1 Samuel 7-12

I Samuel 7

¹And the men of Kirjath-Jearim come and bring up the ark of Jehovah, and bring it in unto the house of Abinadab, in the height, and Eleazar his son they have sanctified to keep the ark of Jehovah.

²And it cometh to pass, from the day of the dwelling of the ark in Kirjath-Jearim, that the days are multiplied -- yea, they are twenty years -- and wail do all the house of Israel after Jehovah.

³And Samuel speaketh unto all the house of Israel, saying, ‘If with all your heart ye are turning back unto Jehovah -- turn aside the gods of the stranger from your midst, and Ashtaroth; and prepare your heart unto Jehovah, and serve Him only, and He doth deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.'

⁴And the sons of Israel turn aside the Baalim and Ashtaroth, and serve Jehovah alone;

⁵and Samuel saith, ‘Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I pray for you unto Jehovah.'

⁶And they are gathered to Mizpeh, and draw water, and pour out before Jehovah, and fast on that day, and say there, ‘We have sinned against Jehovah;' and Samuel judgeth the sons of Israel in Mizpeh.

⁷And the Philistines hear that the sons of Israel have gathered themselves to Mizpeh; and the princes of the Philistines go up against Israel, and the sons of Israel hear, and are afraid of the presence of the Philistines.

⁸And the sons of Israel say unto Samuel, ‘Keep not silent for us from crying unto Jehovah our God, and He doth save us out of the hand of the Philistines.'

⁹And Samuel taketh a fat lamb, and causeth it to go up -- a burnt-offering whole to Jehovah; and Samuel crieth unto Jehovah for Israel, and Jehovah answereth him;

¹⁰and Samuel is causing the burnt-offering to go up -- and the Philistines have drawn nigh to battle against Israel -- and Jehovah doth thunder with a great noise, on that day, upon the Philistines, and troubleth them, and they are smitten before Israel.

¹¹And the men of Israel go out from Mizpeh, and pursue the Philistines, and smite them unto the place of Beth-Car.

¹²And Samuel taketh a stone, and setteth it between Mizpeh and Shen, and calleth its name Eben-Ezer, saying, ‘Hitherto hath Jehovah helped us.'

¹³And the Philistines are humbled, and have not added any more to come into the border of Israel, and the hand of Jehovah is on the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

¹⁴And the cities which the Philistines have taken from Israel are restored to Israel -- from Ekron even unto Gath -- and their border hath Israel delivered out of the hand of the Philistines; and there is peace between Israel and the Amorite.

¹⁵And Samuel judgeth Israel all the days of his life,

¹⁶and he hath gone from year to year, and gone round Beth-El, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all these places;

¹⁷and his returning is to Ramath, for there is his house, and there he hath judged Israel, and he buildeth there an altar to Jehovah.

I Samuel 8

¹And it cometh to pass, when Samuel is aged, that he maketh his sons judges over Israel.

²And the name of his first-born son is Joel, and the name of his second Abiah, judges in Beer-Sheba:

³and his sons have not walked in his ways, and turn aside after the dishonest gain, and take a bribe, and turn aside judgment.

⁴And all the elders of Israel gather themselves together, and come in unto Samuel to Ramath,

⁵and say unto him, ‘Lo, thou hast become aged, and thy sons have not walked in thy ways; now, appoint to us a king, to judge us, like all the nations.'

⁶And the thing is evil in the eyes of Samuel, when they have said, ‘Give to us a king to judge us;' and Samuel prayeth unto Jehovah.

⁷And Jehovah saith unto Samuel, ‘Hearken to the voice of the people, to all that they say unto thee, for thee they have not rejected, but Me they have rejected, from reigning over them.

⁸According to all the works that they have done from the day of My bringing them up out of Egypt, even unto this day, when they forsake Me, and serve other gods -- so they are doing also to thee.

⁹And now, hearken to their voice; only, surely thou dost certainly protest to them, and hast declared to them the custom of the king who doth reign over them.'

