Book | Chapter | Verse | Text |
1 Samuel |
1 |
1 |
There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham and grandson of Elihu, from the family of Tohu and the clan of Zuph. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
2 |
Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, while Hannah did not. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
3 |
Each year Elkanah and his family would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at the Tabernacle. The priests of the LORD at that time were the two sons of Eli--Hophni and Phinehas. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
4 |
On the day Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the sacrifice to Peninnah and each of her children. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
5 |
But he gave Hannah a special portion because he loved her very much, even though the LORD had given her no children. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
6 |
But Peninnah made fun of Hannah because the LORD had closed her womb. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
7 |
Year after year it was the same--Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Hannah would finally be reduced to tears and would not even eat. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
8 |
"What's the matter, Hannah?" Elkanah would ask. "Why aren't you eating? Why be so sad just because you have no children? You have me--isn't that better than having ten sons?" |
1 Samuel |
1 |
9 |
Once when they were at Shiloh, Hannah went over to the Tabernacle after supper to pray to the LORD. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
10 |
Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the LORD. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
11 |
And she made this vow: "O LORD Almighty, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the LORD, his hair will never be cut." |
1 Samuel |
1 |
12 |
As she was praying to the LORD, Eli watched her. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
13 |
Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
14 |
"Must you come here drunk?" he demanded. "Throw away your wine!" |
1 Samuel |
1 |
15 |
"Oh no, sir!" she replied, "I'm not drunk! But I am very sad, and I was pouring out my heart to the LORD. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
16 |
Please don't think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow." |
1 Samuel |
1 |
17 |
"In that case," Eli said, "cheer up! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him." |
1 Samuel |
1 |
18 |
"Oh, thank you, sir!" she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
19 |
The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the LORD once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the LORD remembered her request, |
1 Samuel |
1 |
20 |
and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, "I asked the LORD for him." |
1 Samuel |
1 |
21 |
The next year Elkanah, Peninnah, and their children went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the LORD. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
22 |
But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, "Wait until the baby is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the LORD permanently." |
1 Samuel |
1 |
23 |
"Whatever you think is best," Elkanah agreed. "Stay here for now, and may the LORD help you keep your promise." So she stayed home and nursed the baby. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
24 |
When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and half a bushel of flour and some wine. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
25 |
After sacrificing the bull, they took the child to Eli. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
26 |
"Sir, do you remember me?" Hannah asked. "I am the woman who stood here several years ago praying to the LORD. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
27 |
I asked the LORD to give me this child, and he has given me my request. |
1 Samuel |
1 |
28 |
Now I am giving him to the LORD, and he will belong to the LORD his whole life." And they worshiped the LORD there. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
1 |
Then Hannah prayed: "My heart rejoices in the LORD! Oh, how the LORD has blessed me! Now I have an answer for my enemies, as I delight in your deliverance. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
2 |
No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
3 |
"Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don't speak with such arrogance! The LORD is a God who knows your deeds; and he will judge you for what you have done. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
4 |
Those who were mighty are mighty no more; and those who were weak are now strong. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
5 |
Those who were well fed are now starving; and those who were starving are now full. The barren woman now has seven children; but the woman with many children will have no more. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
6 |
The LORD brings both death and life; he brings some down to the grave but raises others up. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
7 |
The LORD makes one poor and another rich; he brings one down and lifts another up. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
8 |
He lifts the poor from the dust--yes, from a pile of ashes! He treats them like princes, placing them in seats of honor. "For all the earth is the LORD's, and he has set the world in order. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
9 |
He will protect his godly ones, but the wicked will perish in darkness. No one will succeed by strength alone. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
10 |
Those who fight against the LORD will be broken. He thunders against them from heaven; the LORD judges throughout the earth. He gives mighty strength to his king; he increases the might of his anointed one." |
1 Samuel |
2 |
11 |
Then Elkanah and Hannah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy became the LORD's helper, for he assisted Eli the priest. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
12 |
Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the LORD |
1 Samuel |
2 |
13 |
or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli's sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling, |
1 Samuel |
2 |
14 |
the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli's sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
15 |
Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal's fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
16 |
The man offering the sacrifice might reply, "Take as much as you want, but the fat must first be burned." Then the servant would demand, "No, give it to me now, or I'll take it by force." |
1 Samuel |
2 |
17 |
So the sin of these young men was very serious in the LORD's sight, for they treated the LORD's offerings with contempt. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
18 |
Now Samuel, though only a boy, was the LORD's helper. He wore a linen tunic just like that of a priest. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
19 |
Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
20 |
Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, "May the LORD give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the LORD. " |
1 Samuel |
2 |
21 |
And the LORD gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
22 |
Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
23 |
Eli said to them, "I have been hearing reports from the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning? |
1 Samuel |
2 |
24 |
You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the LORD's people are not good. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
25 |
If someone sins against another person, God can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede?" But Eli's sons wouldn't listen to their father, for the LORD was already planning to put them to death. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
26 |
Meanwhile, as young Samuel grew taller, he also continued to gain favor with the LORD and with the people. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
27 |
One day a prophet came to Eli and gave him this message from the LORD: "Didn't I reveal myself to your ancestors when the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt? |
1 Samuel |
2 |
28 |
I chose your ancestor Aaron from among all his relatives to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly garments as he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
29 |
So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you honor your sons more than me--for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people! |
1 Samuel |
2 |
30 |
"Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says: The terrible things you are doing cannot continue! I had promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests. But I will honor only those who honor me, and I will despise those who despise me. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
31 |
I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will live to a ripe old age. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
32 |
You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel. But no members of your family will ever live out their days. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
33 |
Those who are left alive will live in sadness and grief, and their children will die a violent death. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
34 |
And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day! |
1 Samuel |
2 |
35 |
"Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I tell him to do. I will bless his descendants, and his family will be priests to my anointed kings forever. |
1 Samuel |
2 |
36 |
Then all of your descendants will bow before his descendants, begging for money and food. `Please,' they will say, `give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.'" |
1 Samuel |
3 |
1 |
Meanwhile, the boy Samuel was serving the LORD by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the LORD were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
2 |
One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had just gone to bed. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
3 |
The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
4 |
Suddenly, the LORD called out, "Samuel! Samuel!Yes?" Samuel replied. "What is it?" |
1 Samuel |
3 |
5 |
He jumped up and ran to Eli. "Here I am. What do you need?I didn't call you," Eli replied. "Go on back to bed." So he did. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
6 |
Then the LORD called out again, "Samuel!" Again Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli. "Here I am," he said. "What do you need?I didn't call you, my son," Eli said. "Go on back to bed." |
1 Samuel |
3 |
7 |
Samuel did not yet know the LORD because he had never had a message from the LORD before. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
8 |
So now the LORD called a third time, and once more Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli. "Here I am," he said. "What do you need?" Then Eli realized it was the LORD who was calling the boy. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
9 |
So he said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, `Yes, LORD, your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went back to bed. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
