II. Establishment of the Monarchy

Chapter 8

Request for a King. ^1 [a]In his old age Samuel appointed his sons judges over Israel.^{(A) 2} His firstborn was named Joel, his second son, Abijah; they judged at Beer-sheba. ³ His sons did not follow his example, but looked to their own gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.^{(B) 4} Therefore all the elders of Israel assembled and went to Samuel at Ramah ⁵ and said to him, “Now that you are old, and your sons do not follow your example, appoint a king over us, like all the nations, to rule us.”^(C)

⁶ Samuel was displeased when they said, “Give us a king to rule us.” But he prayed to the Lord. ⁷ The Lord said: Listen to whatever the people say. You are not the one they are rejecting. They are rejecting me as their king.^{(D) 8} They are acting toward you just as they have acted from the day I brought them up from Egypt to this very day, deserting me to serve other gods. ⁹ Now listen to them; but at the same time, give them a solemn warning and inform them of the rights of the king who will rule them.

The Governance of the King. ¹⁰ Samuel delivered the message of the Lord in full to those who were asking him for a king. ¹¹ He told them: “The governance of the king who will rule you will be as follows: He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses, and they will run before his chariot.^{(E) 12} He will appoint from among them his commanders of thousands and of hundreds. He will make them do his plowing and harvesting and produce his weapons of war and chariotry.^{(F) 13} He will use your daughters as perfumers, cooks, and bakers. ¹⁴ He will take your best fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his servants.^{(G) 15} He will tithe your crops and grape harvests to give to his officials^[b] and his servants.^{(H) 16} He will take your male and female slaves, as well as your best oxen and donkeys, and use them to do his work. ¹⁷ He will also tithe your flocks. As for you, you will become his slaves.^{(I) 18} On that day you will cry out because of the king whom you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.”

Persistent Demand. ¹⁹ The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel’s warning and said, “No! There must be a king over us.^{(J) 20} We too must be like all the nations, with a king to rule us, lead us in warfare, and fight our battles.” ²¹ Samuel listened to all the concerns of the people and then repeated them to the Lord. ²² The Lord said: Listen to them! Appoint a king to rule over them. Then Samuel said to the people of Israel, “Return, each one of you, to your own city.”^[c]

Chapter 9

Saul. ¹ There was a powerful man from Benjamin named Kish, who was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite.^{(K) 2} He had a son named Saul, who was a handsome young man. There was no other Israelite more handsome than Saul; he stood head and shoulders above the people.^(L)

The Lost Donkeys. ³ Now the donkeys of Saul’s father, Kish, had wandered off. Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go out and hunt for the donkeys.” ⁴ So they went through the hill country of Ephraim, and through the land of Shalishah. Not finding them there, they continued through the land of Shaalim without success. They also went through the land of Benjamin, but they failed to find the animals. ⁵ When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let us turn back, lest my father forget about the donkeys and become anxious about us.” ⁶ The servant replied, “Listen! There is a man of God in this city, a man held in high esteem; everything he says comes true. Let us go there now! Perhaps he can advise us about the journey we have undertaken.” ^7 (M)But Saul said to his servant, “If we go, what can we offer the man? The food in our bags has run out; we have no present to give the man of God. What else do we have?” ⁸ Again the servant answered Saul, “I have a quarter shekel of silver.^[d] If I give that to the man of God, he will advise us about the journey.” ^9 (N)(In former times in Israel, anyone who went to consult God used to say, “Come, let us go to the seer.” For the one who is now called prophet was formerly called seer.) ¹⁰ Saul then said to his servant, “You are right! Come on, let us go!” So they headed toward the city where the man of God lived.

Meeting the Young Women. ^11 (O)As they were going up the path to the city, they met some young women coming out to draw water and they asked them, “Is the seer in town?” ^12 (P)The young women answered, “Yes, there—straight ahead. Hurry now; just today he came to the city, because the people have a sacrifice today on the high place.^{[e] 13} When you enter the city, you may reach him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not eat until he arrives; only after he blesses the sacrifice will the invited guests eat. Go up immediately, for you should find him right now.”

