Streaming Faith ProphetessRaye's Voice Blog

Make a Vowel Unto The Lord! I Samuel 2:17 PartI

Posted on 06/25/2009 | In: Streaming Faith ProphetessRaye's Voice Blog (6:31, 5 plays)

1 Samuel 2-17 (Amplified Bible) 1 Samuel 2 1HANNAH PRAYED, and said, My heart exults and triumphs in the Lord; my horn (my strength) is lifted up in the Lord. My mouth is no longer silent, for it is opened wide over my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. 2There is none holy like the Lord, there is none besides You; there is no Rock like our God. 3Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance go forth from your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. 4The bows of the mighty are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength. 5Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children languishes and is forlorn. 6The Lord slays and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He lifts up. 8He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts up the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with nobles and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and He has set the world upon them. 9He will guard the feet of His godly ones, but the wicked shall be silenced and perish in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. 10The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them will He thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge [all peoples] to the ends of the earth; and He will give strength to [a]His king (King) and exalt the power of His anointed (Anointed [b]His Christ).(A) 11Elkanah and his wife Hannah returned to Ramah to his house. But the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest. 12The sons of Eli were base and worthless; they did not know or regard the Lord. 13And the custom of the priests with the people was this: when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came while the flesh was boiling with a fleshhook of three prongs in his hand; 14And he thrust it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh with all the Israelites who came there. 15Also, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant came and said to the man who sacrificed, Give the priest meat to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but raw. 16And if the man said to him, Let them burn the fat first, and then you may take as much as you want, the priest's servant would say, No! Give it to me now or I will take it by force. 17So the sin of the [two] young men was very great before the Lord, for they despised the offering of the Lord. 18But Samuel ministered before the Lord, a child girded with a linen ephod. 19Moreover, his mother made him a little robe and brought it to him from year to year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, May the Lord give you children by this woman for the gift she asked for and gave to the Lord. Then they would go to their own home. 21And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she bore three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord. 22Now Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel and how they lay with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 23And he said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. 24No, my sons; it is no good report which I hear the Lord's people spreading abroad. 25If one man wrongs another, God will mediate for him; but if a man wrongs the Lord, who shall intercede for him? Yet they did not listen to their father, for it was the Lord's will to slay them. 26Now the boy Samuel grew and was in favor both with the Lord and with men. 27A man of God came to Eli and said to him, Thus has the Lord said: I plainly revealed Myself to the house of your father [forefather Aaron] when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh's house. 28Moreover, I selected him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer on My altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me. And I gave [from then on] to the house of your father [forefather] all the offerings of the Israelites made by fire. 29Why then do you kick [trample upon, treat with contempt] My sacrifice and My offering which I commanded, and honor your sons above Me by fattening yourselves upon the choicest part of every offering of My people Israel? 30Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, I did promise that your house and that of your father [forefather Aaron] should go in and out before Me forever. But now the Lord says, Be it far from Me. For those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. 31Behold, the time is coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your own father's house, that there shall not be an old man in your house. 32And you shall behold the distress of My house, even in all the prosperity which God will give Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33Yet I will not cut off from My altar every man of yours; some shall survive to weep and mourn [over the family's ruin], but all the increase of your house shall die in their best years.(B) 34And what befalls your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be a sign to you--in one day they both shall die. [Fulfilled in I Sam. 4:17, 18.] 35And I will raise up for Myself a [c]faithful priest (Priest), who shall do according to what is in My heart and mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed (Anointed) forever.(C) 36Everyone who is left in your house shall come crouching to him for a piece of silver and a bit of bread and say, Put me, I pray you, into a priest's office so I may have a piece of bread. 1 Samuel 3 1NOW THE boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. The word of the Lord was rare and precious in those days; there was no frequent or widely spread vision. 2At that time Eli, whose eyesight had dimmed so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3The lamp of God had not yet gone out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was lying down 4When the Lord called, Samuel! And he answered, Here I am. 5He ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. Eli said, I did not call you; lie down again. So he went and lay down. 6And the Lord called again, Samuel! And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here am I; you did call me. Eli answered, I did not call, my son; lie down again. 7Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord was not yet revealed to him. 8And the Lord called Samuel the third time. And he went to Eli and said, Here I am, for you did call me. Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. 9So Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down. And if He calls you, you shall say, Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10And the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, Samuel! Samuel! Then Samuel answered, Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening. 