10 |
And the LORD came and called as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Yes, your servant is listening." |
1 Samuel |
3 |
11 |
Then the LORD said to Samuel, "I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
12 |
I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
13 |
I have warned him continually that judgment is coming for his family, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn't disciplined them. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
14 |
So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings." |
1 Samuel |
3 |
15 |
Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the LORD had said to him. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
16 |
But Eli called out to him, "Samuel, my son.Here I am," Samuel replied. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
17 |
"What did the LORD say to you? Tell me everything. And may God punish you if you hide anything from me!" |
1 Samuel |
3 |
18 |
So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn't hold anything back. "It is the LORD's will," Eli replied. "Let him do what he thinks best." |
1 Samuel |
3 |
19 |
As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him, and everything Samuel said was wise and helpful. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
20 |
All the people of Israel from one end of the land to the other knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD. |
1 Samuel |
3 |
21 |
The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle. 1And Samuel's words went out to all the people of Israel. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
1 |
At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israelite army was camped near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were at Aphek. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
2 |
The Philistines attacked and defeated the army of Israel, killing four thousand men. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
3 |
After the battle was over, the army of Israel retreated to their camp, and their leaders asked, "Why did the LORD allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?" Then they said, "Let's bring the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies." |
1 Samuel |
4 |
4 |
So they sent men to Shiloh to bring back the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, helped carry the Ark of God to where the battle was being fought. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
5 |
When the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD coming into the camp, their shout of joy was so loud that it made the ground shake! |
1 Samuel |
4 |
6 |
"What's going on?" the Philistines asked. "What's all the shouting about in the Hebrew camp?" When they were told it was because the Ark of the LORD had arrived, |
1 Samuel |
4 |
7 |
they panicked. "The gods have come into their camp!" they cried. "This is a disaster! We have never had to face anything like this before! |
1 Samuel |
4 |
8 |
Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
9 |
Fight as you never have before, Philistines! If you don't, we will become the Hebrews' slaves just as they have been ours!" |
1 Samuel |
4 |
10 |
So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; thirty thousand Israelite men died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
11 |
The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
12 |
A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battlefront and arrived at Shiloh later that same day. He had torn his clothes and put dust on his head to show his grief. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
13 |
Eli was waiting beside the road to hear the news of the battle, for his heart trembled for the safety of the Ark of God. When the messenger arrived and told what had happened, an outcry resounded throughout the town. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
14 |
"What is all the noise about?" Eli asked. The messenger rushed over to Eli, |
1 Samuel |
4 |
15 |
who was ninety-eight years old and blind. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
16 |
He said to Eli, "I have just come from the battlefront--I was there this very day.What happened?" Eli demanded. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
17 |
"Israel has been defeated," the messenger replied. "Thousands of Israelite troops are dead on the battlefield. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed, too. And the Ark of God has been captured." |
1 Samuel |
4 |
18 |
When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and very fat. He had led Israel for forty years. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
19 |
Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near her time of delivery. When she heard that the Ark of God had been captured and that her husband and father-in-law were dead, her labor pains suddenly began. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
20 |
She died in childbirth, but before she passed away the midwives tried to encourage her. "Don't be afraid," they said. "You have a baby boy!" But she did not answer or respond in any way. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
21 |
She named the child Ichabod--"Where is the glory?"--murmuring, "Israel's glory is gone." She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her husband and her father-in-law were dead. |
1 Samuel |
4 |
22 |
Then she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured." |
1 Samuel |
5 |
1 |
After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the city of Ashdod. |
1 Samuel |
5 |
2 |
They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside the idol of Dagon. |
1 Samuel |
5 |
3 |
But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of the LORD! So they set the idol up again. |
1 Samuel |
5 |
4 |
But the next morning the same thing happened--the idol had fallen face down before the Ark of the LORD again. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only the trunk of his body was left intact. |
1 Samuel |
5 |
5 |
That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor anyone who enters the temple of Dagon will step on its threshold. |
1 Samuel |
5 |
6 |
Then the LORD began to afflict the people of Ashdod and the nearby villages with a plague of tumors. |
1 Samuel |
5 |
7 |
When the people realized what was happening, they cried out, "We can't keep the Ark of the God of Israel here any longer! He is against us! We will all be destroyed along with our god Dagon." |
1 Samuel |
5 |
8 |
So they called together the rulers of the five Philistine cities and asked, "What should we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?" The rulers discussed it and replied, "Move it to the city of Gath." So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel to Gath. |
1 Samuel |
5 |
9 |
But when the Ark arrived at Gath, the LORD began afflicting its people, young and old, with a plague of tumors, and there was a great panic. |
1 Samuel |
5 |
10 |
So they sent the Ark of God to the city of Ekron, but when the people of Ekron saw it coming they cried out, "They are bringing the Ark of the God of Israel here to kill us, too!" |
1 Samuel |
5 |
11 |
So the people summoned the rulers again and begged them, "Please send the Ark of the God of Israel back to its own country, or it will kill us all." For the plague from God had already begun, and great fear was sweeping across the city. |
1 Samuel |
5 |
12 |
Those who didn't die were afflicted with tumors; and there was weeping everywhere. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
1 |
The Ark of the LORD remained in Philistine territory seven months in all. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
2 |
Then the Philistines called in their priests and diviners and asked them, "What should we do about the Ark of the LORD? Tell us how to return it to its own land." |
1 Samuel |
6 |
3 |
"Send the Ark of the God of Israel back, along with a gift," they were told. "Send a guilt offering so the plague will stop. Then, if the plague doesn't stop, you will know that God didn't send the plague after all." |
1 Samuel |
6 |
4 |
"What sort of guilt offering should we send?" they asked. And they were told, "Since the plague has struck both you and your five rulers, make five gold tumors and five gold rats, just like those that have ravaged your land. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
5 |
Make these things to show honor to the God of Israel. Perhaps then he will stop afflicting you, your gods, and your land. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
6 |
Don't be stubborn and rebellious as Pharaoh and the Egyptians were. They wouldn't let Israel go until God had ravaged them with dreadful plagues. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
7 |
Now build a new cart, and find two cows that have just had calves. Make sure the cows have never been yoked to a cart. Hitch the cows to the cart, but shut their calves away from them in a pen. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
8 |
Put the Ark of the LORD on the cart, and beside it place a chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors. Then let the cows go wherever they want. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
9 |
If they cross the border of our land and go to Beth-shemesh, we will know it was the LORD who brought this great disaster upon us. If they don't, we will know that the plague was simply a coincidence and was not sent by the LORD at all." |
1 Samuel |
6 |
10 |
So these instructions were carried out. Two cows with newborn calves were hitched to the cart, and their calves were shut up in a pen. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
11 |
Then the Ark of the LORD and the chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors were placed on the cart. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
12 |
And sure enough, the cows went straight along the road toward Beth-shemesh, lowing as they went. The Philistine rulers followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
13 |
The people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they saw the Ark, they were overjoyed! |
1 Samuel |
6 |
14 |
The cart came into the field of a man named Joshua and stopped beside a large rock. So the people broke up the wood of the cart for a fire and killed the cows and sacrificed them to the LORD as a burnt offering. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
15 |
Several men of the tribe of Levi lifted the Ark of the LORD and the chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors from the cart and placed them on the large rock. Many burnt offerings and sacrifices were offered to the LORD that day by the people of Beth-shemesh. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
16 |
The five Philistine rulers watched all this and then returned to Ekron that same day. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
17 |
The five gold tumors that were sent by the Philistines as a guilt offering to the LORD were gifts from the rulers of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
18 |
The five gold rats represented the five Philistine cities and their surrounding villages, which were controlled by the five rulers. The large rock at Beth-shemesh, where they set the Ark of the LORD, still stands in the field of Joshua as a reminder of what happened there. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
