Bible in 90 Days Plan

¹Now the boy Samuel was attending to the service of the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare in those days; visions were infrequent.

²But it happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to be poor and he could not see well),

³and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was,

⁴that the LORD called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”

⁵Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

⁶And the LORD called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son, go back and lie down.”

⁷Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him.

⁸So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.

⁹And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰Then the LORD came and stood, and called as at the other times: “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”

¹¹Then the LORD said to Samuel, “Behold, I am going to do a thing in Israel, and both ears of everyone who hears about it will ring.

¹²On that day I will carry out against Eli everything that I have spoken in regard to his house, from beginning to end.

¹³For I have told him that I am going to judge his house forever for the wrongdoing that he knew, because his sons were bringing a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them.

¹⁴Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the wrongdoing of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.”

¹⁵So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.

¹⁶Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.”

¹⁷He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do the same to you, and more so, if you hide a single word from me of all the words that He spoke to you!”

¹⁸So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “He is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him.”

¹⁹Now Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and He let none of his words fail.

²⁰And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.

²¹And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, because the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

¹So the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle, and they camped beside Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped in Aphek.

²Then the Philistines drew up in battle formation to meet Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield.

³When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let’s take the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that He may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.”

⁴So the people sent men to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD of armies who is enthroned above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

⁵And as the ark of the covenant of the LORD was coming into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded.

⁶And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.

⁷So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

⁸Woe to us! Who will save us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.

⁹Take courage and be men, Philistines, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you; so be men and fight!”

¹⁰So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the defeat was very great, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.

¹¹Moreover, the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

¹²Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn, and dust on his head.

¹³When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road keeping watch, because his heart was anxious about the ark of God. And the man came to give a report in the city, and all the city cried out.

¹⁴When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the noise of this commotion mean?” Then the man came hurriedly and told Eli.

¹⁵Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were fixed and he could not see.

¹⁶The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today.” And he said, “How are things, my son?”

¹⁷Then the one who brought the news replied, “Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great defeat among the people, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas are also dead; and the ark of God has been taken.”

¹⁸When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. And so he judged Israel for forty years.

¹⁹Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was pregnant and about to give birth; and when she heard the news that the ark of God had been taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, because her pains came upon her.

²⁰And about the time of her death the women who were standing by her said to her, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son.” But she did not answer or pay attention.

²¹And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

²²So she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God has been taken.”

¹Now the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

²Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon, and placed it beside Dagon.

³When the Ashdodites got up early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set him back in his place.

⁴But when they got up early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the torso of Dagon was left.

⁵For that reason neither the priests of Dagon nor any who enter Dagon’s house step on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

⁶Now the hand of the LORD was heavy on the Ashdodites, and He made them feel devastated and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territories.

⁷When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, because His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god.”

⁸So they sent word and gathered all the governors of the Philistines to them, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they said, “Have the ark of the God of Israel brought to Gath.” So they took the ark of the God of Israel away.

⁹After they had taken it away, the hand of the LORD was against the city, creating a very great panic; and He struck the people of the city, from the young to the old, so that tumors broke out on them.

¹⁰So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And as the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!”

¹¹Therefore they sent word and gathered all the governors of the Philistines, and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel and let it return to its own place, so that it will not kill us and our people!” For there was a deadly panic throughout the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

¹²And the people who did not die were struck with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

¹Now the ark of the LORD had been in the territory of the Philistines for seven months.

²And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What are we to do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we may send it to its place.”

³And they said, “If you are going to send the ark of the God of Israel away, do not send it empty; but you shall certainly return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be revealed to you why His hand does not leave you.”

⁴Then they said, “What is to be the guilt offering that we shall return to Him?” And they said, “Five gold tumors and five gold mice corresponding to the number of the governors of the Philistines, since one plague was on all of you and on your governors.

⁵So you shall make likenesses of your tumors and likenesses of your mice that are ruining the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, your gods, and your land.

⁶Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had severely dealt with them, did they not let the people go, and they left?

