6 *And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the adiviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. 3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not bempty; but in any wise return him ca trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall dbe known to you why his hand is not removed from you. 4 Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden emice, faccording to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on †you all, and on your lords. 5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that gmar the land; and ye shall hgive glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will ilighten his hand from off you, and from off jyour gods, and from off your land. 6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, kas the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought ||wonderfully among them, ldid they not let †the people go, and they departed? 7 Now therefore make ma new cart, and take two milch kine, non which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them: 8 And take the ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart; and put othe jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. 9 And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to pBeth-shemesh, then ||he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then qwe shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.

10 And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: 11 And they laid the ark of the Lord upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. 12 And the kine took the straight way to the way of pBeth-shemesh, and went along the rhighway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh. 13 And they 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. 14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the Lord. 15 And the sLevites took down the ark of the Lord, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the Lord. 16 And when tthe five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to uEkron the same day. 17 And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the Lord; for vAshdod one, for wGaza one, for xAskelon one, for yGath one, for uEkron one; 18 And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of zcountry villages, even unto the ||great stone of aAbel, whereon they set down the ark of the Lord: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemite.

19 And bhe smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people alamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. 20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, cWho is able to stand before this dholy Lord God? and to whom shall he go up from us? 21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of eKirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.

7 And the men of aKirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the Lord, and brought it into the house of bAbinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord.

2 *And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the Lord. 3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do creturn unto the Lord with all your hearts, then dput away the strange gods and eAshtaroth from among you, and fprepare your hearts unto the Lord, and gserve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4 Then the children of Israel did put away eBaalim and Ashtaroth, and served the Lord only. 5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to hMizpeh, and iI will pray for you unto the Lord. 6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, kand drew water, and poured it out before the Lord, and lfasted on that day, and said there, mWe have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. 7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, †nCease not to cry unto the Lord our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly unto the Lord: and oSamuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord ||heard him. 10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the Lord pthundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and qdiscomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car. 12 Then Samuel took ra stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it ||Eben-ezer, saying, sHitherto hath the Lord helped us. 13 tSo the Philistines were subdued, and uthey came no more into the coast of Israel: and wthe hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14 And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from xEkron even unto yGath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the zAmorites. 15 And Samuel ajudged Israel all the days of his life. 16 And he went from year to year †in circuit to bBeth-el, and cGilgal, and dMizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places. 17 And his return was to eRamah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he fbuilt an altar unto the Lord.

8 *And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he amade his bsons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was ||Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in cBeer-sheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside dafter lucre, and etook bribes, and perverted judgment. 4 *Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto fRamah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now gmake us a king to judge us like all the nations. 6 But the thing †displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. 7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for hthey have not rejected thee, but ithey have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore ||hearken unto their voice: ||howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and jshew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

10 And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king. 11 And he said, kThis will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: lHe will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to mear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be nconfectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And ohe will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his †officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord pwill not hear you in that day.

19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 20 That we also may be qlike all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, rHearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

9 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was aKish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, ||a Benjamite, a mighty man of ||power. 2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, ba choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: cfrom his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. 3 And the asses of Kish Saul’s father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. 4 And he passed through dmount Ephraim, and passed through the land of eShalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of fShalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. 5 And when they were come to the land of gZuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and htake thought for us. 6 And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city ia man of God, and he is an honourable man; jall that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go. 7 Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, kwhat shall we bring the man? for the bread †is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to ithe man of God: what †have we? 8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, †I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way. 9 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man lwent to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called ma Seer.) 10 Then said Saul to his servant, †Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was. 11 And as they went up †the hill to the city, they found nyoung maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here? 12 And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a ||sacrifice of the people to day in othe high place: 13 As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to othe high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about †this time ye shall find him. 14 And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place.

15 pNow the Lord had †told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, 16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and qthou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have rlooked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. 17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord ssaid unto him, tBehold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall †reign over my people. 18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is. 19 And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. 20 And as for uthine asses that were lost †three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house? 21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the wsmallest of the tribes of Israel? and xmy family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou †so to me? 22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the yparlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee. 24 And the cook took up zthe shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is ||left! set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day.

25 And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon athe top of the house. 26 And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. 27 And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still †a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.

10 Then aSamuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, band kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord hath anointed thee to be captain over chis inheritance? 2 When thou art departed from me to day, then thou shalt find two men by dRachel’s sepulchre in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto thee, The asses which thou wentest to seek are found: and, lo, thy father hath left †the care of the asses, and esorroweth for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? 3 Then shalt thou go on forward from thence, and thou shalt come to the fplain of Tabor, and there shall meet thee three men going up to God to gBeth-el, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine: 4 And they will †salute thee, and give thee two loaves of bread; which thou shalt receive of their hands. 5 After that thou shalt come to hthe hill of God, where is the igarrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down kfrom the high place with a psaltery, and a ltabret, and a pipe, and a lharp, before them; and they shall prophesy: 6 And mthe Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and nthou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. 7 †And let it be, when these osigns are come unto thee, †that thou do as occasion serve thee; for pGod is with thee. 8 And thou shalt go down before me qto Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: rseven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.

9 And it was so, that when he had turned his †back to go from Samuel, God †gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. 10 And swhen they came thither to the hill, behold, ta company of prophets met him; and uthe Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 11 And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said †one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? vIs Saul also among the prophets? 12 And one †of the same place answered and said, But wwho is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, vIs Saul also among the prophets? 13 And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place. 14 And xSaul’s uncle said unto him and to his servant, Whither went ye? And he said, To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were no where, we came to Samuel. 15 And Saul’s uncle said, Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said unto you. 16 And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that ythe asses were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spake, he told him not.

17 And Samuel called the people together zunto the Lord to aMizpeh; 18 And said unto the children of Israel, bThus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you: 19 cAnd ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore dpresent yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands. 20 And when Samuel had ecaused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. 21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found. 22 Therefore they finquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come thither. And the Lord answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff. 23 And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, ghe was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him hwhom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, †God save the king. 25 Then Samuel told the people ithe manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. 26 And Saul also went home to kGibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched. 27 lBut the mchildren of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no npresents. But ||he held his peace.