19 |
But the LORD killed seventy men from Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark of the LORD. And the people mourned greatly because of what the LORD had done. |
1 Samuel |
6 |
20 |
"Who is able to stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God?" they cried out. "Where can we send the Ark from here?" |
1 Samuel |
6 |
21 |
So they sent messengers to the people at Kiriath-jearim and told them, "The Philistines have returned the Ark of the LORD. Please come here and get it!" |
1 Samuel |
7 |
1 |
So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of the LORD. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
2 |
The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time--twenty years in all. During that time, all Israel mourned because it seemed that the LORD had abandoned them. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
3 |
Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, "If you are really serious about wanting to return to the LORD, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Determine to obey only the LORD; then he will rescue you from the Philistines." |
1 Samuel |
7 |
4 |
So the Israelites destroyed their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the LORD. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
5 |
Then Samuel told them, "Come to Mizpah, all of you. I will pray to the LORD for you." |
1 Samuel |
7 |
6 |
So they gathered there and, in a great ceremony, drew water from a well and poured it out before the LORD. They also went without food all day and confessed that they had sinned against the LORD. So it was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel's judge. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
7 |
When the Philistine rulers heard that all Israel had gathered at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelites were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
8 |
"Plead with the LORD our God to save us from the Philistines!" they begged Samuel. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
9 |
So Samuel took a young lamb and offered it to the LORD as a whole burnt offering. He pleaded with the LORD to help Israel, and the LORD answered. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
10 |
Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived for battle. But the LORD spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
11 |
The men of Israel chased them from Mizpah to Beth-car, slaughtering them all along the way. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
12 |
Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer--"the stone of help"--for he said, "Up to this point the LORD has helped us!" |
1 Samuel |
7 |
13 |
So the Philistines were subdued and didn't invade Israel again for a long time. And throughout Samuel's lifetime, the LORD's powerful hand was raised against the Philistines. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
14 |
The Israelite towns near Ekron and Gath that the Philistines had captured were restored to Israel, along with the rest of the territory that the Philistines had taken. And there was also peace between Israel and the Amorites in those days. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
15 |
Samuel continued as Israel's judge for the rest of his life. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
16 |
Each year he traveled around, setting up his court first at Bethel, then at Gilgal, and then at Mizpah. He judged the people of Israel at each of these places. |
1 Samuel |
7 |
17 |
Then he would return to his home at Ramah, and he would hear cases there, too. And Samuel built an altar to the LORD at Ramah. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
1 |
As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
2 |
Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
3 |
But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
4 |
Finally, the leaders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
5 |
"Look," they told him, "you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king like all the other nations have." |
1 Samuel |
8 |
6 |
Samuel was very upset with their request and went to the LORD for advice. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
7 |
"Do as they say," the LORD replied, "for it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don't want me to be their king any longer. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
8 |
Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually forsaken me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
9 |
Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about how a king will treat them." |
1 Samuel |
8 |
10 |
So Samuel passed on the LORD's warning to the people. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
11 |
"This is how a king will treat you," Samuel said. "The king will draft your sons into his army and make them run before his chariots. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
12 |
Some will be commanders of his troops, while others will be slave laborers. Some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, while others will make his weapons and chariot equipment. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
13 |
The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
14 |
He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own servants. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
15 |
He will take a tenth of your harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
16 |
He will want your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
17 |
He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
18 |
When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but the LORD will not help you." |
1 Samuel |
8 |
19 |
But the people refused to listen to Samuel's warning. "Even so, we still want a king," they said. |
1 Samuel |
8 |
20 |
"We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will govern us and lead us into battle." |
1 Samuel |
8 |
21 |
So Samuel told the LORD what the people had said, |
1 Samuel |
8 |
22 |
and the LORD replied, "Do as they say, and give them a king." Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
1 |
Kish was a rich, influential man from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel and grandson of Zeror, from the family of Becorath and the clan of Aphiah. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
2 |
His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel--head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
3 |
One day Kish's donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, "Take a servant with you, and go look for them." |
1 Samuel |
9 |
4 |
So Saul took one of his servants and traveled all through the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalishah, the Shaalim area, and the entire land of Benjamin, but they couldn't find the donkeys anywhere. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
5 |
Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, "Let's go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!" |
1 Samuel |
9 |
6 |
But the servant said, "I've just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let's go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go." |
1 Samuel |
9 |
7 |
"But we don't have anything to offer him," Saul replied. "Even our food is gone, and we don't have a thing to give him." |
1 Samuel |
9 |
8 |
"Well," the servant said, "I have one small silver piece. We can at least offer it to him and see what happens!" |
1 Samuel |
9 |
9 |
(In those days if people wanted a message from God, they would say, "Let's go and ask the seer," for prophets used to be called seers.) |
1 Samuel |
9 |
10 |
"All right," Saul agreed, "let's try it!" So they started into the town where the man of God was. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
11 |
As they were climbing a hill toward the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water. So Saul and his servant asked, "Is the seer here today?" |
1 Samuel |
9 |
12 |
"Yes," they replied. "Stay right on this road. He is at the town gates. He has just arrived to take part in a public sacrifice up on the hill. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
13 |
Hurry and catch him before he goes up the hill to eat. The guests won't start until he arrives to bless the food." |
1 Samuel |
9 |
14 |
So they entered the town, and as they passed through the gates, Samuel was coming out toward them to climb the hill. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
15 |
Now the LORD had told Samuel the previous day, |
1 Samuel |
9 |
16 |
"About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him to be the leader of my people, Israel. He will rescue them from the Philistines, for I have looked down on my people in mercy and have heard their cry." |
1 Samuel |
9 |
17 |
When Samuel noticed Saul, the LORD said, "That's the man I told you about! He will rule my people." |
1 Samuel |
9 |
18 |
Just then Saul approached Samuel at the gateway and asked, "Can you please tell me where the seer's house is?" |
1 Samuel |
9 |
19 |
"I am the seer!" Samuel replied. "Go on up the hill ahead of me to the place of sacrifice, and we'll eat there together. In the morning I will tell you what you want to know and send you on your way. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
20 |
And don't worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel's hopes." |
1 Samuel |
9 |
21 |
Saul replied, "But I'm only from Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?" |
1 Samuel |
9 |
22 |
Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the great hall and placed them at the head of the table, honoring them above the thirty special guests. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
23 |
Samuel then instructed the cook to bring Saul the finest cut of meat, the piece that had been set aside for the guest of honor. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
24 |
So the cook brought it in and placed it before Saul. "Go ahead and eat it," Samuel said. "I was saving it for you even before I invited these others!" So Saul ate with Samuel. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
25 |
After the feast, when they had returned to the town, Samuel took Saul up to the roof of the house and prepared a bed for him there. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
26 |
At daybreak the next morning, Samuel called up to Saul, "Get up! It's time you were on your way." So Saul got ready, and he and Samuel left the house together. |
1 Samuel |
9 |
27 |
When they reached the edge of town, Samuel told Saul to send his servant on ahead. After the servant was gone, Samuel said, "Stay here, for I have received a special message for you from God." |
1 Samuel |
10 |
1 |
Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul's head. He kissed Saul on the cheek and said, "I am doing this because the LORD has appointed you to be the leader of his people Israel. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
2 |
When you leave me today, you will see two men beside Rachel's tomb at Zelzah, on the border of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys have been found and that your father is worried about you and is asking, `Have you seen my son?' |
1 Samuel |
10 |
3 |
"When you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at Bethel. One will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a skin of wine. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
