Study Desk

Thereafter Samuel called the ^(z)people together to the Lord at Mizpah;

and he said to the sons of Israel, "^(aa)Thus says the Lord , the God of Israel, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the ^[g]power of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.'

But you ^(ab)have today rejected your God, who delivers you from all your calamities and your distresses; yet you have ^[h]said, ‘No, but set a king over us!' Now therefore, ^(ac)present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans."

Thus Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot.

Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the Matrite family was taken. And Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.

Therefore ^(ad)they inquired further of the Lord , "Has the man come here yet?" So the Lord said, "Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage."

So they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, ^(ae)he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward.

Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him ^(af)whom the Lord has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people." So all the people shouted and said, "^[i](ag)Long live the king!"

Then Samuel told the people ^(ah)the ordinances of the kingdom, and wrote them in the book and ^(ai)placed it before the Lord . And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house.

Saul also went ^(aj)to his house at Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

But certain ^[j](ak)worthless men said, "How can this one deliver us?" And they despised him and ^(al)did not bring him any present. But he kept silent.

Now ^(a)Nahash the Ammonite came up and ^[a]besieged ^(b)Jabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make ^(c)a covenant with us and we will serve you."

But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "I will make it with you on this condition, ^(d)that I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, thus I will make it ^(e)a reproach on all Israel."

^(f)The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Let us alone for seven days, that we may send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to deliver us, we will come out to you."

Then the messengers came ^(g)to Gibeah of Saul and spoke these words in the hearing of the people, and all the people ^(h)lifted up their voices and wept.

Now behold, Saul was coming from the field ⁽ⁱ⁾behind the oxen, and ^[b]he said, "What is the matter with the people that they weep?" So they related to him the words of the men of Jabesh.

Then ^(j)the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and ^[c]he became very angry.

He took a yoke of oxen and ^(k)cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, "^(l)Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen." Then the dread of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out ^(m)as one man.

He ^[d]numbered them in ⁽ⁿ⁾Bezek; and the ^(o)sons of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000.

They said to the messengers who had come, "Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have deliverance.'" So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.

Then the men of Jabesh said, "^(p)Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good ^[e]to you."

The next morning Saul put the people ^(q)in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

Then the people said to Samuel, "^(r)Who is he that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?' ^[f](s)Bring the men, that we may put them to death."

But Saul said, "^(t)Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today ^(u)the Lord has accomplished deliverance in Israel."

Then Samuel said to the people, "Come and let us go to ^(v)Gilgal and ^(w)renew the kingdom there."

So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king ^(x)before the Lord in Gilgal. There they also ^(y)offered sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord ; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.