1st Samuel Part 1.

COMMENTARY and OVERVIEW

The BOOK of FIRST SAMUEL
(Approximate time covered - 1100- 1000BCE)

Jewish tradition holds that the book was

written by Samuel, with additions by the
prophets Gad and Nathan. The book is
believed to have been written around one
thousand years before the birth of Christ.

Originally 1st and 2nd Samuel were seen as

one book. It was later split for the
convenience of early copyists.

Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives

of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in
the transition from the period of the
biblical judges to the institution of a
human kingdom under Saul, and again in
the transition from Saul to David. He is
respected as a prophet by Jews,
Christians, and Muslims.

First Samuel begins by contrasting

Israel’s last two judges (Eli: a failure; and
Samuel: a success) and then Israel’s first
 two kings (Saul: a failure; and David: a
success).

The first major section of Samuel sharply

contrasts obedience and disobedience to
the will of GOD as expressed for Israel in
the Mosaic Covenant. This contrast is
clear in all seven major sections of 1 st
Samuel. The events in this section took
place during Eli"s 40-year judgeship (1st
Samuel 4:18; 1st Samuel 1144-1104 B.C.).

1 SAMUEL Chapter 1.

Elkanah and His Wives

(Psalm 113:1–9)

1 Samuel 1:1 There was a certain man from

Ramathaim-zophim, in the hill country of Ephraim.
He was named Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of
Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an
Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; the name of the one
was Hannah, and the name of other Peninnah: and
Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

3 This man regularly went on pilgrimage from his

town to worship YHWH of armies and to sacrifice to
him at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and
Phinehas, were ministering as priests of YHWH.
4 When the day came for Elkanah to offer sacrifice, he
used to give a portion each to his wife Peninnah and
to all her sons and daughters. 5 To Hannah, however,
he would give only one portion: for, although he loved
Hannah more, YHWH had kept her barren.

6 And his other wife, Peninnah did everything

possible to make her unhappy, because YHWH had
not let her have children.

7 This went on year after year; each time they made

their pilgrimage to the sanctuary of YHWH, Peninnah
would make her miserable and Hannah would weep
and refuse to eat.

8 Then, her husband Elkanah would say to her,

"Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don't you eat?
Why are you downhearted? You have me. Don't I
mean more to you than ten sons?"

Hannah Prays for a Son

9 On one occasion when they were at Shiloh, Hannah

went over to the Tabernacle after supper to pray to
YHWH. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary
place beside the entrance.

10 Hannah’s heart was full of grief as she prayed to

YHWH, shedding many tears, 11 and she vowed a
vow, and said, O YHWH of armies, if you will indeed
look on the affliction of your maidservant, and
remember me, and not forget your servant, but will
give to me a man-child, then I will give him to YHWH
all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come
upon his head.

12 And as she continued praying before YHWH, Eli

was noticing her mouth. 13 She was moving her lips,
but no sound was coming out, and he thought she had
been drinking.

14 So Eli said to her, "How long will you make a

drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine."15
And Hannah replied, "Oh no, my lord! I am a very
unhappy woman. I have had no wine or any other
strong drink, but I have been pouring out my heart to
YHWH.

16 Please don't think I am a worthless woman. I have

been praying like this only because I'm so miserable.

17 Then Eli said to her; Go in peace and may the god

of Israel give you an answer to the prayer you have
made to him. 18 Hannah answered, "You are most
kind to your handmaid."

Then, she left, she ate, and was no longer downcast.

Hannah and Elkanah Have a Son who they

Name Samuel

19 The next morning the entire family got up early

and went to worship YHWH once more. Then they
returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with
Hannah, YHWH remembered her request, and she
became pregnant.

20 In due time Hannah bore a son, and she called his

name Samuel, for she said, "I have asked for him from
YHWH."
21 The next time when Elkanah went up with all his
family to offer the annual sacrifice to YHWH and to
fulfill his vow, 22 Hannah did not go, explaining to
her husband, "Once the child is weaned, I will take
him to appear before YHWH and to remain there
forever; I will offer him as a perpetual a nazirite”.

23 "Whatever you think is best," Elkanah agreed.

"Stay here for now, and may YHWH help you keep
your promise." So, she stayed home and nursed the
baby.