4 |
They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
5 |
"When you arrive at Gibeah of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the altar on the hill. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
6 |
At that time the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you with power, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
7 |
After these signs take place, do whatever you think is best, for God will be with you. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
8 |
Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me and wait for me there seven days. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. When I arrive, I will give you further instructions." |
1 Samuel |
10 |
9 |
As Saul turned and started to leave, God changed his heart, and all Samuel's signs were fulfilled that day. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
10 |
When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw the prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
11 |
When his friends heard about it, they exclaimed, "What? Is Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?" |
1 Samuel |
10 |
12 |
But one of the neighbors responded, "It doesn't matter who his father is; anyone can become a prophet." So that is the origin of the saying "Is Saul a prophet?" |
1 Samuel |
10 |
13 |
When Saul had finished prophesying, he climbed the hill to the altar. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
14 |
"Where in the world have you been?" Saul's uncle asked him. "We went to look for the donkeys," Saul replied, "but we couldn't find them. So we went to the prophet Samuel to ask him where they were." |
1 Samuel |
10 |
15 |
"Oh? And what did he say?" his uncle asked. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
16 |
"He said the donkeys had been found," Saul replied. But Saul didn't tell his uncle that Samuel had anointed him to be king. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
17 |
Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the LORD at Mizpah. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
18 |
And he gave them this message from the LORD, the God of Israel: "I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
19 |
But though I have done so much for you, you have rejected me and said, `We want a king instead!' Now, therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by tribes and clans." |
1 Samuel |
10 |
20 |
So Samuel called the tribal leaders together before the LORD, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
21 |
Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the LORD, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! |
1 Samuel |
10 |
22 |
So they asked the LORD, "Where is he?" And the LORD replied, "He is hiding among the baggage." |
1 Samuel |
10 |
23 |
So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
24 |
Then Samuel said to all the people, "This is the man the LORD has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is his equal!" And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!" |
1 Samuel |
10 |
25 |
Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the LORD. Then Samuel sent the people home again. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
26 |
When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a band of men whose hearts God had touched became his constant companions. |
1 Samuel |
10 |
27 |
But there were some wicked men who complained, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him and refused to bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them. |
1 Samuel |
11 |
1 |
About a month later, King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the Israelite city of Jabesh-gilead. But the citizens of Jabesh asked for peace. "Make a treaty with us, and we will be your servants," they pleaded. |
1 Samuel |
11 |
2 |
"All right," Nahash said, "but only on one condition. I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you as a disgrace to all Israel!" |
1 Samuel |
11 |
3 |
"Give us seven days to send messengers throughout Israel!" replied the leaders of Jabesh. "If none of our relatives will come to save us, we will agree to your terms." |
1 Samuel |
11 |
4 |
When the messengers came to Gibeah, Saul's hometown, and told the people about their plight, everyone broke into tears. |
1 Samuel |
11 |
5 |
Saul was plowing in the field, and when he returned to town, he asked, "What's the matter? Why is everyone crying?" So they told him about the message from Jabesh. |
1 Samuel |
11 |
6 |
Then the Spirit of God came mightily upon Saul, and he became very angry. |
1 Samuel |
11 |
7 |
He took two oxen and cut them into pieces and sent the messengers to carry them throughout Israel with this message: "This is what will happen to the oxen of anyone who refuses to follow Saul and Samuel into battle!" And the LORD made the people afraid of Saul's anger, and all of them came out together as one. |
1 Samuel |
11 |
8 |
When Saul mobilized them at Bezek, he found that there were 300,000 men of Israel, in addition to 30,000 from Judah. |
1 Samuel |
11 |
9 |
So Saul sent the messengers back to Jabesh-gilead to say, "We will rescue you by noontime tomorrow!" What joy there was throughout the city when that message arrived! |
1 Samuel |
11 |
10 |
The men of Jabesh then told their enemies, "Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you can do to us as you wish." |
1 Samuel |
11 |
11 |
But before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments. He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together. |
1 Samuel |
11 |
12 |
Then the people exclaimed to Samuel, "Now where are those men who said Saul shouldn't rule over us? Bring them here, and we will kill them!" |
1 Samuel |
11 |
13 |
But Saul replied, "No one will be executed today, for today the LORD has rescued Israel!" |
1 Samuel |
11 |
14 |
Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us all go to Gilgal to reaffirm Saul's kingship." |
1 Samuel |
11 |
15 |
So they went to Gilgal, and in a solemn ceremony before the LORD they crowned him king. Then they offered peace offerings to the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites were very happy. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
1 |
Then Samuel addressed the people again: "I have done as you asked and given you a king. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
2 |
I have selected him ahead of my own sons, and I stand here, an old, gray-haired man. I have served as your leader since I was a boy. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
3 |
Now tell me as I stand before the LORD and before his anointed one--whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong." |
1 Samuel |
12 |
4 |
"No," they replied, "you have never cheated or oppressed us in any way, and you have never taken even a single bribe." |
1 Samuel |
12 |
5 |
"The LORD and his anointed one are my witnesses," Samuel declared, "that you can never accuse me of robbing you.Yes, it is true," they replied. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
6 |
"It was the LORD who appointed Moses and Aaron," Samuel continued. "He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
7 |
Now stand here quietly before the LORD as I remind you of all the great things the LORD has done for you and your ancestors. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
8 |
"When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to the LORD, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
9 |
But the people soon forgot about the LORD their God, so he let them be conquered by Sisera, the general of Hazor's army, and by the Philistines and the king of Moab. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
10 |
"Then they cried to the LORD again and confessed, `We have sinned by turning away from the LORD and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.' |
1 Samuel |
12 |
11 |
Then the LORD sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
12 |
"But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the LORD your God was already your king. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
13 |
All right, here is the king you have chosen. Look him over. You asked for him, and the LORD has granted your request. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
14 |
"Now if you will fear and worship the LORD and listen to his voice, and if you do not rebel against the LORD's commands, and if you and your king follow the LORD your God, then all will be well. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
15 |
But if you rebel against the LORD's commands and refuse to listen to him, then his hand will be as heavy upon you as it was upon your ancestors. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
16 |
"Now stand here and see the great thing the LORD is about to do. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
17 |
You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the LORD to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the LORD for a king!" |
1 Samuel |
12 |
18 |
So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain. And all the people were terrified of the LORD and of Samuel. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
19 |
"Pray to the LORD your God for us, or we will die!" they cried out to Samuel. "For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king." |
1 Samuel |
12 |
20 |
"Don't be afraid," Samuel reassured them. "You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the LORD with all your heart and that you don't turn your back on him in any way. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
21 |
Don't go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you--they really are useless! |
1 Samuel |
12 |
22 |
The LORD will not abandon his chosen people, for that would dishonor his great name. He made you a special nation for himself. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
23 |
"As for me, I will certainly not sin against the LORD by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
24 |
But be sure to fear the LORD and sincerely worship him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. |
1 Samuel |
12 |
25 |
But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be destroyed." |
1 Samuel |
13 |
1 |
Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty-two years. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
2 |
Saul selected three thousand special troops from the army of Israel and sent the rest of the men home. He took two thousand of the chosen men with him to Micmash and the hill country of Bethel. The other thousand went with Saul's son Jonathan to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
3 |
Soon after this, Jonathan attacked and defeated the garrison of Philistines at Geba. The news spread quickly among the Philistines that Israel was in revolt, so Saul sounded the call to arms throughout Israel. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
4 |
He announced that the Philistine garrison at Geba had been destroyed, and he warned the people that the Philistines now hated the Israelites more than ever. So the entire Israelite army mobilized again and met Saul at Gilgal. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
5 |
The Philistines mustered a mighty army of three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and as many warriors as the grains of sand along the seashore! They camped at Micmash east of Beth-aven. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