11The Lord told Samuel, Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of all who hear it shall tingle. 12On that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13And I [now] announce to him that I will judge and punish his house forever for the iniquity of which he knew, for his sons were bringing a curse upon themselves [blaspheming God], and he did not restrain them. 14Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for or purged with sacrifice or offering forever. 15Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the Lord's house. And [he] was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16But Eli called Samuel and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here I am. 17Eli said, What is it He told you? Pray do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that He said to you. 18And Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing. And Eli said, It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him. 19Samuel grew; the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground.(D) 20And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord. 21And the Lord continued to appear in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh through the word of the Lord. 1 Samuel 4 1AND THE word of [the Lord through] Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines and encamped beside Ebenezer; the Philistines encamped at Aphek. 2The Philistines drew up against Israel, and when the battle spread, Israel was smitten by the Philistines, who slew about 4,000 men on the battlefield. 3When the troops had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that He may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies. 4So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, Who dwells above the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were with the ark of the covenant of God. 5And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded. 6And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What does this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean? When they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, 7The Philistines were afraid, for they said, God has come into the camp. And they said, Woe to us! For such a thing has not happened before. 8Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that smote the Egyptians with every kind of plague in the wilderness. 9Be strong, and acquit yourselves like men, O you Philistines, that you may not become servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you; behave yourselves like men, and fight! 10And the Philistines fought; Israel was smitten and they fled every man to his own home. There was a very great slaughter; for 30,000 foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11And the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. [Foretold in I Sam. 2:34.] 12Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh that day, with his clothes torn and earth on his head. 13When he arrived, Eli was sitting by the road watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man told the news in the city, all the city [people] cried out. 14When Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What is this uproar? And the man came hastily and told Eli. 15Now Eli was 98 years old; his eyes were dim so that he could not see. 16The man said to Eli, I have come from the battle; I fled from the battle today. Eli said, How did it go, my son? 17The messenger replied, Israel fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is captured. 18And when he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years. 19Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, about to be delivered. And when she heard that the ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her pains came upon her. 20And about the time of her death the women attending her said to her, Fear not, for you have borne a son. But she did not answer or notice. 21And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel!--because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22She said, The glory is gone from Israel, for the ark of God has been taken. 1 Samuel 5 1THE PHILISTINES brought the ark of God from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2They took the ark of God into the house of Dagon and set it beside Dagon [their idol]. 3When they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon had fallen upon his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again. 4But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had again fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and [his] head and both the palms of his hands were lying cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left him. 5This is the reason neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon's house tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. 6But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon the people of Ashdod, and He caused [mice to spring up and there was] very deadly destruction and He smote the people with [very painful] tumors or boils, both Ashdod and its territory. 7When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god. 8So they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? They answered, Let [it] be carried around to Gath. So they carried the ark of the God of Israel there. 9But after they had carried it to Gath, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing an exceedingly great panic [at the deaths from the plague], for He afflicted the people of the city, both small and great, and tumors or boils broke out on them. 10So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And as [it] came, the people of Ekron cried out, They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us to slay us and our people! 11So they sent and assembled all the lords of the Philistines and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel; let it return to its own place, that it may not slay us and our people. For there was a deadly panic throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 12The men who had not died were stricken with very painful tumors or boils, and the cry of the city went up to heaven. 1 Samuel 6 1THE ARK of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? Tell us with what we shall send it to its place. 3And they said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but at least return to Him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed [and healing granted you]. 4Then they said, What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him? They answered, Five golden tumors and five golden mice, according to the number of the Philistine lords, for one plague was on you all, even on your lords. 