The People of Israel Want a King

Samuel had two sons. The older one was Joel, and the younger one was Abijah. When Samuel was getting old, he let them be leaders at Beersheba. But they were not like their father. They were dishonest and accepted bribes to give unfair decisions. One day the nation's leaders came to Samuel at Ramah and said, "You are an old man. You set a good example for your sons, but they haven't followed it. Now we want a king to be our leader, just like all the other nations. Choose one for us!" Samuel was upset to hear the leaders say they wanted a king, so he prayed about it. The LORD answered:
Samuel, do everything they want you to do. I am really the one they have rejected as their king. Ever since the day I rescued my people from Egypt, they have turned from me to worship idols. Now they are turning away from you. Do everything they ask, but warn them and tell them how a king will treat them.

Samuel told the people who were asking for a king what the LORD had said:
If you have a king, this is how he will treat you. He will force your sons to join his army. Some of them will ride in his chariots, some will serve in the cavalry, and others will run ahead of his own chariot. 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 chariots. Your daughters will have to make perfume or do his cooking and baking. The king will take your best fields, as well as your vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his own officials. He will also take a tenth of your grain and grapes and give it to his officers and officials.

The king will take your slaves and your best young men and your donkeys and make them do his work. He will also take a tenth of your sheep and goats. You will become the king's slaves, and you will finally cry out for the LORD to save you from the king you wanted. But the LORD won't answer your prayers.

The people would not listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want to be like other nations. We want a king to rule us and lead us in battle."

Samuel listened to them and then told the LORD exactly what they had said. "Do what they want," the LORD answered. "Give them a king."

Samuel told the people to go back to their homes.

Saul Meets Samuel

Kish was a wealthy man who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. His father was Abiel, his grandfather was Zeror, his great-grandfather was Becorath, and his great-great-grandfather was Aphiah. Kish had a son named Saul, who was better looking and more than a head taller than anyone else in all Israel. 
Kish owned some donkeys, but they had run off. So he told Saul, "Take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys."

Saul and the servant went through the hill country of Ephraim and the territory of Shalishah, but they could not find the donkeys. Then they went through the territories of Shaalim and Benjamin, but still there was no sign of the donkeys. Finally they came to the territory where the clan of Zuph lived. "Let's go back home," Saul told his servant. "If we don't go back soon, my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us!"
"Wait!" the servant answered. "There's a man of God who lives in a town near here. He's amazing! Everything he says comes true. Let's talk to him. Maybe he can tell us where to look."
Saul said, "How can we talk to the prophet when I don't have anything to give him? We don't even have any bread left in our sacks. What can we give him?"
"I have a small piece of silver," the servant answered. "We can give him that, and then he will tell us where to look for the donkeys."
"Great!" Saul replied. "Let's go to the man who can see visions!"
He said this because in those days God would answer questions by giving visions to prophets. 

Saul and his servant went to the town where the prophet lived. As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to get water, and the two men said to them, "We're looking for the man who can see visions. Is he in town?"
"Yes, he is," they replied. "He's in town today because there's going to be a sacrifice and a sacred meal at the place of worship. In fact, he's just ahead of you. Hurry and you should find him right inside the town gate. He's on his way out to the place of worship to eat with the invited guests. They can't start eating until he blesses the sacrifice. If you go now, you should find him."

They went to the town, and just as they were going through the gate, Samuel was coming out on his way to the place of worship.

The day before Saul came, the LORD had told Samuel, "I've seen how my people are suffering, and I've heard their call for help. About this time tomorrow I'll send you a man from the tribe of Benjamin, who will rescue my people from the Philistines. I want you to pour olive oil on his head to show that he will be their leader."
Samuel looked at Saul, and the LORD told Samuel, "This is the man I told you about. He's the one who will rule Israel."

Saul went over to Samuel in the gateway and said, "A man who can see visions lives here in town. Could you tell me the way to his house?"
"I am the one who sees visions!" Samuel answered. "Go on up to the place of worship. You will eat with me today, and in the morning I'll answer your questions. Don't worry about your donkeys that ran off three days ago. They've already been found. Everything of value in Israel now belongs to you and your family."
"Why are you telling me this?" Saul asked. "I'm from Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my clan is the least important in the tribe."

Saul Eats with Samuel and Stays at His House

Samuel took Saul and his servant into the dining room at the place of worship. About thirty people were there for the dinner, but Samuel gave Saul and his servant the places of honor. Then Samuel told the cook, "I gave you the best piece of meat and told you to set it aside. Bring it here now."
The cook brought the meat over and set it down in front of Saul. "This is for you," Samuel told him. "Go ahead and eat it. I had this piece saved especially for you, and I invited these guests to eat with you."

