Study Desk

But if you continue to do wickedness, both you and your king will be swept away."

Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the army followed him trembling.

He waited seven days according to the appointed time Samuel determined, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the army started to slip away from him.

But Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul said, "Because I saw that the army was scattering from me and you did not come at the appointed time and that the Philistines had gathered at Micmash,

But now, your kingdom will not endure. Yahweh has sought for himself a man according to his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him as leader over his people, because you have not kept what Yahweh commanded you."

So on the day of battle, there was not a sword or a spear found in the hands of all the army that was with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to his armor bearer, "Come and let us go over to the garrison of the Philistines which is over there." But he did not tell his father.

But if they say, ‘Come up to us,' then we will go up, for Yahweh has given them into our hand, and this will be the sign for us."

When the army came to the forest, look! There was honey flowing, but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the army was afraid of the solemn oath.

Then Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the troops and say to them, ‘Bring to me each one his ox and each his sheep and slaughter them in this place and eat, but do not sin against Yahweh by eating the animals with the blood.'" So all the troops brought them, each leading his ox in his hand that night, and slaughtered it there.

Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and let us plunder them until the morning light, and let us not leave alive a man among them." So they said, "Do all that is good in your eyes." But the priest said, "Let us draw near to God here."

So Saul inquired of God, "Should I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?" But he did not answer him on that day.

For as Yahweh lives, who delivers Israel, I swear that even if it is in Jonathan my son, he will certainly die!" But nobody from all the army answered him.

But the army said to Saul, "Must Jonathan die, who accomplished this great victory in Israel? Far from it! As Yahweh lives, not a hair from his head will fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day." So the army ransomed Jonathan and he did not die.

Now Kish was the father of Saul, but Ner, the father of Abner, was the son of Abiel.

So then, go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that is his! You must not spare him, but kill both man and woman, both child and nursing infant, both ox and sheep, both camel and donkey.'"

He captured Agag the king of Amalek alive, but all the people he utterly destroyed with the edge of the sword.

However, Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and the cattle and the second best of the young fatlings and all that was valuable; they were not willing to utterly destroy them. But all the possessions that were despised or worthless, they utterly destroyed.

But Samuel said, "Then what is this bleating of the sheep that I hear in my ears and the lowing of the cattle that I am hearing?"

Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites; the troops spared the best of the sheep and the cattle in order to sacrifice them to Yahweh your God. But the rest we have utterly destroyed."