Category: 1 Samuel

Elkanah and His Family

1 There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuphin the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim.

2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

3 Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to theLordof Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of theLordat that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas.

4 On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children.

5 And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portionbecause theLordhad given her no children.

6 So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because theLordhad kept her from having children.

7 Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle.Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.

8 “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?”

Hannah’s Prayer for a Son

9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle.

10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to theLord.

11 And she made this vow: “OLordof Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to theLord, his hair will never be cut.”

12 As she was praying to theLord, Eli watched her.

13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking.

14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”

15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to theLord.

16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”

17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”

18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

Samuel’s Birth and Dedication

19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship theLordonce more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, theLordremembered her plea,

20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,for she said, “I asked theLordfor him.”

21 The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to theLordand to keep his vow.

22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with theLordpermanently.”

23 “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may theLordhelp you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.

24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bullfor the sacrifice and a basketof flour and some wine.

25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli.

26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to theLord.

27 I asked theLordto give me this boy, and he has granted my request.

28 Now I am giving him to theLord, and he will belong to theLordhis whole life.” And theyworshiped theLordthere.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/1-4e3cbe11aac5017d0303581b51d0d2ec.mp3?version_id=116—

Hannah’s Prayer of Praise

1 Then Hannah prayed:

“My heart rejoices in theLord!

TheLordhas made me strong.

Now I have an answer for my enemies;

I rejoice because you rescued me.

2 No one is holy like theLord!

There is no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God.

3 “Stop acting so proud and haughty!

Don’t speak with such arrogance!

For theLordis a God who knows what you have done;

he will judge your actions.

4 The bow of the mighty is now broken,

and those who stumbled are now strong.

5 Those who were well fed are now starving,

and those who were starving are now full.

The childless woman now has seven children,

and the woman with many children wastes away.

6 TheLordgives both death and life;

he brings some down to the gravebut raises others up.

7 TheLordmakes some poor and others rich;

he brings some down and lifts others up.

8 He lifts the poor from the dust

and the needy from the garbage dump.

He sets them among princes,

placing them in seats of honor.

For all the earth is theLord’s,

and he has set the world in order.

9 “He will protect his faithful ones,

but the wicked will disappear in darkness.

No one will succeed by strength alone.

10 Those who fight against theLordwill be shattered.

He thunders against them from heaven;

theLordjudges throughout the earth.

He gives power to his king;

he increases the strengthof his anointed one.”

11 Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served theLordby assisting Eli the priest.

Eli’s Wicked Sons

12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for theLord

13 or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling,

14 the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli’s sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way.

15 Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal’s fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting.

16 The man offering the sacrifice might reply, “Take as much as you want, but the fat must be burned first.” Then the servant would demand, “No, give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.”

17 So the sin of these young men was very serious in theLord’s sight, for they treated theLord’s offerings with contempt.

18 But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served theLord. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest.

19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice.

20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May theLordgive you other children to take the place of this one she gave to theLord.”

21 And theLordblessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of theLord.

22 Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

23 Eli said to them, “I have been hearing reports from all the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning?

24 You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among theLord’s people are not good.

25 If someone sins against another person, Godcan mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against theLord, who can intercede?” But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for theLordwas already planning to put them to death.

26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with theLordand with the people.

A Warning for Eli’s Family

27 One day a man of God came to Eli and gave him this message from theLord: “I revealed myselfto your ancestors when they were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt.

28 I chose your ancestor Aaronfrom among all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vestas he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests.

29 So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!

30 “Therefore, theLord, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Leviwould always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me.

31 The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age.

32 You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel. But no members of your family will ever live out their days.

33 The few not cut off from serving at my altar will survive, but only so their eyes can go blind and their hearts break, and their children will die a violent death.

34 And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day!

35 “Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I desire. I will establish his family, and they will be priests to my anointed kings forever.

