Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite:

And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.

The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are clothed with strength.

He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;

Also before they burned the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give meat to roast for the priest; for he will not have boiled meat from you, but raw.

And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat first, and then take as much as your soul desires; then he would answer him, Nay; but you shall give it to me now: and if not, I will take it by force.

Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.

If one man sins against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sins against the LORD, who shall intercede for him? Nevertheless they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to slay them.

And the child Samuel grew, and was in favor both with the LORD, and also with men.

And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus says the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of your father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?

Behold, the days come, that I will cut off your arm, and the arm of your father's house, that there shall not be an old man in your house.

And you shall see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.

And any man of yours, whom I shall not cut off from my altar, shall consume your eyes, and grieve your heart: and all the increase of your house shall die in the flower of their age.

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was defeated before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

Be strong, and conduct yourselves like men, O you Philistines, that you be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: conduct yourselves like men, and fight.

And the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn, and with earth upon his head.

And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.

And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What is the meaning of the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.

And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?

And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck broke, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is heavy upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

And it was so, that, after they had carried it there, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he struck the men of the city, both small and great, and they had tumors in their private parts.

And the men that died not were smitten with the tumors: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

And the men did so; and took two milk cows, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:

And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the box that was with it, in which 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.

And he struck the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he struck of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had struck many of the people with a great slaughter.

And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall it go up from us?

And the men of Kiriathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab on the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD.

And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and slaughtered them, until they came below Bethcar.

And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.

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

Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power.

And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and handsome: and there was not among the children of Israel a more handsome person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man; all that he says comes surely to pass: now let us go there; perhaps he can show us our way that we should go.

Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is gone from our sacks, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?

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.

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

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

Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be ruler 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 has come unto me.

And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spoke to you of! this same shall reign over my people.

When you are departed from me today, then you shall find two men by Rachel's sepulcher in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto you, The donkeys which you went to seek are found: and, lo, your father has left the concern of the donkeys, and sorrows for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?

Then shall you go on forward from there, and you shall come to the oak of Tabor, and there shall meet you three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine:

And the spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you shall prophesy with them, and shall be turned into another man.

Therefore they inquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come there. And the LORD answered, Behold, he has hid himself among the baggage.

Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched.

But some worthless fellows said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace.

Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabeshgilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.

And the elders of Jabesh said unto him, Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers unto all the territory of Israel: and then, if there be no man to save us, we will come out to you.

And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field; and Saul said, What ails the people that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.

And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall you say unto the men of Jabeshgilead, Tomorrow, by that time the sun is hot, you shall have help. And the messengers came and showed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.

Therefore the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will come out unto you, and you shall do with us all that seems good unto you.

And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death.

And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for today the LORD has wrought salvation in Israel.

And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

And they said, you have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything of any man's hand.

Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; of which two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.

But now your kingdom shall not continue: the LORD has sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be ruler over his people, because you have not kept that which the LORD commanded you.

And Samuel arose, and got him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.

But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, and his mattock, and his ax, and his sickle.

Now it came to pass one day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bore his armor, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father.

And Saul tarried in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men;

And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armor, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint on the LORD to save by many or by few.

Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will reveal ourselves unto them.

And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will show you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armorbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel.

And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armorbearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were a half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plow.

And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great confusion.

Likewise all the men of Israel who had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.

And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had lain an oath on the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eats any food until evening, that I may be avenged on my enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.

And when the people were come into the forest, behold, the honey dripped; but no man put his hand to his mouth: for the people feared the oath.

Then answered one of the people, and said, your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed be the man that eats any food this day. And the people were faint.

And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people, and say unto them, Bring me here every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay them here, and eat; and sin not against the LORD in eating with the blood. And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and slew them there.

And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. And they said, Do whatsoever seems good unto you. Then said the priest, Let us draw near here unto God.

For, as the LORD lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. But there was not a man among all the people that answered him.

And there was bitter war against the Philistines all the days of Saul: and when Saul saw any strong man, or any valiant man, he took him unto him.

Now go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.

And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.

And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.

But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.

Let our lord now command your servants, which are before you, to seek out a man, who is a skillful player on a harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon you, that he shall play with his hand, and you shall be well.

And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.

Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is skillful in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a handsome person, and the LORD is with him.

And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.

And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are you come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men, an old man in the days of Saul.

Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were greatly afraid.

And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man that has come up? surely to defy Israel has he come up: and it shall be, that the man who kills him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.

And David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that kills him.

And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why came you down here? and with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the insolence of your heart; for you are come down that you might see the battle.

And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

And Saul said to David, you are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for you are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bore the shield went before him.