6 |
When the men of Israel saw the vast number of enemy troops, they lost their nerve entirely and tried to hide in caves, holes, rocks, tombs, and cisterns. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
7 |
Some of them crossed the Jordan River and escaped into the land of Gad and Gilead. Meanwhile, Saul stayed at Gilgal, and his men were trembling with fear. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
8 |
Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn't come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
9 |
So he demanded, "Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!" And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
10 |
Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, |
1 Samuel |
13 |
11 |
but Samuel said, "What is this you have done?" Saul replied, "I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn't arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
12 |
So I said, `The Philistines are ready to march against us, and I haven't even asked for the LORD's help!' So I felt obliged to offer the burnt offering myself before you came." |
1 Samuel |
13 |
13 |
"How foolish!" Samuel exclaimed. "You have disobeyed the command of the LORD your God. Had you obeyed, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
14 |
But now your dynasty must end, for the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart. The LORD has already chosen him to be king over his people, for you have not obeyed the LORD's command." |
1 Samuel |
13 |
15 |
Samuel then left Gilgal and went on his way, but the rest of the troops went with Saul to meet the army. They went up from Gilgal to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. When Saul counted the men who were still with him, he found only six hundred left! |
1 Samuel |
13 |
16 |
Saul and Jonathan and the troops with them were staying at Geba, near Gibeah, in the land of Benjamin. The Philistines set up their camp at Micmash. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
17 |
Three raiding parties soon left the camp of the Philistines. One went north toward Ophrah in the land of Shual, |
1 Samuel |
13 |
18 |
another went west to Beth-horon, and the third moved toward the border above the valley of Zeboim near the wilderness. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
19 |
There were no blacksmiths in the land of Israel in those days. The Philistines wouldn't allow them for fear they would make swords and spears for the Hebrews. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
20 |
So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their plowshares, picks, axes, or sickles, they had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
21 |
(The schedule of charges was as follows: a quarter of an ounce of silver for sharpening a plowshare or a pick, and an eighth of an ounce for sharpening an ax, a sickle, or an ox goad.) |
1 Samuel |
13 |
22 |
So none of the people of Israel had a sword or spear, except for Saul and Jonathan. |
1 Samuel |
13 |
23 |
The pass at Micmash had meanwhile been secured by a contingent of the Philistine army. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
1 |
One day Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, "Come on, let's go over to where the Philistines have their outpost." But Jonathan did not tell his father what he was doing. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
2 |
Meanwhile, Saul and his six hundred men were camped on the outskirts of Gibeah, around the pomegranate tree at Migron. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
3 |
(Among Saul's men was Ahijah the priest, who was wearing the linen ephod. Ahijah was the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother. Ahitub was the son of Phinehas and the grandson of Eli, the priest of the LORD who had served at Shiloh.) No one realized that Jonathan had left the Israelite camp. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
4 |
To reach the Philistine outpost, Jonathan had to go down between two rocky cliffs that were called Bozez and Seneh. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
5 |
The cliff on the north was in front of Micmash, and the one on the south was in front of Geba. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
6 |
"Let's go across to see those pagans," Jonathan said to his armor bearer. "Perhaps the LORD will help us, for nothing can hinder the LORD. He can win a battle whether he has many warriors or only a few!" |
1 Samuel |
14 |
7 |
"Do what you think is best," the youth replied. "I'm with you completely, whatever you decide." |
1 Samuel |
14 |
8 |
"All right then," Jonathan told him. "We will cross over and let them see us. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
9 |
If they say to us, `Stay where you are or we'll kill you,' then we will stop and not go up to them. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
10 |
But if they say, `Come on up and fight,' then we will go up. That will be the LORD's sign that he will help us defeat them." |
1 Samuel |
14 |
11 |
When the Philistines saw them coming, they shouted, "Look! The Hebrews are crawling out of their holes!" |
1 Samuel |
14 |
12 |
Then they shouted to Jonathan, "Come on up here, and we'll teach you a lesson!Come on, climb right behind me," Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "for the LORD will help us defeat them!" |
1 Samuel |
14 |
13 |
So they climbed up using both hands and feet, and the Philistines fell back as Jonathan and his armor bearer killed them right and left. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
14 |
They killed about twenty men in all, and their bodies were scattered over about half an acre. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
15 |
Suddenly, panic broke out in the Philistine army, both in the camp and in the field, including even the outposts and raiding parties. And just then an earthquake struck, and everyone was terrified. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
16 |
Saul's lookouts in Gibeah saw a strange sight--the vast army of Philistines began to melt away in every direction. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
17 |
"Find out who isn't here," Saul ordered. And when they checked, they found that Jonathan and his armor bearer were gone. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
18 |
Then Saul shouted to Ahijah, "Bring the ephod here!" For at that time Ahijah was wearing the ephod in front of the Israelites. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
19 |
But while Saul was talking to the priest, the shouting and confusion in the Philistine camp grew louder and louder. So Saul said to Ahijah, "Never mind; let's get going!" |
1 Samuel |
14 |
20 |
Then Saul and his six hundred men rushed out to the battle and found the Philistines killing each other. There was terrible confusion everywhere. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
21 |
Even the Hebrews who had gone over to the Philistine army revolted and joined in with Saul, Jonathan, and the rest of the Israelites. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
22 |
Likewise, the men who were hiding in the hills joined the chase when they saw the Philistines running away. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
23 |
So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle continued to rage even out beyond Beth-aven. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
24 |
Now the men of Israel were worn out that day, because Saul had made them take an oath, saying, "Let a curse fall on anyone who eats before evening--before I have full revenge on my enemies." So no one ate a thing all day, |
1 Samuel |
14 |
25 |
even though they found honeycomb on the ground in the forest. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
26 |
They didn't even touch the honey because they all feared the oath they had taken. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
27 |
But Jonathan had not heard his father's command, and he dipped a stick into a piece of honeycomb and ate the honey. After he had eaten it, he felt much better. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
28 |
But one of the men saw him and said, "Your father made the army take a strict oath that anyone who eats food today will be cursed. That is why everyone is weary and faint." |
1 Samuel |
14 |
29 |
"My father has made trouble for us all!" Jonathan exclaimed. "A command like that only hurts us. See how much better I feel now that I have eaten this little bit of honey. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
30 |
If the men had been allowed to eat freely from the food they found among our enemies, think how many more we could have killed!" |
1 Samuel |
14 |
31 |
But hungry as they were, they chased and killed the Philistines all day from Micmash to Aijalon, growing more and more faint. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
32 |
That evening they flew upon the battle plunder and butchered the sheep, cattle, and calves, but they ate them without draining the blood. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
33 |
Someone reported to Saul, "Look, the men are sinning against the LORD by eating meat that still has blood in it.That is very wrong," Saul said. "Find a large stone and roll it over here. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
34 |
Then go out among the troops and tell them, `Bring the cattle and sheep here to kill them and drain the blood. Do not sin against the LORD by eating meat with the blood still in it.'" So that night all the troops brought their animals and slaughtered them there. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
35 |
And Saul built an altar to the LORD, the first one he had ever built. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
36 |
Then Saul said, "Let's chase the Philistines all night and destroy every last one of them." His men replied, "We'll do whatever you think is best." But the priest said, "Let's ask God first." |
1 Samuel |
14 |
37 |
So Saul asked God, "Should we go after the Philistines? Will you help us defeat them?" But God made no reply that day. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
38 |
Then Saul said to the leaders, "Something's wrong! I want all my army commanders to come here. We must find out what sin was committed today. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
39 |
I vow by the name of the LORD who rescued Israel that the sinner will surely die, even if it is my own son Jonathan!" But no one would tell him what the trouble was. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
40 |
Then Saul said, "Jonathan and I will stand over here, and all of you stand over there." And the people agreed. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
41 |
Then Saul prayed, "O LORD, God of Israel, please show us who is guilty and who is innocent. Are Jonathan and I guilty, or is the sin among the others?" And Jonathan and Saul were chosen as the guilty ones, and the people were declared innocent. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
42 |
Then Saul said, "Now choose between me and Jonathan." And Jonathan was shown to be the guilty one. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
43 |
"Tell me what you have done," Saul demanded of Jonathan. "I tasted a little honey," Jonathan admitted. "It was only a little bit on the end of a stick. Does that deserve death?" |
1 Samuel |
14 |
44 |
