21 come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. And he caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, and the family of Matri was taken; and of them Saul the son of Kish was taken: and when they sought him, he could not be found.

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Therefore they inquired of Jehovah further, if the man should yet come thither. And Jehovah answered, "Be23 hold, he is hidden among the baggage." And they ran and fetched him thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoul24 ders and upward. And Samuel said to all the people, "See ye him whom Jehovah hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?" And all the people shouted, 25 and said, "Long live the king." Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before Jehovah.

And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his 26 house. And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him the band of men, whose hearts God had touched. 27 But the children of Belial said, "How shall this man save us?" And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his

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peace.

CHAP. XI. Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will 2 serve thee." And Nahash the Ammonite said unto them, "On this condition will I make a covenant with that I may you, thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel."

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And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, "Grant us seven days, that we may send messengers into all the territory of Israel; and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come 4 out to thee." Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and spake the words in the ears of the people; and all the 5 people lifted up their voices, and wept. And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, "What hath befallen the people that they weep?" And they told him 6 the words of the men of Jabesh. And the spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those words, and his anger was 7 kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, "Whosoever

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cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen." And the fear of Jehovah fell on the people, and they came out as one man. And when he num- s bered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they said unto the messengers that came, shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, 'To-morrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall have deliverance.'” And the messengers came and told it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "To- 10 morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you."

And it came to pass on the morrow, that Saul put the 11 people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day; and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.

And the people said unto Samuel, "Who is he that said, 12 'Shall Saul reign over us?' bring the men, that we may put them to death." And Saul said, "There shall not a man be 13 put to death this day; for to-day Jehovah hath wrought deliverance in Israel."

Then said Samuel to the people, "Come, and let us go to 14 Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there." And all the people 15 went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before Jehovah in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peaceofferings before Jehovah; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

CHAP. XII.-And Samuel said unto all Israel, "Behold, 1 I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. And now, behold, the 2 king walketh before you; and I am old and grayheaded ; and, behold, my sons are with you; and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day. Behold, here I 3 am; witness against me before Jehovah, and before his anointed; whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken ? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received a bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you." And they said, "Thou 4 hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken aught of any man's hand." And he said unto them, 5

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"Jehovah is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found aught in my hand." And they answered, "He is witness."

And Samuel said unto the people, "It is Jehovah that appointed Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers 7 up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand, that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of Jehovah, which he did to you and to your fathers. 8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto Jehovah, then Jehovah sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made 9 them dwell in this place. And when they forgot Jehovah their God, he delivered them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they 10 fought against them. And they cried unto Jehovah, and said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken Jehovah, and have served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth; but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve 11 thee.' And Jehovah sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your 12 enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe. And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, 'Nay; but a king shall reign. 13 over us;' when Jehovah your God was your king. Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, Jehovah hath set a king over 14 you. If ye will fear Jehovah, and serve him, and hearken to his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, and both ye and also the king that reigneth over you 15 will follow after Jehovah your God,-well; but if ye will not hearken to the voice of Jehovah, but rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, then shall the hand of Jehovah be 16 against you, as it was against your fathers. Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which Jehovah will do before 17 your eyes. Is it not wheat-harvest to-day? I will call unto Jehovah, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may know and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of Jehovah, in asking you a king." 18 So Samuel called unto Jehovah; and Jehovah sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared Je19 hovah and Samuel. And all the people said unto Samuel, "Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah thy God, that we die

not; for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king." And Samuel said unto the people, "Fear not ye 20 have done all this evil; yet turn not aside from after Jehovah, but serve Jehovah with all your heart, and turn ye 21 not aside after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. For Jehovah will not forsake his people 22 for his great name's sake; because it hath pleased Jehovah to make you his people. Moreover as for me, God forbid 23 that I should sin against Jehovah in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way: only fear Jehovah, and serve him in truth with all your 24 heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you. But if ye will still do wickedly, ye shall be destroyed, both 25 ye and your king."

CHAP. XIII.-Saul was years old when he 1 became king; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; two thousand 2 were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that 3 was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear." And all Israel heard it said that Saul 4 had smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also had become abominable to the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal. And the Philistines 5 gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude; and they came up, and encamped in Michmash, eastward from Beth-aven.

And the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for 6 the people were distressed,) and the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. And some of the Hebrews went over 7 Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. And he waited seven days, according to the set time that s Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, "Bring 9 hither the burnt-offering to me, and the peace-offerings.' And he offered the burnt-offering.

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And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt-offering, behold, Samuel came; and 11 Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, "What hast thou done?" And Saul said, "Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; 12 therefore I said, the Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto Jehovah; I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt-offer13 ing." And Samuel said to Saul, "Thou hast done foolishly; thou hast not kept the commandment of Jehovah thy God, which he commanded thee; for now would Jehovah have 14 established thy kingdom over Israel for ever. But now thy

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kingdom shall not continue; Jehovah hath sought him a man after his own heart, and Jehovah hath commanded him to be ruler over his people, because thou hast not kept that which Jehovah commanded thee."

And Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with 16 him, about six hundred men. And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people present with them, remained in Gibeah of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies; one company turned unto the way of 18 Ophrah, unto the land of Shual; and another company turned the way of Beth-horon; and another company turned the way of the border that looketh over the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

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Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, "Lest the Hebrews make 20 them swords or spears: but all Israel went down to the

Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his hoe, and 21 his axe, and his mattock. Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the hoes, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to 22 sharpen the goads. So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan; but with Saul, and with Jonathan his son, they were found.

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And a garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.

2 CHAP. XIV.-Now it came to pass at that time, that