24 And after she had weaned him, they went to

sacrifice at Shiloh and she took him with her, with a
three-year old bull, and three bushels of flour, and a
bottle of wine. In Shiloh she brought him to the house
of YHWH. Now the child was still very young.

Hannah Dedicates Samuel to YHWH

25 After the boy's father had sacrificed the young bull,

Hannah, his mother, approached Eli 26 and she said,
"Excuse me, sir. Do you remember me? I am the
woman you saw standing here, praying to YHWH 27
for this child; and YHWH has given me what I asked
of him. 28 Now I, in turn, am giving him to YHWH.
As long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to YHWH."
Then, she left him there with Eli.

Footnotes for Chapter One:

a
nazirite. - "Nazarite" comes from the
Hebrew word ‫נזיר‬ nazir meaning
"consecrated" or "separated". A nazirite took a
special vow to abstain from things such as
cutting the hair of one’s head, drinking wine
or grape products and any contact with dead
ones, even to the extent of avoiding their
burial places.

1 SAMUEL Chapter 2.

Hannah’s Thanksgiving Prayer

(Luke 1:46–56)

1 Samuel 2:1 Then Hannah prayed and said: "My

heart rejoices in YHWH; in you I find strength and am
lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I
delight in your deliverance. 2 No one is holy like you
are YHWH! There is no one besides you; there is no
Rock like our God.

3 Now, I can tell those proud people, "Stop your

boasting! Nothing is hidden from YHWH, and he is
judge of what we do." 4 YHWH, you break the bows of
warriors, but you give strength to everyone who
stumbles. 5 People who once had plenty to eat now
hire themselves out for just a piece of bread. Yet you
give the hungry more than enough to eat. A woman
who had no children, you gave her seven, but a
woman who had many was left with none.

6 You take away life, and you give life. You send
people down to their graves and bring them back
again.

7 YHWH, you are the one who can make us rich or

makes us poor. You can put some in high positions
and you can bring disgrace on others.

8 You lift the poor and homeless out of the garbage

dump and give them places of honor in royal palaces.
You set the earth on its foundations, and they all
belong to you.

9 You protect your loyal people, but everyone who is

evil will die in darkness. We cannot win a victory by
our own strength.

10 YHWH, those who attack you will be broken in

pieces when you fight back with thunder from heaven.
You will judge the whole earth and give power and
strength to your chosen king.

11 When Elkanah and Hannah returned home to

Ramah, the child remained in the service of YHWH
under Eli the priest.

Eli’s Wayward Sons

12 Now Eli had two sons who were worthless men;
they had no regard for YHWH or for their duties as
priests.

13 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 and he would thrust it into the pan, kettle,
cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the
servant would take for Eli’s sons. This is what they did
at Shiloh with all the Israelites who came to worship
there.

15 Sometimes their 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 they could use it for roasting.

16 And if the man said to him, “First the fat must be

burned, then take as much as you will”; then the
servant would say, No, you are to give it to me now, or
I will take it by force.

17 Thus the sin of these young men was very great in

the sight of YHWH, for they were treating offerings to
YHWH with contempt.

18 Now Samuel, though only a boy, was serving as a

helper. He wore a linen tunic much like that of a
priest. 19 Moreover, his mother made him a little
robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when
she came up with her husband to offer the yearly
sacrifice.

19 And every year Eli gave Elkanah and his wife a

blessing, saying, May YHWH give you offspring by
this woman in exchange for the child you have given
to him. 20 And they went back to their house.

21 And YHWH visited Hannah, and she conceived,

and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy
Samuel grew before YHWH.

22 Now Eli was very old, but he was not un-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 So he said to them, "Why do you do these things? I

am hearing about these wicked deeds of yours from all
sorts of people.

24 You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among

YHWH's people are not good for they are causing the
people to transgress.

25 If a man sins against another, then they must pray

for him to YHWH; but if a man sins against YHWH,
who shall plead for him because they are already as
good as dead before him.
And since YHWH had already decided to kill them,
So, he kept them from listening to their father.

26 In the meantime, the young man Samuel continued

to grow both in stature and in favor with YHWH and
also with man.

YHWH Sends a Prophet to Eli with a Dire

Prediction
for his Family Heritage

27 One day a prophet came to Eli and gave him this

message from YHWH; When your ancestors were
slaves of the king of Egypt, I came and showed them
who I am.

28 I chose your ancestor Aaron from among all his

relatives to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my
altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly
garments as he served me. And I allotted the sacrificial
offerings to you priests.

