248 | 1 Samuel 6:12
rowths. 12Then the cows went straight
g raelites. He said, Do you really want to
up toward Beth Shemesh. They s tayed on
the road. They were mooing all the way.
They didnt turn to the r ight or the left.
The Philistine rulers followed them all the
way to the border of Beth Shemesh.
13The people of Beth Shemesh were
working in the valley. They were gath
ering their wheat crop. They looked up
and saw the ark. When they saw it, they
were filled with joy. 14The cart came to
the f ield of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. It
stopped t here beside a large rock. The
people chopped up the wood the cart was
made out of. They sacr ificed the cows as
a burnt offering to the Lord. 15Some Le
vites had taken the ark of the Lord off the
cart. They had also taken off the c hest
that held the gold models. They placed
them on the large rock. On that day the
people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt of
ferings to the Lord. They also made sac
rifices to him. 16The five Philistine rulers
saw everything that happened. On that
same day they returned to Ekron.
17The Philistines sent gold models of
g rowths as a g uilt offering to the Lord.
T here was one each for Ashdod, Gaza,
Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. 18They also
sent five gold models of rats. T here was
one for each of the Philistine towns that
belonged to the five rulers. Each of those
towns had high walls a round it. The
towns also had country villages around
them. The Levites set the ark of the Lord
on the large rock. To this day the rock is
a witness to what happened there. Its in
the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
19But some of the people of Beth She
mesh looked into the ark of the Lord. So
he s truck them down. He put 70 of them
to death. The rest of the people were f illed
with sorrow. Thats because the Lord had
killed so many of them. 20The people of
Beth Shemesh said, The Lord is a holy
God. Who can s tand in f ront of him?
W here can the ark go up to from here?
21Then messengers were sent to the
people of Kir iath Jea r im. The messen
gers said, The Philistines have returned
the ark of the Lord. Come down and take
7 it up to your town. 1So the men of
Kiriath Jear im came and got the ark
of the Lord. They b rought it up to Abina
dabs h ouse on the hill. They set his son
Eleazar apart to g uard the ark. 2The ark
remained at Kiriath Jea r im for a long
time. It was there for a full 20 years.
Samuel Brings the Philistines Under
Israels Control
Then all the Israelites turned back to
the Lord. 3So Samuel spoke to all the Is
1 Samuel 7:16 |248
return to the Lord with all your h earts?
If you do, get rid of your false gods. Get
rid of your statues of female gods that are
named Ashtoreth. Commit yourselves to
the Lord. Serve him only. Then he will
save you from the power of the Philis
tines. 4So the Israelites put away their
statues of gods that were named Baal.
They put away t heir statues of female
gods that were named Ashtoreth. They
served the Lord only.
5Then Samuel said, Gather all the Is
raelites together at Mizpah. I will pray
to the Lord for you. 6When the people
had come together at Mizpah, they went
to the well and got water. They poured it
out in f ront of the Lord. On that day they
didnt eat any food. They admitted they
had sinned. They said, Weve s inned
against the Lord. Samuel was serving
as the leader of Israel at Mizpah.
7 The Phi l ist ines h eard that Isr ae l
had gathered together at Mizpah. So
the Philistine rulers came up to attack
them. When the Israelites h eard a bout it,
they were a fraid. 8They said to Samuel,
Dont stop crying out to the Lord our
God to help us. Keep praying that h ell
save us from the power of the Philis
tines. 9Then Samuel got a very y oung
lamb. He sacr if iced it as a w hole b urnt
offering to the Lord. He cried out to the
Lord to help Israel. And the Lord an
swered his prayer.
10The Philistines came near to attack
Israel. At that time Samuel was sacr ific
ing the burnt offering. But that day the
Lord thundered loudly a gainst the Phi
listines. He threw them into such a pan
ic that the Israelites were able to c hase
them away. 11The men of Israel r ushed
out of Mizpah. They c hased the Philis
tines all the way to a point below Beth
Kar. They killed them all along the way.
12Then Samuel got a big s tone. He
set it up bet ween Mizpah and Shen. He
named it Ebenezer. He said, The Lord
has helped us every step of the way.