¹⁰And Samuel speaketh all the words of Jehovah unto the people who are asking from him a king,

¹¹and saith, ‘This is the custom of the king who doth reign over you: Your sons he doth take, and hath appointed for himself among his chariots, and among his horsemen, and they have run before his chariots;

¹²also to appoint for himself heads of thousands, and heads of fifties; also to plow his plowing, and to reap his reaping; and to make instruments of his war, and instruments of his charioteer.

¹³‘And your daughters he doth take for perfumers, and for cooks, and for bakers;

¹⁴and your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards -- the best -- he doth take, and hath given to his servants.

¹⁵And your seed and your vineyards he doth tithe, and hath given to his eunuchs, and to his servants.

¹⁶And your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your young men -- the best, and your asses, he doth take, and hath prepared for his own work;

¹⁷your flock he doth tithe, and ye are to him for servants.

¹⁸And ye have cried out in that day because of the king whom ye have chosen for yourselves, and Jehovah doth not answer you in that day.'

¹⁹And the people refuse to hearken to the voice of Samuel, and say, ‘Nay, but a king is over us,

²⁰and we have been, even we, like all the nations; and our king hath judged us, and gone out before us, and fought our battles.'

²¹And Samuel heareth all the words of the people, and speaketh them in the ears of Jehovah;

²²and Jehovah saith unto Samuel, ‘Hearken to their voice, and thou hast caused to reign over them a king.' And Samuel saith unto the men of Israel, ‘Go ye each to his city.'

I Samuel 9

¹And there is a man of Benjamin, and his name is Kish, son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Bechorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, mighty of valour,

²and he hath a son, and his name is Saul, a choice youth and goodly, and there is not a man among the sons of Israel goodlier than he -- from his shoulder and upward, higher than any of the people.

³And the asses of Kish, father of Saul, are lost, and Kish saith unto Saul his son, ‘Take, I pray thee, with thee, one of the young men, and rise, go, seek the asses.'

⁴And he passeth over through the hill-country of Ephraim, and passeth over through the land of Shalisha, and they have not found; and they pass over through the land of Shaalim, and they are not; and he passeth over through the land of Benjamin, and they have not found.

⁵They have come in unto the land of Zuph, and Saul hath said to his young man who is with him, ‘Come, and we turn back, lest my father leave off from the asses, and hath been sorrowful for us.'

⁶And he saith to him, ‘Lo, I pray thee, a man of God is in this city, and the man is honoured; all that he speaketh doth certainly come; now, we go there, it may be he doth declare to us our way on which we have gone.'

⁷And Saul saith to his young man, ‘And lo, we go, and what do we bring in to the man? for the bread hath gone from our vessels, and a present there is not to bring in to the man of God -- what is with us?'

⁸And the young man addeth to answer Saul, and saith, ‘Lo, there is found with me a fourth of a shekel of silver: and I have given to the man of God, and he hath declared to us our way.'

⁹Formerly in Israel, thus said the man in his going to seek God, ‘Come and we go unto the seer,' for the ‘prophet' of to-day is called formerly ‘the seer.'

¹⁰And Saul saith to his young man, ‘Thy word is good; come, we go;' and they go unto the city where the man of God is.

¹¹They are going up in the ascent of the city, and have found young women going out to draw water, and say to them, ‘Is the seer in this place?'

¹²And they answer them and say, ‘He is; lo, before thee! haste, now, for to-day he hath come in to the city, for the people hath a stated sacrifice in a high place.

¹³At your going in to the city so ye do find him, before he doth go up in to the high place to eat; for the people do not eat till his coming, for he doth bless the sacrifice; afterwards they eat, who are called, and now, go up, for at this time ye find him.'

¹⁴And they go up in to the city; they are coming in to the midst of the city, and lo, Samuel is coming out to meet them, to go up to the high place;

¹⁵and Jehovah had uncovered the ear of Samuel one day before the coming of Saul, saying,

¹⁶‘At this time tomorrow, I send unto thee a man out of the land of Benjamin -- and thou hast anointed him for leader over My people Israel, and he hath saved My people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have seen My people, for its cry hath come in unto Me.'