5Therefore you must make images of your tumors and of your mice that destroy the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps He will lighten His hand from off you and your gods and your land. 6Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had done wonders and made a mock of them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? 7Now then, make and prepare a new cart and two milch cows on which no yoke has ever come; and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8And take the ark of the Lord and place it upon the cart, and put in a box at its side the figures of gold which you are returning to Him as a guilt offering. Then send it away and let it be gone. 9And watch. If it goes up by the way of its own land to Beth-shemesh, then He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it was not His hand that struck us; it happened to us by chance. 10And the men did so, and took two milch cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the box with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors. 12And the cows went straight toward Beth-shemesh along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right or the left. And the Philistine lords followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. 13Now the men of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 14The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there; and the men split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box beside it in which were the figures of gold and put them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices that day to the Lord. 16When the five lords of the Philistines saw it, they returned that day to Ekron. 17And these are the tumors of gold which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to the Lord: one each for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron; 18Also the mice of gold was according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages. The great stone, on which they set the ark of the Lord, remains as a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh. 19And the Lord slew some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord; He slew [d]seventy men of them, and the people mourned because the Lord had made a great slaughter among them. 20And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? And to whom shall He go away from us? 21And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to you. 1 Samuel 7 1SO THE men of Kiriath-jearim came and took the ark of the Lord and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to have charge of the ark of the Lord. 2And the ark remained in Kiriath-jearim a very long time [nearly 100 years, through Samuel's entire judgeship, Saul's reign, and well into David's, when it was brought to Jerusalem]. For it was twenty years before all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord.(E) 3Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth [female deities] from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him only, and He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4So the Israelites put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only. 5Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the Lord for you. 6So they gathered at 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 Israelites at Mizpah. 7Now when the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8And the Israelites said to Samuel, Do not cease to cry to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines. 9So Samuel took a sucking lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord; and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great voice that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel. 11And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and smote them as far as below Beth-car. 12Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and he called the name of it Ebenezer [stone of help], saying, Heretofore the Lord has helped us. 13So the Philistines were subdued and came no more into Israelite territory. And the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14The cities the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and Israel rescued [the cities'] territory from the Philistines. There was peace also between Israel and the Amorites. 15And Samuel judged Israel all his days. 16And he went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and was judge for Israel in all those places. 17Then he would return to Ramah, for his home was there; there he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the Lord. 1 Samuel 8 1WHEN SAMUEL was old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2Now the name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second, Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. 3His sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. 4All the elders of Israel assembled and came to Samuel at Ramah 5And said to him, Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint us a king to rule over us like all the other nations. 6But it displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to govern us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken to the voice of the people in all they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not be King over them. 8According to all the works which they have done since I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they also do to you. 9So listen now to their voice; only solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them. 10So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked of him a king. 11And he said, These will be the ways of the king who shall reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12He will appoint them for himself to be commanders over thousands and over fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and equipment for his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14He will take your fields, your vineyards, and your olive orchards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16He will take your men and women servants and the best of your cattle and your donkeys and put them to his work. 17He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves shall be his slaves. 18In that day you will cry out because of your king you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not hear you then. 19Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, No! We will have a king over us, 20That we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles. 21Samuel heard all the people's words and repeated them in the Lord's ears. 22And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken to their voice and appoint them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Go every man to his city. 1 Samuel 9 1THERE WAS a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of wealth and valor. 2Kish had a son named Saul, a choice young man and handsome; among all the Israelites there was not a man more handsome than he. He was a head taller than any of the people. 