13So the Philistines were brought un
der Israels control. The Philistines didnt
at tack t heir ter r itor y a gain. The Lord
used his power a gainst the Philistines as
long as Samuel l ived. 14The Philistines
had capt ured many towns bet ween Ek
ron and Gath. But they had to give all of
them back. Israel took back the terr ito
ries near t hose towns from the control
of the Philistines. During that time Israel
and the Amor ites were friendly toward
each other.
15Samu el cont inu ed to lead Isr ae l
all the days of his life. 16From year to
year he traveled from Bethel to Gilgal to
am
happily

Isaac and Rebekah

G E N E SI S 2 4

O
ne day, Abraham said to his servant, Find a good wife
for my son Isaac.
Shouldnt Isaac come along to pick out his bride?
the servant asked.
No, Isaac must not go, said Abraham. God will help you.
So the servant left, hoping he could fulfil Abrahams wish.

Once upon a time_tipins_final.indd 5 9/22/16 11:22 AM

 T he servant traveled for many miles. He stopped by a
spring and prayed, God, please help me find a good wife
for Isaac. When I ask a girl for a drink, let her offer to
get water for my camels as well. Thats how the servant would
know he found the right woman.
Soo
Ple
Cer
let me a
The
bride fo

Once upon a time_tipins_final.indd 6 9/22/16 11:22 AM

ya Soon a beautiful girl named Rebekah came to the spring.
ood wife Please, may I have a drink? the servant asked her.
er to Certainly, she said with a smile. And when youre done,
would let me also draw water for your camels.
The servants prayer had been answered! He had found a
bride for Isaac!

Once upon a time_tipins_final.indd 7 9/22/16 11:22 AM

 R

A
L ater, Rebekah told her family how the servant had prayed
for God to show him the right woman to be Isaacs wife.
Rebekahs family asked her if she wanted to return
with the servant to become Isaacs wife.
her two
returnin
Ple
law. Le
Rebekah said, Yes! Bethleh

Once upon a time_tipins_final.indd 8 9/22/16 11:22 AM

249 | 1 Samuel 7:17
Mizpah. He s erved Israel as judge in all
those places. 17But he always went back
to Ramah. T hats where his home was.
He served Israel as judge t here too. And
he built an altar t here to honor the Lord.
Israel Asks for a King
8 When Samuel bec ame old, he ap
pointed his sons as Israels leaders.
2The name of his olde st son was Joel.
The name of his second son was Abijah.
They served as judges at Beersheba. 3But
his sons didnt live as he did. They were
only interested in making money. They
accepted money from people who want
ed special favors. They made things that
were wrong appear to be r ight.
4So all the elders of Israel gathered to
gether. They came to Samuel at Ramah.
5They said to him, You are old. Your
sons dont live as you do. So appoint a
king to lead us. We want a king just like
the kings all the other nations have.
6Samuel w asnt pleased when they
said, Give us a king to lead us. So he
prayed to the Lord. 7The Lord told him,
Listen to everything the people are
saying to you. You are not the one they
have turned their backs on. I am the one
they do not want as t heir king. 8They
are doing just as they have always done.
They have deserted me and served oth
er gods. They have done that from the
time I b rought them up out of E gypt until
this day. Now they are deserting you too.
9Let them have what they want. But give
them a s trong warning. Let them know
what the king who r ules over them will
expect to be done for him.
10Samuel told the people who were
asking him for a king everything the
L ord had said. 11Samu el told them,
Heres what the king who r ules over
you will expect to be done for him. He
will take your sons. Hell make them
serve with his chariots and horses. They
will run in f ront of his chariots. 12Hell
choose some of your sons to be com
manders of thous ands of men. Some
will be commanders of fift ies. Others
will have to plow his f ields and gather
his crops. Still others will have to make
weapons of war and p arts for his char
iots. 13Hell also take your daughters.
Some will have to make perf ume. Oth
ers will be f orced to cook and bake. 14He
will take away your best fields and vine
yards and olive g roves. H ell give them
to his attendants. 15He will take a tenth
of your grain and a t enth of your grapes.
