest withdraw thy hand and saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together and came to the battle and behold every man's sword was against his fellow and there was a very great discomfiture now the hebrews that were with the philistines as before time and that went up with them into the camp from the country round about even they also turned to be with the israelites that were with saul and jonathan

likewise all the men of israel that had hid themselves in the hill country of ephraim when they heard that the philistines fled even they also followed hard after them in the battle so jehovah saved israel that day and the battle passed over by beth-avon and the men of israel were distressed that day for saul had adjured the people saying cursed be the man that eateth any food until it be evening and i be avenged on mine enemies so none of the people tasted food and all the people came into the forest and there was honey upon the ground and when the people were come into the forest behold the honey dropped but no man put his hand to his mouth for the people feared the oath but jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in the honey comb and put his hand to his mouth and his eyes were enlightened then answered one of the people and said

thy father straightly charged the people with an oath saying cursed be the man that eateth food this day and the people were faint then said jonathan my father hath troubled the land see i pray you how mine eyes have been enlightened because i tasted a little of this honey how much more if haply the people had eaten freely to-day of the spoil of their enemies which they found for now hath there been no great slaughter among the philistines and they smote of the philistines that day from michmash to ajalon and the people were very faint and the people flew upon the spoil and took sheep and oxen and calves and slew them on the ground and the people did eat them with the blood then they told saul saying behold the people sin against jehovah and that they eat with the blood and he said ye have dealt treacherously roll a great stone unto me this day and saul said disperse yourselves among the people and say unto them bring me hither every man his ox and every man his sheep and slay them here and eat and sin not against jehovah in eating with the blood

and all the people brought every man his ox with him that night and slew them there and saul built an altar unto jehovah the same was the first altar that he built unto jehovah and saul said let us go down after the philistines by night and take spoil among them until the morning light and let us not leave a man of them and they said do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee then said the priest let us draw near hither unto god and saul asked counsel of god shall i go down after the philistines wilt thou deliver them into the hand of israel but he answered him not that day and saul said draw nigh hither all ye chiefs of the people and know and see wherein this sin hath been this day for as jehovah liveth who saveth israel though it be in jonathan my son he shall surely die

but there was not a man among all the people that answered him then said he unto all israel be ye on one side and i and jonathan my son will be on the other side and the people said unto saul do what seemeth good unto thee therefore saul said unto jehovah the god of israel show the right and jonathan and saul were taken by lot but the people escaped and saul said cast lots between me and jonathan my son and jonathan was taken then saul said to jonathan tell me what thou hast done and jonathan told him and said i did certainly taste a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand and lo i must die and saul said god do so and more also for thou shalt surely die jonathan and the people said unto saul shall jonathan die who hath wrought this great salvation in israel far from it as jehovah liveth there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground for he hath wrought with god this day so the people rescued jonathan that he died not then saul went up from following the philistines and the philistines went to their own place now when saul had taken the kingdom over israel

he fought against all his enemies on every side against moab and against the children of ammon and against edom and against the kings of zobah and against the philistines and whithersoever he turned himself he put them to the worse and he did valiantly and smote the amalekites and delivered israel out of the hands of them that despoiled them now the sons of saul were jonathan and ishvi and malki shua and the names of his two daughters were these the name of the first-born merab and the name of the younger michael and the name of saul's wife was ahinoam the daughter of ahimaaz and the name of the captain of his host was abner the son of ner saul's uncle and kish was the father of saul and ner the father of abner was the son of abiel and there was sore war against the philistines all the days of saul and when saul saw any mighty man or any valiant man he took him unto him chapter fifteen and samuel said unto saul

jehovah sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people over israel now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of jehovah thus saith jehovah of hosts i have marked that which amalek did to israel how he set himself against him in the way when he came up out of egypt now go and smite amalek and utterly destroy all that they have and spare them not but slay both man and woman infant and suckling ox and sheep camel and ass and saul summoned the people and numbered them in te laim two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of judah and saul came to the city of amalek and laid wait in the valley and saul said unto the keenites go depart get you down from among the amalekites lest i destroy you with them for ye showed kindness to all the children of israel when they came up out of egypt

so the keenites departed from among the amalekites and saul smote the amalekites from havilah as thou goest to shur that is before egypt and he took agag the king of the amalekites alive and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword but saul and the people spared agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fatlings and the lambs and all that was good and would not utterly destroy them but everything that was vile and refuse that they destroyed utterly then came the word of jehovah unto samuel saying it repenteth me that i have set up saul to be king for he is turned back from following me and hath not performed my commandments and samuel was wroth and he cried unto jehovah all night and samuel rose early to meet saul in the morning and it was told samuel saying saul came to carmel and behold he set him up a monument and turned and passed on and went down to gilgal and samuel came to saul and saul said unto him blessed be thou of jehovah i have performed the commandment of jehovah and samuel said what meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears and the lowing of the oxen which i hear

and saul said they have brought them from the amalekites for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice unto jehovah thy god and the rest we have utterly destroyed then samuel said unto saul stay and i will tell thee what jehovah hath said to me this night and he said unto him say on and samuel said though thou wast little in thine own sight was thou not made the head of the tribes of israel and jehovah anointed thee king over israel and jehovah sent thee on a journey and said go and utterly destroy the sinners the amalekites and fight against them until they be consumed wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of jehovah but didst fly upon the spoil and didst that which was evil in the sight of jehovah and saul said unto samuel yea i have obeyed the voice of jehovah and have gone the way which jehovah sent me and have brought agag the king of amalek and have utterly destroyed the amalekites

but the people took up the spoil sheep and oxen the chief of the devoted things to sacrifice unto jehovah thy god and gilgal and samuel said hath jehovah as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of jehovah behold to obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of rams for rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim because thou hast rejected the word of jehovah he hath also rejected thee from being king and saul said unto samuel i have sinned for i have transgressed the commandment of jehovah and thy words because i feared the people and obeyed their voice

now therefore i pray thee pardon my sin and turn again with me that i may worship jehovah and samuel said unto saul i will not return with thee for thou hast rejected the word of jehovah and jehovah hath rejected thee from being king over israel and as samuel turned about to go away saul laid hold upon the skirt of his robe and it rent and samuel said unto him jehovah hath rent the kingdom of israel from thee this day and hath given it to a neighbour of thine that is better than thou and also the strength of israel will not lie nor repent for he is not a man that he should repent then he said i have sinned yet honour me now i pray thee before the elders of my people and before israel and turn again with me that i may worship jehovah thy god so samuel turned again after saul and saul worshipped jehovah then said samuel bring ye hither to me agag the king of the amalekites and agag came unto him cheerfully and agag said surely the bitterness of death is past

and samuel said as thy sword hath made women childless so shall thy mother be childless among women and samuel hewed agag in pieces before jehovah and gilgal then samuel went to ramah and saul went up to his house to gibeah of saul and samuel came no more to see saul until the day of his death for samuel mourned for saul and jehovah repented that he had made saul king over israel end of chapter fifteen