3The donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. Kish said to Saul, Take a servant with you and go, look for the donkeys. 4And they passed through the hill country of Ephraim and the land of Shalishah, but did not find them. Then they went through the land of Shaalim and the land of Benjamin, but did not find them. 5And when they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, Come, let us return, lest my father stop worrying about the donkeys and become concerned about us. 6The servant said to him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, a man held in honor; all that he says surely comes true. Now let us go there. Perhaps he can show us where we should go. 7Then Saul said to his servant, But if we go, what shall we bring the man? The bread in our sacks is gone, and there is no gift for the man of God. What have we? 8The servant replied, I have here a quarter of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God to tell us our way-- 9(Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, Come, let us go to the seer, for he that is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.) 10Saul said to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of God was. 11As they went up the hill to the city, they met young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, Is the seer here? 12They answered, He is; behold, he is just beyond you. Hurry, for he came today to the city because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place. 13As you enter the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not eat until he comes to ask the blessing on the sacrifice. Afterward, those who are invited eat. So go on up, for about now you will find him. 14So they went up to the city, and as they were entering, behold, Samuel came toward them, going up to the high place. 15Now a day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel in his ear, 16Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be leader over My people Israel; and he shall save them out of the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked upon the distress of My people, because their cry has come to Me. 17When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, There is the man of whom I told you. He shall have authority over My people. 18Then Saul came near to Samuel in the gate and said, Tell me where is the seer's house? 19Samuel answered Saul, I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for you shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. 20As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be thinking about them, for they are found. And for whom are all the desirable things of Israel? Are they not for you and for all your father's house? 21And Saul said, Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And is not my family the least of all the families of the clans of Benjamin? Why then do you speak this way to me? 22Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the guest room [at the high place] and had them sit in the chief place among the persons--about thirty of them--who were invited. [The other people feasted outside.] 23And Samuel said to the cook, Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, Set it aside. 24And the cook lifted high the shoulder and what was on it [indicating that it was the priest's honored portion] and set it before Saul. [Samuel] said, See what was reserved for you. Eat, for until the hour appointed it was kept for you, ever since I invited the people. So Saul ate that day with Samuel. 25When they had come down from the high place into the city, Samuel conversed with Saul on the top of the house. 26They arose early and about dawn Samuel called Saul [who was sleeping] on the top of the house, saying, Get up, that I may send you on your way. Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out on the street. 27And as they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us--and he passed on--but you stand still, first, that I may cause you to hear the word of God. 1 Samuel 10 1THEN SAMUEL took the vial of oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him and said, Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over His heritage Israel? 2When you have left me today, you will meet two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, The donkeys you sought are found. And your father has quit caring about them and is anxious for you, asking, What shall I do about my son? 3Then you will go on from there and you will come to the oak of Tabor, and three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three kids, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin bottle of wine. 4They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand. 5After that you will come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is; and when you come to the city, you will meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and lyre before them, prophesying. 6Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you will show yourself to be a prophet with them; and you will be turned into another man. 7When these signs meet you, do whatever you find to be done, for God is with you. 8You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you shall do. 9And when [Saul] had turned his back to leave Samuel, God gave him another heart, and all these signs came to pass that day. 10When they came to the hill [Gibeah], behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he spoke under divine inspiration among them. 11And when all who knew Saul before saw that he spoke by inspiration among the [schooled] prophets, the people said one to another, What has come over [him, who is nobody but] the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? 12One from that same place answered, But who is the father of the others? So it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? 13When [Saul] had ended his inspired speaking, he went to the high place. 14Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, Where did you go? And Saul said, To look for the donkeys, and when we found them nowhere, we went to Samuel. 15Saul's uncle said, Tell me, what did Samuel say to you? 16And Saul said to his uncle, He told us plainly that the donkeys were found. But of the matter of the kingdom of which Samuel spoke he told him nothing. 17And Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah 18And said to the Israelites, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: It was I Who brought up Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hands of the Egyptians and of all the kingdoms that oppressed you. 19But you have this day rejected your God, Who Himself saves you from all your calamities and distresses; and you have said to Him, No! Set a king over us. So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands. 20And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken [probably by lot]. 