¹⁷When Samuel hath seen Saul, then hath Jehovah answered him, ‘Lo, the man of whom I have spoken unto thee; this one doth restrain My people.'

¹⁸And Saul draweth nigh to Samuel in the midst of the gate, and saith, ‘Declare, I pray thee, to me, where is this -- the seer's house?'

¹⁹And Samuel answereth Saul and saith, ‘I am the seer; go up before me into the high place, and ye have eaten with me to-day, and I have sent thee away in the morning, and all that is in thy heart I declare to thee.

²⁰As to the asses which are lost to thee this day three days, set not thy heart to them, for they have been found; and to whom is all the desire of Israel?' is it not to thee and to all thy father's house?'

²¹And Saul answereth and saith, ‘Am not I a Benjamite -- of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? and why hast thou spoken unto me according to this word?'

²²And Samuel taketh Saul, and his young man, and bringeth them in to the chamber, and giveth to them a place at the head of those called; and they are about thirty men.

²³And Samuel saith to the cook, ‘Give the portion which I gave to thee, of which I said unto thee, ‘Set it by thee?'

²⁴(and the cook lifteth up the leg, and that which is on it, and setteth before Saul), and he saith, ‘Lo, that which is left; set it before thee -- eat, for to this appointed season it is kept for thee, saying, The people I have called;' and Saul eateth with Samuel on that day.

²⁵And they come down from the high place to the city, and he speaketh with Saul on the roof.

²⁶And they rise early, and it cometh to pass, at the ascending of the dawn, that Samuel calleth unto Saul, on the roof, saying, ‘Rise, and I send thee away;' and Saul riseth, and they go out, both of them -- he and Samuel, without.

²⁷They are going down in the extremity of the city, and Samuel hath said unto Saul, ‘Say to the young man that he pass on before us (and he passeth on), and thou, stand at this time, and I cause thee to hear the word of God.'

I Samuel 10

¹And Samuel taketh the vial of the oil, and poureth on his head, and kisseth him, and saith, ‘Is it not because Jehovah hath appointed thee over His inheritance for leader?

²In thy going to-day from me -- then thou hast found two men by the grave of Rachel, in the border of Benjamin, at Zelzah, and they have said unto thee, The asses have been found which thou hast gone to seek; and lo, thy father hath left the matter of the asses, and hath sorrowed for you, saying, What do I do for my son?

³‘And thou hast passed on thence, and beyond, and hast come in unto the oak of Tabor, and found thee there have three men going up unto God to Beth-El, one bearing three kids, and one bearing three cakes of bread, and one bearing a bottle of wine,

⁴and they have asked of thee of welfare, and given to thee two loaves, and thou hast received from their hand.

⁵‘Afterwards thou dost come unto the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is, and it cometh to pass, at thy coming in thither to the city, that thou hast met a band of prophets coming down from the high place, and before them psaltery, and tabret, and pipe, and harp, and they are prophesying;

⁶and prospered over thee hath the Spirit of Jehovah, and thou hast prophesied with them, and hast been turned to another man;

⁷and it hath been, when these signs come to thee -- do for thyself as thy hand findeth, for God is with thee.

⁸‘And thou hast gone down before me to Gilgal, and lo, I am going down unto thee, to cause to ascend burnt-offerings, to sacrifice sacrifices of peace-offerings; seven days thou dost wait till my coming in unto thee, and I have made known to thee that which thou dost do.'

⁹And it hath been, at his turning his shoulder to go from Samuel, that God turneth to him another heart, and all these signs come on that day,

¹⁰and they come in thither to the height, and lo, a band of prophets -- to meet him, and prosper over him doth the Spirit of God, and he prophesieth in their midst.

¹¹And it cometh to pass, all his acquaintance heretofore, see, and lo, with prophets he hath prophesied, and the people say one unto another, ‘What is this hath happened to the son of Kish? is Saul also among the prophets?'

¹²And a man thence answereth and saith, ‘And who is their father?' therefore it hath been for a simile, ‘Is Saul also among the prophets?'