"Yes, Jonathan," Saul said, "you must die! May God strike me dead if you are not executed for this." |
1 Samuel |
14 |
45 |
But the people broke in and said to Saul, "Should Jonathan, who saved Israel today, die? Far from it! As surely as the LORD lives, not one hair on his head will be touched, for he has been used of God to do a mighty miracle today." So the people rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
46 |
Then Saul called back the army from chasing the Philistines, and the Philistines returned home. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
47 |
Now when Saul had secured his grasp on Israel's throne, he fought against his enemies in every direction--against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. And wherever he turned, he was victorious. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
48 |
He did great deeds and conquered the Amalekites, saving Israel from all those who had plundered them. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
49 |
Saul's sons included Jonathan, Ishbosheth, and Malkishua. He also had two daughters: Merab, who was older, and Michal. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
50 |
Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of Saul's army was his cousin Abner, his uncle Ner's son. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
51 |
Abner's father, Ner, and Saul's father, Kish, were brothers; both were sons of Abiel. |
1 Samuel |
14 |
52 |
The Israelites fought constantly with the Philistines throughout Saul's lifetime. So whenever Saul saw a young man who was brave and strong, he drafted him into his army. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
1 |
One day Samuel said to Saul, "I anointed you king of Israel because the LORD told me to. Now listen to this message from the LORD! |
1 Samuel |
15 |
2 |
This is what the LORD Almighty says: `I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
3 |
Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation--men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.'" |
1 Samuel |
15 |
4 |
So Saul mobilized his army at Telaim. There were 200,000 troops in addition to 10,000 men from Judah. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
5 |
Then Saul went to the city of Amalek and lay in wait in the valley. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
6 |
Saul sent this message to the Kenites: "Move away from where the Amalekites live or else you will die with them. For you were kind to the people of Israel when they came up from Egypt." So the Kenites packed up and left. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
7 |
Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
8 |
He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
9 |
Saul and his men spared Agag's life and kept the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs--everything, in fact, that appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
10 |
Then the LORD said to Samuel, |
1 Samuel |
15 |
11 |
"I am sorry that I ever made Saul king, for he has not been loyal to me and has again refused to obey me." Samuel was so deeply moved when he heard this that he cried out to the LORD all night. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
12 |
Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, "Saul went to Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal." |
1 Samuel |
15 |
13 |
When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. "May the LORD bless you," he said. "I have carried out the LORD's command!" |
1 Samuel |
15 |
14 |
"Then what is all the bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle I hear?" Samuel demanded. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
15 |
"It's true that the army spared the best of the sheep and cattle," Saul admitted. "But they are going to sacrifice them to the LORD your God. We have destroyed everything else." |
1 Samuel |
15 |
16 |
Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! Listen to what the LORD told me last night!What was it?" Saul asked. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
17 |
And Samuel told him, "Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The LORD has anointed you king of Israel. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
18 |
And the LORD sent you on a mission and told you, `Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.' |
1 Samuel |
15 |
19 |
Why haven't you obeyed the LORD? Why did you rush for the plunder and do exactly what the LORD said not to do?" |
1 Samuel |
15 |
20 |
"But I did obey the LORD," Saul insisted. "I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
21 |
Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep and cattle and plunder to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal." |
1 Samuel |
15 |
22 |
But Samuel replied, "What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
23 |
Rebellion is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols. So because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you from being king." |
1 Samuel |
15 |
24 |
Then Saul finally admitted, "Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the LORD's command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
25 |
Oh, please, forgive my sin now and go with me to worship the LORD." |
1 Samuel |
15 |
26 |
But Samuel replied, "I will not return with you! Since you have rejected the LORD's command, he has rejected you from being the king of Israel." |
1 Samuel |
15 |
27 |
As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed at him to try to hold him back and tore his robe. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
28 |
And Samuel said to him, "See? The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to someone else--one who is better than you. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
29 |
And he who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will he change his mind, for he is not human that he should change his mind!" |
1 Samuel |
15 |
30 |
Then Saul pleaded again, "I know I have sinned. But please, at least honor me before the leaders and before my people by going with me to worship the LORD your God." |
1 Samuel |
15 |
31 |
So Samuel finally agreed and went with him, and Saul worshiped the LORD. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
32 |
Then Samuel said, "Bring King Agag to me." Agag arrived full of smiles, for he thought, "Surely the worst is over, and I have been spared!" |
1 Samuel |
15 |
33 |
But Samuel said, "As your sword has killed the sons of many mothers, now your mother will be childless." And Samuel cut Agag to pieces before the LORD at Gilgal. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
34 |
Then Samuel went home to Ramah, and Saul returned to his house at Gibeah. |
1 Samuel |
15 |
35 |
Samuel never went to meet with Saul again, but he mourned constantly for him. And the LORD was sorry he had ever made Saul king of Israel. |
1 Samuel |
16 |
1 |
Finally, the LORD said to Samuel, "You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel. Now fill your horn with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my new king." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
2 |
But Samuel asked, "How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.Take a heifer with you," the LORD replied, "and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the LORD. |
1 Samuel |
16 |
3 |
Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
4 |
So Samuel did as the LORD instructed him. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the leaders of the town became afraid. "What's wrong?" they asked. "Do you come in peace?" |
1 Samuel |
16 |
5 |
"Yes," Samuel replied. "I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them, too. |
1 Samuel |
16 |
6 |
When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, "Surely this is the LORD's anointed!" |
1 Samuel |
16 |
7 |
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at a person's thoughts and intentions." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
8 |
Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "This is not the one the LORD has chosen." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
9 |
Next Jesse summoned Shammah, but Samuel said, "Neither is this the one the LORD has chosen." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
10 |
In the same way all seven of Jesse's sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
11 |
Then Samuel asked, "Are these all the sons you have?There is still the youngest," Jesse replied. "But he's out in the fields watching the sheep.Send for him at once," Samuel said. "We will not sit down to eat until he arrives." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
12 |
So Jesse sent for him. He was ruddy and handsome, with pleasant eyes. And the LORD said, "This is the one; anoint him." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
13 |
So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the olive oil he had brought and poured it on David's head. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah. |
1 Samuel |
16 |
14 |
Now the Spirit of the LORD had left Saul, and the LORD sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear. |
1 Samuel |
16 |
15 |
Some of Saul's servants suggested a remedy. "It is clear that a spirit from God is tormenting you," they said. |
1 Samuel |
16 |
16 |
"Let us find a good musician to play the harp for you whenever the tormenting spirit is bothering you. The harp music will quiet you, and you will soon be well again." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
17 |
"All right," Saul said. "Find me someone who plays well and bring him here." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
18 |
One of the servants said to Saul, "The son of Jesse is a talented harp player. Not only that; he is brave and strong and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the LORD is with him." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
19 |
So Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, "Send me your son David, the shepherd." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
20 |
Jesse responded by sending David to Saul, along with a young goat and a donkey loaded down with food and wine. |
1 Samuel |
16 |
21 |
So David went to Saul and served him. Saul liked David very much, and David became one of Saul's armor bearers. |
1 Samuel |
16 |
22 |
Then Saul sent word to Jesse asking, "Please let David join my staff, for I am very pleased with him." |
1 Samuel |
16 |
23 |
And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
1 |
The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
2 |
Saul countered by gathering his troops near the valley of Elah. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
3 |
So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
4 |
Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was a giant of a man, measuring over nine feet tall! |
1 Samuel |
17 |
5 |
He wore a bronze helmet and a coat of mail that weighed 125 pounds. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
6 |
He also wore bronze leggings, and he slung a bronze javelin over his back. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
7 |
The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver's beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed fifteen pounds. An armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a huge shield. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
8 |
