12. And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven. CHAP. VI.

1.

The Philistines take counsel how to send back the ark.

A

months.

ND the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven

2. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.

3. And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass-offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. 4. Then said they, What shall be the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

5. Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel; peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

6. Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?"

7. Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:

after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh. 13. And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat-harvest in the valley and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

14. And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt-offering unto the LORD.

15. And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed sacrifices, the same day unto the LORD.

16. And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

17. And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass-offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one:

18. And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD; which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite.

19. And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thou

sand and threescore and ten men. And the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.

20. And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?

9. And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.

10. And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.

11. And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.

12. And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the

They of Kirjath-jearim bring the ark into the house of

AND

Abinadab, to keep it.

of

came,

1. ND the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab, in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.

2. And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

3. T And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away

17. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.

18. And ye shall cry out in that day, because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. 19. Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel: and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;

20. That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.

21. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord.

22. And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

CHAP. IX.

19 Samuel entertaineth Saul at the feast. 25 Samuel, after

1.

NOW

secret communication, bringeth Saul on his way. TOW there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.

2. And he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly; and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. 3. And the asses of Kish, Saul's father, were lost and Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.

4. And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not; and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. 5. And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us.

6. And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass now, let us go thither; peradventure he can show us our way that we should go. 7. Then said Saul to his servant, But behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?

8. And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver; that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.

9. (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet, was beforetime called a Seer.)

10. Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.

11. And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here?

12. And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to-day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to-day in the high place:

13. As soon as ye be come into the city ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time ye shall find him.

14. And they went up into the city; and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place.

15. Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,

16. To-morrow, about this time, I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin; and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.

17. And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of: this same shall reign over my people.

18. Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is.

1

19. And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to-day; and to-morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart.

20. And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel; is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house?

21. And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?

22. And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons.

the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among

CHAP. VIII.

Israelites ask a king.

4. Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.

5. And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD.

6. And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. 7. And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

8. And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

9. And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt-offering (wholly unto the LORD and Samuel cried unto the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him.

10. And as Samuel was offering up the burnt-offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel.

11. And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car. 12. Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.

13. So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the coast of Israel, and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

14. And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and the coasts thereof did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

15. And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

16. And he went from year to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and M and judged Israel in all those pla

17. And his return was to Ran

was his house: and there he and there he built an altar

1.

ND it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons

judges over Israel.

2. Now the name of his first-born was Joel, and the name of his second Abiah: they were judges in Beer-sheba.

3. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

4. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

5. And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

6. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.

7. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

8. According to all the works which they have done, since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods; so do they also unto thee.

9. Now, therefore, hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

10. And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.

11. And he said, This will be the manne of the king that shall reign over you; will take your sons, and appoint them himself, for his chariots, and to be his hors men; and some shall run before his charide

12. And he will appoint him capl over thousands, and captains over and will set them to ear his ground reap his harvest, and to make his ins of war, and instruments of his an 13. And he will take your be confectionaries, and to be bakers.

14. And he will tal vineyards, and you of them, and pi 15. And 1 seed, and