Hell give it to his off ic ials and atten
dants. 16He will also take your male and
female servants. H ell take your best cat
tle and donkeys. Hell use all of them any
1 Samuel 9:8 |249
way he w ants to. 17He will take a t enth
of your sheep and goats. You yourselves
will become his s laves. 18When that time
comes, you will cry out for help because
of the king you have chosen. But the Lord
wont answer you at that time.
19In s pite of what Samuel said, the
people ref used to listen to him. No!
they said. We want a king to rule over
us. 20Then well be like all the other na
tions. Well have a king to lead us. Hell
go out at the head of our armies and f ight
our battles.
21Samuel heard every t hing the peo
ple said. He told the Lord about it. 22The
Lord ans wered, Listen to them. Give
them a king.
Then Samuel said to the Isr aelites,
Each of you go back to your own town.
Samuel Anoints Saul to Be Israels King
9 here was a man named Kish from
T
the tribe of Benjam in. Kish was a
very important person. He was the son
of Abiel, the son of Zeror. Zeror was the
son of Bekorath, the son of Aphiah from
the tribe of Ben ja m in. 2Kish had a son
named Saul. Saul was a handsome young
man. He was more handsome than any
one in Israel. And he was a head taller
than anyone else.
3The donkeys that belonged to Sauls
father Kish were lost. So Kish s poke to
his son Saul. He said, Go and look for
the donkeys. Take one of the servants
with you. 4Saul and his servant went
through the hill country of Ephraim.
They also went through the area around
Shalisha. But they d idnt find the don
keys. So they went on into the area of
Shaalim. But the donkeys werent there
either. Then Saul went through the ter
ritor y of Benjamin. But they still didnt
find the donkeys.
5When Saul and the servant with him
reached the area of Zuph, Saul spoke to
the servant. He said, Come on. L ets
go back. If we dont, my father will stop
think i ng about the donkeys. Ins tead,
hell start worr ying about us.
6But the servant replied, T heres a
man of God here in Ramah. People have
a lot of respect for him. Everything he
says c omes true. So lets go and see him
now. Perhaps h ell tell us w hich way to
go.
7Saul said to his servant, If we go
to see the man, what can we give him?
T here isnt any food in our sacks. We
dont have a gift for the man of God. So
what can we give him?
8The servant ans wered Saul a gain.
Look, he said. Ive got a tenth of an
ounce of silver. Ill give it to the man of
250 | 1 Samuel 9:9
God. Then maybe hell tell us which way
to go. 9In Israel, prophets used to be
called seers. So if someone wanted to ask
God for adv ice, they would say, Come
on. Lets go to the seer.
10Saul said to his servant, T hats a
good idea. Come on. L ets go and ask the
seer. So they started out for the town
where the man of God lived.
11They were going up the hill toward
the town. A long the way they met some
young women who were coming out to
get water from the well. Saul and his ser
vant asked them, Is the seer here?
12Yes, he is, they answered. In fact,
hes just up a head of you. So hurr y a long.
He has just come to our town today. The
people are going to offer a sacr if ice at
the high place where they worship. 13As
soon as you enter the town, you will find
him. H ell be t here unt il he goes up to
the high place to eat. The people wont
start eating until he gets t here. He must
bless the sacr ifice first. After that, those
who are invited will eat. So go on up. You
should find him there just about now.
14They went up to the town. As they
were entering it, they saw Samuel. He
was coming toward them. He was on his
way up to the high place.
15The L ord had spo ken to Samuel
the day before Saul came. He had said,
16About this time tomorrow I will send
you a man. He is from the land of Ben
jamin. A noint him to be the king of my
people Israel. He will save them from the
power of the Philistines. I have seen how
much my people are suffering. T heir cry
for help has r eached me.
17When Samuel saw a man coming
toward him, the Lord spoke to Samuel
again. He said, He is the man I told you
about. His name is Saul. He will govern
my people.
18Saul approached Samuel at the gate
of the town. He asked Samuel, Can you
please show me the seers h ouse?
