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King James Bible - Old Testament 1 Samuel
Elkhanah had a wife named Hannah with no children, and another wife, Peninnah who had children. Hannah was very bitter that she was barren but after she prayed, she gave birth to Samuel. She pledged the child to the Lord. Samuel ministered to God. The head priest Eli was trying to get the Israelites to stop sinning when an angel of God came to him and told him that God would soon raise up a great priest. God came to Samuel and told him that He was going to turn against Eli. Samuel told Eli this and when the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines, the Ark of the Covenant was taken. Eli died of shock.
The Philistines set the Ark near their god but the statue kept falling over. Eventually, after seven months, the Philistines sent the Ark back because it caused too much trouble. Samuel told the Israelites to pray only to God. The children of Israel gathered and overcame the Philistines. Samuel became a judge of Israel and made his sons judges. His sons, however, were corrupt. The people asked for a king to reign over them and Samuel responded that a king would request all the honors due to God. A man named Saul was born and God told Samuel that Saul was honorable. Saul came seeking Samuel as a seer and the next day Samuel anointed him and told him to wait for him in Gilgal.
"And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? There it came to be a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?" 1 Samuel, 10:11-12
Samuel called the people together and told them that Saul would be the redeemer of their sins. Some of them wanted to make a treaty with a neighboring people, but Saul told them not to. He led them in war and they made him king in Gilgal. Samuel warned the people to fear and love the Lord. Saul waged war against the Philistines but Samuel told him that he acted foolishly because they were outnumbered. Jonathan, Saul's son, wanted to attack a Philistine garrison. They fought the Philistines for many years. Samuel directed him to attack another city and destroy everything. Saul kept the sheep and God told Samuel that this displeased Him.
Samuel warned Saul that he would not be king much longer and he repented and worshiped God. God told Samuel to stop mourning Saul and go to Bethlehem where he would find a new king among the sons of Jesse. Jesse had seven sons, but the youngest, David, was to be king. David played the harp for Saul and made his spirit clean again. They went to fight against the Philistines again, but they sent out a great warrior named Goliath who scared all of the Israelites. David returned from feeding his family's sheep to find all the soldiers fleeing from Goliath. Saul would not let him fight. David went into the battle without armor and announced that he came in the name of God. He killed Goliath with a stone from his sling.
Jonathan loved David. Saul got jealous because everyone respected David more, including his own son. Saul's daughter also loved David but Saul requested 100 Philistine foreskins in exchange for her hand. Saul wanted Jonathan to kill David, but Jonathan refused. David went to Bethlehem and Jonathan wanted to join him there. He refused to eat meat for a month. David fled around the land and was imprisoned in Moab. Saul killed people who helped him. Jonathan joined David and told him that he would be king. Philistines attacked and distracted Saul from seeking David. David met him and asked him to stop pursuing him. Saul wept and admitted that David was to be king. David married a woman named Abigail after God killed her first husband. His servants had gone to her husband's house to request food but he refused them. When David came himself, Abigail asked for forgiveness.
The men around Saul turned against David but David refused to kill Saul. God stopped talking to Saul so he sought help from a sinful soothsayer. Samuel returned and told Saul that Israel would fall into the hands of the Philistines. While David was fighting the Philistines another tribe took his city. He returned and took back the city. He dispersed the spoils among his men and made it known that only those who fought would get a part of the booty. The Philistines defeated Israel and Saul killed himself.