29 Why then, do you keep a greedy eye on my

sacrifices and on the offerings which I have
prescribed? And why do you honor your sons in
preference to me, allowing them to fatten themselves
with the choicest part of every offering of my people
Israel?'

30 Therefore YHWH the God of Israel declares; 'I

promised that your house and the house of your father
should go in and out before me forever,' but now
YHWH says: 'That will never be! I will honor people
who honor me, but bad things will happen to those
who refuse to respect me.

31 So, now the time is coming when I will break your

strength and the strength of your father's family.

32 You will gaze grudgingly at all the bounty that will

be bestowed on Israel, but 32 never again will there be
an old man in your family. 33 Yet will I not cut off
every man of yours from altar, to make your eyes to
fail, and your heart to languish; and all the increase of
your house shall die young men.

34 And this shall be the sign for you, that what I say
will come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas.
In one and the same day they shall both die

35 I will choose a priest I can trust. This priest will

listen to me and do what I want. I will make his family
strong, and he will always serve before my chosen
king. 36 Then whoever is left of your family will come
to grovel before him for a piece of silver or a loaf of
bread, and will say: Appoint me, I beg you, to a
priestly function, that I may have a morsel of bread to
eat.'"

1 SAMUEL Chapter 3.

YHWH Calls Samuel

1 Samuel 3:1 In those days, when the boy Samuel was
serving YYHWH under the direction of Eli, there were
very few messages from YHWH, and visions from him
were quite rare.

2 One day Eli was asleep in his usual place. His eyes
had lately grown so weak that he could not see. 3 And
the lamp of GOD was not yet gone out, and Samuel
had lain down to sleep, in the tabernacle of YHWH,
where the ark of the covenant was; 4 Suddenly, the
voice of YHWH said Samuel's name; and he said,
Here am I. 5 And running to Eli he said, Here am I,
for you said my name. And Eli said, I did not say your
name; go back to sleep again. So, he went back to his
bed.

6 Then YHWH called out again, "Samuel!" and again

Samuel jumped up and ran to Eli.

"Here I am," he said. "What do you need?" "I didn't

call you, my son," Eli said. "Go on back to bed."

7 As yet, Samuel did not know YHWH for the word of

YHWH had not yet been revealed to him.

8 YHWH called Samuel again, for the third time.

Getting up again and going to Eli, he said, "Here I am.
You called me." Then Eli understood that it was
YHWH who was calling the youth.

9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down: and if he

calls you, then you shall say, Speak, YHWH; for your
servant is listening. So, Samuel went and lay down in
his place.

10 YHWH came and revealed his presence, calling out

as before, "Samuel, Samuel!". This time Samuel
answered; "Speak, for your servant is listening."

11 YHWH said to Samuel: "I am about to do

something in Israel that will shock the ears of
everyone who hears about it. 12 For, at that time I will
carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his
family from beginning to end.

13 And I declared to him that I am about to punish his

house forever, for the sin he knew about because his
sons were blaspheming GOD, and he did not restrain
them. 14 Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, 'The
guilt of Eli's house will never be atoned for by sacrifice
or offering.'"

Samuel Shares the Vision with Eli

15 Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then he got up

and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He
was reluctant to tell Eli what YHWH had said to him.

16 But when Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my

son." he said, "Here I am."

17 And he said, what did YHWH say to you? Do not

keep it from me: may GOD's punishment be on you if
you keep anything, he said to you away from me.
18 Then Samuel gave him a full account, holding
nothing back. And Eli said, if
it is YHWH’s will, let him do what seems good to him.

19 As Samuel grew up, YHWH helped him and made

everything Samuel said come true.

20 Thus, all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba came to

understand that Samuel was a legitimate prophet of
YHWH.

21 And YHWH appeared again in Shiloh. For YHWH

revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by means of the
word of YHWH.

1 SAMUEL Chapter 4.

Philistines Capture the Ark of the Covenant:

1 Samuel 4:1 And the words of Samuel came to be

heard by all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle
against the Philistines. They encamped at Ebenezer,
and the Philistines encamped at Aphek 2. The
Philistines drew up in battle lines against Israel, and
when they attacked, Israel was defeated by the
Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on
that field of battle.