19Im the seer, Samuel replied. Go
on up to the high place a head of me. I
want you and your servant to eat with
me today. Tomorrow morning Ill tell you
whats on your mind. Then Ill send you
on your way. 20Dont wor r y about the
donkeys you lost t hree days ago. T heyve
already been found. But who do all the
Israelites want? You and your fat hers
whole family!
21Saul ans wered, But Im from the
tribe of Benjamin. Its the smallest tribe
in Isr ael. And my family g roup is the
least imp ortant in the w hole tribe of
Benjam in. So why are you sayi ng that
to me?
22Then Samuel brought Saul and his
1 Samuel 10:6 |250
servant into the room where they would
be eating. He seated them at the head ta
ble. A bout 30 people had been inv ited.
23Samuel said to the cook, Bring the
piece of meat I gave you. Its the one I
told you to put to one side.
24So the cook went and got a choice
piece of thigh. He set it in f ront of Saul.
Samuel said, Here is what has been
kept for you. Eat it. It was put to one side
for you for this special occasion. Weve
saved it for you ever since I inv ited the
g uests. And Saul ate with Samuel that
day.
25 They came down from the high
place to the town. After that, Samuel
talked with Saul on the roof of Sam
uels house. 26The next day they got
up at about the time the sun was rising.
Samuel c alled out to Saul on the roof.
He said, Get ready. Then Ill send you
on your way. So Saul got ready. And he
and Samuel went outside together. 27As
they were on their way down to the edge
of town, Samuel spoke to Saul. He said,
Tell the servant to go a head of us. So
the servant went on a head. Then Samuel
continued, Stay here for a while. Ill give
you a message from God.
10 Then Samuel took a bott le of ol
ive oil. He poured it on Sauls head
and k issed him. He said, The Lord has
anointed you to be the king of his peo
ple. 2When you leave me today, you will
meet two men. They will be near Rachels
tomb at Zelzah on the border of Benja
min. Theyll say to you, The donkeys you
have been looking for have been found.
Now your fat her has s topped thinking
about them. Instead, hes worr ied about
you. Hes asking, What can I do to find
my son?
3 You will go on from Zel z ah un
til you come to the large tree at Tabor.
T hree men will meet you there. T heyll
be on t heir way up to Bethel to worship
God. One of them will be carr ying three
young goats. Another will be car r y i ng
three l oaves of bread. A t hird will be car
rying a bottle of wine. It will be a bottle
made out of animal skin. 4The men will
g reet you. T heyll offer you two loaves
of bread. You will accept the loaves from
them.
5After that, you will go to Gibe a h
of God. Some Philistine sold iers are
stationed there. As you approach the
town, you will meet a group of prophets.
T heyll be coming down from the high
place where they worship. People will
be play i ng lyres, tambour ines, f lutes
and harps at the head of the g roup. The
prophets will be prophesying. 6The Spir
it of the Lord will come powerf ully on
251 | 1 Samuel 10:7
you. Then you will prophesy along with
them. You will become a different per
son. 7All these things will happen. Then
do what you want to do. God is with you.
8Go down a head of me to Gilg al.
You can be sure that Ill come down to
you t here. Ill come and sacr if ice b urnt
of fer ings and friendship of fer ings. But
you must wait there for seven days until I
come to you. Then Ill tell you what to do.
Saul Becomes King of Israel
9As Saul t urned to leave Samuel, God
changed Sauls heart. All t hese t hings
happened that day. 10When Saul and
his servant arr ived at Gibea h, a g roup
of prophets met Saul. Then the Spirit of
God came powerf ully on him. He proph
esied a long with them. 11T hose who had
known Saul before saw him prophesying
with the prophets. They a sked one an
other, What has happened to the son of
Kish? Is Saul also one of the prophets?
12 A man who l ived in Gibe a h an
swered, Yes, he is. In fact, hes their
leader. T hats why people say, Is Saul
also one of the prophets? 13After Saul
stopped prophesying, he went to the high
place to worship.
14Later, S auls uncle s poke to him and
his servant. He asked, W here have you
been?
Looking for the donkeys, Saul said.
