The First Book of Shemu'el, starting at chapter 7
{7:1} The men of Kiryat-Ye`arim came, and fetched up the ark of the
LORD, and brought it into the house of Avinadav in the hill, and
sanctified El`azar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. {7:2} It
happened, from the day that the ark abode in Kiryat-Ye`arim, that the
time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Yisra'el
lamented after the LORD. {7:3} Shemu'el spoke to all the house of
Yisra'el, saying, If you do return to the LORD with all your heart,
then put away the foreign gods and the `Ashtarot from among you, and
direct your hearts to the LORD, and serve him only; and he will
deliver you out of the hand of the Pelishtim. {7:4} Then the children
of Yisra'el did put away the Ba`alim and the `Ashtarot, and served the
LORD only. {7:5} Shemu'el said, Gather all Yisra'el to Mitzpah, and I
will pray for you to the LORD. {7:6} They gathered together to
Mitzpah, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted
on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. Shemu'el
judged the children of Yisra'el in Mitzpah. {7:7} When the Pelishtim
heard that the children of Yisra'el were gathered together at Mitzpah,
the lords of the Pelishtim went up against Yisra'el. When the children
of Yisra'el heard it, they were afraid of the Pelishtim. {7:8} The
children of Yisra'el said to Shemu'el, "Don't cease to cry to the LORD
our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the
Pelishtim." {7:9} Shemu'el took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a
whole burnt-offering to the LORD: and Shemu'el cried to the LORD for
Yisra'el; and the LORD answered him. {7:10} As Shemu'el was offering
up the burnt offering, the Pelishtim drew near to battle against
Yisra'el; but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day on
the Pelishtim, and confused them; and they were struck down before
Yisra'el. {7:11} The men of Yisra'el went out of Mitzpah, and pursued
the Pelishtim, and struck them, until they came under Beit-Kar. {7:12}
Then Shemu'el took a stone, and set it between Mitzpah and Shen, and
called the name of it Even-Ha`ezer, saying, Hitherto has the LORD
helped us. {7:13} So the Pelishtim were subdued, and they came no more
within the border of Yisra'el: and the hand of the LORD was against
the Pelishtim all the days of Shemu'el. {7:14} The cities which the
Pelishtim had taken from Yisra'el were restored to Yisra'el, from
`Ekron even to Gat; and the border of it did Yisra'el deliver out of
the hand of the Pelishtim. There was shalom between Yisra'el and the
Amori. {7:15} Shemu'el judged Yisra'el all the days of his life.
{7:16} He went from year to year in circuit to Beit-El and Gilgal, and
Mitzpah; and he judged Yisra'el in all those places. {7:17} His return
was to Ramah, for there was his house; and there he judged Yisra'el:
and he built there an altar to the LORD.
{8:1} It happened, when Shemu'el was old, that he made his sons
judges over Yisra'el. {8:2} Now the name of his firstborn was Yo'el;
and the name of his second, Aviyah: they were judges in Be'er-Sheva.
{8:3} His sons didn't walk in his ways, but turned aside after lucre,
and took bribes, and perverted justice. {8:4} Then all the Zakenim of
Yisra'el gathered themselves together, and came to Shemu'el to Ramah;
{8:5} and they said to him, Behold, you are old, and your sons don't
walk in your ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the
nations. {8:6} But the thing displeased Shemu'el, when they said, Give
us a king to judge us. Shemu'el prayed to the LORD. {8:7} The LORD
said to Shemu'el, Listen to the voice of the people in all that they
tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me,
that I should not be king over them. {8:8} According to all the works
which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of
Mitzrayim even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served
other gods, so do they also to you. {8:9} Now therefore listen to
their voice: however you shall protest solemnly to them, and shall
show them the manner of the king who shall reign over them. {8:10}
Shemu'el told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked of him
a king. {8:11} He said, This will be the manner of the king who shall
reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them to him, for
his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his
chariots; {8:12} and he will appoint them to him for captains of
thousands, and captains of fifties; and [he will set some] to plow his
ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war,
and the instruments of his chariots. {8:13} He will take your
daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. {8:14}
He will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive groves,
even the best of them, and give them to his servants. {8:15} He will
take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his
officers, and to his servants. {8:16} He will take your men-servants,
and your maid-servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and
put them to his work. {8:17} He will take the tenth of your flocks:
and you shall be his servants. {8:18} You shall cry out in that day
because of your king whom you shall have chosen you; and the LORD will
not answer you in that day. {8:19} But the people refused to listen to
the voice of Shemu'el; and they said, No: but we will have a king over
us, {8:20} 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. {8:21}
Shemu'el heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in
the ears of the LORD. {8:22} The LORD said to Shemu'el, Listen to
their voice, and make them a king. Shemu'el said to the men of
Yisra'el, Go you every man to his city.