3 When the battle was over, the army of Israel

retreated to their camp, and their leaders asked, "Why
did YHWH allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?"
Then they said, "Let's bring the Ark of the Covenant of
YHWH from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us,
it will protect us from our enemies."

4 So the leaders sent men to Shiloh, and they brought

back the ark of the covenant of YHWH, the Almighty,
who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli's
two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the
ark of the covenant of GOD.

5 And when the ark of the covenant of YHWH came

into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so
loud that the ground shook.

6 And, when the Philistines heard the noise of the

shouting, they said, "What does this great shouting in
the camp of the Hebrews mean?" And when they
learned that the ark of YHWH had come into the
camp,7 they panicked crying out; "The gods have
come into their camp!" "This is a disaster! We have
never had to face anything like this before!

8 This means Disaster! Who will rescue us from the

clutches of this mighty god? This is the same god who
struck down Egypt with every kind of misfortune in
the desert.

9 We Philistines must take courage and be manly,

otherwise we will become slaves to the Hebrews, as
they were our slaves. So, fight manfully!"
10 So the Philistines fought extremely hard and
defeated the Israelites. The Israelite soldiers ran away
and went home. It was a terrible defeat for Israel with
30,000 of their soldiers dead.

11 And the ark of GOD was captured, and the two sons
of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed.

The Death of Eli, Judge and Priest in Israel

12 A man from the family of Benjamin ran from the

battle line, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his
clothes torn and with dust upon his head.

13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting in his chair beside

the gate, watching the road, for his heart was troubled
over the ark of GOD. The man, however, rushed by
into the city to divulge his news, which put the whole
city in an uproar.14 Upon hearing the outcry of the
men standing near him, Eli inquired, "What does all
this commotion mean?" 15 Now, Eli was ninety-eight
years old, and his eyes would no longer focus, so he
could not see.

16 Then a man came forward and said, "I am the man

who just came from the battle. I ran away from the
battle today." Eli asked, "What happened, son?"

17 And the man said, Israel fled from the Philistines,

and there has been great destruction among the
people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are
dead, and the ark of GOD has been taken.18 On
hearing the news of what had happened to the Ark, Eli
fell backward off his seat beside the gate. He broke his
neck and died, for he was old and a very heavy man.
He had judged Israel for forty years.

19 At the time his daughter-in-law, the wife of

Phinehas, was pregnant, and near the time when she
would give birth. When she heard the news that the
ark of GOD had been taken and that both her father-
in-law and her husband were dead, her pains came on
her suddenly and she gave birth.

20 And when she was at the point of death, the

midwives that attended her said to her: Fear not, for
you have borne a son. She paid no heed and did not
answer them.

21 She named the child Ichabod, saying, "Gone is the

glory from Israel," referring to the capture of the ark
of GOD and to the deaths of her father-in-law and her
husband.22 Then she said, "The glory has departed
from Israel, for the Ark of GOD has been captured."

1 SAMUEL Chapter 5.

The Ark Brings Misery to the Philistines

1 Samuel 5:1 When the Philistines captured the ark of

God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 2
There they took the ark of GOD and brought it into
the temple of Dagon, placing it beside an idol of
Dagon, their god.

3 When the people of Ashdod got up early the next

morning, they saw that Dagon was lying prone on the
ground before the ark of YHWH. So, they picked
Dagon up and replaced him.

4 And when they arose early on the following

morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to
the ground before the ark of YHWH; and the head of
Dagon and both the palms of his hands lay cut off
upon the threshold; only the torso of Dagon was left to
him.

5 This is why the priests of Dagon and everyone who

enters the house of Dagon will not tread on the
threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

6 The hand of YHWH was heavy on the people of

Ashdod, and He ravaged them
and struck them with tumors, both in Ashdod and its
surrounding territory.

7 And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they

said, "The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here
with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon
our god."

8 So, they summoned all the Philistine rulers together

for a council and inquired of them, "What shall we do
with the ark of the god of Israel?" The men from Gath
replied, "Let them move the ark of the god of Israel to
us."

9 But after they had taken it there, the hand of YHWH

was stretched out against the town for its destruction:
and the signs of disease came out on all the men of
Gath, small and great.

10 Therefore they sent the ark of GOD into Ekron.

And when the ark of GOD had come into Ekron, the
Ekronites cried out, saying: They have brought the ark
of the god of Israel to us, to kill us and our people.