⁷Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never been a yoke; and hitch the cows to the cart and take their calves back home, away from them.

⁸Then take the ark of the LORD and place it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you return to Him as a guilt offering in a saddlebag by its side. Then send it away that it may go.

⁹But watch: if it goes up by the way of its own territory to Beth-shemesh, then He has done this great evil to us. But if not, then we will know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance.”

¹⁰Then the men did so: they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut in their calves at home.

¹¹And they put the ark of the LORD on the cart, and the saddlebag with the gold mice and the likenesses of their tumors.

¹²Now the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh; they went on the same road, bellowing as they went, and did not turn off to the right or to the left. And the governors of the Philistines followed them to the border of Beth-shemesh.

¹³Now the people of Beth-shemesh were gathering in their wheat harvest in the valley, and they raised their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced at seeing it.

¹⁴And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stopped there where there was a large stone; and they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.

¹⁵And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the saddlebag that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices that day to the LORD.

¹⁶When the five governors of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron that day.

¹⁷Now these are the gold tumors which the Philistines returned as a guilt offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and one for Ekron;

¹⁸and the gold mice, corresponding to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five governors, both of fortified cities and of country villages. The large stone on which they placed the ark of the LORD is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.

¹⁹Now He fatally struck some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck 50,070 men among the people, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.

²⁰And the men of Beth-shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? And to whom will He go up from us?”

²¹So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD; come down and take it up to yourselves.”

¹And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the ark of the LORD and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and they consecrated his son Eleazar to watch over the ark of the LORD.

²From the day that the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, the time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel mourned after the LORD.

³Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will save you from the hand of the Philistines.”

⁴So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served the LORD alone.

⁵Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the LORD for you.”

⁶So they gathered to Mizpah, and drew water and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah.

⁷Now when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the governors of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard about it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

⁸So the sons of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that He will save us from the hand of the Philistines!”

⁹Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD; and Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him.

¹⁰Now Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, and the Philistines advanced to battle Israel. But the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day against the Philistines and confused them, so that they were struck down before Israel.

¹¹And the men of Israel came out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, and killed them as far as below Beth-car.

¹²Then Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer, saying, “So far the LORD has helped us.”

¹³So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore within the border of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

¹⁴The cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and Israel recovered their territory from the hand of the Philistines. So there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

¹⁵Now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

¹⁶And he used to go annually on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places.

¹⁷Then he would make his return to Ramah, because his house was there, and there he also judged Israel; and there he built an altar to the LORD.

¹Now it came about, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.

²The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba.

³His sons, however, did not walk in his ways but turned aside after dishonest gain, and they took bribes and perverted justice.

⁴Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah;

⁵and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

⁶But the matter was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD.

⁷And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people regarding all that they say to you, because they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them.

⁸Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have abandoned Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you as well.

⁹Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall warn them strongly and tell them of the practice of the king who will reign over them.”

¹⁰So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who had asked him for a king.

¹¹And he said, “This will be the practice of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and put them in his chariots for himself and among his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots.

¹²He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to gather in his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

¹³He will also take your daughters and use them as perfumers, cooks, and bakers.

¹⁴He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.

¹⁵And he will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and his servants.

¹⁶He will also take your male servants and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and use them for his work.

¹⁷He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.

¹⁸Then you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.”

¹⁹Yet the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us,

²⁰so that we also may be like all the nations, and our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

²¹Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the LORD’S hearing.

²²And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint a king for them.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go, every man to his city.”

¹Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, son of a Benjaminite, a valiant mighty man.

²He had a son whose name was Saul, a young and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome man than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people.

³Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, had wandered off. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Now take with you one of the servants and arise, go search for the donkeys.”

⁴So 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 the Benjaminites, but they did not find them.

⁵When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come, and let’s return, or else my father will stop being concerned about the donkeys and will become anxious about us.”

