Discovery Box1 Samuel 3:1--12:25 
Context3:1 Now the boy Samuel continued serving the Lord under Eli’s supervision. 1 Word from the Lord was rare in those days; revelatory visions were infrequent.
3:2 Eli’s eyes had begun to fail, so that he was unable to see well. At that time he was lying down in his place, 3:3 and the lamp of God had not yet been extinguished. Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord as well; the ark of God was also there. 3:4 The Lord called to Samuel, and he replied, “Here I am!” 3:5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli 2 said, “I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went back and lay down. 3:6 The Lord again called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli 3 said, “I didn’t call you, my son. Go back and lie down.”
3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord; the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 3:8 Then the Lord called Samuel a third time. So he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me!” Eli then realized that it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 3:9 So Eli said to Samuel, “Go back and lie down. When he calls you, say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” So Samuel went back and lay down in his place.
3:10 Then the Lord came and stood nearby, calling as he had previously done, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel replied, “Speak, for your servant is listening!” 3:11 The Lord said to Samuel, “Look! I am about to do something in Israel; 4 when anyone hears about it, both of his ears will tingle. 3:12 On that day I will carry out 5 against Eli everything that I spoke about his house – from start to finish! 3:13 You 6 should tell him that I am about to judge his house forever because of 7 the sin that he knew about. For his sons were cursing God, 8 and he did not rebuke them. 3:14 Therefore I swore an oath to the house of Eli, ‘The sin of the house of Eli can never be forgiven by sacrifice or by grain offering.’”
3:15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. 3:16 However, Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!” He replied, “Here I am.” 3:17 Eli 9 said, “What message did he speak to you? Don’t conceal it from me. God will judge you severely 10 if you conceal from me anything that he said to you!”
3:18 So Samuel told him everything. He did not hold back anything from him. Eli 11 said, “The Lord will do what he pleases.” 12 3:19 Samuel continued to grow, and the Lord was with him. None of his prophecies fell to the ground unfulfilled. 13 3:20 All Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba realized that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 3:21 Then the Lord again appeared in Shiloh, for it was in Shiloh that the Lord had revealed himself to Samuel 14 through the word of the Lord. 15 4:1 Samuel revealed the word of the Lord 16 to all Israel.
Then the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines. 17 They camped at Ebenezer, 18 and the Philistines camped at Aphek. 4:2 The Philistines arranged their forces to fight 19 Israel. As the battle spread out, 20 Israel was defeated by 21 the Philistines, who 22 killed about four thousand men in the battle line in the field.
4:3 When the army 23 came back to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why did the Lord let us be defeated today by 24 the Philistines? Let’s take with us the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. When it is with us, it will save us 25 from the hand of our enemies.
4:4 So the army 26 sent to Shiloh, and they took from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts who sits between the cherubim. Now the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 4:5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord arrived at the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly 27 that the ground shook.
4:6 When the Philistines heard the sound of the shout, they said, “What is this loud shout in the camp of the Hebrews?” Then they realized that the ark of the Lord had arrived at the camp. 4:7 The Philistines were scared because they thought that gods had come to the camp. 28 They said, “Too bad for 29 us! We’ve never seen anything like this! 4:8 Too bad for us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all sorts of plagues in the desert! 4:9 Be strong and act like men, you Philistines, or else you will wind up serving the Hebrews the way they have served you! Act like men and fight!”
4:10 So the Philistines fought. Israel was defeated; they all ran home. 30 The slaughter was very great; thirty thousand foot soldiers fell in battle. 4:11 The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were killed.
4:12 On that day 31 a Benjaminite ran from the battle lines and came to Shiloh. His clothes were torn and dirt was on his head. 4:13 When he arrived in Shiloh, Eli was sitting in his chair watching by the side of 32 the road, for he was very worried 33 about the ark of God. As the man entered the city to give his report, 34 the whole city cried out.
4:14 When Eli heard the outcry, 35 he said, “What is this commotion?” 36 The man quickly came and told Eli. 4:15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes looked straight ahead; 37 he was unable to see.
4:16 The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle lines! Just today I fled from the battle lines!” Eli 38 asked, “How did things go, my son?” 4:17 The messenger replied, “Israel has fled from 39 the Philistines! The army has suffered a great defeat! Your two sons, Hophni and Phineas, are dead! The ark of God has been captured!”
