19 And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD,
even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented,
because the LORD had smitten manyof the people with a great slaughter.
20 And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to
whom shall he go up from us?
21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have
brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, andfetch it up to you.
1 And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into
the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.
2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was
twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.
3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all
your hearts, thenput away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your
hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the
Philistines.
4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.
5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.
6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured itout before the LORD, and
fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the
children of Israel in Mizpeh.
7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh,
the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it,
they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that
he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it fora burnt offering wholly unto the LORD: and
Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him.
10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle
against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and
discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until
they cameunder Bethcar.
12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set itbetween Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it
Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.
13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the
hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14 And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from
Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the
Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
16 And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel
in all those places.
17 And his return wasto Ramah; for there washis house; and there he judged Israel; and there
he built an altar unto the LORD.
1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they werejudges
in Beersheba.
3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and
perverted judgment.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king
to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel
prayed unto the LORD.
7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto
thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over
them.
8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of
Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they
also unto thee.
9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew
them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your
sons, and appoint themfor himself, for his chariots, and to behis horsemen; and someshall run
before his chariots.
12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set
themto ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and
instruments of his chariots.
13 And he will take your daughters to beconfectionaries, and to becooks, and to bebakers.
14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, eventhe best of them,
and give themto his servants.
15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and
to his servants.
16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men,
and your asses, and put themto his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the
LORD will not hear you in that day.
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will
have a king over us;
20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before
us, and fight our battles.
21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.
22 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel
said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.
1 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name wasKish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror,
the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
2 And he had a son, whose name wasSaul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there wasnot
among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was
higher than any of the people.
3 And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of
the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.
4 And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found
themnot: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they werenot: and he passed
through the land of the Benjamites, but they found themnot.
5 Andwhen they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that waswith him,
Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caringfor the asses, and take thought for us.

6 And he said unto him, Behold now, there isin this city a man of God, and he isan honourable
man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us
our way that we should go.
7 Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, ifwe go, what shall we bring the man? for the
bread is spent in our vessels, and there isnot a present to bring to the man of God: what have
we?
8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a
shekel of silver: thatwill I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.
9 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go
to the seer: for he that isnow calleda Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)
10 Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where
the man of God was.
11 Andas they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water,
and said unto them, Is the seer here?
12 And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he isbefore you: make haste now, for he
came to day to the city; for there isa sacrifice of the people to day in the high place:
13 As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the
high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice;
andafterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time ye shall
find him.
14 And they went up into the city: andwhen they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came
out against them, for to go up to the high place.
15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt
anoint him to becaptain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of
the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.
17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of!
this same shall reign over my people.
18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's
house is.
19 And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I amthe seer: go up before me unto the high place; for
ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that isin
thine heart.
20 And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are
found. And on whom isall the desire of Israel? Is itnot on thee, and on all thy father's house?
21 And Saul answered and said, Amnot I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel?
and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest
thou so to me?
22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit
in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which wereabout thirty persons.
23 And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto
thee, Set it by thee.
24 And the cook took up the shoulder, and thatwhich wasupon it, and set itbefore Saul. And
Samuelsaid, Behold that which is left! set itbefore thee, andeat: for unto this time hath it
been kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day.
25 And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuelcommuned with
Saul upon the top of the house.
26 And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called
Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they