¹³And he ceaseth from prophesying, and cometh in to the high place,

¹⁴and the uncle of Saul saith unto him, and unto his young man, ‘Whither went ye?' and he saith, ‘To seek the asses; and we see that they are not, and we come in unto Samuel.'

¹⁵And the uncle of Saul saith, ‘Declare, I pray thee, to me, what Samuel said to you?'

¹⁶And Saul saith unto his uncle, ‘He certainly declared to us that the asses were found;' and of the matter of the kingdom he hath not declared to him that which Samuel said.

¹⁷And Samuel calleth the people unto Jehovah to Mizpeh,

¹⁸and saith unto the sons of Israel, ‘Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, I have brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I deliver you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms who are oppressing you;

¹⁹and ye to-day have rejected your God, who is Himself your saviour out of all your evils and your distresses, and ye say, ‘Nay, but -- a king thou dost set over us; and now, station yourselves before Jehovah, by your tribes, and by your thousands.'

²⁰And Samuel bringeth near the whole tribes of Israel, and the tribe of Benjamin is captured,

²¹and he bringeth near the tribe of Benjamin by its families, and the family of Matri is captured, and Saul son of Kish is captured, and they seek him, and he hath not been found.

²²And they ask again at Jehovah, ‘Hath the man yet come hither?' and Jehovah saith, ‘Lo, he hath been hidden near the vessels.'

²³And they run and bring him thence, and he stationed himself in the midst of the people, and he is higher than any of the people from his shoulder and upward.

²⁴And Samuel saith unto all the people, ‘Have ye seen him on whom Jehovah hath fixed, for there is none like him among all the people?' And all the people shout, and say, ‘Let the king live!'

²⁵And Samuel speaketh unto the people the right of the kingdom, and writeth in a book, and placeth before Jehovah; and Samuel sendeth all the people away, each to his house.

²⁶And also Saul hath gone to his house, to Gibeah, and the force go with him whose heart God hath touched;

²⁷and the sons of worthlessness have said, ‘What! this one doth save us!' and they despise him, and have not brought to him a present; and he is as one deaf.

I Samuel 11

¹And Nahash the Ammonite cometh up, and encampeth against Jabesh-Gilead, and all the men of Jabesh say unto Nahash, ‘Make with us a covenant, and we serve thee.'

²And Nahash the Ammonite saith unto them, ‘For this I covenant with you, by picking out to you every right eye -- and I have put it a reproach on all Israel.'

³And the elders of Jabesh say to him, ‘Let us alone seven days, and we send messengers into all the border of Israel: and if there is none saving us -- then we have come out unto thee.'

⁴And the messengers come to Gibeah of Saul, and speak the words in the ears of the people, and all the people lift up their voice and weep;

⁵and lo, Saul hath come after the herd out of the field, and Saul saith, ‘What -- to the people, that they weep?' and they recount to him the words of the men of Jabesh.

⁶And the Spirit of God doth prosper over Saul, in his hearing these words, and his anger burneth greatly,

⁷and he taketh a couple of oxen, and cutteth them in pieces, and sendeth through all the border of Israel, by the hand of the messengers, saying, ‘He who is not coming out after Saul and after Samuel -- thus it is done to his oxen;' and the fear of Jehovah falleth on the people, and they come out as one man.

⁸And he inspecteth them in Bezek, and the sons of Israel are three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

⁹And they say to the messengers who are coming, ‘Thus do ye say to the men of Jabesh-Gilead: To-morrow ye have safety -- by the heat of the sun;' and the messengers come and declare to the men of Jabesh, and they rejoice;

¹⁰and the men of Jabesh say to the Ammonites, ‘To-morrow we come out unto you, and ye have done to us according to all that is good in your eyes.'

¹¹And it cometh to pass, on the morrow, that Saul putteth the people in three detachments, and they come into the midst of the camp in the morning-watch, and smite Ammon till the heat of the day; and it cometh to pass that those left are scattered, and there have not been left of them two together.

¹²And the people say unto Samuel, ‘Who is he that saith, Saul doth reign over us! give ye up the men, and we put them to death.'

