cause the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Beth-shemesh said, 'Who is able to stand before this holy LORD GOD? and to whom shall He go up from us?' And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, 'The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.' And the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.

And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, 'If ye 'do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and HE will 'deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.' Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. And Samuel said, 'Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.' And they gathered together to Mizpeh, 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 children of Israel in Mizpeh.

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. And the children of Israel said to Samuel, 'Cease not to cry 'unto the LORD our GOD for us, that HE will save us out ' of the hand of the Philistines.' And Samuel took a

sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt-offering wholly unto the LORD: and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt-offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car. Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, 'Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.' So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went from year to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places. And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar unto the LORD.

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his first-born was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together,

and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, 'Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.'

But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, 'Give us a king to judge us.' And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel

'Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say
' unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have

' rejected me, that I should not reign over them. Accord-
'ing 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,
· Iso do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto
'their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and
'show them the manner of the king that shall reign over
'them.'

And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, 'This will

be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He 'will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his " chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains

over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set 'them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to 'make his instruments of war, and instruments of his 'chariots. And he will take your daughters to be con'fectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he 'will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive' yards, even the best of them, and give them to his 'servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and ' of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his 6 servants. And he will take your men-servants and your 'maid-servants, and your goodliest young men, and your

asses, and put them to his work.

He will take the tenth 'of your sheep; and ye shall be his servants. And ye

" shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye 'shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you ' in that day.'

Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like all the nations; and ' that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.' And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel

'Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king.' And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, 'Go ye every 'man unto his city.'

SAUL.

Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, a mighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

:

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.' And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they. found them not. And when they were come to the land

of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for 'the asses, and take thought for us.' And he said unto him, 'Behold now, there is in this city a man of GOD, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass now let us go thither; peradventure he can show us our way that we should go.'

Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying

'To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of 'the land of Benjamin, and thou 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 looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.'

And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him— 'Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall ' reign over my people.'

Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is.' 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. And as for thine 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?' And Saul answered and said, 'Am not I a Benjamite, of 'the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the 'least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? where'fore then speakest thou so to me?'

Then Samuel took a vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, 'Is it not because