1 Samuel 12-13

New International Version

Samuel’s Farewell Speech

12 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened^(A) to everything you said to me and have set a king^(B) over you. ² Now you have a king as your leader.^(C) As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons^(D) are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. ³ Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed.^(E) Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey^(F) have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe^(G) to make me shut my eyes? If I have done^(H) any of these things, I will make it right.”^(I)

⁴ “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

⁵ Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness^(J) against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything^(K) in my hand.^(L)”

“He is witness,” they said.

⁶ Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought^(M) your ancestors up out of Egypt. ⁷ Now then, stand^(N) here, because I am going to confront^(O) you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts^(P) performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.

⁸ “After Jacob^(Q) entered Egypt, they cried^(R) to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent^(S) Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

⁹ “But they forgot^(T) the Lord their God; so he sold them^(U) into the hand of Sisera,^(V) the commander of the army of Hazor,^(W) and into the hands of the Philistines^(X) and the king of Moab,^(Y) who fought against them. ¹⁰ They cried^(Z) out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken^(AA) the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths.^(AB) But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ ¹¹ Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,^[a](AC) Barak,^[b](AD) Jephthah^(AE) and Samuel,^[c](AF) and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.

¹² “But when you saw that Nahash^(AG) king^(AH) of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule^(AI) over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. ¹³ Now here is the king^(AJ) you have chosen, the one you asked^(AK) for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. ¹⁴ If you fear^(AL) the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel^(AM) against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! ¹⁵ But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against^(AN) his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.

¹⁶ “Now then, stand still^(AO) and see^(AP) this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes! ¹⁷ Is it not wheat harvest^(AQ) now? I will call^(AR) on the Lord to send thunder^(AS) and rain.^(AT) And you will realize what an evil^(AU) thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.”

¹⁸ Then Samuel called on the Lord,^(AV) and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe^(AW) of the Lord and of Samuel.

¹⁹ The people all said to Samuel, “Pray^(AX) to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die,^(AY) for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”

²⁰ “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil;^(AZ) yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ Do not turn away after useless^(BA) idols.^(BB) They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. ²² For the sake^(BC) of his great name^(BD) the Lord will not reject^(BE) his people, because the Lord was pleased to make^(BF) you his own. ²³ As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray^(BG) for you. And I will teach^(BH) you the way that is good and right. ²⁴ But be sure to fear^(BI) the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart;^(BJ) consider^(BK) what great^(BL) things he has done for you. ²⁵ Yet if you persist^(BM) in doing evil, both you and your king^(BN) will perish.”^(BO)

Samuel Rebukes Saul

13 Saul was thirty^[d] years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-^[e] two years.

² Saul chose three thousand men from Israel; two thousand^(BP) were with him at Mikmash^(BQ) and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah^(BR) in Benjamin. The rest of the men he sent back to their homes.

³ Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost^(BS) at Geba,^(BT) and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul had the trumpet^(BU) blown throughout the land and said, “Let the Hebrews hear!” ⁴ So all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked the Philistine outpost, and now Israel has become obnoxious^(BV) to the Philistines.” And the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ The Philistines assembled^(BW) to fight Israel, with three thousand^[f] chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand^(BX) on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash,^(BY) east of Beth Aven.^{(BZ) 6} When the Israelites saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they hid^(CA) in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and cisterns.^{(CB) 7} Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad^(CC) and Gilead.

Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking^(CD) with fear. ⁸ He waited seven^(CE) days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. ⁹ So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered^(CF) up the burnt offering. ¹⁰ Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel^(CG) arrived, and Saul went out to greet^(CH) him.

¹¹ “What have you done?” asked Samuel.

Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash,^{(CI) 12} I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal,^(CJ) and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.^(CK)’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

¹³ “You have done a foolish thing,^(CL)” Samuel said. “You have not kept^(CM) the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.^{(CN) 14} But now your kingdom^(CO) will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart^(CP) and appointed^(CQ) him ruler^(CR) of his people, because you have not kept^(CS) the Lord’s command.”

¹⁵ Then Samuel left Gilgal^[g] and went up to Gibeah^(CT) in Benjamin, and Saul counted the men who were with him. They numbered about six hundred.^(CU)

Israel Without Weapons

¹⁶ Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah^[h](CV) in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash. ¹⁷ Raiding^(CW) parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah^(CX) in the vicinity of Shual, ¹⁸ another toward Beth Horon,^(CY) and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyim^(CZ) facing the wilderness.

¹⁹ Not a blacksmith^(DA) could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!^(DB)” ²⁰ So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles^[i] sharpened. ²¹ The price was two-thirds of a shekel^[j] for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel^[k] for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.

²² So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan^(DC) had a sword or spear^(DD) in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

Jonathan Attacks the Philistines

²³ Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass^(DE) at Mikmash.^(DF)