21When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken. And Saul son of Kish was taken. But when they looked for him, he could not be found. 22Therefore they inquired of the Lord further, if the man would yet come back. And the Lord answered, Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.(F) 23They ran and brought him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was a head taller than any of them. 24And Samuel said to all the people, Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that none like him is among all the people? And all the people shouted and said, Long live the king! 25Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom [defining the position of the king in relation to God and to the people], and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of valiant men whose hearts God had touched. 27But some worthless fellows said, How can this man save us? And they despised him and brought him no gift. But he held his peace and was as if deaf. 1 Samuel 11 1AND NAHASH the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you. 2But Nahash the Ammonite told them, On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I thrust out all your right eyes and thus lay disgrace on all Israel. 3The elders of Jabesh said to Nahash, Give us seven days' time, that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no man to save us, we will come out to you. 4Then messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the ears of the people; and all the people wept aloud. 5Now Saul came out of the field after the oxen, and [he] said, What ails the people that they are weeping? And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. 6The Spirit of God came mightily upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was greatly kindled. 7And he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whoever does not come forth after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen! And terror from the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. 8And he numbered them at Bezek, and the Israelites were 300,000 and the men of Judah 30,000. 9The messengers who came were told, Say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help. The messengers came and reported to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. 10So the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us all that seems good to you. 11The next day Saul put the men in three companies; and they came into the midst of the enemy's camp in the [darkness of the] morning watch and slew the Ammonites until midday; and the survivors were scattered, so that no two of them remained together. 12The people said to Samuel, Who is he who said, Shall Saul reign over us? Bring the men, that we may put them to death. 13But Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day, for today the Lord has brought deliverance to Israel. 14Samuel said to the people, Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingdom. 15All the people went to Gilgal and there they made Saul king before the Lord. And there they sacrificed peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. 1 Samuel 12 1AND SAMUEL said to all Israel, I have listened to you in all that you have said to me and have made a king over you. 2And now, behold, the king walks before you. And I am old and gray, and behold, my sons are with you. And I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. 3Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and Saul His anointed. Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded or oppressed? Or from whose hand have I received any bribe to blind my eyes? Tell me and I will restore it to you. 4And they said, You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man's hand. 5And Samuel said to them, The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand. And they answered, He is witness. 6And Samuel said to the people, It is the Lord Who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of Egypt. 7Now present yourselves, that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did for you and for your fathers. 8When Jacob and his sons had come into Egypt [and the Egyptians oppressed them], and your fathers cried to the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought forth your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. 9But when they forgot the Lord their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of Hazor's army, and into the hands of the Philistines and of the king of Moab, and they fought those foes. 10And they cried to the Lord, saying, We have sinned because we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You. 11And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel, and He delivered you out of the hands of your enemies on every side, and you dwelt safely. 12But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, No! A king shall reign over us--when the Lord your God was your King! 13Now see the king whom you have chosen and for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you. 14If you will revere and fear the Lord and serve Him and hearken to His voice and not rebel against His commandment, and if both you and your king will follow the Lord your God, it will be good! 15But if you will not hearken to the Lord's voice, but rebel against His commandment, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers. 16So stand still and see this great thing the Lord will do before your eyes now. 17Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to the Lord and He will send thunder and rain; then you shall know and see that your wickedness is great which you have done in the sight of the Lord in asking for a king for yourselves. 18So Samuel called to the Lord, and He sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. 19And [they] all said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil--to ask for a king. 20And Samuel said to the people, Fear not. You have indeed done all this evil; yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve Him with all your heart. 21And turn not aside after vain and worthless things which cannot profit or deliver you, for they are empty and futile. 22The Lord will not forsake His people for His great name's sake, for it has pleased Him to make you a people for Himself. 23Moreover, 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. 24Only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; for consider how great are the things He has done for you. 25But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king shall be swept away. 1 Samuel 13 1SAUL WAS [e][forty] years old when he began to reign; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, 2Saul chose 3,000 men of Israel; 2,000 were with [him] in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and 1,000 with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent away, each one to his home. 3Jonathan smote the Philistine garrison at Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear! 4All Israel heard that Saul had defeated the Philistine garrison and also that Israel had become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called out to join Saul at Gilgal. 