Therefore they turned their backs before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness. But the battle followed hard after them, and those who came out of the cities destroyed them in the midst of it.

And the men of Israel turned again upon the sons of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city, and the cattle, and all that they found. Moreover they set on fire all the cities which they found.

Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpah, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter to Benjamin to wife.

And they said, O LORD, the God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel?

And the sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that did not come up in the assembly to LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him who did not come up to LORD to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be

And the sons of Israel regretted for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

And they said, Which one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to LORD to Mizpah? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly.

And the people regretted for Benjamin, because LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

And they said, There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel.

However we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.

And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance.

In those days there was no king in Israel. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings thou have come to take refuge.

Now this was [the custom] in former time in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning exchanging, to confirm all things: A man drew off his shoe, and gave it to his neighbor. And this was the [manner of] attestation in Israel.

And all the people who were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. LORD make the woman that has come into thy house like Rachel and like Leah, which two built the house of Israel, and do thou worthily in Ephrathah, an

And the women said to Naomi, Blessed be LORD, who has not left thee this day without a near kinsman. And let his name be famous in Israel.

Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thy petition that thou have asked of him.

Now Eli was very old. And he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tent of meeting.

And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? And did I give to the house of thy father all the offerings of the sons of Israel made by fire

Why do ye kick at my sacrifice and at my offering, which I have commanded in [my] habitation, and honor thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chief of all the offerings of Israel my people?

Therefore LORD, the God of Israel, says, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever, but now LORD says, Be it far from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me

And thou shall see an enemy [in my] habitation, in all that I shall give Israel, and there shall not be an old man in thy house forever.

And LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle.

And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of LORD.

And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and encamped beside Ebenezer, and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.

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

And when the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has LORD smitten us today before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of LORD out of Shiloh to us, that it may come among us, and save us out o

And when the ark of the covenant of LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.

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

And he who brought the news answered and said, Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter among the people. And thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.

And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that [Eli] fell from off his 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 year

And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

And she said, The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God is taken.

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 hard upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about to Gath. And they carried

So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people.

They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and they said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to its own place, that it not kill us and our people. For there was a deadly dis

And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but by all means return for him a trespass-offering. Then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.

Therefore ye shall make images of your tumors, and images of your mice that mar the land. And ye shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

And it came to pass, from the day that the ark abode in Kiriath-jearim, that the time was long, for it was twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after LORD.

And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return to LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to LORD, and serve him only. And he will deli

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

And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray for you to LORD.

And they gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against LORD. And Samuel judged the sons of Israel in Mizpah.

And when the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel were gathered together to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the sons of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, Do not cease to cry to LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a whole burnt-offering to LORD. And Samuel cried to LORD for Israel, and LORD answered him.

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

And the men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them until they came under Beth-car.

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

And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath. And Israel delivered the border of it out of the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amori

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel and Gilgal, and Mizpah. And he judged Israel in all those places.

And his return was to Ramah, for his house was there. And there he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to LORD.

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.

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

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

And he had a son whose name was Saul, a young man and fine looking. And there was not among the sons of Israel a man better looking than he. From his shoulders and upward he was taller than any of the people.

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

Tomorrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. And he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines, for I have looked upon my pe

And as for thy donkeys that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them, for they are found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for thee, and for all thy father's house?

And Saul answered and said, Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then speak thou to me according to this manner?

And he said to the sons of Israel, Thus says LORD, the God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you,

So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken.

And Nahash the Ammonite said to them, On this condition will I make it with you, that all your right eyes be put out, and I will lay it for a reproach upon all Israel.

And the elders of Jabesh said to him, Give us seven days' respite that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel, and then, if there be none to save us, we will come out to thee.

And he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, Whoever does not come forth behind Saul and behind Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen. A

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

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

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

And Samuel said to all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened to your voice in all that ye said to me, and have made a king over you.

Saul was [forty] years old when he began to reign. And when he had reigned two years over Israel,

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

And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.

And the Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel: thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude. And they came up, and encamped in Michmash,

When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in coverts, and in pits.

And Samuel said to Saul, Thou have done foolishly. Thou have not kept the commandment of LORD thy God, which he commanded thee. For now LORD would have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever,

Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make for them swords or spears,

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

And Saul said to Ahijah, Bring here the ark of God. For the ark of God was [there] at that time with the sons of Israel.

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

So LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle passed over by Beth-aven.

And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man who eats any food until it be evening, and I be avenged on my enemies. So none of the people tasted food.

And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he did not answer him that day.

For, as 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 who answered him.

Then he said to all Israel, Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan my son will be on the other side. And the people said to Saul, Do what seems good to thee.

Therefore Saul said to LORD, the God of Israel, Show the right. And Jonathan and Saul were taken [by lot], but the people escaped.

And the people said to Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who has wrought this great salvation in Israel? Far from it. As LORD lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has wrought with God this day. So the peop

Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the sons of Ammon, and against Edom, and against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. And where

And he did valiantly, and smote the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who despoiled them.

And Samuel said to Saul, LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore hearken thou to the voice of the words of LORD.

Thus says LORD of hosts, I have remembered that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the way when he came up out of Egypt.

And Saul said to the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them, for ye showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the

And Samuel said, Though thou were little in thine own sight, were thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And LORD anointed thee king over Israel.

And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with thee, for thou have rejected the word of LORD, and LORD has rejected thee from being king over Israel.

And Samuel said to him, LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and has given it to a neighbor of thine, who is better than thou.

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

Then he said, I have sinned. Yet honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship LORD thy God.

And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul, and LORD regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.

And LORD said to Samuel, How long will thou mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill thy horn with oil, and go. I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for me a king among