17Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah 18and said to them, “Thus said the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘I brought Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hands of the Egyptians and of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’ 19But today you have rejected your God who delivered you from all your troubles and calamities. For you said, ‘No,h set up a king over us!’ Now station yourselves before the LORD, by your tribes and clans.”
20Samuel brought forward each of the tribes of Israel, and the lot in-dicated the tribe of Benjamin. 21Then Samuel brought forward the tribe of Benjamin by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was indicated; and theni Saul son of Kish was indicated. But when they looked for him, he was not to be found. 22They inquired of the LORD again, j-“Has anyone else come here?”-j And the LORD replied, “Yes; he is hiding among the baggage.” 23So they ran over and brought him from there; and when he took his place among the people, he stood a head taller than all the people. 24And Samuel said to the people, “Do you see the one whom the LORD has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people acclaimed him, shouting, “Long live the king!”
25Samuel expounded to the people the rules of the monarchy, and recorded them in a document which he deposited before the LORD. Sam-uel then sent the people back to their homes. 26Saul also went home to Gibeah, accompanied by k-upstanding men-k whose hearts God had touched. 27But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” So they scorned him and brought him no gift. l-But he pretended not to mind.-l
11 Nahash the Ammonite marched up and besieged Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh-gilead said to Nahash, “Make a pact with us, and we will serve you.” 2But Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “I will make a pact with you on this condition, that everyone’s right eye be gouged out; I will make this a humiliation for all Israel.” 3The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days’ respite, so that we may send messengers throughout the territory of Israel; if no one comes to our aid, we will surrender to you.” 4When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and gave this report in the hearing of the people, all the people broke into weeping.
5Saul was just coming from the field driving the cattle; and Saul asked, “Why are the people crying?” And they told him about the situation of the men of Jabesh. 6When he heard these things, the spirit of God gripped Saul and his anger blazed up. 7He took a yoke of oxen and cut them into pieces, which he sent by messengers throughout the territory of Israel, with the warning, “Thus shall be done to the cattle of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel into battle!” Terror from the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. 8[Saul] mustered them in Bezek, and the Israelites numbered 300,000, the men of Judah 30,000. 9The messengers who had come were told, “Thus shall you speak to the men of Jabesh-gilead: Tomorrow, when the sun grows hot, you shall be saved.” When the messengers came and told this to the men of Jabeshgilead, they rejoiced. 10The men of Jabesh then told [the Ammonites], “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do to us whatever you please.”
11The next day, Saul divided the troops into three columns; at the morning watch they entered the camp and struck down the Ammonites until the day grew hot. The survivors scattered; no two were left together.
12The people then said to Samuel, “Who was it said, ‘Shall Saul be king over us?’ Hand the men over and we will put them to death!” 13But Saul replied, “No man shall be put to death this day! For this day the LORD has brought victory to Israel.”
14Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and there inaugurate the monarchy.” 15So all the people went to Gilgal, and there at Gilgal they declared Saul king before the LORD. They offered sacrifices of well-being there before the LORD; and Saul and all the men of Israel held a great celebration there.
12 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have yielded to you in all you have asked of me and have set a king over you. 2Henceforth the king will be your leader.
“As for me, I have grown old and gray—but my sons are still with you—and I have been your leader from my youth to this day. 3Here I am! Testify against me, in the presence of the LORD and in the presence of His anointed one: Whose ox have I taken, or whose ass have I taken? Whom have I defrauded or whom have I robbed? From whom have I taken a bribe a-to look the other way?-a I will return it to you.” 4They responded, “You have not defrauded us, and you have not robbed us, and you have taken nothing from anyone.” 5He said to them, “The LORD then is witness, and His anointed is witness, b-to your admission-b this day that you have found nothing in my possession.” Theyc responded, “He is!”
6Samuel said to the people, d-“The LORD [is witness], He who appointed-d Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt. 7Come, stand before the LORD while I cite against you all the kindnesses that the LORD has done to you and your fathers.
8“When Jacob came to Egypt,e &ldots; your fathers cried out to the LORD, and the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9But they forgot the LORD their God; so He delivered them into the hands of Sisera the military commander of Hazor, into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the king of Moab; and these made war upon them. 10They cried to the LORD, ‘We are guilty, for we have forsaken the LORD and worshiped the Baalim and the Ashtaroth. Oh, deliver us from our enemies and we will serve You.’ 11And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Bedanf and Jephthah and Samuel, and delivered you from the enemies around you; and you dwelt in security. 12But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was advancing against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king reigning over us’—though the LORD your God is your King.
13“Well, the LORD has set a king over you! Here is the king that you have chosen, that you have asked for.
14“If you will revere the LORD, worship Him, and obey Him, and will not flout the LORD’s command, if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God, [well and good]. 15But if you do not obey the LORD and you flout the LORD’s command, the hand of the LORD will strike you d-as it did your fathers.-d
16“Now stand by and see the marvelous thing that the LORD will do before your eyes. 17It is the season of the wheat harvest.g I will pray to the LORD and He will send thunder and rain; then you will take thought and realize what a wicked thing you did in the sight of the LORD when you asked for a king.”
18Samuel prayed to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day, and the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel. 19The people all said to Samuel, “Intercede for your servants with the LORD your God that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins the wickedness of asking for a king.” 20But Samuel said to the people, “Have no fear. You have, indeed, done all those wicked things. Do not, however, turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21Do not turn away to follow worthless things, which can neither profit nor save but are worthless. 22For the sake of His great name, the LORD will never abandon His people, seeing that the LORD undertook to make you His people.
23“As for me, far be it from me to sin against the LORD and refrain from praying for you; and I will continue to instruct you in the practice of what is good and right. 24Above all, you must revere the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; and consider how grandly He has dealt with you. 25For if you persist in your wrongdoing, both you and your king shall be swept away.”
13 Saul was&ldots;a years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel two years. 2Saul picked 3,000 Israelites, of whom 2,000 were with Saul in Michmasb and in the hill country of Bethel, and 1,000 with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; the rest of the troops he sent back to their homes. 3Jonathan struck down the Philistine prefect in Geba;c and the Philistines heard about it. d-Saul had the ram’s horn sounded throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.”-d
4When all Israel heard that Saul had struck down the Philistine prefect, and that Israel had e-incurred the wrath of-e the Philistines, all the people rallied to Saul at Gilgal. 5The Philistines, in turn,