¹³And Saul saith, ‘There is no man put to death on this day, for to-day hath Jehovah wrought salvation in Israel.'

¹⁴And Samuel saith unto the people, ‘Come and we go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there;'

¹⁵and all the people go to Gilgal, and cause Saul to reign there before Jehovah in Gilgal, and sacrifice there sacrifices of peace-offerings before Jehovah, and there Saul rejoiceth -- and all the men of Israel -- very greatly.

I Samuel 12

¹And Samuel saith unto all Israel, ‘Lo, I have hearkened to your voice, to all that ye said to me, and I cause to reign over you a king,

²and now, lo, the king is walking habitually before you, and I have become aged and gray-headed, and my sons, lo, they are with you, and I have walked habitually before you from my youth till this day.

³‘Lo, here am I; testify against me, over-against Jehovah, and over-against His anointed; whose ox have I taken, and whose ass have I taken, and whom have I oppressed; whom have I bruised, and of whose hand have I taken a ransom, and hide mine eyes with it? -- and I restore to you.'

⁴And they say, ‘Thou hast not oppressed us, nor hast thou crushed us, nor hast thou taken from the hand of any one anything.'

⁵And he saith unto them, ‘A witness is Jehovah against you: and a witness is His anointed this day, that ye have not found anything in my hand;' and they say, ‘A witness.'

⁶And Samuel saith unto the people, ‘Jehovah -- He who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought up your fathers out of the land of Egypt!

⁷and, now, station yourselves, and I judge you before Jehovah, with all the righteous acts of Jehovah, which He did with you, and with your fathers.

⁸‘When Jacob hath come in to Egypt, and your fathers cry unto Jehovah, then Jehovah sendeth Moses and Aaron, and they bring out your fathers from Egypt, and cause them to dwell in this place,

⁹and they forget Jehovah their God, and He selleth them into the hand of Sisera, head of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fight against them,

¹⁰and they cry unto Jehovah, and say, We have sinned, because we have forsaken Jehovah, and serve the Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and now, deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we serve Thee.

¹¹‘And Jehovah sendeth Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivereth you out of the hand of your enemies round about, and ye dwell confidently.

¹²‘And ye see that Nahash king of the Bene-Ammon hath come against you, and ye say to me, Nay, but a king doth reign over us; and Jehovah your God is your king!

¹³And, now, lo, the king whom ye have chosen -- whom ye have asked! and lo, Jehovah hath placed over you a king.

¹⁴‘If ye fear Jehovah, and have served Him, and hearkened to His voice, then ye do not provoke the mouth of Jehovah, and ye have been -- both ye and the king who hath reigned over you -- after Jehovah your God.

¹⁵‘And if ye do not hearken to the voice of Jehovah -- then ye have provoked the mouth of Jehovah, and the hand of Jehovah hath been against you, and against your fathers.

¹⁶‘Also now, station yourselves and see this great thing which Jehovah is doing before your eyes;

¹⁷is it not wheat-harvest to-day? I call unto Jehovah, and He doth give voices and rain; and know ye and see that your evil is great which ye have done in the eyes of Jehovah, to ask for you a king.'

¹⁸And Samuel calleth unto Jehovah, and Jehovah giveth voices and rain, on that day, and all the people greatly fear Jehovah and Samuel;

¹⁹and all the people say unto Samuel, ‘Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah thy God, and we do not die, for we have added to all our sins evil to ask for us a king.'

²⁰And Samuel saith unto the people, ‘Fear not; ye have done all this evil; only, turn not aside from after Jehovah -- and ye have served Jehovah with all your heart,

²¹and ye do not turn aside after the vain things which do not profit nor deliver, for they are vain,

²²for Jehovah doth not leave His people, on account of His great name; for Jehovah hath been pleased to make you to Him for a people.

²³‘I, also, far be it from me to sin against Jehovah, by ceasing to pray for you, and I have directed you in the good and upright way;

²⁴only, fear ye Jehovah, and ye have served Him in truth with all your heart, for see that which He hath made great with you;

²⁵and if ye really do evil, both ye and your king are consumed.'