11 Therefore, they sent for and assembled all the

leaders of the Philistines again, and they said, send
away the ark of the god of Israel, and let it go back to
its place, so that it may not be the cause of death to us
and to our people. There was a great fear of death all
over town because the hand of GOD was very hard on
them there.

12 And those people who did not die were stricken

with the a emerods, and the cry of the town went up to
heaven.

Footnote for Chapter 5.

a
emerods, Literally a swelling, understood to be
either a tmnor, hemorrhoid or Boil condition.
1 SAMUEL Chapter 6.

Philistines Return Ark to Israel

1 Samuel 6:1 When the ark of YHWH had been in

Philistine territory for seven months, 2 they
summoned priests and fortune-tellers to ask, "How
shall we return the ark of YHWH? Tell us what we
should send back with it."

3 "Send the Ark of the god of Israel back, along with a

gift," they said; "Send a guilt offering so the plague
will stop. Then, if the plague does not stop, you will
know that their god didn't send the plague after all."

4 And they said, "What sort of guilt offering shall we

return with the ark?" They answered, "Five golden a
Emerods and five golden rats, harmonizing with the
number of the kings of the Philistines, for the same
plague was on all of you and on your kings.

5 So make images of the growths caused by your

disease and of the mice which are damaging your
land; and give glory to the god of Israel. It may then
be that the weight of his hand will be lifted from you
and from your gods and from your land.

6 Why should you harden your hearts like the

Egyptians and their Pharaoh hardened their hearts?
After the Hebrew’s god dealt severely with them, did
they not send the people away, and they left them?
7 So now set to yourselves to work and make a new
cart. Then take two milk cows that have not borne the
yoke before and hitch them to the cart. But take their
calves indoors, and away from them.

8 Place the Ark of YHWH on the cart, and beside it

place a chest containing the gold rats and gold
emerods. Then let the cows wander wherever they
want.

9 And you watch. If the cows take the cart up along, to

Beth-shemesh, the way to Israel, then it is their god
who has done us this great harm. But if not, then we
shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; It
happened to us by coincidence.

10 And the Philistines did so; they took two cows that
had calved for the first time, and yoked them to the
cart, and shut up their calves at home.

11 And they put the ark of YHWH on the cart, and the
chest with the rats of gold and the images of their
emerods.

12 And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-

shemesh along one main road, mooing as they went.
They turned neither right or to left, and the leaders of
the Philistines followed after them as far as the border
of Beth-shemesh.
13 There were people of Beth-shemesh who were
harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they saw the
Ark approaching their town, they were overjoyed!

14 When the cart came into the field of a Beth-shemite

named Joshua, it came to a stop there by a great
stone. Then cutting up the wood of the cart they made
a burned offering of the cows to YHWH.

15 Meanwhile, several Levites had taken down the ark

of YHWH and the chest in which were the gold
images, and put them on the great stone, whereupon
the men of Beth-shemesh made burned offerings and
gave worship that day before YHWH.

16 The five Philistine rulers watched all this from a

distance and then returned to Ekron that same day.

17 The golden emerods paid by the Philistines as a

guilt offering to YHWH were as follows; one for
Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath,
and one for Ekron; 18 They also sent a gold rat for
each walled town and for every village that the five
Philistine rulers controlled.

The great stone where the Levites set the chest is still
there in Joshua's field as a reminder of what
happened.

19 But YHWH sent destruction on seventy men Beth-

shemesh for looking into the ark of GOD; and great
was mourning by the people for the destruction which
YHWH had sent on them.

20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said; Who is able to

stand before YHWH, this holy god? and to whom shall
he go up from us?

21 So they sent messengers up to the inhabitants of

Kiriath-jearim, saying; "The Philistines have returned
the ark of YHWH. Come down here and take it up to
you."

Footnote for Chapter 6.

a
Emerods is an archaic term for tumors
and hemorrhoids. According to chapter 6,
the plague was not relieved until the
Philistines returned the Ark of the
Covenant to the Israelites, along with a
trespass offering of "five golden
emerods and five golden rats" (the plague
of emerods occurred simultaneously with
a plague of rats).

1 SAMUEL Chapter 7.

1 Samuel 7:1 The men of Kiriath Jearim came and

took YHWH’s Holy Ark up the hill to the house of
Abinadab the priest. Then they performed a special
ceremony to prepare Aminadab’s son, Eleazar, to
guard the holy ark.
2 The Ark remained in Kiriath-jearim for a long time,
twenty years in all. Yet, all during that time, Israel
mourned because it seemed that YHWH had
abandoned them to Philistine power.