Saul Meets Samuel. ¹⁴ So they went up to the city. As they entered it—there was Samuel coming toward them on his way to the high place. ¹⁵ The day before Saul’s arrival, the Lord had revealed to Samuel:^{(Q) 16} At this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin whom you are to anoint as ruler of my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked upon my people; their cry has come to me.^{(R) 17} When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord assured him: This is the man I told you about; he shall govern my people. ¹⁸ Saul met Samuel in the gateway and said, “Please tell me where the seer lives.” ¹⁹ Samuel answered Saul: “I am the seer. Go up ahead of me to the high place and eat with me today. In the morning, before letting you go, I will tell you everything on your mind. ²⁰ As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not worry about them, for they have been found. Whom should Israel want if not you and your father’s family?” ²¹ Saul replied: “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest of the tribes of Israel,^[f] and is not my clan the least among the clans of the tribe of Benjamin? Why say such things to me?”^(S)

The Meal.^{[g] 22} Samuel then took Saul and his servant and brought them into the room. He seated them at the head of the guests, of whom there were about thirty. ²³ He said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you and told you to put aside.” ²⁴ So the cook took up the leg and what went with it, and placed it before Saul. Samuel said: “This is a reserved portion that is set before you. Eat, for it was kept for you until this time; I explained that I was inviting some guests.” Thus Saul dined with Samuel that day. ²⁵ When they came down from the high place into the city, a mattress was spread for Saul on the roof, ²⁶ and he slept there.

Saul’s Anointing. At daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get up, and I will send you on your way.” Saul got up, and he and Samuel went outside the city together. ²⁷ As they were approaching the edge of the town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us, but you stay here for a moment, that I may give you a word from God.”

Chapter 10

¹ Then, from a flask he had with him, Samuel poured oil on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying: “The Lord anoints you ruler over his people Israel. You are the one who will govern the Lord’s people and save them from the power of their enemies all around them.^(T)

The Signs Foretold. “This will be the sign^[h] for you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his heritage: ² When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb^[i] at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you went to look for have been found. Now your father is no longer worried about the donkeys, but is anxious about you and says: What shall I do about my son?’^{(U) 3} Farther on, when you arrive at the oak of Tabor,^[j] three men will meet you as they go up to God at Bethel; one will be bringing three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the third a skin of wine. ⁴ They will greet you and offer you two elevated offerings of bread, which you should accept from them. ^5 (V)After that you will come to Gibeath-elohim, where the Philistine garrison^[k] is located. As you enter that city, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place. They will be preceded by lyres, tambourines, flutes, and harps, and will be in prophetic ecstasy. ⁶ The spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will join them in their prophetic ecstasy and will become a changed man.^{(W) 7} When these signs have come to pass, do whatever lies to hand, because God is with you. ^8 (X)Now go down ahead of me to Gilgal, for I shall come down to you, to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice communion offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you; I shall then tell you what you must do.”^[l]

The Signs Come to Pass. ⁹ As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed his heart. That very day all these signs came to pass…. ^10 [m]From there they arrived at Gibeah, where a band of prophets met Saul, and the spirit of God rushed upon him, so that he joined them in their prophetic ecstasy.^{(Y) 11} When all who had known him previously saw him in a prophetic state among the prophets, they said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”^{(Z) 12} And someone from that district responded, “And who is their father?” Thus the saying arose, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” ¹³ When he came out of the prophetic ecstasy, he went home.

Silence About the Kingship. ¹⁴ Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” Saul replied, “Looking for the donkeys. When we could not find them, we went to Samuel.” ¹⁵ Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, then, what Samuel said to you.” ¹⁶ Saul said to his uncle, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul told him nothing about what Samuel had said about the kingship.

Saul Chosen King. ¹⁷ Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah^{(AA) 18} and addressed the Israelites: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: It was I who brought Israel up from Egypt and delivered you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.^{(AB) 19} But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your evils and calamities, by saying, ‘No! You must appoint a king over us.’ Now, therefore, take your stand before the Lord according to your tribes and families.”^{(AC) 20} So Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.^{[n] 21} Next he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by clans, and the clan of Matri was chosen, and finally Saul, son of Kish, was chosen. But when they went to look for him, he was nowhere to be found. ^22 (AD)Again they consulted the Lord, “Is there still someone else to come forward?” The Lord answered: He is hiding among the baggage. ²³ They ran to bring him from there; when he took his place among the people, he stood head and shoulders above all the people.^{(AE) 24} Then Samuel addressed all the people, “Do you see the man whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people!” Then all the people shouted out, “Long live the king!”^(AF)

²⁵ Samuel next explained to the people the rules of the monarchy,^[o] wrote them in a book, and placed them before the presence of the Lord. Samuel then sent the people back to their own homes.^{(AG) 26} Saul also went home to Gibeah, accompanied by warriors whose hearts the Lord had touched. ²⁷ But some worthless people said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no tribute.^[p](AH)