5And the Philistines gathered to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen and troops like sand on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven. 6When the men of Israel saw that they were in a tight situation--for their troops were hard pressed--they hid in caves, holes, rocks, tombs, and pits or cisterns. 7Some Hebrews had gone over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8Saul waited seven days, according to the set time Samuel had appointed. But Samuel had not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from Saul. 9So Saul said, Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering [which he was forbidden to do]. 10And just as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came! Saul went out to meet and greet him. 11Samuel said, What have you done? Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines were assembled at Michmash, 12I thought, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord. So I forced myself to offer a burnt offering. 13And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly! You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God which He commanded you; for the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever; 14But now your kingdom shall not continue; the Lord has sought out [David] a man after His own [f]heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince and ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. 15And Samuel went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were left with him, [only] about 600. 16Saul and Jonathan his son and the people with them remained in Gibeah of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped at Michmash. 17And raiders came out of the Philistine camp in three companies; one company turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18Another turned toward Beth-horon, and another toward the border overlooking the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. 19Now there was no metal worker to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears. 20But each of the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines to get his plowshare, mattock, axe, or sickle sharpened. 21And the price for plowshares and mattocks was a pim, and a third of a shekel for axes and for setting goads [with resulting blunt edges on the sickles, mattocks, forks, axes, and goads.] 22So on the day of battle neither sword nor spear was found in the hand of any of the men who were with Saul and Jonathan; but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 23And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash. 1 Samuel 14 1ONE DAY Jonathan son of Saul said to his armor-bearer, Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side. But he did not tell his father. 2Saul was remaining in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron; and with him were about 600 men, 3And Ahijah son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord's priest in Shiloh, was wearing the ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan was gone. 4Between the passes by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side; one was named Bozez, and the other Seneh. 5The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba. 6And Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will work for us. For there is nothing to prevent the Lord from saving by many or by few. 7And his armor-bearer said to him, Do all that is in your mind; I am with you in whatever you think [best]. 8Jonathan said, We will pass over to these men and we will let them see us. 9If they say to us, Wait until we come to you, then we will stand still in our place and will not go up to them. 10But if they say, Come up to us, we will go up, for the Lord has delivered them into our hand, and this will be our sign. 11So both of them let the Philistine garrison see them. And the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves. 12The garrison men said to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, Come up to us and we will show you a thing. Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into Israel's hand. 13Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, his armor-bearer after him; and the enemy fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him. 14And that first slaughter which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made was about twenty men within about a half acre of land [which a yoke of oxen might plow]. 15And there was trembling and panic in the [Philistine] camp, in the field, and among all the men; the garrison, and even the raiders trembled; the earth quaked, and it became a terror from God. 16Saul's watchmen in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude melted away and went hither and thither. 17Then Saul said to the men with him, Number and see who is gone from us. When they numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were missing. 18Saul said to Ahijah, Bring here the ark of God--for at that time the ark of God was with the children of Israel. 19While Saul talked to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp kept increasing. Then Saul said to the priest, Withdraw your hand. 20Then Saul and all the people with him rallied and went into the battle, and behold, every [Philistine's] sword was against his fellow in wild confusion. 21Moreover, the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the country round about, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22Likewise, all the men of Israel who had hid themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also went after them in hot pursuit in the battle. 23So the Lord delivered Israel that day, and the battle passed beyond Beth-aven. 24But the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had caused them to take an oath, saying, Cursed be the man who eats any food before evening and until I have taken vengeance on my enemies. So none of the men tasted any food. 25And all the people of the land came to a wood, and there was honey on the ground. 26When the men entered the wood, behold, the honey was dripping, but no man tasted it, for the men feared the oath. 27But Jonathan had not heard when his father charged the people with the oath. So he dipped the end of the rod in his hand into a honeycomb and put it to his mouth, and his [weary] eyes brightened. 28Then one of the men told him, Your father strictly charged the men with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man who eats any food today. And the people were exhausted and faint. 