{9:1} Now there was a man of Binyamin, whose name was Kish, the son
of Aviel, the son of Tzeror, the son of Bekhorat, the son of Afiach,
the son of a Binyamini, a mighty man of valor. {9:2} He had a son,
whose name was Sha'ul, an impressive young man; and there was not
among the children of Yisra'el a better person than he. From his
shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. {9:3} The
donkeys of Kish, Sha'ul's father, were lost. Kish said to Sha'ul his
son, Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go seek the
donkeys. {9:4} He passed through the hill-country of Efrayim, and
passed through the land of Shalishah, but they didn't find them: then
they passed through the land of Sha`alim, and there they weren't
there: and he passed through the land of the Binyamini, but they
didn't find them. {9:5} When they had come to the land of Tzuf, Sha'ul
said to his servant who was with him, Come, and let us return, lest my
father leave off caring for the donkeys, and be anxious for us. {9:6}
He said to him, See now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is
a man who is held in honor; all that he says comes surely to pass: now
let us go there; peradventure he can tell us concerning our journey
whereon we go. {9:7} Then said Sha'ul to his servant, But, behold, if
we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our
vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what
have we? {9:8} The servant answered Sha'ul again, and said, Behold, I
have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I
give to the man of God, to tell us our way. {9:9} (In earlier times in
Yisra'el, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said, Come, and
let us go to the seer; for he who is now called a Prophet was before
called a Seer.) {9:10} Then said Sha'ul to his servant, Well said;
come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of God was.
{9:11} As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young
maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, Is the seer here?
{9:12} They answered them, and said, He is; behold, [he is] before
you: make haste now, for he is come today into the city; for the
people have a sacrifice today in the high place: {9:13} as soon as you
are come into the city, you shall immediately find him, before he goes
up to the high place to eat; for the people will not eat until he
come, because he does bless the sacrifice; [and] afterwards they eat
who are invited. Now therefore get you up; for at this time you shall
find him. {9:14} They went up to the city; [and] as they came within
the city, behold, Shemu'el came out toward them, to go up to the high
place. {9:15} Now the LORD had revealed to Shemu'el a day before
Sha'ul came, saying, {9:16} Tomorrow about this time I will send you a
man out of the land of Binyamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince
over my people Yisra'el; and he shall save my people out of the hand
of the Pelishtim: for I have looked on my people, because their cry is
come to me. {9:17} When Shemu'el saw Sha'ul, the LORD said to him,
Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! this same shall have authority
over my people. {9:18} Then Sha'ul drew near to Shemu'el in the gate,
and said, Tell me, Please, where the seer's house is. {9:19} Shemu'el
answered Sha'ul, and said, I am the seer; go up before me to the high
place, for you shall eat with me today: and in the morning I will let
you go, and will tell you all that is in your heart. {9:20} As for
your donkeys who were lost three days ago, don't set your mind on
them; for they are found. For whom is all that is desirable in
Yisra'el? Is it not for you, and for all your father's house? {9:21}
Sha'ul answered, Am I not a Binyamini, of the smallest of the tribes
of Yisra'el? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe
of Binyamin? why then speak you to me after this manner? {9:22}
Shemu'el took Sha'ul and his servant, and brought them into the
guest-chamber, and made them sit in the best place among those who
were invited, who were about thirty persons. {9:23} Shemu'el said to
the cook, Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you,
Set it by you. {9:24} The cook took up the thigh, and that which was
on it, and set it before Sha'ul. [Shemu'el] said, Behold, that which
has been reserved! set it before you and eat; because to the appointed
time has it been kept for you, for I said, I have invited the people.
So Sha'ul ate with Shemu'el that day. {9:25} When they were come down
from the high place into the city, he talked with Sha'ul on the
housetop. {9:26} They arose early: and it happened about the spring of
the day, that Shemu'el called to Sha'ul on the housetop, saying, Up,
that I may send you away. Sha'ul arose, and they went out both of
them, he and Shemu'el, abroad. {9:27} As they were going down at the
end of the city, Shemu'el said to Sha'ul, Bid the servant pass on
before us (and he passed on), but stand you still first, that I may
cause you to hear the word of God.
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