Chapter 11

Defeat of the Ammonites. ^1 [q]About a month later, Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead. All the people of Jabesh begged Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”^{(AI) 2} But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “This is my condition for making a treaty with you: I will gouge out the right eye of every man,^[r] and thus bring shame on all Israel.” ³ The elders of Jabesh said to him: “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If there is no one to save us, we will surrender to you.” ⁴ When the messengers arrived at Gibeah of Saul and reported the news in the people’s hearing, they all wept aloud. ⁵ Just then Saul came in from the field, behind his oxen. “Why are the people weeping?” he asked. They repeated the message of the inhabitants of Jabesh for him. ⁶ As he listened to this report, the spirit of God rushed upon him and he became very angry.^{(AJ) 7} Taking a yoke of oxen, he cut them into pieces and sent them throughout the territory of Israel^[s] by messengers saying, “If anyone does not come out to follow Saul and Samuel, the same thing will be done to his oxen!” The dread of the Lord came upon the people and they went forth as one.^{(AK) 8} When Saul reviewed them in Bezek,^[t] there were three hundred thousand Israelites and seventy thousand Judahites.

⁹ To the messengers who had come he said, “Tell the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead that tomorrow, when the sun grows hot, they will be saved.” The messengers went and reported this to the inhabitants of Jabesh, and they rejoiced. ¹⁰ The men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you may do with us whatever you want.” ¹¹ The next day, Saul arranged his troops in three companies and invaded the camp during the dawn watch. They slaughtered Ammonites until the day had gotten hot; by then the survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.

Saul Accepted as King. ^12 [u]The people then said to Samuel: “Who questioned whether Saul should rule over us? Hand them over and we will put them to death.”^{(AL) 13} But Saul objected, “No one will be put to death this day, for today the Lord has rescued Israel.”^{(AM) 14} Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal to renew the kingship there.” ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king in the Lord’s presence. They also sacrificed communion offerings there before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.

Chapter 12^[v]

Samuel’s Integrity. ^1 [w]Samuel addressed all Israel: “I have granted your request in every respect,” he said. “I have set a king over you^{(AN) 2} and now the king will lead you. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are among you. I was your leader from my youth to the present day. ³ Here I stand! Answer me in the presence of the Lord and the Lord’s anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I wronged? From whom have I accepted a bribe and shut my eyes because of it? I will make restitution to you.”^{(AO) 4} They replied, “You have neither cheated us, nor oppressed us, nor accepted anything from anyone.” ⁵ So he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you this day, and the Lord’s anointed is witness, that you have found nothing in my possession.” “The Lord is witness,” they said.

Samuel Admonishes the People. ⁶ Samuel continued: “The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt.^{(AP) 7} Now take your stand, that I may judge you in the presence of the Lord according to all the gracious acts that the Lord has done for you and your ancestors. ⁸ When Jacob and his sons went to Egypt and the Egyptians oppressed them, your ancestors cried out to the Lord. The Lord then sent Moses and Aaron to bring them out of Egypt and settled them in this place.^{(AQ) 9} But they forgot the Lord their God; and so the Lord sold them into the power of Sisera, the captain of the army of Hazor, the power of the Philistines, and the power of the king of Moab, who made war against them.^{(AR) 10} They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned because we abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and Astartes. Now deliver us from the power of our enemies, and we will serve you.’^{(AS) 11} The Lord sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel; he delivered you from the power of your enemies on every side, so that you could live in security.^{(AT) 12} Yet, when you saw Nahash, king of the Ammonites, advancing against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king must rule us,’ even though the Lord your God is your king.^(AU)

Warnings for People and King. ¹³ “Now here is the king you chose. See! The Lord has given you a king.^{(AV) 14} If you fear and serve the Lord, if you listen to the voice of the Lord and do not rebel against the Lord’s command, if both you and the king, who rules over you, follow the Lord your God—well and good. ¹⁵ But if you do not listen to the voice of the Lord and if you rebel against the Lord’s command, the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king. ¹⁶ Now then, stand ready to witness the great marvel the Lord is about to accomplish before your eyes. ¹⁷ Are we not in the harvest time for wheat?^[x] Yet I will call upon the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain. Thus you will see and understand how great an evil it is in the eyes of the Lord that you have asked for a king.”^{(AW) 18} Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day.

Assistance Promised. Then all the people feared the Lord and Samuel. ¹⁹ They said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for us, your servants, that we may not die for having added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.” ²⁰ “Do not fear,” Samuel answered them. “You have indeed committed all this evil! Yet do not turn from the Lord, but serve him with your whole heart. ²¹ Do not turn aside to gods who are nothing,^[y] who cannot act and deliver. They are nothing.^{(AX) 22} For the sake of his own great name^[z] the Lord will not abandon his people, since the Lord has decided to make you his people.^{(AY) 23} As for me, far be it from me to sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you and to teach you the good and right way.^{(AZ) 24} But you must fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart, for you have seen the great things the Lord has done among you. ²⁵ If instead you continue to do evil, both you and your king shall be swept away.”