After Saul and Samuel had finished eating, they went down from the place of worship and back into town. A bed was set up for Saul on the flat roof of Samuel's house, and Saul slept there. About sunrise the next morning, Samuel called up to Saul on the roof, "Time to get up! I'll help you get started on your way."
Saul got up. He and Samuel left together and had almost reached the edge of town when Samuel stopped and said, "Have your servant go on. Stay here with me for a few minutes, and I'll tell you what God has told me."

Samuel Tells Saul He Will Be King

After the servant had gone, Samuel took a small jar of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head. Then he kissed Saul and told him: The LORD has chosen you to be the leader and ruler of his people. When you leave me today, you'll meet two men near Rachel's tomb at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They'll tell you, "The donkeys you've been looking for have been found. Your father has forgotten about them, and now he's worrying about you! He's wondering how he can find you."
Go on from there until you reach the big oak tree at Tabor, where you'll meet three men on their way to worship God at Bethel. One of them will be leading three young goats, another will be carrying three round loaves of bread, and the last one will be carrying a clay jar of wine. After they greet you, they'll give you two loaves of bread.
Next, go to Gibeah, where the Philistines have an army camp. As you're going into the town, you'll meet a group of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They'll be going along prophesying while others are walking in front of them, playing small harps, small drums, and flutes. The Spirit of the LORD will suddenly take control of you. You'll become a different person and start prophesying right along with them. After these things happen, do whatever you think is right! God will help you. Then you should go to Gilgal. I'll come a little later, so wait for me. It may even take a week for me to get there, but when I come, I'll offer sacrifices and offerings to the LORD. I'll also tell you what to do next.

Saul Goes Back Home

As Saul turned around to leave Samuel, God made Saul feel like a different person. That same day, everything happened just as Samuel had said. When Saul arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. The Spirit of God suddenly took control of him, and right there in the middle of the group he began prophesying. Some people who had known Saul for a long time saw that he was speaking and behaving like a prophet. They said to each other, "What's happened? How can Saul be a prophet?"
"Why not?" one of them answered. "Saul has as much right to be a prophet as anyone else!"
That's why everyone started saying, "How can Saul be a prophet?"
After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the place of worship.

Later, Saul's uncle asked him, "Where have you been?"
Saul answered, "Looking for the donkeys. We couldn't find them, so we went to talk with Samuel."
"And what did he tell you?" Saul's uncle asked.
Saul answered, "He told us the donkeys had been found."
But Saul didn't mention that Samuel had chosen him to be king.

The LORD Shows Israel that Saul Will Be King

Samuel sent messengers to tell the Israelites to come to Mizpah and meet with the LORD. When everyone had arrived, Samuel said:
The LORD God of Israel told me to remind you that he had rescued you from the Egyptians and from the other nations that abused you.

God has rescued you from your troubles and hard times. But you have rejected your God and have asked for a king. Now each tribe and clan must come near the place of worship so the LORD can choose a king. 

Samuel brought each tribe, one after the other, to the altar, and the LORD chose the Benjamin tribe. Next, Samuel brought each clan of Benjamin there, and the LORD chose the Matri clan. Finally, Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found. 

The people prayed, "Our LORD, is Saul here?"
"Yes," the LORD answered, "he is hiding behind the baggage." 

The people ran and got Saul and brought him into the middle of the crowd. He was more than a head taller than anyone else. "Look closely at the man the LORD has chosen!" Samuel told the crowd. "There is no one like him!"
The crowd shouted, "Long live the king!" 

Samuel explained the rights and duties of a king and wrote them all in a book. He put the book in a temple building at one of the places where the LORD was worshiped. Then Samuel sent everyone home. 

God had encouraged some young men to become followers of Saul, and when he returned to his hometown of Gibeah, they went with him. But some worthless fools said, "How can someone like Saul rescue us from our enemies?"
They did not want Saul to be their king, and so they didn't bring him any gifts. But Saul kept calm.

Saul Rescues the Town of Jabesh in Gilead

About this time, King Nahash of Ammon came with his army and surrounded the town of Jabesh in Gilead. The people who lived there told Nahash, "If you will sign a peace treaty with us, you can be our ruler, and we will pay taxes to you."
Nahash answered, "Sure, I'll sign a treaty! But not before I insult Israel by poking out the right eye of every man who lives in Jabesh."
The town leaders said, "Give us seven days so we can send messengers everywhere in Israel to ask for help. If no one comes here to save us, we will surrender to you."

