sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.
09:007:001 And the men of Kirjathjearim 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.
09:007:002 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.
09:007:003 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 and Ashtaroth 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.
09:007:004 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.
09:007:005 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.
09:007:006 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.
09:007:007 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.
09:007:008 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.
09:007:009 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.
09:007:010 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.
09:007:011 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.
09:007:012 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.
09:007:013 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.
09:007:014 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.
09:007:015 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
09:007:016 And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places.
09:007:017 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.
09:008:001 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
09:008:002 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
09:008:003 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
09:008:004 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
09:008:005 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.
09:008:006 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
09:008:007 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.
09:008:008 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.
09:008:009 Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
09:008:010 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
09:008:011 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.
09:008:012 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.
09:008:013 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
09:008:014 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
09:008:015 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.
09:008:016 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
09:008:017 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
09:008:018 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.
09:008:019 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
09:008:020 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.
09:008:021 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.
09:008:022 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.
09:009:001 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.
09:009:002 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.
09:009:003 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.
09:009:004 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.
09:009:005 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.
09:009:006 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 shew us our way that we should go.
09:009:007 Then said Saul 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?
09:009:008 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.
09:009:009 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let