But we c ouldnt find them. So we went
to Samuel.
15
S auls unc le said, Tell me what
Samuel said to you.
16Saul replied, He told us the donkeys
had been f ound. But Saul d idnt tell his
uncle that Samuel had said he would be
come king.
17Samuel sent a message to the Israel
ites. He told them to meet with the Lord
at Mizpah. 18He said to them, The Lord
is the God of Israel. He says, Israel, I
brought you up out of Egypt. I saved you
from t heir power. I also s aved you from
the power of all the kingdoms that had
treated you badly. 19But now you have
turned your b acks on your God. He s aves
you out of all your trouble and suffering.
In s pite of that, you have said, We ref use
to listen. P lace a king over us. So now
gather together to meet with the Lord.
Do it tribe by tribe and family g roup by
family group.
20Then Samuel had each t ribe of Is
rael come forward. The tribe of Benja
min was chosen by casting lots. 21Next
he had the tribe of Benjam in come for
ward, family group by family group. Ma
tris group was chosen. Finally Saul, the
son of Kish, was chosen. But when people
looked for him, they rea lized he wasnt
1 Samuel 11:7 |251
t here. 22They needed more help from the
Lord. So they a sked him, Has the man
come here yet?
The Lord said, Yes. He has hidden
himself among the supplies.
23So they ran over there and brought
him out. When he s tood up, the people
saw that he was a head taller than any
of them. 24Samuel spoke to all the peo
ple. He said, Look at the man the Lord
has chosen! T here isnt anyone like him
among all the people.
Then the people shoute d, May the
king live a long time!
25Samuel explained to the people the
r ights and duties of the king who r uled
over them. He w rote them down in a
book. He p laced it in f ront of the Lord
in the holy tent. Then he sent the people
away. He sent each of them to their own
homes.
26Saul also went to his home in Gib
ea h. Some brave men w hose h earts
God had touched went with Saul. 27But
some people who wanted to stir up trou
ble said, How can this fellow save us?
They looked down on him. They didnt
bring him any g ifts. But Saul kept quiet
about it.
Saul Rescues the City of Jabesh Gilead
11 Nahash was the king of Ammon.
He and his army went up to Jabesh
Gilead. They surrounded it and got r eady
to attack it. All the men of Jabesh s poke
to Nahash. They said, Make a p eace
treat y with us. Then well be under your
control.
2Nahash, the king of Ammon, replied,
I will make a p eace treat y with you. But
Ill do it only on one condition. You must
let me put out the r ight eye of every one
of you. I want to b ring s hame on the
whole nation of Israel.
3The elders of Jabesh said to him,
Give us seven days to report back to you.
Well send messengers all through Isra
el. If no one comes to save us, well hand
ourselves over to you.
4The messengers came to Gibea h of
Saul. They reported to the people the
terms Nahash had required. Then all
the people wept out loud. 5Just then
Saul was coming in from the f ields. He
was walking behind his oxen. He asked,
W hats wrong with everyone? Why are
they weeping? He was told what the men
of Jabesh had said.
6When Saul h eard t heir w
ords, the
Spirit of God came powerf ully on him.
He became very angry. 7He got a pair of
oxen and cut them into pieces. He sent
the piece s by messengers all through
Israel. They announced, You must fol
252 | 1 Samuel 11:8
low Saul and Samuel. If you d ont, this is
what will happen to your oxen. The ter
ror of the Lord fell on the people. So all
of them came together with one purpose
in mind. 8Saul b rought his army together
at Bezek. T here were 300,000 men from
Israel and 30,000 from Judah.
9The messengers who had come were
told, Go back and report to the men of
Jabesh Gilead. Tell them, By the hot
test time of the day tomorrow, you will
be rescued. The messengers went and
reported it to the men of Jabesh. It made
those men very happy. 10They said to the
people of Ammon, Tomorrow well hand
ourselves over to you. Then you can do to
us whatever you like.
11The next day Saul separated his men
into three groups. W hile it was still dark,
they b roke into the camp of the Ammon
ite army. They kept killing the men of
Ammon until the hottest time of the day.
T hose who got away were scattered.
