Prophets and Kings:
Part – 1:
1 Samuel 8:
Israel Demands a King:
1. And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel.
2. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba.
3. His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice.
4. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah;
5. and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.”
6. But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to he Lord.
7. The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.
8. Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.
9. Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them.”
Warning concerning a King:
10. So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked of him a king.
11. He said, “This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots.
12. He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
13. He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers.
14. He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants.
15. He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants.
16. He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work.
17. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.
18. Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
19. Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us,
20. that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
21. Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the Lord’s hearing.
22. The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint them a king.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”
1 Samuel 9:
15.Now a day before Saul’s coming, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel saying,
16. “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me.”
17. When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over My people.”
18. Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”
19. Samuel answered Saul and said, “I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today; and in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is on your mind.
20. As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father’s household?”
21. Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?”
22. Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty men.
23. Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion that I gave you, concerning which I said to you, ‘Set it aside.’”
24. Then the cook took up the leg with what was on it and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, “Here is what has been reserved! Set it before you and eat, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, since I said I have invited the people.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25. When they came down from the high place into the city, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof.
26. And they arose early; and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, “Get up, that I may send you away.” So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.
27. As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Say to the servant that he might go ahead of us and pass on, but you remain standing now, that I may proclaim the word of God to you.”
1 Samuel 10:
Saul among Prophets:
1. Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his head, kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you a ruler over His inheritance?
2. When you go from me today, then you will find two men close to Rachel’s tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, ‘The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has ceased to be concerned about the donkeys and is anxious for you, saying, “What shall I do about my son?”’
3. Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the oak of Tabor, and there three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine;
4. and they will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hand.
5. Afterward you will come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre before them, and they will be prophesying.
6. Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man.
7. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.
8. And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do.”
9. Then it happened when he turned his back to leave Samuel, God changed his heart; and all those signs came about on that day.
10. When they came to the hill there, behold, a group of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him mightily, so that he prophesied among them.
11. It came about, when all who knew him previously saw that he prophesied now with the prophets, that the people said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
12. A man there said, “Now, who is their father?” Therefore it became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
13. When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.
14. Now Saul’s uncle said to him and his servant, “Where did you go?” And he said, “To look for the donkeys. When we saw that they could not be found, we went to Samuel.”
15. Saul’s uncle said, “Please tell me what Samuel said to you.”
16. So Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell him about the matter of the kingdom which Samuel had mentioned.
Saul Publicly Chosen King:
17. Thereafter Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah;
18. and he said to the sons of Israel, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’
19. But you have today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses; yet you have said, ‘No, but set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.”
20. Thus Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.
21. Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the Matrite family was taken. And Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.
22. Therefore they inquired further of the Lord, “Has the man come here yet?” So the Lord said, “Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage.”
23. So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.
24. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.” So all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!”
25. Then Samuel told the people the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book and placed it before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house.
26. Saul also went to his house at Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him.
27. But certain worthless men said, “How can this one deliver us?” And they despised him and did not bring him any present. But he kept silent.
1 Samuel 11:
Saul Defeats the Ammonites:
1. Now Nahash the Ammonite came up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us and we will serve you.”
2. But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “I will make it with you on this condition, that I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, thus I will make it a reproach on all Israel.”
3. The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Let us alone for seven days, that we may send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to deliver us, we will come out to you.”
4. Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and spoke these words in the hearing of the people, and all the people lifted up their voices and wept.
5. Now behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen, and he said, “What is the matter with the people that they weep?” So they related to him the words of the men of Jabesh.
6. Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and he became very angry.
7. He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.” Then the dread of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out as one man.
8. He numbered them in Bezek; and the sons of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000.
9. They said to the messengers who had come, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have deliverance.’” So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
10. Then the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.”
11. The next morning Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.
12. Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is he that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.”
13. But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has accomplished deliverance in Israel.”
14. Then Samuel said to the people, “Come and let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there.”
15. So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they also offered sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
1 Samuel 12:
The King Confirmed:
12. When you saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ although the Lord your God was your king.
13. Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for, and behold, the Lord has set a king over you.
14. If you will fear the Lord and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the Lord, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God.
15. If you will not listen to the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the command of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
16. Even now, take your stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes.
17. Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call to the Lord, that He may send thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord by asking for yourselves a king.”
18. So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19. Then all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, so that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil by asking for ourselves a king.”
20. Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.
21. You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which can not profit or deliver, because they are futile.
22. For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.
23. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.
24. Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.
25. But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away.”
War with the Philistines:
1 Samuel 13
1. Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty two years over Israel.
5. Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
6. When men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were hard-pressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in cliffs, in cellars, and in pits.
7. Also some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8. Now he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him.
9. So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering.
10. As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.
11. But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash,
12. therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.”
13. Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
14. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
1 Samuel 14:
Constant Warfare:
47. Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, the sons of Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines; and wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment.
48. He acted valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.
49. Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan and Ishvi and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab and the name of the younger Michal.