36 Then all of your surviving family will bow before him, begging for money and food. ‘Please,’ they will say, ‘give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.’”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/2-ca07f1b44bd3fc888821e08fb1c7496c.mp3?version_id=116—

The Lord Speaks to Samuel

1 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served theLordby assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from theLordwere very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.

2 One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed.

3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernaclenear the Ark of God.

4 Suddenly theLordcalled out, “Samuel!”

“Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?”

5 He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.

6 Then theLordcalled out again, “Samuel!”

Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”

7 Samuel did not yet know theLordbecause he had never had a message from theLordbefore.

8 So theLordcalled a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

Then Eli realized it was theLordwho was calling the boy.

9 So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak,Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.

10 And theLordcame and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

11 Then theLordsaid to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel.

12 I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end.

13 I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming Godand he hasn’t disciplined them.

14 So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”

Samuel Speaks for the Lord

15 Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacleas usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what theLordhad said to him.

16 But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.”

“Here I am,” Samuel replied.

17 “What did theLordsay to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!”

18 So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is theLord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.”

19 As Samuel grew up, theLordwas with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.

20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of theLord.

21 TheLordcontinued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.

4:1 And Samuel’s words went out to all the people of Israel.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/3-582dfd95d648f864dcde2b1329776ca1.mp3?version_id=116—

The Philistines Capture the Ark

At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israelite army was camped near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were at Aphek.

2 The Philistines attacked and defeated the army of Israel, killing 4,000 men.

3 After the battle was over, the troops retreated to their camp, and the elders of Israel asked, “Why did theLordallow us to be defeated by the Philistines?” Then they said, “Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of theLordfrom Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, itwill save us from our enemies.”

4 So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of theLordof Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were also there with the Ark of the Covenant of God.

5 When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of theLordcoming into the camp, their shout of joy was so loud it made the ground shake!

6 “What’s going on?” the Philistines asked. “What’s all the shouting about in the Hebrew camp?” When they were told it was because the Ark of theLordhad arrived,

7 they panicked. “The gods havecome into their camp!” they cried. “This is a disaster! We have never had to face anything like this before!

8 Help! Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness.

9 Fight as never before, Philistines! If you don’t, we will become the Hebrews’ slaves just as they have been ours! Stand up like men and fight!”

10 So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents.

11 The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed.

The Death of Eli

12 A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battlefield and arrived at Shiloh later that same day. He had torn his clothes and put dust on his head to show his grief.

13 Eli was waiting beside the road to hear the news of the battle, for his heart trembled for the safety of the Ark of God. When the messenger arrived and told what had happened, an outcry resounded throughout the town.

14 “What is all the noise about?” Eli asked.

The messenger rushed over to Eli,

15 who was ninety-eight years old and blind.

16 He said to Eli, “I have just come from the battlefield—I was there this very day.”

“What happened, my son?” Eli demanded.

17 “Israel has been defeated by the Philistines,” the messenger replied. “The people have been slaughtered, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were also killed. And the Ark of God has been captured.”

18 When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark of God, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and overweight. He had been Israel’s judge for forty years.

19 Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near her time of delivery. When she heard that the Ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth.

20 She died in childbirth, but before she passed away the midwives tried to encourage her. “Don’t be afraid,” they said. “You have a baby boy!” But she did not answer or pay attention to them.

21 She named the child Ichabod (which means “Where is the glory?”), for she said, “Israel’s glory is gone.” She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead.

22 Then she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/4-23a4cf32388ad3717d3b5771f9df20a6.mp3?version_id=116—

The Ark in Philistia

1 After the Philistines captured the Ark of God, they took it from the battleground at Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod.

2 They carried the Ark of God into the temple of Dagon and placed it beside an idol of Dagon.

3 But when the citizens of Ashdod went to see it the next morning, Dagon had fallen with his face to the ground in front of the Ark of theLord! So they took Dagon and put him in his place again.

4 But the next morning the same thing happened—Dagon had fallen face down before the Ark of theLordagain. This time his head and hands had broken off and were lying in the doorway. Only the trunk of his body was left intact.

