Study Desk

Then Samuel said to all Israel, "Behold, I have listened to your voice for all that you said to me, and I have appointed a king over you.

"Now, here is the king walking before you, but as for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. And I have walked before you since my youth to this day.

"Here I am; testify against me before the LORD and His anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to close my eyes with it? I will return it to you."

"But when you saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon was coming against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over us!' Yet the LORD your God was your king.

"Furthermore, as for me, far be it from me that I would sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.

So Saul said, "Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering.

But Samuel said, "What have you done?" And Saul said, "Since I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come at the appointed time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash,

I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD.' So I worked up the courage and offered the burnt offering."

So the men of the garrison responded to Jonathan and his armor bearer and said, "Come up to us and we will inform you of something." And Jonathan said to his armor bearer, "Come up after me, for the LORD has handed them over to Israel."

Then observers informed Saul, saying, "Look, the people are sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood." And he said, "You have acted treacherously; roll a large rock to me today."

Then Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, 'Each one of you bring me his ox or his sheep, and slaughter it here and eat; and do not sin against the LORD by eating it with the blood.'" So all the people brought them that night, each one his ox with him, and they slaughtered them there.

Then Saul said, "Cast lots between me and my son Jonathan." And Jonathan was selected by lot.

So Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done." And Jonathan told him, and said, "I did indeed taste a little honey with the end of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am, I must die!"

And Saul said, "May God do the same to me and more also, for you shall certainly die, Jonathan!"

Then Samuel said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; now therefore, listen to the words of the LORD.

"I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands." And Samuel was furious and cried out to the LORD all night.

Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop, and let me inform you of what the LORD said to me last night." And he said to him, "Speak!"

Then Saul said to Samuel, "I did obey the voice of the LORD, for I went on the mission on which the LORD sent me; and I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites.

"Now then, please pardon my sin and return with me, so that I may worship the LORD."

Then Saul said, "I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before all Israel, and go back with me, so that I may worship the LORD your God."