50. The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle.
51. Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.
52. Now the war against the Philistines was severe all the days of Saul; and when Saul saw any mighty man or any valiant man, he attached him to his staff.
1 Samuel 15:
Saul’s Disobedience:
15. Then Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the Lord.
2. Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt.
3. Now go and strike Amalek and utterly destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
{ Numb 24: 20. And he looked at Amalek and took up his discourse and said, “Amalek was the first of the nations, But his end shall be destruction.”
21. And he looked at the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said, “Your dwelling place is enduring, And your nest is set in the cliff.
Exodus 17: 8. Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim.
9. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
10. Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11. So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.
12. But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.
13. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14. Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
15. Moses built an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner; 16and he said, “The LORD has sworn; the LORD will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.”
Deut 25: 17. “Remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out from Egypt,
18. how he met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary; and he did not fear God.
19. “Therefore it shall come about when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget.
Deut 23: 3. “No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the LORD,
4. because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.
5. “Nevertheless, the LORD your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your God loves you.
6. “You shall never seek their peace or their prosperity all your days.
Genealogy of Ammon and Moab:
Gen 19: 36. Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father.
37. The firstborn bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day.
38. As for the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the sons of Ammon to this day. }
4. Then Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah.
5. Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.
6. Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, go down from among the Amalekites, so that I do not destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7. So Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, which is east of Egypt.
Sauls’s Rebellion:
8. He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
Samuel Rebukes Saul:
10. Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,
11. “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the Lord all night.
12. Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal.”
13. Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have carried out the command of the Lord.”
14. But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”
15. Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed.”
16. Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”
17. Samuel said, “Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you king over Israel,
18. and the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.’
19. Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord?”
20. Then Saul said to Samuel, “I did obey the voice of the Lord, and went on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21. But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22. Samuel said,“Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
23. “For rebellion is as the sin of divination (witchcraft), And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.”
24. Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice.
25. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.”
26. But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
27. As Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore.
28. So Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.
29. Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”
30. Then he said, “I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and go back with me, that I may worship the Lord your God.”
31. So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord.
32. Then Samuel said, “Bring me Agag, the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”
33. But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hewed Agag to pieces before the Lord at Gilgal.
34. Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul.
35. Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
1 Samuel 16:
Samuel Goes to Bethlehem:
16. Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons.”
2. But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
3. You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you.”
4. So Samuel did what the Lord said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “Do you come in peace?”
5. He said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6. When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.”
7. But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8. Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
9. Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
10. Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
11. And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.”
David Anointed:
12. So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.”
13. Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
14. Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him.
15. Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you.
16. Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well.”
17. So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me.”
18. Then one of the young men said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the Lord is with him.”
19. So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David who is with the flock.”
20. Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son.
21. Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer.
22. Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.”
23. So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.
1 Samuel 28:
Saul and the Spirit Medium:
2. Now it came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel.
3. Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists.
4. So the Philistines gathered together and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together and they camped in Gilboa.
5. When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly.
6. When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets.
7. Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.”
8. Then Saul disguised himself by putting on other clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Conjure up for me, please, and bring up for me whom I shall name to you.”
9. But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off those who are mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?”
10. Saul vowed to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
11. Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
12. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.”
13. The king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up out of the earth.”
14. He said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped with a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and did homage.
15. Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do.”
16. Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary?
17. The Lord has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David.
18. As you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day.
19. Moreover the Lord will also give over Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines, therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the Lord will give over the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines!”
20. Then Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night.
21. The woman came to Saul and saw that he was terrified, and said to him, “Behold, your maidservant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me.
22. So now also, please listen to the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you that you may eat and have strength when you go on your way.”
23. But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” However, his servants together with the woman urged him, and he listened to them. So he arose from the ground and sat on the bed.
24. The woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it; and she took flour, kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it.
25. She brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they arose and went away that night.
1 Samuel 31:
Saul and His Sons Slain:
31. Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2. The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua the sons of Saul.
3. The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was badly wounded by the archers.
4. Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised will come and pierce me through and make sport of me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took his sword and fell on it.
5. When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him.
6. Thus Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together.
7. When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, with those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled; then the Philistines came and lived in them.
8. It came about on the next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9. They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people.
10. They put his weapons in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
11. Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 all the valiant men rose and walked all night, and .took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.
13. They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
2 Samuel:
David Learns of Saul’s Death:
1. Now it came about after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David remained two days in Ziklag.
2. On the third day, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes torn and dust on his head. And it came about when he came to David that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself.
3. Then David said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”
4. David said to him, “How did things go? Please tell me.” And he said, “The people have fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.”
5. So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
6. The young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely.
7. When he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I said, ‘Here I am.’
8. He said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’
9. Then he said to me, ‘Please stand beside me and kill me, for agony has seized me because my life still lingers in me.’
10. So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
11. Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him.
12. They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
13. David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?” And he answered, “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.”
14. Then David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”
15. And David called one of the young men and said, “Go, cut him down.” So he struck him and he died.
16. David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”
