Day 76: 1 Samuel 11-13
Saul’s Victory, the Renewal of the Kingdom, and the Beginning of His Reign
1 Samuel 11
1 Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”
2 Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make it with you, that all your right eyes be put out; and I will make it a reproach on all Israel.”
3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days’ time, that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel; and then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you.”
4 Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, and spoke these words in the ears of the people; and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.
5 Behold, Saul came following the cattle out of the field; and Saul said, “What ails the people that they weep?” They told him the words of the men of Jabesh.
6 The Spirit of God came mightily on Saul when he heard those words, and his anger was kindled greatly.
7 He took a yoke of cattle, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “Whoever doesn’t come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his cattle.” The dread of Yahweh fell on the people, and they came out as one man.
8 He counted them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
9 They said to the messengers who came, “Thus you shall tell the men of Jabesh Gilead, ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will be saved.’” The messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.
10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us all that seems good to you.”
11 It happened on the next day that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the middle of the camp in the morning watch, and struck the Ammonites until the heat of the day. It happened that those who remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.
12 The people said to Samuel, “Who is he who said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.”
13 Saul said, “No man shall be put to death today, for today Yahweh has worked deliverance in Israel.”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, and let’s go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there.”
15 All the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before Yahweh in Gilgal. There they offered sacrifices of peace offerings before Yahweh; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.
1 Samuel 12
1 Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you.
2 Now, behold, the king walks before you; and I am old and gray-headed; and behold, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.
3 Here I am. Witness against me before Yahweh and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Of whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you.”
4 They said, “You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”
5 He said to them, “Yahweh is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.”
They said, “He is witness.”
6 Samuel said to the people, “It is Yahweh who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
7 Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before Yahweh concerning all the righteous acts of Yahweh which he did to you and to your fathers.
8 “When Jacob had come into Egypt, and your fathers cried to Yahweh, then Yahweh sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.
9 “But they forgot Yahweh their God; and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them.
10 They cried to Yahweh, and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken Yahweh, and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.’
11 Yahweh sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you lived securely.
12 “When you saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when Yahweh your God was your king.
13 Now therefore, behold the king whom you have chosen, and whom you have asked for; and behold, Yahweh has set a king over you.
14 If you will fear Yahweh, and serve him, and listen to his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of Yahweh, and both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow Yahweh your God, then it will be well with you.
15 But if you will not listen to Yahweh’s voice, but rebel against the commandment of Yahweh, then Yahweh’s hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
16 “Now therefore stand still and see this great thing, which Yahweh will do before your eyes.
17 Isn’t wheat harvest today? I will call to Yahweh, that he may send thunder and rain; and you will know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in Yahweh’s sight, in asking for a king.”
18 So Samuel called to Yahweh; and Yahweh sent thunder and rain that day. All the people greatly feared Yahweh and Samuel.
19 All the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God, that we not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for a king.”
20 Samuel said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. You have indeed done all this evil; yet don’t turn aside from following Yahweh, but serve Yahweh with all your heart.
21 Don’t turn aside; for then you would go after vain things which can’t profit or deliver, for they are vain.
22 For Yahweh will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased Yahweh to make you a people for himself.
23 Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Yahweh in ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and the right way.
24 Only fear Yahweh, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you.
25 But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall be consumed, both you and your king.”
1 Samuel 13
1 Saul was thirty years old when he became king; and he reigned over Israel forty-two years.
2 Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel, of which two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the Mount of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin; and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.
3 Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”
4 All Israel heard that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a stench to the Philistines. The people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.
5 The Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. They came up and encamped in Michmash, eastward of Beth Aven.
6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a difficulty, because the people were distressed, then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in tombs, and in pits.
7 Now some of the Hebrews had gone over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 He stayed seven days, according to the time set by Samuel; but Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him.
9 Saul said, “Bring here the burnt offering to me, and the peace offerings.” He offered the burnt offering.
10 It came to pass that as soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and greet him.
11 Samuel said, “What have you done?”
Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you didn’t come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash;
12 therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me to Gilgal, and I haven’t entreated the favor of Yahweh.’ I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt offering.”
13 Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of Yahweh your God, which he commanded you; for now Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.
14 But now your kingdom will not continue. Yahweh has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept that which Yahweh commanded you.”
15 Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul counted the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
16 Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin; but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
17 The raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned toward the way that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual;
18 and another company turned toward the way to Beth Horon; and another company turned toward the way of the border that looks down on the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19 Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears”;
20 but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his sickle;
21 yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the plowshares, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the ox goads.
22 So it happened in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan; but Saul and Jonathan his son had them.
23 The garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
Scripture: World English Bible (WEB), public domain.