⁶But he said to him, “Behold now, there is a man of God in this city, and the man is held in honor; everything that he says definitely comes true. Now let’s go there, perhaps he can tell us about our journey on which we have set out.”

⁷Then Saul said to his servant, “But look, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our sacks and there is no gift to bring to the man of God. What do we have?”

⁸The servant answered Saul again and said, “Look, I have in my hand a fourth of a shekel of silver; I will give it to the man of God and he will tell us our way.”

⁹(Previously in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he used to say, “Come, and let’s go to the seer”; for he who is called a prophet now was previously called a seer.)

¹⁰Then Saul said to his servant, “Good idea; come, let’s go.” So they went to the city where the man of God was.

¹¹As they went up the slope to the city, they found young women going out to draw water, and they said to them, “Is the seer here?”

¹²They answered them and said, “He is; see, he is ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today, because the people have a sacrifice on the high place today.

¹³As soon as you enter the city you will 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 then, go up, for you will find him about this time.”

¹⁴So they went up to the city. As they came into the city, behold, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the high place.

¹⁵Now a day before Saul’s coming, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel, saying,

¹⁶“About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him as ruler over My people Israel; and he will save My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have considered My people, because their outcry has come to Me.”

¹⁷When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over My people.”

¹⁸Then Saul approached Samuel at the gateway and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”

¹⁹And Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you everything that is on your mind.

²⁰And as for your donkeys that wandered off three days ago, do not be concerned about them, for they have been found. And for whom is everything that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s household?”

²¹Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjaminite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then have you spoken to me in this way?”

²²Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall, and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty men.

²³And Samuel said to the cook, “Serve the portion that I gave you about which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.’ ”

²⁴Then the cook took up the leg with what was on it and placed it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here is what has been reserved! Place it before you and eat, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, since I said I have invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵When they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof.

²⁶And they got up early; and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, so that I may send you on your way.” So Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.

²⁷As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Speak to the servant and have him go on ahead of us and pass by; but you stand here now, so that I may proclaim the word of God to you.”

¹Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has the LORD not anointed you as ruler over His inheritance?

²When you leave me today, then you will find two men close to Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has stopped talking about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, “What am I to do about my son?” ’

³Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the oak of Tabor, and there three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you: one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine.

⁴And they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand.

⁵Afterward you will come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre in front of them, and they will be prophesying.

⁶Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be changed into a different man.

⁷And it shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires, because God is with you.

⁸And you shall go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will be coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and inform you of what you should do.”

⁹Then it happened, when he turned his back to leave Samuel, that God changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day.

¹⁰When they came there to the hill, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God rushed upon him, so that he prophesied among them.

¹¹And it came about, when all who previously knew him saw that he was indeed prophesying with the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”

¹²And a man from there responded and said, “And who is their father?” Therefore it became a saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

¹³When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

¹⁴Now Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they were nowhere to be found, we went to Samuel.”

¹⁵Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”

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

¹⁷Now Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah;

¹⁸and he said to the sons of Israel, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’

¹⁹But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your catastrophes and your distresses; yet you have said, ‘No, but put a king over us!’ Now then, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your groups of thousands.”

²⁰So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel forward; and the tribe of Benjamin was selected by lot.

²¹Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin forward by its families, and the Matrite family was selected by lot. And Saul the son of Kish was selected by lot; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.

²²Therefore they inquired further of the LORD: “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD said, “Behold, he is hiding himself among the baggage.”

²³So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.

²⁴Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.” So all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!”

²⁵Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book, and placed it before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house.

²⁶Saul also went to his house in Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

²⁷But certain useless men said, “How can this one save us?” And they despised him and did not bring him a gift. But he kept silent about it.

¹Now Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us and we will serve you.”

²But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “I will make it with you on this condition, that I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, and thereby I will inflict a disgrace on all Israel.”

³So the elders of Jabesh said to him, “Allow us seven days to send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you.”

⁴Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and spoke these words in the hearing of the people, and all the people raised their voices and wept.