Some of the messengers went to Gibeah, Saul's hometown. They told what was happening at Jabesh, and everyone in Gibeah started crying. Just then, Saul came in from the fields, walking behind his oxen. 

"Why is everyone crying?" Saul asked. 

They told him what the men from Jabesh had said. Then the Spirit of God suddenly took control of Saul and made him furious. Saul killed two of his oxen, cut them up in pieces, and gave the pieces to the messengers. He told them to show the pieces to everyone in Israel and say, "Saul and Samuel are getting an army together. Come and join them. If you don't, this is what will happen to your oxen!"
The LORD made the people of Israel terribly afraid. So all the men came together 8at Bezek. Saul had them organized and counted. There were three hundred thousand from Israel and thirty thousand from Judah. Saul and his officers sent the messengers back to Jabesh with this promise: "We will rescue you tomorrow afternoon."
The messengers went back to the people at Jabesh and told them that they were going to be rescued. 

Everyone was encouraged! 10So they told the Ammonites, "We will surrender to you tomorrow, and then you can do whatever you want to." 

The next day, Saul divided his army into three groups and attacked before daylight. They started killing Ammonites and kept it up until afternoon. A few Ammonites managed to escape, but they were scattered far from each other. 

The Israelite soldiers went to Samuel and demanded, "Where are the men who said they didn't want Saul to be king? Bring them to us, and we will put them to death!"
"No you won't!" Saul told them. "The LORD rescued Israel today, and no one will be put to death."

Saul Is Accepted as King

"Come on!" Samuel said. "Let's go to Gilgal and make an agreement that Saul will continue to be our king."
Everyone went to the place of worship at Gilgal, where they agreed that Saul would be their king. Saul and the people sacrificed animals to ask for the LORD's blessing, and they had a big celebration.

Saul Disobeys the LORD

Saul was a young man when he became king, and he ruled Israel for two years. Then he chose three thousand men from Israel to be full-time soldiers and sent everyone else home. Two thousand of these troops stayed with him in the hills around Michmash and Bethel. The other thousand were stationed with Jonathan at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. Jonathan led an attack on the Philistine army camp at Geba. The Philistine camp was destroyed, but the other Philistines heard what had happened. Then Saul told his messengers, "Go to every village in the country. Give a signal with the trumpet, and when the people come together, tell them what has happened."
The messengers then said to the people of Israel, "Saul has destroyed the Philistine army camp at Geba. Now the Philistines really hate Israel, so every town and village must send men to join Saul's army at Gilgal."
The Philistines called their army together to fight Israel. They had three thousand chariots, six thousand cavalry, and as many foot soldiers as there are grains of sand on the beach. They went to Michmash and set up camp there east of Beth-Aven. The Israelite army realized that they were outnumbered and were going to lose the battle. Some of the Israelite men hid in caves or in clumps of bushes, and some ran to places where they could hide among large rocks. Others hid in tombs or in deep dry pits. Still others went to Gad and Gilead on the other side of the Jordan River. Saul stayed at Gilgal. His soldiers were shaking with fear, and they were starting to run off and leave him. Saul waited there seven days, just as Samuel had ordered him to do, but Samuel did not come. Finally, Saul commanded, "Bring me some animals, so we can offer sacrifices to please the LORD and ask for his help."
Saul killed one of the animals, 10and just as he was placing it on the altar, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to welcome him. 
"What have you done?" Samuel asked. 

Saul answered, "My soldiers were leaving in all directions, and you didn't come when you were supposed to. The Philistines were gathering at Michmash, and I was worried that they would attack me here at Gilgal. I hadn't offered a sacrifice to ask for the LORD's help, so I forced myself to offer a sacrifice on the altar fire."
"That was stupid!" Samuel said. "You didn't obey the LORD your God. If you had obeyed him, someone from your family would always have been king of Israel. But no, you disobeyed, and so the LORD won't choose anyone else from your family to be king. In fact, he has already chosen the one he wants to be the next leader of his people."
Then Samuel left Gilgal. 

Part of Saul's army had not deserted him, and he led them to Gibeah in Benjamin to join his other troops. Then he counted them and found that he still had six hundred men. Saul, Jonathan, and their army set up camp at Geba in Benjamin. The Philistine army was camped at Michmash.