29Then Jonathan said, My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 30How much better if the men had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now the slaughter of the Philistines has not been great. 31They smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very faint. 32[When night came and the oath expired] the men flew upon the spoil. They took sheep, oxen, and calves, slew them on the ground, and ate them [raw] with the blood. 33Then Saul was told, Behold, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood. And he said, You have transgressed; roll a great stone to me here. 34Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people and tell them, Bring me every man his ox or his sheep, and butcher them here and eat; and sin not against the Lord by eating the blood. So all the men brought each one his ox that night and butchered it there. 35And Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first altar he built to the Lord. 36Then Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night and seize and plunder them until daylight, and let us not leave a man of them. They said, Do whatever seems good to you. Then the priest said, Let us draw near here to God. 37And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel? But He did not answer him that day. 38Then Saul said, Draw near, all the chiefs of the people, and let us see how this sin [causing God's silence] arose today. 39For as the Lord lives, Who delivers Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. But not a man among all the people answered him. 40Then he said to all Israel, You be on one side; and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side. The people said to Saul, Do what seems good to you. 41Therefore Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, Give a perfect lot and show the right. And Saul and Jonathan were taken [by lot], but the other men went free. 42Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken. 43Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. And Jonathan said, I tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. And behold, I must die. 44Saul answered, May God do so, and more also, for you shall surely die, Jonathan. 45But the people said to Saul, Shall Jonathan, who has wrought this great deliverance to Israel, die? God forbid! As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of his head perish, for he has wrought this great deliverance with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die. 46Then Saul ceased pursuing the Philistines, and they went to their own place. 47When Saul took over the kingdom of Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side: Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he made it worse for them. 48He did valiantly and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who plundered them. 49Now Saul's sons were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchi-shua; and the names of his two daughters were, of the firstborn, Merab; and of the younger, Michal. 50The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The commander of his army was Abner son of Ner, Saul's uncle. 51Kish the father of Saul and Ner the father of Abner were sons of Abiel. 52There was severe war against the Philistines all the days of Saul, and whenever Saul saw any mighty or [outstandingly] courageous man, he attached him to himself. 1 Samuel 15 1SAMUEL TOLD Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now listen and heed the words of the Lord. 2Thus says the Lord of hosts, I have considered and will punish what Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way when [Israel] came out of Egypt. 3Now go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all they have; do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey. 4So Saul assembled the men and numbered them at Telaim--200,000 men on foot and 10,000 men of Judah. 5And Saul came to the city of Amalek and laid wait in the valley. 6Saul warned the Kenites, Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8And he took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, though he utterly destroyed all the rest of the people with the sword. 9Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings, lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but all that was undesirable or worthless they destroyed utterly. 10Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying, 11I regret making Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commands. And Samuel was grieved and angry [with Saul], and he cried to the Lord all night. 12When Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, he was told, Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up for himself a monument or trophy [of his victory] and passed on and went down to Gilgal. 13And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, Blessed are you of the Lord. I have performed what the Lord ordered. 14And Samuel said, What then means this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? 15Saul 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. 16Then Samuel said to Saul, Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me tonight. Saul said to him, Say on. 17Samuel said, When you were small in your own sight, were you not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed you king over Israel? 18And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, Go, utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites; and fight against them until they are consumed. 19Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord, but swooped down upon the plunder and did evil in the Lord's sight? 20Saul said to Samuel, Yes, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag king of Amalek and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21But the people took from the spoil sheep and oxen, the chief of the things to be utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal. 22Samuel said, Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim (household good luck images). Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king. 24And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25Now, I pray you, pardon my sin and go back with me, that I may worship the Lord. 26And 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. 27And as Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of Samuel's mantle, and it tore. 28And Samuel said to him, The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you. 29And also the Strength of Israel will not lie or repent; for He is not a man, that He should repent. 30Saul said, I have sinned; yet honor me now, I pray you, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord your God. 31So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord. 32Then Samuel said, Bring here to me Agag king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him cheerfully. