your king goeth before you. And I am grown old and gray, and my sons are with you, and I have gone before you from my youth even unto this day.

Behold, here am I; answer me before the LORD, and before his anointed, if I have taken any man’s ox, or any man’s ass; if I have done any man violence, or any man wrong; if I have taken any gift of any man’s hand, and have blinded mine eyes? then will I restore it unto you.

And they said: Thou hast done us no violence nor wrong, neither hast thou taken anything from any man’s hand.

And he said unto them: The LORD be witness against you, and his anointed this day, that ye have found nothing in my hand. And they said: Yea, witness they shall be.

And Samuel said unto the people, Yea, the LORD that made Moses and Aaron, and brought your fathers out of the land of Egypt.

Come now therefore, that I may testify with you before the LORD concerning all the good deeds of the LORD, which he hath done for you and for your fathers.

And it came to pass, when Jacob was come into Egypt, that your fathers cried unto the LORD, and he sent Moses and Aaron to bring your fathers out of Egypt, and to make them dwell in this place.

And when they had forgotten the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera the captain of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, which fought against them.

And they cried unto the LORD, saying: We have sinned in that we have forsaken the LORD, and served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies round about, and made you dwell in safety.

And when ye saw that Nahash king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Not thou, but a king, shall reign over us: for the LORD your God was your king.

Now therefore ye have your king, whom ye have chosen and asked: for, behold, the LORD
hath set a king over you.

If ye then fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and be not disobedient to the
mouth of the LORD, both ye and your king that reigneth over you shall follow the LORD
your God.

But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but will disobey his mouth, the hand of the LORD shall be against you, and against your fathers.

Stand ye also now, and behold the great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes.

Is not the wheat harvest now? But I will call upon the LORD, and he shall cause it to thunder and to rain, that ye may understand and see the great evil that ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in that ye have asked yourselves a king.

And when Samuel called upon the LORD, the LORD thundered and rained that day. And all the people feared the LORD very much, and Samuel.

And they all said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for upon all our iniquity have we also done this evil, in that we have asked us a king.

And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this evil: nevertheless turn not aside from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.

And yield not to vanity: for it profiteth not, neither can it save, because it is a vain thing.

But the LORD will not trust his people for his great name’s sake: for the LORD hath begun to make you his own people.

But let it also be far from me to sin so against the LORD, that I should cease to pray for you, and to teach you the good and right way.

Only fear the LORD, and serve him faithfully with all your heart: for ye have seen how great things he doeth unto you.

But if ye do evil, both ye and your king shall be lost.
(1 Samuel)
Chapter 13
Saul’s distrust in the course against the Philistines

Saul had reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, 2. And he chose him three thousand men out of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash, and in mount Bethel, and one thousand with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people let him go every man to his tent.

And Jonathan smote the Philistines in their camp, which was at Gibeah; and it came before the Philistines. And Saul sounded a trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Ebramites hear.

And all Israel heard say, Saul hath smitten the camp of the Philistines: for Israel stank because of the Philistines. And all the people cried after Saul unto Gilgal.

And the Philistines gathered themselves together to battle with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and the rest of the people, as the sand that was by the sea side: and they came up, and pitched at Michmash on the east side before Bethaven.

And when the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble, (for the people were afraid,) they hid themselves in caves, and in clefts, and in rocks, and in holes, and in pits.

And the Ebramites passed over Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. And Saul was yet at Gilgal, and all the people were timid behind him.

And he tarried seven days for the time appointed of Samuel. And when Samuel came not to Gilgal, the people dispersed themselves from him.

And Saul said, Bring me burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he offered burnt offerings.

And when he had finished the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him, to bless him.

And Samuel said, What hast thou done? Saul answered: And I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not at a time appointed: and the Philistines were gathered together to Michmash.

And I said, Now the Philistines will come down to me to Gilgal, and I have not asked the face of the LORD: so I ventured, and offered burnt offerings.

And Samuel said unto Saul, Thou hast done foolishly, and hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for he would have established thy kingdom
over Israel for ever.

But now thy kingdom shall not stand. The LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, whom the LORD commanded to be ruler over his people: for thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD.

And Samuel arose, and went from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were with him about six hundred men.

And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were with him, dwelt in the hill of Benjamin. And the Philistines were encamped at Michmash.

And out of the camp of the Philistines went three companies to devastate the land. And one of them went by the way of Ophrah unto the land of Shual;

And the second turned unto the way of Bethhoron; and the third turned unto the way of the valley of Zeboim, which is by the wilderness.

And there was not found a smith in all the land of Israel: for the Philistines thought that the Ebramites would make swords and spears.

And all Israel went down to the Philistines, if any man had a plowshare, or a hoe, or an axe, or a scythe, to sharpen.

And the edges of the scythes, and of the pruning hooks, and of the forks, and of the axes, were worn out, and the pricks were blunted.

And it came to pass, when the day of battle was come, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of all the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: only Saul and his son had weapons.

And the camp of the Philistines went out before Michmash.
(1 Samuel)
Chapter 14
Jonathan’s heroic deed. Saul plunges him into mortal danger through untimely zeal.

And it came to pass one day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto his lad that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the camp of the Philistines which is yonder. He did not tell his father.

And Saul abode in Gibeah at the end of a grenadier tree that was in the suburbs: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men.

And Ahijah the son of Ahitub, the brother of Ikabod, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, was the priest of the LORD in Shiloh, and wore the ephod. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone.

And by the way, where Jonathan sought to pass over unto the camp of the Philistines, were two sharp rocks, the one on this side, and the other on that side; the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Senne.

And one looked from northward toward Michmash, and the other from southward toward Gaba.

And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come, and let us go over unto the camp of these uncircumcised: peradventure the LORD will do something by us: for it is not hard for the LORD to help by much or by little.

And his armourbearer answered him, Do according to all that is in thine heart: go thy way, behold, I am with thee, as thine heart desireth.

And Jonathan said, Well, if we