I Samuel Chapter 7

The Tanach, Jewish Publication Society tr. [1917], at sacred-texts.com

I SAMUEL CHAPTER 7

1 And the men of Kiriath-jearim 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, from the day that the ark abode in Kiriath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel yearned after the LORD. 3 And Samuel spoke unto all the house of Israel, saying: `If ye do return unto the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct 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 the Baalim and the Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.

5 And Samuel said: `Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.' 6 And they gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there: `We have sinned against the LORD.' And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.

7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpah, 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 save us out of the hand of the Philistines.' 9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt-offering unto the LORD; and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD answered 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 down before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it  <sup>b</sup> Eben-ezer, saying: `Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.' 13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more within the border 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 border thereof did Israel deliver out of the hand 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

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to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all those places. 17 And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and he built there 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 first-born was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beer-sheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah. 5 And they 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 be king 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, in that they have forsaken Me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice; howbeit thou shalt earnestly forewarn them, and shalt declare unto 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 them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint them unto him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive-yards, even the best of them, and give them to 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 men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks; and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king whom ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not answer you in that day.' 19 But the people refused to hearken unto the voice of Samuel; and they said: `Nay; but there shall be 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 spoke 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 Ben-jamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valour. 2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, young and goodly,

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and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. 3 Now 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 the hill-country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they found them not; then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and there they were not; and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. 5 When they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him: `Come and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and become anxious concerning us.' 6 And he said unto him: `Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man that is held in honour; all that he saith cometh surely to pass; now let us go thither; peradventure he can tell us concerning our journey whereon we go.' 7 Then said Saul to his servant: `But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God; what have we?' 8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said: 'Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver, that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.'—9 Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said: `Come and let us go to the seer'; for he that is now called a 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 As they went up the ascent 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 is before thee; make haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place. 13 As soon as ye are 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; and afterwards they eat that are bidden. Now therefore get you up; for at this time ye shall find him.' 14 And they went up to the city; and as they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them, to go up to the high place.

15 Now the LORD had revealed unto Samuel 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 be prince over My people Israel, and he shall 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 spoke unto him: `Behold the man of whom I said unto thee: This same shall have authority 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 am the seer; go up before me unto the high place, for ye shall eat with me to-day; and in the morning I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thy 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 is all the desire of

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[paragraph continues] Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house?' 21 And Saul answered and said: `Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou to me after this manner?'

22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the chamber, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, who were about 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 thigh, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And [Samuel] said: `Behold that which hath been reserved! set it before thee and eat; because unto the appointed time hath it been kept for thee, for 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, he spoke with Saul upon the housetop. 26 And they arose early; and it came to pass about the break of day, that Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying: `Up, that I may send thee away.' And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. 27 As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul: `Bid the servant pass on before us—and he passed on—but stand thou still at this time, that I may cause thee to hear the word of God.'

Footnotes

332:b That is, The stone of help.