⁵Now behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen, and Saul said, “What is the matter with the people that they weep?” So they reported to him the words of the men of Jabesh.

⁶Then the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and he became very angry.

⁷He then took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, the same shall be done to his oxen.” Then the dread of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out as one person.

⁸He counted them in Bezek; and the sons of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah, thirty thousand.

⁹They said to the messengers who had come, “This is what you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will be saved.’ ” So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they rejoiced.

¹⁰Then the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.”

¹¹The next morning Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch, and struck and killed the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

¹²Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is he that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, so that we may put them to death!”

¹³But Saul said, “Not a single person shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has brought about victory in Israel.”

¹⁴Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, and let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.”

¹⁵So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they also offered sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

¹Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice for all that you said to me, and I have appointed a king over you.

²Now, here is the king walking before you, but as for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. And I have walked before you since my youth to this day.

³Here I am; testify against me before the LORD and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to close my eyes with it? I will return it to you.”

⁴And they said, “You have not exploited us or oppressed us, or taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

⁵So he said to them, “The LORD is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that you have found nothing in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”

⁶Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.

⁷Now then, take your stand, so that I may enter into judgment with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous acts of the LORD that He did for you and your fathers.

⁸When Jacob went into Egypt and your fathers cried out to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

⁹But they forgot the LORD their God, so He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.

¹⁰They cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have abandoned the LORD and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but now save us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’

¹¹Then the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and saved you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that you lived in security.

¹²But when you saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us!’ Yet the LORD your God was your king.

¹³And now, behold, the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for, and behold, the LORD has put a king over you.

¹⁴If you will fear the LORD and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God.

¹⁵But if you do not listen to the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the command of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, even as it was against your fathers.

¹⁶Even now, take your stand and see this great thing which the LORD is going to do before your eyes.

¹⁷Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call to the LORD, that He will send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the LORD, by asking for yourselves a king.”

¹⁸So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

¹⁹Then all the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants, so that we do not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil, by asking for ourselves a king.”

²⁰Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.

²¹Indeed, you must not turn aside, for then you would go after useless things which cannot benefit or save, because they are useless.

²²For the LORD will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the LORD has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.

²³Furthermore, as for me, far be it from me that I would sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.

²⁴Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.

²⁵But if you still do evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”

¹Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty-two years over Israel.

²Now Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel, of whom two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent the rest of the people away, each to his tent.

³And Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”

⁴And all Israel heard the news that Saul had attacked the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become repulsive to the Philistines. Then the people were summoned to Saul at Gilgal.

⁵Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven.

⁶When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble (for the people were hard-pressed), then the people kept themselves hidden in caves, in crevices, in cliffs, in crypts, and in pits.

⁷And some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling.

⁸Now he waited for seven days, until the appointed time that Samuel had set, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him.

⁹So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.

¹⁰But as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.

¹¹But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Since I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come at the appointed time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash,

¹²I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD.’ So I worked up the courage and offered the burnt offering.”

¹³But Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly! You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for the LORD would now have established your kingdom over Israel forever.

¹⁴But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

¹⁵Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul counted the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.

¹⁶Now Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were present with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin while the Philistines camped at Michmash.

¹⁷Then raiders came from the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual,

¹⁸and another company turned toward Beth-horon, and another company turned toward the border that overlooks the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

¹⁹Now no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears.”

²⁰So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his hoe.

²¹The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to fix the cattle goads.

²²So it came about on the day of battle that neither sword nor spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, but they were found with Saul and his son Jonathan.

²³And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the gorge of Michmash.

¹Now the day came that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come, and let’s cross over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

²Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree that is in Migron. And the people who were with him numbered about six hundred men;

³and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of the LORD at Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

⁴Now between the gorges by which Jonathan sought to cross over to 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 Bozez, and the name of the other, Seneh.

⁵The one crag rose on the north opposite Michmash, and the other on the south opposite Geba.