Goliath stood and shouted across to the Israelites, "Do you need a whole army to settle this? Choose someone to fight for you, and I will represent the Philistines. We will settle this dispute in single combat! |
1 Samuel |
17 |
9 |
If your man is able to kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! |
1 Samuel |
17 |
10 |
I defy the armies of Israel! Send me a man who will fight with me!" |
1 Samuel |
17 |
11 |
When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
12 |
Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Jesse was an old man at that time, and he had eight sons in all. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
13 |
Jesse's three oldest sons--Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah--had already joined Saul's army to fight the Philistines. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
14 |
David was the youngest of Jesse's sons. Since David's three oldest brothers were in the army, they stayed with Saul's forces all the time. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
15 |
But David went back and forth between working for Saul and helping his father with the sheep in Bethlehem. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
16 |
For forty days, twice a day, morning and evening, the Philistine giant strutted in front of the Israelite army. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
17 |
One day Jesse said to David, "Take this half-bushel of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
18 |
And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring me back a letter from them. " |
1 Samuel |
17 |
19 |
David's brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
20 |
So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts. He arrived at the outskirts of the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
21 |
Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
22 |
David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
23 |
As he was talking with them, he saw Goliath, the champion from Gath, come out from the Philistine ranks, shouting his challenge to the army of Israel. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
24 |
As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
25 |
"Have you seen the giant?" the men were asking. "He comes out each day to challenge Israel. And have you heard about the huge reward the king has offered to anyone who kills him? The king will give him one of his daughters for a wife, and his whole family will be exempted from paying taxes!" |
1 Samuel |
17 |
26 |
David talked to some others standing there to verify the report. "What will a man get for killing this Philistine and putting an end to his abuse of Israel?" he asked them. "Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?" |
1 Samuel |
17 |
27 |
And David received the same reply as before: "What you have been hearing is true. That is the reward for killing the giant." |
1 Samuel |
17 |
28 |
But when David's oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. "What are you doing around here anyway?" he demanded. "What about those few sheep you're supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and dishonesty. You just want to see the battle!" |
1 Samuel |
17 |
29 |
"What have I done now?" David replied. "I was only asking a question!" |
1 Samuel |
17 |
30 |
He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
31 |
Then David's question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
32 |
"Don't worry about a thing," David told Saul. "I'll go fight this Philistine!" |
1 Samuel |
17 |
33 |
"Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There is no way you can go against this Philistine. You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!" |
1 Samuel |
17 |
34 |
But David persisted. "I have been taking care of my father's sheep," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, |
1 Samuel |
17 |
35 |
I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
36 |
I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! |
1 Samuel |
17 |
37 |
The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!" Saul finally consented. "All right, go ahead," he said. "And may the LORD be with you!" |
1 Samuel |
17 |
38 |
Then Saul gave David his own armor--a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
39 |
David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. "I can't go in these," he protested. "I'm not used to them." So he took them off again. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
40 |
He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them in his shepherd's bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd's staff and sling, he started across to fight Goliath. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
41 |
Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, |
1 Samuel |
17 |
42 |
sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
43 |
"Am I a dog," he roared at David, "that you come at me with a stick?" And he cursed David by the names of his gods. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
44 |
"Come over here, and I'll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!" Goliath yelled. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
45 |
David shouted in reply, "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty--the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
46 |
Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! |
1 Samuel |
17 |
47 |
And everyone will know that the LORD does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The LORD will give you to us!" |
1 Samuel |
17 |
48 |
As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
49 |
Reaching into his shepherd's bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it from his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face downward to the ground. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
50 |
So David triumphed over the Philistine giant with only a stone and sling. And since he had no sword, |
1 Samuel |
17 |
51 |
he ran over and pulled Goliath's sword from its sheath. David used it to kill the giant and cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
52 |
Then the Israelites gave a great shout of triumph and rushed after the Philistines, chasing them as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron. The bodies of the dead and wounded Philistines were strewn all along the road from Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
53 |
Then the Israelite army returned and plundered the deserted Philistine camp. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
54 |
(David took Goliath's head to Jerusalem, but he stored the Philistine's armor in his own tent.) |
1 Samuel |
17 |
55 |
As Saul watched David go out to fight Goliath, he asked Abner, the general of his army, "Abner, whose son is he?I really don't know," Abner said. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
56 |
"Well, find out!" the king told him. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
57 |
After David had killed Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul with the Philistine's head still in his hand. |
1 Samuel |
17 |
58 |
"Tell me about your father, my boy," Saul said. And David replied, "His name is Jesse, and we live in Bethlehem." |
1 Samuel |
18 |
1 |
After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king's son. There was an immediate bond of love between them, and they became the best of friends. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
2 |
From that day on Saul kept David with him at the palace and wouldn't let him return home. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
3 |
And Jonathan made a special vow to be David's friend, |
1 Samuel |
18 |
4 |
and he sealed the pact by giving him his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
5 |
Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him a commander in his army, an appointment that was applauded by the fighting men and officers alike. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
6 |
But something happened when the victorious Israelite army was returning home after David had killed Goliath. Women came out from all the towns along the way to celebrate and to cheer for King Saul, and they sang and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
7 |
This was their song: "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!" |
1 Samuel |
18 |
8 |
This made Saul very angry. "What's this?" he said. "They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they'll be making him their king!" |
1 Samuel |
18 |
9 |
So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
10 |
The very next day, in fact, a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave like a madman. David began to play the harp, as he did whenever this happened. But Saul, who had a spear in his hand, |
1 Samuel |
18 |
11 |
suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David jumped aside and escaped. This happened another time, too, |
1 Samuel |
18 |
12 |
for Saul was afraid of him, and he was jealous because the LORD had left him and was now with David. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
13 |
Finally, Saul banned him from his presence and appointed him commander over only a thousand men, but David faithfully led his troops into battle. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
14 |
David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the LORD was with him. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
15 |
When Saul recognized this, he became even more afraid of him. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
16 |
But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so successful at leading his troops into battle. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
17 |
One day Saul said to David, "I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab, as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the LORD's battles." For Saul thought to himself, "I'll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself." |
1 Samuel |
18 |
18 |
"Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?" David exclaimed. "My father's family is nothing!" |
1 Samuel |
18 |
19 |
So when the time came for the wedding, Saul gave Merab in marriage to Adriel, a man from Meholah. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
20 |
In the meantime, Saul's daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
21 |
"Here's another chance to see him killed by the Philistines!" Saul said to himself. But to David he said, "I have a way for you to become my son-in-law after all!" |
1 Samuel |
18 |
22 |
Then Saul told his men to say confidentially to David, "The king really likes you, and so do we. Why don't you accept the king's offer and become his son-in-law?" |
1 Samuel |
18 |
23 |
When Saul's men said these things to David, he replied, "How can a poor man from a humble family afford the bride price for the daughter of a king?" |
1 Samuel |
18 |
24 |
When Saul's men reported this back to the king, |
1 Samuel |
18 |
25 |
he told them, "Tell David that all I want for the bride price is one hundred Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want." But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
26 |
David was delighted to accept the offer. So before the time limit expired, |
1 Samuel |
18 |
27 |
he and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines and presented all their foreskins to the king. So Saul gave Michal to David to be his wife. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
28 |