5 That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor anyone who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod will step on its threshold.

6 Then theLord’s heavy hand struck the people of Ashdod and the nearby villages with a plague of tumors.

7 When the people realized what was happening, they cried out, “We can’t keep the Ark of the God of Israel here any longer! He is against us! We will all be destroyed along with Dagon, our god.”

8 So they called together the rulers of the Philistine towns and asked, “What should we do with the Ark of the God of Israel?”

The rulers discussed it and replied, “Move it to the town of Gath.” So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel to Gath.

9 But when the Ark arrived at Gath, theLord’s heavy hand fell on its men, young and old; he struck them with a plague of tumors, and there was a great panic.

10 So they sent the Ark of God to the town of Ekron, but when the people of Ekron saw it coming they cried out, “They are bringing the Ark of the God of Israel here to kill us, too!”

11 The people summoned the Philistine rulers again and begged them, “Please send the Ark of the God of Israel back to its own country, or itwill kill us all.” For the deadly plague from God had already begun, and great fear was sweeping across the town.

12 Those who didn’t die were afflicted with tumors; and the cry from the town rose to heaven.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/5-bb3d8fa3bcd651c67e2d68dae1054f34.mp3?version_id=116—

The Philistines Return the Ark

1 The Ark of theLordremained in Philistine territory seven months in all.

2 Then the Philistines called in their priests and diviners and asked them, “What should we do about the Ark of theLord? Tell us how to return it to its own country.”

3 “Send the Ark of the God of Israel back with a gift,” they were told. “Send a guilt offering so the plague will stop. Then, if you are healed, you will know it was his hand that caused the plague.”

4 “What sort of guilt offering should we send?” they asked.

And they were told, “Since the plague has struck both you and your five rulers, make five gold tumors and five gold rats, just like those that have ravaged your land.

5 Make these things to show honor to the God of Israel. Perhaps then he will stop afflicting you, your gods, and your land.

6 Don’t be stubborn and rebellious as Pharaoh and the Egyptians were. By the time God was finished with them, they were eager to let Israel go.

7 “Now build a new cart, and find two cows that have just given birth to calves. Make sure the cows have never been yoked to a cart. Hitch the cows to the cart, but shut their calves away from them in a pen.

8 Put the Ark of theLordon the cart, and beside it place a chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors you are sending as a guilt offering. Then let the cows go wherever they want.

9 If they cross the border of our land and go to Beth-shemesh, we will know it was theLordwho brought this great disaster upon us. If they don’t, we will know it was not his hand that caused the plague. It came simply by chance.”

10 So these instructions were carried out. Two cows were hitched to the cart, and their newborn calves were shut up in a pen.

11 Then the Ark of theLordand the chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors were placed on the cart.

12 And sure enough, without veering off in other directions, the cows went straight along the road toward Beth-shemesh, lowing as they went. The Philistine rulers followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh.

13 The people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they saw the Ark, they were overjoyed!

14 The cart came into the field of a man named Joshua and stopped beside a large rock. So the people broke up the wood of the cart for a fire and killed the cows and sacrificed them to theLordas a burnt offering.

15 Several men of the tribe of Levi lifted the Ark of theLordand the chest containing the gold rats and gold tumors from the cart and placed them on the large rock. Many sacrifices and burnt offerings were offered to theLordthat day by the people of Beth-shemesh.

16 The five Philistine rulers watched all this and then returned to Ekron that same day.

17 The five gold tumors sent by the Philistines as a guilt offering to theLordwere gifts from the rulers of Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.

18 The five gold rats represented the five Philistine towns and their surrounding villages, which were controlled by the five rulers. The large rockat Beth-shemesh, where they set the Ark of theLord, still stands in the field of Joshua as a witness to what happened there.

The Ark Moved to Kiriath-Jearim

19 But theLordkilled seventy menfrom Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark of theLord. And the people mourned greatly because of what theLordhad done.

20 “Who is able to stand in the presence of theLord, this holy God?” they cried out. “Where can we send the Ark from here?”