⁶Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come, and let’s cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men; perhaps the LORD will work for us, because the LORD is not limited to saving by many or by few!”

⁷His armor bearer said to him, “Do everything that is in your heart; turn yourself to it, and here I am with you, as your heart desires.”

⁸Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we are going to cross over to the men and reveal ourselves to them.

⁹If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you’; then we will stand in our place and not go up to them.

¹⁰But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the LORD has handed them over to us; and this shall be the sign to us.”

¹¹When the two of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines, the Philistines said, “Behold, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have kept themselves hidden.”

¹²So the men of the garrison responded to Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, “Come up to us and we will inform you of something.” And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up after me, for the LORD has handed them over to Israel.”

¹³Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer behind him; and the men fell before Jonathan, and his armor bearer put some to death after him.

¹⁴Now that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor bearer inflicted was about twenty men within about half a furrow in an acre of land.

¹⁵And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. Even the garrison and the raiders trembled, and the earth quaked so that it became a great trembling.

¹⁶Now Saul’s watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude dissolved; they went here and there.

¹⁷So Saul said to the people who were with him, “Look carefully now and see who has left us.” And when they had looked, behold, Jonathan and his armor bearer were not there.

¹⁸Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For at that time the ark of God was with the sons of Israel.

¹⁹While Saul talked to the priest, the commotion in the camp of the Philistines continued and increased; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”

²⁰Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and came to the battle; and behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow Philistine, and there was very great confusion.

²¹Now the Hebrews who were with the Philistines previously, who went up with them all around in the camp, even they also returned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

²²When all the men of Israel who had kept themselves hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, they also closely pursued them in the battle.

²³So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle spread beyond Beth-aven.

²⁴Now the men of Israel were hard-pressed on that day, for Saul had put the people under oath, saying, “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, and before I have avenged myself on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.

²⁵All the people of the land entered the forest, and there was honey on the ground.

²⁶When the people entered the forest, behold, there was honey dripping; but no man put his hand to his mouth, because the people feared the oath.

²⁷However, Jonathan had not heard it when his father put the people under oath; so he put out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.

²⁸Then one of the people responded and said, “Your father strictly put the people under oath, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today.’ ” And the people were weary.

²⁹Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See now that my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

³⁰How much more, if only the people had freely eaten today of the spoils of their enemies which they found! For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.”

³¹They attacked the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. But the people were very tired.

³²So the people loudly rushed upon the spoils, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood.

³³Then observers informed Saul, saying, “Look, the people are sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood.” And he said, “You have acted treacherously; roll a large rock to me today.”

³⁴Then Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Each one of you bring me his ox or his sheep, and slaughter it here and eat; and do not sin against the LORD by eating it with the blood.’ ” So all the people brought them that night, each one his ox with him, and they slaughtered them there.

³⁵And Saul built an altar to the LORD; it was the first altar that he built to the LORD.

³⁶Then Saul said, “Let’s go down after the Philistines by night and take plunder among them until the morning light, and let’s not leave a man among them alive.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” So the priest said, “Let’s approach God here.”

³⁷So Saul inquired of God: “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You hand them over to Israel?” But He did not answer him on that day.

³⁸Then Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people, and investigate and see how this sin has happened today.

³⁹For as the LORD lives, who saves Israel, even if it is in my son Jonathan, he shall assuredly die!” But not one of all the people answered him.

⁴⁰Then he said to all Israel, “You shall be on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”

⁴¹Therefore, Saul said to the LORD, the God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.” And Jonathan and Saul were selected by lot, but the people were exonerated.

⁴²Then Saul said, “Cast lots between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan was selected by lot.

⁴³So Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, and said, “I did indeed taste a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I must die!”

⁴⁴And Saul said, “May God do the same to me and more also, for you shall certainly die, Jonathan!”

⁴⁵But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, he who has brought about this great victory in Israel? Far from it! As the LORD lives, not even a hair of his head shall fall to the ground, because he has worked with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan and he did not die.