When the king realized how much the LORD was with David and how much Michal loved him, |
1 Samuel |
18 |
29 |
he became even more afraid of him, and he remained David's enemy for the rest of his life. |
1 Samuel |
18 |
30 |
Whenever the Philistine army attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul's officers. So David's name became very famous throughout the land. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
1 |
Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his close friendship with David, |
1 Samuel |
19 |
2 |
told him what his father was planning. "Tomorrow morning," he warned him, "you must find a hiding place out in the fields. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
3 |
I'll ask my father to go out there with me, and I'll talk to him about you. Then I'll tell you everything I can find out." |
1 Samuel |
19 |
4 |
The next morning Jonathan spoke with his father about David, saying many good things about him. "Please don't sin against David," Jonathan pleaded. "He's never done anything to harm you. He has always helped you in any way he could. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
5 |
Have you forgotten about the time he risked his life to kill the Philistine giant and how the LORD brought a great victory to Israel as a result? You were certainly happy about it then. Why should you murder an innocent man like David? There is no reason for it at all!" |
1 Samuel |
19 |
6 |
So Saul listened to Jonathan and vowed, "As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be killed." |
1 Samuel |
19 |
7 |
Afterward Jonathan called David and told him what had happened. Then he took David to see Saul, and everything was as it had been before. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
8 |
War broke out shortly after that, and David led his troops against the Philistines. He attacked them with such fury that they all ran away. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
9 |
But one day as Saul was sitting at home, the tormenting spirit from the LORD suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp for the king, |
1 Samuel |
19 |
10 |
Saul hurled his spear at David in an attempt to kill him. But David dodged out of the way and escaped into the night, leaving the spear stuck in the wall. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
11 |
Then Saul sent troops to watch David's house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you don't get away tonight, you will be dead by morning." |
1 Samuel |
19 |
12 |
So she helped him climb out through a window, and he escaped. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
13 |
Then she took an idol and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat's hair at its head. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
14 |
When the troops came to arrest David, she told them he was sick and couldn't get out of bed. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
15 |
"Then bring him to me in his bed," Saul ordered, "so I can kill him as he lies there!" And he sent them back to David's house. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
16 |
But when they came to carry David out, they discovered that it was only an idol in the bed with a cushion of goat's hair at its head. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
17 |
"Why have you tricked me and let my enemy escape?" Saul demanded of Michal. "I had to," Michal replied. "He threatened to kill me if I didn't help him." |
1 Samuel |
19 |
18 |
So David got away and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. Then Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
19 |
When the report reached Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah, |
1 Samuel |
19 |
20 |
he sent troops to capture him. But when they arrived and saw Samuel and the other prophets prophesying, the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men, and they also began to prophesy. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
21 |
When Saul heard what had happened, he sent other troops, but they, too, prophesied! The same thing happened a third time! |
1 Samuel |
19 |
22 |
Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah and arrived at the great well in Secu. "Where are Samuel and David?" he demanded. "They are at Naioth in Ramah," someone told him. |
1 Samuel |
19 |
23 |
But on the way to Naioth the Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy! |
1 Samuel |
19 |
24 |
He tore off his clothes and lay on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people who were watching exclaimed, "What? Is Saul a prophet, too?" |
1 Samuel |
20 |
1 |
David now fled from Naioth in Ramah and found Jonathan. "What have I done?" he exclaimed. "What is my crime? How have I offended your father that he is so determined to kill me?" |
1 Samuel |
20 |
2 |
"That's not true!" Jonathan protested. "I'm sure he's not planning any such thing, for he always tells me everything he's going to do, even the little things. I know he wouldn't hide something like this from me. It just isn't so!" |
1 Samuel |
20 |
3 |
Then David took an oath before Jonathan and said, "Your father knows perfectly well about our friendship, so he has said to himself, `I won't tell Jonathan--why should I hurt him?' But I swear to you that I am only a step away from death! I swear it by the LORD and by your own soul!" |
1 Samuel |
20 |
4 |
"Tell me what I can do!" Jonathan exclaimed. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
5 |
David replied, "Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. I've always eaten with your father on this occasion, but tomorrow I'll hide in the field and stay there until the evening of the third day. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
6 |
If your father asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
7 |
If he says, `Fine!' then you will know all is well. But if he is angry and loses his temper, then you will know he was planning to kill me. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
8 |
Show me this kindness as my sworn friend--for we made a covenant together before the LORD--or kill me yourself if I have sinned against your father. But please don't betray me to him!" |
1 Samuel |
20 |
9 |
"Never!" Jonathan exclaimed. "You know that if I had the slightest notion my father was planning to kill you, I would tell you at once." |
1 Samuel |
20 |
10 |
Then David asked, "How will I know whether or not your father is angry?" |
1 Samuel |
20 |
11 |
"Come out to the field with me," Jonathan replied. And they went out there together. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
12 |
Then Jonathan told David, "I promise by the LORD, the God of Israel, that by this time tomorrow, or the next day at the latest, I will talk to my father and let you know at once how he feels about you. If he speaks favorably about you, I will let you know. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
13 |
But if he is angry and wants you killed, may the LORD kill me if I don't warn you so you can escape and live. May the LORD be with you as he used to be with my father. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
14 |
And may you treat me with the faithful love of the LORD as long as I live. But if I die, |
1 Samuel |
20 |
15 |
treat my family with this faithful love, even when the LORD destroys all your enemies." |
1 Samuel |
20 |
16 |
So Jonathan made a covenant with David, saying, "May the LORD destroy all your enemies!" |
1 Samuel |
20 |
17 |
And Jonathan made David reaffirm his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
18 |
Then Jonathan said, "Tomorrow we celebrate the new moon festival. You will be missed when your place at the table is empty. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
19 |
The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
20 |
I will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as though I were shooting at a target. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
21 |
Then I will send a boy to bring the arrows back. If you hear me tell him, `They're on this side,' then you will know, as surely as the LORD lives, that all is well, and there is no trouble. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
22 |
But if I tell him, `Go farther--the arrows are still ahead of you,' then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for the LORD is sending you away. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
23 |
And may the LORD make us keep our promises to each other, for he has witnessed them." |
1 Samuel |
20 |
24 |
So David hid himself in the field, and when the new moon festival began, the king sat down to eat. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
25 |
He sat at his usual place against the wall, with Jonathan sitting opposite him and Abner beside him. But David's place was empty. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
26 |
Saul didn't say anything about it that day, for he said to himself, "Something must have made David ceremonially unclean. Yes, that must be why he's not here." |
1 Samuel |
20 |
27 |
But when David's place was empty again the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse been here for dinner either yesterday or today?" |
1 Samuel |
20 |
28 |
Jonathan replied, "David earnestly asked me if he could go to Bethlehem. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
29 |
He wanted to take part in a family sacrifice. His brother demanded that he be there, so I told him he could go. That's why he isn't here." |
1 Samuel |
20 |
30 |
Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. "You stupid son of a whore!" he swore at him. "Do you think I don't know that you want David to be king in your place, shaming yourself and your mother? |
1 Samuel |
20 |
31 |
As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you'll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!" |
1 Samuel |
20 |
32 |
"But what has he done?" Jonathan demanded. "Why should he be put to death?" |
1 Samuel |
20 |
33 |
Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
34 |
Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat all that day, for he was crushed by his father's shameful behavior toward David. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
35 |
The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
36 |
"Start running," he told the boy, "so you can find the arrows as I shoot them." So the boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
37 |
When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted, "The arrow is still ahead of you. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
38 |
Hurry, hurry, don't wait." So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
39 |
He, of course, didn't understand what Jonathan meant; only Jonathan and David knew. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
40 |
Then Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and told him to take them back to the city. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
41 |
As soon as the boy was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the stone pile. Then David bowed to Jonathan with his face to the ground. Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David. |
1 Samuel |
20 |
42 |
At last Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have made a pact in the LORD's name. We have entrusted each other and each other's children into the LORD's hands forever." Then David left, and Jonathan returned to the city. |