3 Then Samuel said to all Israel; If with all your hearts

you want to come back to YHWH, then put away all
the foreign gods and the Astartes from among you,
and let your hearts turn to YHWH, and be servants to
him only. Then he will make you safe from the hands
of the Philistines.

4 So the people of Israel got rid of their Baals and the

Ashtaroth images, and they served YHWH exclusively.

5 Then Samuel said; Let all Israel come to Mizpah and

there I will pray to YHWH for you.

6 When they were gathered at Mizpah, they drew

water and poured it out on the ground before YHWH,
and they all fasted that day, confessing, "We have
sinned against YHWH."

Samuel becomes Judge in Israel and Gains

Victory over Philistines Through God’s Help

It was at Mizpah that Samuel began to judge the

Israelites.

7 Now when the Philistines got news that the people

of Israel had come together at Mizpah, the leaders of
the Philistines mobilized their troops against Israel.
And the people of Israel, hearing of it, were full of
fear.

8 And they said to Samuel; "Implore YHWH our god

unceasingly on our behalf, to save us from the
clutches of the Philistines."

9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a

whole burnt offering to YHWH. And Samuel cried out
to YHWH for Israel, and YHWH answered him.

10 And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering,

the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; but
YHWH thundered with a great thunder on that day
upon the Philistines and panicked them; and they
were taken down by Israel.

11 The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and

pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the
way to a point just outside of Beth-Car.

12 And Samuel took a large stone and laid it between

Masphath and Sen: and he called the place “The stone
of help”. And he said, thus far YHWH has helped us.

13 So, the Philistines were overcome and did not

venture into the country of Israel again: and all the
days of Samuel the hand of YHWH was against the
Philistines.

14 And the towns which the Philistines had taken were

given back to Israel, from Ekron to Gath, and all the
country round them, Israel made free from the power
of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel
and the Amorites.

15 And Samuel continued to judge Israel all the days

of his life.

16 From year to year he went in a circuit including

Beth-el and Gilgal and Mizpah, judging Israel in all
those places.17 Then he would return to his home at
Ramah, where he would also hear cases. And Samuel
built an altar to YHWH at Ramah.

1 SAMUEL Chapter 8.

Samuel Blunders in Appointing His Sons as

Judges

1 Samuel 8:1 Now it came to pass when Samuel got to

be old, that he appointed his sons as judges over
Israel.

2 The name of his first-born was Joel; and the name

of his second son was, Abijah. They held court as
judges in Beer-sheba. 3 However, his sons did not
follow Samuel’s fine example but sought illicit gain
and accepted bribes, thereby perverting justice.

Ungrateful Israel Demands a Human King

(Deuteronomy 17:14–20)
4 This caused all the elders of Israel to gather together
and come to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him;
"Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your
ways. Now make us a king for us like all the other
nations have to judge us.

6 Samuel was greatly upset when they asked for a king

to judge them. He prayed to YHWH about the matter.

7 Then, YHWH said to Samuel; Listen to the voice of

the people in all that they say to you; for they have not
rejected you, but they have rejected me, indicating
that I should not be their king.

8 GOD added; Just as they have done to me, from the

day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day,
forsaking me and serving other gods they are doing
the same to you. 9 So, do what they ask; only, you
must give them a solemn warning, and must tell them
what the king who is to reign over them will do.'

Samuel Delivers YHWH’s Warning to the

People

10 And Samuel passed on all these words of YHWH to

the people who were desiring a king.

11 "This is how a king will treat you" Samuel said;

"The king will draft your sons into his army. Some will
be forced to ride in his war chariots, some will serve in
the cavalry and others will and make up an advance
guard to run before his chariots.

12 Some of them will be officers in charge of a

thousand soldiers, and others will be in charge of fifty.
Still others will have to farm the king's land and
harvest his crops or make weapons and parts for his
war machine.

13 Your daughters will have to make perfume for him

or do his cooking and baking.

14 The king will take the best of your fields, as well as

your vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to
his own officials. 15 He will also take a tenth of your
grain and grapes and give it to his officers and
officials.

16 The king will take your workers and your best

young men and your donkeys and make them do his
work.