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

⁴⁷Now when Saul had taken control of the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, the sons of Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment.

⁴⁸And he acted valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, and saved Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.

⁴⁹Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn was Merab, and the name of the younger, Michal.

⁵⁰And 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 uncle.

⁵¹Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

⁵²Now the war against the Philistines was severe all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any warrior or any valiant man, he attached him to his staff.

¹Then Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD.

²This is what the LORD of armies says: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, in that he obstructed him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.

³Now go and strike Amalek and completely destroy everything that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

⁴Then Saul summoned the people and counted them in Telaim: two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah.

⁵And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the wadi.

⁶But Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, get away, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you along with them; for you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they went up from Egypt.” So the Kenites got away from among the Amalekites.

⁷Then Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah going toward Shur, which is east of Egypt.

⁸He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

⁹But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the more valuable animals, the lambs, and everything that was good, and were unwilling to destroy them completely; but everything despicable and weak, that they completely destroyed.

¹⁰Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying,

¹¹“I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was furious and cried out to the LORD all night.

¹²Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was reported to Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal.”

¹³So Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD.”

¹⁴But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the bellowing of the oxen which I hear?”

¹⁵Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have completely destroyed.”

¹⁶Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop, and let me inform you of what the LORD said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”

¹⁷So Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were insignificant in your own eyes, that you became the head of the tribes of Israel? For the LORD anointed you as king over Israel.

¹⁸And the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are eliminated.’

¹⁹Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Instead, you loudly rushed upon the spoils and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD!”

²⁰Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the LORD, for I went on the mission on which the LORD sent me; and I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites.

²¹But the people took some of the spoils, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things designated for destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal.”

²²Samuel said, “Does the LORD have as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than a sacrifice, And to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.

²³For rebellion is as reprehensible as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as reprehensible as false religion and idolatry. Since you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king.”

²⁴Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have violated the command of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.

²⁵Now then, please pardon my sin and return with me, so that I may worship the LORD.”

²⁶But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

²⁷Then Samuel turned to go, but Saul grasped the edge of his robe, and it tore off.

²⁸So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.

²⁹Also the Glory of Israel will not lie nor change His mind; for He is not a man, that He would change His mind.”

³⁰Then Saul said, “I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before all Israel, and go back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God.”

³¹So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

³²Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is gone!”

³³But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal.

³⁴Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul.

³⁵And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, though Samuel mourned for Saul. And the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

¹Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, because I have chosen a king for Myself among his sons.”

²But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” But the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’

³And you shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.”

⁴So Samuel did what the LORD told him, and he came to Bethlehem. Then the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?”

⁵And he said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’S anointed is standing before Him.”

⁷But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God does not see as man sees, since man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

⁸Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass before Samuel. But he said, “The LORD has not chosen this one, either.”

⁹Next Jesse had Shammah pass by. And he said, “The LORD has not chosen this one, either.”

¹⁰So Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.”

¹¹Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the boys?” And he said, “The youngest is still left, but behold, he is tending the sheep.” So Samuel said to Jesse, “Send word and bring him; for we will not take our places at the table until he comes here.”

¹²So he sent word and brought him in. Now he was reddish, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.”

¹³So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel set out and went to Ramah.

¹⁴Now the Spirit of the LORD left Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrified him.

¹⁵Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrifying you.

¹⁶May our lord now command your servants who are before you. Have them search for a man who is a skillful musician on the harp; and it shall come about whenever the evil spirit from God is upon you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will become well.”

¹⁷So Saul said to his servants, “Now select for me a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”

¹⁸Then one of the young men responded and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a valiant mighty man, a warrior, skillful in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him.”

¹⁹So Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, “Send me your son David, who is with the flock.”

²⁰And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine, and he took a young goat, and sent them to Saul by his son David.

²¹Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul greatly loved him, and he became his armor bearer.

²²So Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Let David now be my attendant for he has found favor in my sight.”

²³So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would feel relieved and become well, and the evil spirit would leave him.