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. 33Samuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal. 34Then Samuel went to Ramah, but Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death, though Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord repented that He had made Saul king over Israel. 1 Samuel 16 1THE LORD said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided for Myself a king among his sons. 2Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. 3And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you. 4And Samuel did what the Lord said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, Have you come peaceably? 5And he said, Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and called them to the sacrifice. 6When they had come, he looked on Eliab [the eldest son] and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him. 7But the Lord said to Samuel, Look not on his appearance or at the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. But Samuel said, Neither has the Lord chosen this one. 9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. Samuel said, Nor has the Lord chosen him. 10Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, The Lord has not chosen any of these. 11Then [he] said to Jesse, Are all your sons here? [Jesse] said, There is yet the youngest; he is tending the sheep. Samuel said to Jesse, Send for him; for we will not sit down to eat until he is here. 12Jesse sent and brought him. David had a healthy reddish complexion and beautiful eyes, and was fine-looking. The Lord said [to Samuel], Arise, anoint him; this is he. 13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David 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. 14But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented and troubled him. 15Saul's servants said to him, Behold, an evil spirit from God torments you. 16Let our lord now command your servants here before you to find a man who plays skillfully on the lyre; and when the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well. 17Saul told his servants, Find me a man who plays well and bring him to me. 18One of the young men said, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who plays skillfully, a valiant man, a man of war, prudent in speech and eloquent, an attractive person; and the Lord is with him. 19So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, Send me David your son, who is with the sheep. 20And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a kid and sent them by David his son to Saul. 21And David came to Saul and served him. Saul became very fond of him, and he became his armor-bearer. 22Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David remain in my service, for he pleases me. 23And when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, David took a lyre and played it; so Saul was refreshed and became well, and the evil spirit left him. 1 Samuel 17 1NOW THE Philistines gathered their armies for battle and were assembled at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim. 2Saul and the men of Israel were encamped in the Valley of Elah and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. 3And the Philistines stood on a mountain on one side and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with the valley between them. 4And a champion went out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span [almost ten feet]. 5And he had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of mail, and the coat weighed 5,000 shekels of bronze. 6He had bronze shin armor on his legs and a bronze javelin across his shoulders. 7And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam; his spear's head weighed 600 shekels of iron. And a shield bearer went before him. 8Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. 9If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us. 10And the Philistine said, I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. 11When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 12David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah named Jesse, who had eight sons. [Jesse] in the days of Saul was old, advanced in years. 13[His] three eldest sons had followed Saul into battle. Their names were Eliab the firstborn; next, Abinadab; and third, Shammah. 14David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15But David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. 16The Philistine came out morning and evening, presenting himself for forty days. 17And Jesse said to David his son, Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves and carry them quickly to your brothers at the camp. 18Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See how your brothers fare and bring some token from them. 19Now Saul and the brothers and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20So David rose up early next morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host going forth to the battleground shouted the battle cry. 21And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. 22David left his packages in the care of the baggage keeper and ran into the ranks and came and greeted his brothers. 23As they talked, behold, Goliath, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, came forth from the Philistine ranks and spoke the same words as before, and David heard him. 24And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, terrified. 25And the Israelites said, Have you seen this man who has come out? Surely he has come out to defy Israel; and the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free [from taxes and service] in Israel. 26And David said to the men standing by him, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? 27And the [men] told him, Thus shall it be done for the man who kills him. 28Now Eliab his eldest brother heard what he said to the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David and he said, Why did you come here? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and evilness of heart; for you came down that you might see the battle. 29And David said, What have I done now? Was it not a harmless question? 30And David turned away from Eliab to another and he asked the same question, and again the men gave him the same answer. 31When David's words were heard, they were repeated to Saul, and he sent for him. 32David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of this Philistine; your servant will go out and fight with him. 33And Saul said to David, You are not able to go to fight against this Philistine. You are only an adolescent, and he has been a warrior from his youth. 34And David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father's sheep. And when there came a lion or again a bear and took a lamb out of the flock, 35I went out after it

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