T here w erent two of them left together
anywhere.
The People Agree to Have Saul as King
12The people said to Samuel, Who
sked, Is Saul going to rule over us?
a Baal. Weve served female gods that are
Turn these men over to us. Well put them
to death.
13But Saul said, No one will be put to
death today! After all, this is the day the
Lord has rescued Israel.
14Then Sam uel said to the people,
Come on. Lets go to Gilgal. T here well
a gree a gain to have Saul as our king.
15So all the people went to Gilgal. T here,
with the Lord as witness, they made Saul
their king. T here they sacr ificed friend
ship offerings to the L ord. And there
Saul and all the Israelites celebrated with
great joy.
Samuels Final Speech to Israel
12 Samuel spoke to all the Israelites.
He said, Ive done everything you
asked me to do. Ive placed a king over
you. 2Now you have a king as your leader.
But Im old. My hair is gray. My sons are
here with you. Ive been your leader from
the time I was y oung until this day. 3Here
I stand. Bring charges against me if you
can. The Lord is a witness. And so is his
anointed king. W hose ox have I taken?
Whose donkey have I taken? Have I cheat
ed anyone? Have I treated anyone badly?
Have I accepted money from anyone who
wanted special favors? If Ive done any of
these things, Ill make it right.
4You h avent cheate d us, they re
plied. You h avent treated us badly. You
havent taken anything from anyone.
1 Samuel 12:18 |252
5Samuel said to them, The Lord is a
witness against you this day. And so is
his anointed king. They are witnesses
that I havent taken anything from any
of you.
The Lord is a witness, they said.
6Then Samuel said to the people, The
Lord appointed Moses and Aaron. He
brought out of E gypt your people who
lived long ago. 7Now then, stand here.
Im going to remind you of all the good
t hings the Lord has done for you and
your people. He is a witness.
8After Jacobs family entered Egypt,
they c ried out to the L ord for help.
The Lord sent Moses and Aaron. They
brought your people out of Egypt. They
had them make their homes in this land.
9But the people forgot the Lord their
God. So he put them under the control
of Sisera. Sisera was the commander of
the army of Hazor. The Lord also put the
Israelites under the control of the Philis
tines and the king of Moab. All t hose
nations fought a gainst Israel. 10So the
people cried out to the Lord. They said,
We have s inned. W eve des erte d the
Lord. Weve served gods that are named
named Ashtoreth. But save us now from
the power of our enemies. Then we will
serve you. 11The Lord sent Gideon, Bar
ak, Jephthah and me. He saved you from
the power of your enemies who were all
around you. So you lived in safet y.
12But then you saw that Nahash, the
king of Ammon, was a bout to attack you.
So you said to me, No! We want a king
to rule over us. You said it even though
the Lord your God was your king. 13Now
here is the king you have chosen. Hes the
one you asked for. The Lord has p laced a
king over you. 14But you must have re
spect for the Lord. You must s erve him
and obey him. You must not say no to his
commands. Both you and the king who
r ules over you must obey the Lord your
God. If you do, thats good. 15But you
must not disobey him. You must not say
no to his commands. If you do, his power
will be a gainst you. T hats what happened
to your people who lived before you.
16So s tand still. W
atch the g reat t hing
the Lord is about to do right here in front
of you! 17Its time to gather in the wheat,
isnt it? Ill call out to the Lord to send
thunder and rain. Then you will realize
what an evil thing you did in the sight of
the Lord. You shouldnt have a sked for
a king.
18Samuel c alled out to the Lord. That
same day the Lord sent thunder and rain.
So all the people had great respect for the
Lord and for Samuel.
253 | 1 Samuel 12:19
19They said to Samuel, Pray to the
Lord your God for us. Pray that we wont
die bec ause we a sked for a king. That
was an evil thing to do. We added it to
all our other sins.
20 Dont be a fraid, Samuel replied.
Its true that you have done all these evil
things. But d ont turn away from the Lord.
Serve him with all your h eart. 21Dont
turn away and worship statues of gods.