21 So they sent messengers to the people at Kiriath-jearim and told them, “The Philistines have returned the Ark of theLord. Come here and get it!”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/6-a5e4f97c8227f39a6475f2b34d454c0d.mp3?version_id=116—

1 So the men of Kiriath-jearim came to get the Ark of theLord. They took it to the hillside home of Abinadab and ordained Eleazar, his son, to be in charge of it.

2 The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time—twenty years in all. During that time all Israel mourned because it seemed theLordhad abandoned them.

Samuel Leads Israel to Victory

3 Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to theLordwith all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to theLordand obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”

4 So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only theLord.

5 Then Samuel told them, “Gather all of Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to theLordfor you.”

6 So they gathered at Mizpah and, in a great ceremony, drew water from a well and poured it out before theLord. They also went without food all day and confessed that they had sinned against theLord. (It was at Mizpah that Samuel became Israel’s judge.)

7 When the Philistine rulers heard that Israel had gathered at Mizpah, they mobilized their army and advanced. The Israelites were badly frightened when they learned that the Philistines were approaching.

8 “Don’t stop pleading with theLordour God to save us from the Philistines!” they begged Samuel.

9 So Samuel took a young lamb and offered it to theLordas a whole burnt offering. He pleaded with theLordto help Israel, and theLordanswered him.

10 Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived to attack Israel. But theLordspoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven that day, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them.

11 The men of Israel chased them from Mizpah to a place below Beth-car, slaughtering them all along the way.

12 Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah.He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point theLordhas helped us!”

13 So the Philistines were subdued and didn’t invade Israel again for some time. And throughout Samuel’s lifetime, theLord’s powerful hand was raised against the Philistines.

14 The Israelite villages near Ekron and Gath that the Philistines had captured were restored to Israel, along with the rest of the territory that the Philistines had taken. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites in those days.

15 Samuel continued as Israel’s judge for the rest of his life.

16 Each year he traveled around, setting up his court first at Bethel, then at Gilgal, and then at Mizpah. He judged the people of Israel at each of these places.

17 Then he would return to his home at Ramah, and he would hear cases there, too. And Samuel built an altar to theLordat Ramah.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/7-26494c5a605d5cd3609021bf1a901953.mp3?version_id=116—

Israel Requests a King

1 As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel.

2 Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba.

3 But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.

4 Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel.

5 “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”

6 Samuel was displeased with their request and went to theLordfor guidance.

7 “Do everything they say to you,” theLordreplied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer.

8 Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment.

9 Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”

Samuel Warns against a Kingdom

10 So Samuel passed on theLord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king.

11 “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots.

12 Some will be generals and captains in his army,some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment.

13 The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him.

14 He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials.

15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants.

16 He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattleand donkeys for his own use.

17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves.

18 When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then theLordwill not help you.”

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said.

20 “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

21 So Samuel repeated to theLordwhat the people had said,

22 and theLordreplied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/8-bb3e4a279ce85c13552fd4eb4455530d.mp3?version_id=116—

Saul Meets Samuel

1 There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin.

2 His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.

3 One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, “Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.”

4 So Saul took one of the servants and traveled through the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalishah, the Shaalim area, and the entire land of Benjamin, but they couldn’t find the donkeys anywhere.

5 Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, “Let’s go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!”

6 But the servant said, “I’ve just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let’s go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”

7 “But we don’t have anything to offer him,” Saul replied. “Even our food is gone, and we don’t have a thing to give him.”

8 “Well,” the servant said, “I have one small silver piece.We can at least offer it to the man of God and see what happens!”

9 (In those days if people wanted a message from God, they would say, “Let’s go and ask the seer,” for prophets used to be called seers.)

10 “All right,” Saul agreed, “let’s try it!” So they started into the town where the man of God lived.

11 As they were climbing the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water. So Saul and his servant asked, “Is the seer here today?”