Jonathan Attacks the Philistines

Each day they sent out patrols to attack and rob villages and then destroy them. One patrol would go north along the road to Ophrah in the region of Shual. Another patrol would go west along the road to Beth-Horon. A third patrol would go east toward the desert on the road to the ridge that overlooks Zeboim Valley. 
The Philistines would not allow any Israelites to learn how to make iron tools. "If we allowed that," they said, "those worthless Israelites would make swords and spears." 

Whenever the Israelites wanted to get an iron point put on a cattle prod, they had to go to the Philistines. Even if they wanted to sharpen plow-blades, picks, axes, sickles, and pitchforks they still had to go to them. And the Philistines charged high prices. So, whenever the Israelite soldiers had to go into battle, none of them had a sword or a spear except Saul and his son Jonathan. The Philistines moved their camp to the pass at Michmash,3and Saul was in Geba with his six hundred men.

Saul Disobeys the LORD

One day, Samuel told Saul:
The LORD had me choose you to be king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the LORD: "When the Israelites were on their way out of Egypt, the nation of Amalek attacked them. I am the LORD All-Powerful, and now I am going to make Amalek pay! 

"Go and attack the Amalekites! Destroy them and all their possessions. Don't have any pity. Kill their men, women, children, and even their babies. Slaughter their cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys." 

Saul sent messengers who told every town and village to send men to join the army at Telaim. There were two hundred ten thousand troops in all, and ten thousand of these were from Judah. Saul organized them, then led them to a valley near one of the towns in Amalek, where they got ready to make a surprise attack. 6Some Kenites lived nearby, and Saul told them, "Your people were kind to our nation when we left Egypt, and I don't want you to get killed when I wipe out the Amalekites. Leave here and stay away from them."
The Kenites left, and Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur, which is just east of Egypt. Every Amalekite was killed except King Agag. Saul and his army let Agag live, and they also spared the best sheep and cattle. They didn't want to destroy anything of value, so they only killed the animals that were worthless or weak.

The LORD Rejects Saul

The LORD told Samuel, "Saul has stopped obeying me, and I'm sorry that I made him king."
Samuel was angry, and he cried out in prayer to the LORD all night. Early the next morning he went to talk with Saul. Someone told him, "Saul went to Carmel, where he had a monument built so everyone would remember his victory. Then he left for Gilgal."

Samuel finally caught up with Saul, and Saul told him, "I hope the LORD will bless you! I have done what the LORD told me."
"Then why," Samuel asked, "do I hear sheep and cattle?"
"The army took them from the Amalekites," Saul explained. "They kept the best sheep and cattle, so they could sacrifice them to the LORD your God. But we destroyed everything else."
"Stop!" Samuel said. "Let me tell you what the LORD told me last night."
"All right," Saul answered.

Samuel continued, "You may not think you're very important, but the LORD chose you to be king, and you are in charge of the tribes of Israel. When the LORD sent you on this mission, he told you to wipe out those worthless Amalekites. Why didn't you listen to the LORD? Why did you keep the animals and make him angry?"
"But I did listen to the LORD!" Saul answered. "He sent me on a mission, and I went. I captured King Agag and destroyed his nation. All the animals were going to be destroyed anyway. That's why the army brought the best sheep and cattle to Gilgal as sacrifices to the LORD your God."
"Tell me," Samuel said. "Does the LORD really want sacrifices and offerings? No! He doesn't want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey him. Rebelling against God or disobeying him because you are proud is just as bad as worshiping idols or asking them for advice. You refused to do what God told you, so God has decided that you can't be king."
"I have sinned," Saul admitted. "I disobeyed both you and the LORD. I was afraid of the army, and I listened to them instead. Please forgive me and come back with me so I can worship the LORD."
"No!" Samuel replied, "You disobeyed the LORD, and I won't go back with you. Now the LORD has said that you can't be king of Israel any longer."

As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the edge of Samuel's robe. It tore! Samuel said, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today, and he will give it to someone who is better than you. Besides, the eternal God of Israel isn't a human being. He doesn't tell lies or change his mind."
Saul said, "I did sin, but please honor me in front of the leaders of the army and the people of Israel. Come back with me, so I can worship the LORD your God." 

Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul worshiped the LORD. Then Samuel shouted, "Bring me King Agag of Amalek!" 

Agag came in chains, and he was saying to himself, "Surely they won't kill me now."
But Samuel said, "Agag, you have snatched children from their mothers' arms and killed them. Now your mother will be without children."
Then Samuel chopped Agag to pieces at the place of worship in Gilgal.

Samuel went home to Ramah, and Saul returned to his home in Gibeah. Even though Samuel felt sad about Saul, Samuel never saw him again. 

The LORD was sorry he had made Saul the king of Israel.