They are useless. They cant do you any
good. They cant save you either. They are
completely useless. 22But the Lord will
be true to his great name. He wont turn
his back on his people. Thats because he
was pleased to make you his own people.
23I would never sin a gainst the Lord by
failing to pray for you. Ill teach you to live
in a way that is good and right. 24But be
sure to have respect for the Lord. Serve
him faithfully. Do it with all your h eart.
Think a bout the great t hings he has done
25
for you. But dont be stubborn. D ont
continue to do what is evil. If you do, both
you and your king will be destroyed.
Samuel Judges Sauls Sin
13
42 years.
Saul was 30 years old when he be
came king. He r uled over Israel for
2Saul chose 3,000 of Israels men. Two
thousand of them were with him at Mik
mash and in the hill country of Bethel.
One thousand were with Jonathan at
Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. Saul sent
the rest back to their h omes.
3Some Philist ine sold iers were sta
tioned at Geba. Jonathan attacked them.
The other Philistines h eard about it. Saul
announced, Let the Hebrew people hear
about what has happened! He had trum
pets blown all through the land. 4So all
the Israelites heard the news. They were
told, Saul has attacked the Philist ine
army camp at Geba. Now the Philistines
cant stand the Israelites. The Israelites
were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
5The Phi l ist ines gathered together
to f ight a
gainst Israel. They had 3,000
chariots and 6,000 chariot drivers. T heir
sold iers were as many as the g rains of
sand on the seashore. They went up and
camped at Mikmash. It was east of Beth
Aven. 6The Israelites saw that their army
was in deep trouble. So they hid in c aves.
They hid a mong bushes and r ocks. They
also hid in pits and empt y w ells. 7Some
of them even went across the Jord an
River. They went to the l ands of Gad and
Gilead.
Saul remained at Gilgal. All the t roops
with him were shaking with fear. 8He
waited seven days, just as Samuel had
told him to. But Samuel d idnt come to
1 Samuel 13:22 |253
Gilgal. And Sauls men began to scatter.
9So he said, Bring me the burnt offering
and the friendship offerings. Then he
offered up the burnt offering. 10Just as
Saul finished offering the sacrifice, Sam
uel arr ived. Saul went out to greet him.
11 What have you done? a sked
Samuel.
Saul replied, I saw that the men were
scattering. I saw that the Philistines were
gather i ng together at Mik m ash. You
d idnt come when you said you would.
12So I thought, Now the Philistines will
come down to attack me at Gilgal. And
I havent a sked the Lord for his bless
ing. So I felt I had to sacr ifice the b
urnt
offering.
13You have done a foolish thing,
Samuel said. You havent obeyed the
command the Lord your God gave you.
If you had, he w ould have made your
kingdom secure over Israel for all time
14
to come. But now your kingdom wont
last. The Lord has already looked for a
man who is dear to his heart. He has ap
pointed him king of his people. T hats
because you havent obeyed the Lords
command.
15Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up
to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. Saul
counted the men who were with him. The
total number was about 600.
Israel Doesnt Have Weapons
16Saul and his son Jon athan were
staying in Gibea h in the land of Benja
min. The men who remained in the army
were there with them. At the same time,
the Phil ist ines c amped at Mik m ash.
17T hree g roups of soldiers went out from
the Philistine camp to attack Israel. One
g roup t urned and went toward Ophrah
in the area of Shual. 18Another went to
ward Beth Horon. The third went toward
the border that looked out over the Valley
of Zeboim. That valley faces the desert.
19T here werent any blacksmiths in
the whole land of Israel. T hats because
the Philistines had said, The Hebrews
m ight hire them to make s words or
spears! 20So all the Israelites had to go
down to the Philistines. They had to go
to them to get t heir p lows, hoes, axes and
sick les sharpened. 21It cost a f ourth of
an o unce of silver to sharpen a plow or
a hoe. It cost an eighth of an o unce to
sharpen a pitchfork or an axe. Thats also
what it cost to put new tips on the large
sticks used to drive oxen.
22So the Israelite soldiers went out to
battle without s words or spears in their
hands. That was true for all of Sauls and
Jonat hans sold iers. Only Saul and his
son Jonathan had those weapons.