17 He will also take a tenth of your sheep and goats.

You will become slaves to him, 18 and you will finally
cry out for YHWH to save you from the very king you
wanted. But YHWH won't answer your prayers.

19 Nevertheless the people refused to listen the voice

of Samuel; and they said, "No, but we will have a king
over us anyway. 20 That way, we also may be like all
the nations, and have ourselves a king who may judge
us and lead us and fight our battles."
21 When Samuel had listened to all the people had to
say, he repeated it to YHWH in prayer

YHWH Acquiesces to the Peoples Request

22 And YHWH said to Samuel, pay attention to their

voices, and give them a king. And Samuel said to the
men of Israel, Go you, every man back to his city.

1 SAMUEL Chapter 9.

Saul Comes on The Scene

1 Samuel 9:1 Now there was a man of Benjamin,

whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of
Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son
of a Benjamite, a brave and mighty man.

2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a young

man and handsome. And there was not among the
children of Israel a more impressive person than him.
He was head and shoulders above any of the other
people.

3 One day, the donkeys belonging to Kish strayed and

appeared to be lost., Saul's father, Kish said to his son
Saul, 'My son, take one of the servants with you and
go look for the donkeys.'
4. So Saul took one of his servants and traveled all
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. And when they had come to the land of Zuph, Saul

said to the servant who was with him, Come, let us go
back, or my father may worry more about us than
losing the donkeys.

6. But the servant said to him; See now, in this town

there is a man of GOD, who is highly regarded and
everything he says comes true. Let us go there now. It
might be that he can give us directions about our
journey.

7.Then Saul said to his servant; But if we go, what are

we to take the man? All our bread is gone, and we
have no offering to take to a man of God, what should
we to do?

8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said,

Look, I have a quarter part of a silver shekel. I can
give to the man of GOD, to tell us our way.

9 In Israel, in past times, when anyone used to go to

consult GOD, he would say, 'Come on, let us go to the
seer,' for a man who is now called a 'prophet' used to
be called a 'seer' in former days.
10 "Good idea," Saul said to his servant. "Come, and
let's go.to him" So they set out for the town where the
man of GOD was.

11 As they were proceeding up the hill to the city, they

met some young women coming out to draw water
and said to them, "Is the seer here?"

12 "He is," they answered. "He's just ahead of you.

Hurry now; he has just come to our city today, for the
people have a sacrifice at the high place. 13 If you
hurry you will catch up with him before he goes up the
hill to eat. The guests won't start until he arrives to
bless the food."

14 So, they went up to the city; and as they came near

the city, behold, Samuel was coming out toward them,
on his way up to the high place.

Samuel Receives a Revelation

15 Now, the day before Saul's arrived there, YHWH

had given Samuel a revelation. 16 In it he said;
"Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man
from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him
to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my
people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have
looked down on my people, and their outcries have
reached me."
17 And when Samuel saw Saul, YHWH spoke to him
saying; Behold the man of whom I spoke to you! this
is the man shall who rule over my people.

Samuel Invites Saul to Dine With Him

18 Just then Saul approached Samuel at the entrance

gate and asked, "Can you please tell me where the
seer's house is?"

19 Samuel answered Saul; "I am the seer. Go up to the

high place before me, for today you are going to eat
with me. Then, in the morning I will let you go and
will tell you all that is on your mind.

20 And as for those donkeys that were lost three days

ago, don’t trouble your mind over them. For they have
been found. Now, there is something that everyone in
Israel is looking for and that something is you and
your family."

21 Saul answered, "I am only a Benjaminite, from the

least of the tribal families of Israel, and my family is
the humblest of all the families of the tribe of
Benjamin. Why then have you spoken to me in this
way?"

Samuel Gives Saul A Clue for What is to Come

22 Then Samuel, taking Saul and his servant, brought

them into the dining hall, seating about thirty men,
giving them a place at the head of all those that were
invited.

23 Samuel then instructed the cook to bring Saul the

finest cut of meat, a piece that had been set aside for
the guest of honor.

24 And the cook took up the shoulder, and what was

on it, and set it before Saul. And he said; See this
which has been set aside for you! Set it before yourself
and eat; for it has been reserved for you ever since I
sent out invitations to the people here. So, Saul ate
with Samuel that day.