Saul Talks with Samuel's Ghost

Samuel had died some time earlier, and people from all over Israel had attended his funeral in his hometown of Ramah. Meanwhile, Saul had been trying to get rid of everyone who spoke with the spirits of the dead. But one day the Philistines brought their soldiers together to attack Israel. Achish told David, "Of course, you know that you and your men must fight as part of our Philistine army." 
David answered, "That will give you a chance to see for yourself just how well we can fight!"
"In that case," Achish said, "you and your men will always be my bodyguards." 

The Philistines went to Shunem and set up camp. Saul called the army of Israel together, and they set up their camp in Gilboa. Saul took one look at the Philistine army and started shaking with fear. So he asked the LORD what to do. But the LORD would not answer, either in a dream or by a priest or a prophet. Then Saul told his officers, "Find me a woman who can talk to the spirits of the dead. I'll go to her and find out what's going to happen."
His servants told him, "There's a woman at Endor who can talk to spirits of the dead." 

That night, Saul put on different clothing so nobody would recognize him. Then he and two of his men went to the woman, and asked, "Will you bring up the ghost of someone for us?"
The woman said, "Why are you trying to trick me and get me killed? You know King Saul has gotten rid of everyone who talks to the spirits of the dead!"
Saul replied, "I swear by the living LORD that nothing will happen to you because of this."
"Who do you want me to bring up?" she asked.
"Bring up the ghost of Samuel," he answered. 

When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed. Then she turned to Saul and said, "You've tricked me! You're the king!"
"Don't be afraid," Saul replied. "Just tell me what you see."
She answered, "I see a spirit rising up out of the ground."
"What does it look like?"
"It looks like an old man wearing a robe." 

Saul knew it was Samuel, so he bowed down low. 

"Why are you bothering me by bringing me up like this?" Samuel asked.
"I'm terribly worried," Saul answered. "The Philistines are about to attack me. God has turned his back on me and won't answer any more by prophets or by dreams. What should I do?"
Samuel said:
If the LORD has turned away from you and is now your enemy, don't ask me what to do. I've already told you: The LORD has sworn to take the kingdom from you and give it to David. And that's just what he's doing! When the LORD was angry with the Amalekites, he told you to destroy them, but you didn't do it. That's why the LORD is doing this to you. Tomorrow the LORD will let the Philistines defeat Israel's army, then you and your sons will join me down here in the world of the dead. 

At once, Saul collapsed and lay stretched out on the floor, terrified at what Samuel had said. He was weak because he had not eaten anything since the day before. 

The woman came over to Saul, and when she saw that he was completely terrified, she said, "Your Majesty, I listened to you and risked my life to do what you asked. Now please listen to me. Let me get you a little something to eat. It will give you strength for your walk back to camp." 
"No, I won't eat!"

But his officers and the woman kept on urging Saul, until he finally agreed. He got up off the floor and sat on the bed. Right away the woman killed a calf that she had been fattening up. She cooked part of the meat and baked some thin bread. Then she served the food to Saul and his officers, who ate and left before daylight.

Saul and His Sons Die

Meanwhile, the Philistines were fighting Israel at Mount Gilboa. Israel's soldiers ran from the Philistines, and many of them were killed. The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. The fighting was fierce around Saul, and he was badly wounded by enemy arrows. 
Saul told the soldier who carried his weapons, "Kill me with your sword! I don't want those worthless Philistines to torture me and make fun."
But the soldier was afraid to kill him. 

Saul then took out his own sword; he stuck the blade into his stomach, and fell on it. When the soldier knew that Saul was dead, he killed himself in the same way. 

Saul was dead, his three sons were dead, and the soldier who carried his weapons was dead. They and all his soldiers died on that same day. The Israelites on the other side of Jezreel Valley and the other side of the Jordan learned that Saul and his sons were dead. They saw that the Israelite army had run away. So they ran away too, and the Philistines moved into the towns the Israelites had left behind. The day after the battle, when the Philistines returned to the battlefield to take the weapons of the dead Israelite soldiers, they found Saul and his three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines cut off Saul's head and pulled off his armor. Then they put his armor in the temple of the goddess Astarte, and they nailed his body to the city wall of Beth-Shan. They also sent messengers everywhere in Philistia to spread the good news in the temples of their idols and among their people. 

The people who lived in Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul's body. So one night, some brave men from Jabesh went to Beth-Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons, then brought them back to Jabesh and burned them. They buried the bones under a small tree in Jabesh, and for seven days, they went without eating to show their sorrow.