1 Samuel 11:1-12:25 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

1 Samuel 11:1-12:25

Saul Strikes Down the Ammonites

And ^aNahash the Ammonite came up and ¹besieged ^bJabesh-gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Cut ^ca covenant with us, and we will serve you.” 2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “I will cut it with you on this condition, ^athat I will gouge out the right eye of every one of you, thus I will make it ^ba reproach on all Israel.” 3 ^aThen 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 save us, we will come out to you.” 4 Then the messengers came ^ato Gibeah of Saul and spoke these words in the hearing of the people, and all the people ^blifted up their voices and wept.
5 Now behold, Saul was coming from the field ^abehind the oxen, and ¹he said, “What is the matter with the people that they weep?” So they recounted to him the words of the men of Jabesh. 6 Then ^athe Spirit of God ¹came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and ²he burned with anger exceedingly. 7 Then he took a pair of oxen and ^acut them in pieces and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, “^bWhoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.” Then the dread of Yahweh fell on the people, and they came out ^cas one man. 8 And he ¹numbered them in ^aBezek; and the ^bsons of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000. 9 And 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 salvation.’” So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. 10 Then the men of Jabesh said, “^aTomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good in your eyes.” 11 Then the next morning Saul put the people ^ain 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.
12 Then the people said to Samuel, “^aWho is he that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ ¹^bBring the men, that we may put them to death.” 13 But Saul said, “^aNot a man shall be put to death this day, for today ^bYahweh has accomplished salvation in Israel.”
14 Then Samuel said to the people, “Come and let us go to ^aGilgal and ^brenew the kingdom there.” 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king ^abefore Yahweh in Gilgal. There they also ^boffered sacrifices of peace offerings before Yahweh; and there Saul and all the men of Israel were exceedingly glad.

Samuel Speaks to Israel

Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, ^aI have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and I ^bhave ¹appointed a king over you. 2 So now, ^ahere is the king walking before you, but ^bI am old and gray, and behold, ^cmy sons are with you. And ^dI have walked before you from my youth even to this day. 3 Here I am; bear witness against me before Yahweh and ^aHis anointed. ^bWhose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed, or ^cfrom whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? I will restore it to you.” 4 And they said, “You have not extorted us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.” 5 So he said to them, “Yahweh is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day that ^ayou have found nothing ^bin my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is Yahweh who ¹^aappointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7 So now, take your stand, ^athat I may judge you before Yahweh concerning all the righteous acts of Yahweh which He did for you and your fathers. 8 ^aWhen Jacob went into Egypt and ^byour fathers cried out to Yahweh, then ^cYahweh sent Moses and Aaron ¹^dwho brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 But ^athey forgot Yahweh their God, so ^bHe sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and ^cinto the hand of the Philistines and ^dinto the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10 ^aAnd they cried out to Yahweh and said, ‘We have sinned because we have forsaken Yahweh and have served ^bthe Baals and the Ashtaroth; but ^cnow deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve You.’ 11 Then Yahweh sent ^aJerubbaal and ¹^bBedan and ^cJephthah and ^dSamuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around, so that you lived in security. 12 But you saw ^athat Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, and you said to me, ‘^bNo, but a king shall reign over us,’ ^calthough Yahweh your God was your king. 13 So now, ^abehold, the king whom you have chosen, ^bwhom you have asked for, and behold, Yahweh has set a king over you. 14 ^aIf you will fear Yahweh and serve Him and listen to His voice and not rebel against the ¹command of Yahweh, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow Yahweh your God. 15 ^aBut if you will not listen to the voice of Yahweh, but rebel against the ¹command of Yahweh, then ^bthe hand of Yahweh will be against you, ^cas it was against your fathers. 16 Even now, ^atake your stand and see this great thing which Yahweh will do before your eyes. 17 ^aIs it not the wheat harvest today? ^bI will call to Yahweh, that He may send ¹thunder and rain. Then you will know and see that ^cyour wickedness is great which you have done in the eyes of Yahweh by asking for yourselves a king.” 18 So Samuel called to Yahweh, and Yahweh sent ¹thunder and rain that day; and ^aall the people greatly feared Yahweh and Samuel.
19 Then all the people said to Samuel, “^aPray for your servants to Yahweh your God, so that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins ^bthis evil by asking for ourselves a king.” 20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet ^ado not turn aside from following Yahweh, but serve Yahweh with all your heart. 21 And you must not turn aside, for then you would go after ^ameaningless things which cannot profit and cannot deliver, because they are meaningless. 22 For ^aYahweh will not abandon His people ^bon account of His great name, because Yahweh ^chas been pleased to make you a people for Himself. 23 Moreover, as for me, ^afar be it from me that I should sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you; but ^bI will instruct you in the good and upright way. 24 ^aOnly ¹fear Yahweh and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for see ^bwhat great things He has done for you. 25 ^aBut if you still do wickedly, ^bboth you and your king ^cwill be swept away.”