3 And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts to the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.
4 Then the children of Israel put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.
5 And Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you to the LORD.
6 And they gathered together at Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and there said, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh.
7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together at Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry to the LORD our God for us, that he will save us from the hand of the Philistines. [1]
9 And Samuel took a sucking lamb, and offered it for a burnt offering wholly to the LORD: and Samuel cried to the LORD for Israel; and the LORD heard him. [2]
10 And as Samuel was offering the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and smote them; and they were smitten before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Bethcar.
12 Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Thus far hath the LORD helped us. [3]
13 So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the land of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
14 And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath; and its land did Israel deliver from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
15 And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.
16 And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places. [4]
17 And his return was to Ramah; for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and there he built an altar to the LORD.
CHAP. 8.
1 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.
3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after money, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel to Ramah,
5 And said to him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to the LORD. [5]
7 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also to thee.
9 Now therefore hearken to their voice: yet protest solemnly to them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. [6] [7]
10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people that asked of him a king.
11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to till his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
13 And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.
15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. [8]
16 And he will take your male servants, and your female servants, and your most choice young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have
- ↑ Cease...: Heb. Be not silent from us from crying
- ↑ heard: or, answered
- ↑ Ebenezer: that is, The stone of help
- ↑ in circuit: Heb. and he circuited
- ↑ displeased: Heb. was evil in the eyes of
- ↑ hearken...: or, obey
- ↑ howbeit...: or, notwithstanding when thou hast solemnly protested against them then thou shalt
- ↑ officers: Heb. eunuchs