12 “Yes,” they replied. “Stay right on this road. He is at the town gates. He has just arrived to take part in a public sacrifice up at the place of worship.

13 Hurry and catch him before he goes up there to eat. The guests won’t begin eating until he arrives to bless the food.”

14 So they entered the town, and as they passed through the gates, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the place of worship.

15 Now theLordhad told Samuel the previous day,

16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him to be the leader of my people, Israel. He will rescue them from the Philistines, for I have looked down on my people in mercy and have heard their cry.”

17 When Samuel saw Saul, theLordsaid, “That’s the man I told you about! He will rule my people.”

18 Just then Saul approached Samuel at the gateway and asked, “Can you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”

19 “I am the seer!” Samuel replied. “Go up to the place of worship ahead of me. We will eat there together, and in the morning I’ll tell you what you want to know and send you on your way.

20 And don’t worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel’s hopes.”

21 Saul replied, “But I’m only from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?”

22 Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall and placed them at the head of the table, honoring them above the thirty special guests.

23 Samuel then instructed the cook to bring Saul the finest cut of meat, the piece that had been set aside for the guest of honor.

24 So the cook brought in the meat and placed it before Saul. “Go ahead and eat it,” Samuel said. “I was saving it for you even before I invited these others!” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

25 When they came down from the place of worship and returned to town, Samuel took Saul up to the roof of the house and prepared a bed for him there.

26 At daybreak the next morning, Samuel called to Saul, “Get up! It’s time you were on your way.” So Saul got ready, and he and Samuel left the house together.

27 When they reached the edge of town, Samuel told Saul to send his servant on ahead. After the servant was gone, Samuel said, “Stay here, for I have received a special message for you from God.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/9-caef9ea57caef34648e62a2b3164748f.mp3?version_id=116—

Samuel Anoints Saul as King

1 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, “I am doing this because theLordhas appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession.

2 When you leave me today, you will see two men beside Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, on the border of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys have been found and that your father has stopped worrying about them and is now worried about you. He is asking, ‘Have you seen my son?’

3 “When you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at Bethel. One will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a wineskin full of wine.

4 They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept.

5 “When you arrive at Gibeah of God,where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying.

6 At that time the Spirit of theLordwill come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person.

7 After these signs take place, do what must be done, for God is with you.

8 Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. You must wait for seven days until I arrive and give you further instructions.”

Samuel’s Signs Are Fulfilled

9 As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day.

10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy.

11 When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?”

12 And one of those standing there said, “Can anyone become a prophet, no matter who his father is?”So that is the origin of the saying “Is even Saul a prophet?”

13 When Saul had finished prophesying, he went up to the place of worship.

14 “Where have you been?” Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant.

“We were looking for the donkeys,” Saul replied, “but we couldn’t find them. So we went to Samuel to ask him where they were.”

15 “Oh? And what did he say?” his uncle asked.

16 “He told us that the donkeys had already been found,” Saul replied. But Saul didn’t tell his uncle what Samuel said about the kingdom.

Saul Is Acclaimed King

17 Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before theLordat Mizpah.

18 And he said, “This is what theLord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you.

19 But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before theLordby tribes and clans.”

20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before theLord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot.

21 Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before theLord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared!

22 So they asked theLord, “Where is he?”

And theLordreplied, “He is hiding among the baggage.”

23 So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.

24 Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man theLordhas chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!”

And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

25 Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before theLord. Then Samuel sent the people home again.

26 When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

27 But there were some scoundrels who complained, “How can this man save us?” And they scorned him and refused to bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them.

[Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the people of Gad and Reuben who lived east of the Jordan River. He gouged out the right eye of each of the Israelites living there, and he didn’t allow anyone to come and rescue them. In fact, of all the Israelites east of the Jordan, there wasn’t a single one whose right eye Nahash had not gouged out. But there were 7,000 men who had escaped from the Ammonites, and they had settled in Jabesh-gilead.]

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/10-d909979ca77485bf96d414501234701b.mp3?version_id=116—