25 After the feast, when they had returned to the city,

Samuel took Saul up to the roof of the house he was
staying in and prepared a bed for him there.

26 And around dawn Samuel called to Saul on the

roof; Get up so that I may send you away on your way.
So, Saul got up, and he and Samuel went out together.

27 As they were approaching the edge of the town,

Samuel said to Saul, "Tell your servant to go on ahead
of us, but you remain here for the moment, that I may
give you a message from GOD."

1 SAMUEL Chapter 10.

Samuel Anoints Saul to be King Over Israel

1 Samuel 10:1 Then, from a flask he had with him,
Samuel poured oil on Saul's head; he also kissed him,
saying: "YHWH anoints you commander over his
heritage. You are to govern YHWH’s people Israel,
and to save them from the grasp of their enemies
round about. "This will be the sign for you that he has
anointed you commander over his heritage.

Saul Receives a Sign from GOD

2 When you depart from me today, you will meet two

men near Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin
at Zelzah, and they will say to you, 'The donkeys that
you went looking for have been found, and now your
father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is
anxious about you, saying, He's wondering where you
are now."

3 Then you are to go on from there, and when you

come to the oak-tree of Tabor, you will see three men
going up worship GOD at Beth-el, one having with
him three young goats and another three cakes of
bread and another a skin full of wine.
4 And they will ask after your welfare, and give you
two loaves, which you shall take from them.
5 After that you will come to Gibeah, the hill of GOD,
where an armed company of the Philistines is
stationed, and when you come to the town, you will
see a band of prophets coming down from the high
place with instruments of music before them; and
they will be carrying on like prophets.
6 At that time the Spirit of YHWH will come upon you
with power, and you will prophesy with them. And, at
that moment, you will be changed into a different
person. 7 When you see these signs fulfilled, do
whatever you judge feasible, because GOD is with you.

8 Then you are to go down ahead of me to Gilgal,

where I will come to you, for the offering of burned
offerings and peace-offerings. Go on waiting there for
seven days till I come to you and make clear what you
have to do.

9. And it was so, that, when he had turned away to go

from Samuel, GOD gave him another heart: and all
those signs came to pass that day.

10 And when they came to the foresaid hill, look, a

company of prophets met him: and the Spirit of
YHWH came upon him, and he prophesied in the
midst of them.

11 Now when Saul's old friends saw him among the

band of prophets, they said to one another, What has
happened to Saul, the son of Kish? Is even Saul among
the prophets?

12 A man who lived there asked, "How about these

other prophets---who do you think their fathers are?"
This is how the saying originated, "Has even Saul
become a prophet?"
13 After Saul stopped prophesying, he headed for
home.

14 And Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant,

where were you? And he said; To look for the
donkeys; and when we saw that they were nowhere,
we went to Samuel.

15 And his uncle said to him: Tell me what Samuel

said to you. 16 And Saul said to his uncle, He told us
plainly that the donkeys had been found. But
concerning the matter of the kingdom, which Samuel
spoke about, he said nothing.

17 Later, Samuel sent messengers to tell the Israelites

to come to Mizpah and meet with YHWH.

Samuel Notifies The People that Saul is to be

Their King

18 There, he gave them this message from YHWH the

god of Israel; "I brought you from Egypt and rescued
you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations
that were oppressing you. 19 But today you have
rejected your god, who saves you from all your
calamities and your distresses, and you have said to
him, 'Set a king over us.' Now therefore present
yourselves before YHWH by your tribal families and
by your thousands."

20 So Samuel called the tribal family leaders together

before YHWH, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.
21 Then he brought each family head of the tribe of
Benjamin before YHWH, 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 Therefore they asked of YHWH further: 'Is there

still another man to come forward?' And YHWH
answered: 'Behold, he has hidden himself among the
baggage.'

23 They ran to bring him from there; and when Saul

stood there among the people, he was head and
shoulders above the whole crowd.

24 And Samuel said to all the people; Do you see this

man who YHWH has selected, and how there is no
one else like him among all the people? And all the
people with loud cries said, Long live the king!

25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties

of kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it
up before YHWH. Then Samuel dismissed all the
people, sending each one to his home.

26 Meanwhile, GOD had encouraged some young men

to become followers of Saul, and when he returned to
his hometown of Gibeah, they went with him.

27 But some troublemakers said, "How can this man

save us?" They said bad things about Saul and refused
to bring gifts to him.