1 Samuel 11-1 Samuel 12

Chapter 11

Defeat of the Ammonites. 1 [a]About a month later, Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead. All the people of Jabesh begged Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” 2 But Nahash the Ammonite replied, “This is my condition for making a treaty with you: I will gouge out the right eye of every man,[b] and thus bring shame on all Israel.” 3 The elders of Jabesh said to him: “Give us seven days to send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If there is no one to save us, we will surrender to you.” 4 When the messengers arrived at Gibeah of Saul and reported the news in the people’s hearing, they all wept aloud. 5 Just then Saul came in from the field, behind his oxen. “Why are the people weeping?” he asked. They repeated the message of the inhabitants of Jabesh for him. 6 As he listened to this report, the spirit of God rushed upon him and he became very angry. 7 Taking a yoke of oxen, he cut them into pieces and sent them throughout the territory of Israel[c] by messengers saying, “If anyone does not come out to follow Saul and Samuel, the same thing will be done to his oxen!” The dread of the Lord came upon the people and they went forth as one. 8 When Saul reviewed them in Bezek,[d] there were three hundred thousand Israelites and seventy thousand Judahites.

9 To the messengers who had come he said, “Tell the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead that tomorrow, when the sun grows hot, they will be saved.” The messengers went and reported this to the inhabitants of Jabesh, and they rejoiced. 10 The men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you may do with us whatever you want.” 11 The next day, Saul arranged his troops in three companies and invaded the camp during the dawn watch. They slaughtered Ammonites until the day had gotten hot; by then the survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.

Saul Accepted as King. ^12 [e]The people then said to Samuel: “Who questioned whether Saul should rule over us? Hand them over and we will put them to death.” ¹³ But Saul objected, “No one will be put to death this day, for today the Lord has rescued Israel.” ¹⁴ Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal to renew the kingship there.” ¹⁵ So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king in the Lord’s presence. They also sacrificed communion offerings there before the Lord, and Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.

Chapter 12[a]

Samuel’s Integrity. 1 [b]Samuel addressed all Israel: “I have granted your request in every respect,” he said. “I have set a king over you 2 and now the king will lead you. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are among you. I was your leader from my youth to the present day. 3 Here I stand! Answer me in the presence of the Lord and the Lord’s anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I wronged? From whom have I accepted a bribe and shut my eyes because of it? I will make restitution to you.” 4 They replied, “You have neither cheated us, nor oppressed us, nor accepted anything from anyone.” 5 So he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you this day, and the Lord’s anointed is witness, that you have found nothing in my possession.” “The Lord is witness,” they said.

Samuel Admonishes the People. 6 Samuel continued: “The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt. 7 Now take your stand, that I may judge you in the presence of the Lord according to all the gracious acts that the Lord has done for you and your ancestors. 8 When Jacob and his sons went to Egypt and the Egyptians oppressed them, your ancestors cried out to the Lord. The Lord then sent Moses and Aaron to bring them out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 But they forgot the Lord their God; and so the Lord sold them into the power of Sisera, the captain of the army of Hazor, the power of the Philistines, and the power of the king of Moab, who made war against them. 10 They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned because we abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and Astartes. Now deliver us from the power of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11 The Lord sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel; he delivered you from the power of your enemies on every side, so that you could live in security. 12 Yet, when you saw Nahash, king of the Ammonites, advancing against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king must rule us,’ even though the Lord your God is your king.

Warnings for People and King. 13 “Now here is the king you chose. See! The Lord has given you a king. 14 If you fear and serve the Lord, if you listen to the voice of the Lord and do not rebel against the Lord’s command, if both you and the king, who rules over you, follow the Lord your God—well and good. 15 But if you do not listen to the voice of the Lord and if you rebel against the Lord’s command, the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king. 16 Now then, stand ready to witness the great marvel the Lord is about to accomplish before your eyes. 17 Are we not in the harvest time for wheat?[c] Yet I will call upon the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain. Thus you will see and understand how great an evil it is in the eyes of the Lord that you have asked for a king.” 18 Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day.

Assistance Promised. Then all the people feared the Lord and Samuel. 19 They said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for us, your servants, that we may not die for having added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.” 20 “Do not fear,” Samuel answered them. “You have indeed committed all this evil! Yet do not turn from the Lord, but serve him with your whole heart. 21 Do not turn aside to gods who are nothing,[d] who cannot act and deliver. They are nothing. 22 For the sake of his own great name[e] the Lord will not abandon his people, since the Lord has decided to make you his people. 23 As for me, far be it from me to sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you and to teach you the good and right way. 24 But you must fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart, for you have seen the great things the Lord has done among you. 25 If instead you continue to do evil, both you and your king shall be swept away.”