4:18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli 40 fell backward from his chair beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he 41 was old and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years.
4:19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phineas, was pregnant and close to giving birth. When she heard that the ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she doubled over and gave birth. But her labor pains were too much for her. 4:20 As she was dying, the women who were there with her said, “Don’t be afraid! You have given birth to a son!” But she did not reply or pay any attention. 42
4:21 She named the boy Ichabod, 43 saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 4:22 She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God has been captured.”
5:1 Now the Philistines had captured the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. 5:2 The Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the temple of Dagon, where they positioned it beside Dagon. 5:3 When the residents of Ashdod got up early the next day, 44 Dagon was lying on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him back in his place. 5:4 But when they got up early the following day, Dagon was again lying on the ground before the ark of the Lord. The head of Dagon and his two hands were sheared off and were lying at the threshold. Only Dagon’s body was left intact. 45 5:5 (For this reason, to this very day, neither Dagon’s priests nor anyone else who enters Dagon’s temple step on Dagon’s threshold in Ashdod.)
5:6 The Lord attacked 46 the residents of Ashdod severely, bringing devastation on them. He struck the people of 47 both Ashdod and the surrounding area with sores. 48 5:7 When the people 49 of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, for he has attacked 50 both us and our god Dagon!”
5:8 So they assembled 51 all the leaders of the Philistines and asked, “What should we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” They replied, “The ark of the God of Israel should be moved to Gath.” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.
5:9 But after it had been moved the Lord attacked 52 that city as well, causing a great deal of panic. He struck all the people of that city 53 with sores. 54 5:10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.
But when the ark of God arrived at Ekron, the residents of Ekron cried out saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel here 55 to kill our 56 people!” 5:11 So they assembled 57 all the leaders of the Philistines and said, “Get the ark of the God of Israel out of here! Let it go back to its own place so that it won’t kill us 58 and our 59 people!” The terror 60 of death was throughout the entire city; God was attacking them very severely there. 61 5:12 The people 62 who did not die were struck with sores; the city’s cry for help went all the way up to heaven.
6:1 When the ark of the Lord had been in the land 63 of the Philistines for seven months, 64 6:2 the Philistines called the priests and the omen readers, saying, “What should we do with the ark of the Lord? Advise us as to how we should send it back to its place.”
6:3 They replied, “If you are going to send the ark of 65 the God of Israel back, don’t send it away empty. Be sure to return it with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why his hand is not removed from you.” 6:4 They inquired, “What is the guilt offering that we should send to him?”
They replied, “The Philistine leaders number five. So send five gold sores and five gold mice, for it is the same plague that has afflicted both you and your leaders. 6:5 You should make images of the sores and images of the mice 66 that are destroying the land. You should honor the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release his grip on you, your gods, and your land. 67 6:6 Why harden your hearts like the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? 68 When God 69 treated them harshly, didn’t the Egyptians send the Israelites on their way? 70 6:7 So now go and make a new cart. Get two cows that have calves and that have never had a yoke placed on them. Harness the cows to the cart and take their calves from them back to their stalls. 6:8 Then take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart, and put in a chest beside it the gold objects you are sending to him as a guilt offering. You should then send it on its way. 6:9 But keep an eye on it. If it should go up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity on us. But if that is not the case, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us; rather, it just happened to us by accident.”
6:10 So the men did as instructed. 71 They took two cows that had calves and harnessed them to a cart; they also removed their calves to their stalls. 6:11 They put the ark of the Lord on the cart, along with the chest, the gold mice, and the images of the sores. 6:12 Then the cows went directly on the road to Beth Shemesh. They went along, mooing as they went; they turned neither to the right nor to the left. The leaders of the Philistines were walking along behind them all the way to the border of Beth Shemesh.
6:13 Now the residents of Beth Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley. When they looked up and saw the ark, they were pleased at the sight. 6:14 The cart was coming to the field of Joshua, who was from Beth Shemesh. It paused there near a big stone. Then they cut up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 6:15 The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, which contained the gold objects. They placed them near the big stone. At that time the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. 6:16 The five leaders of the Philistines watched what was happening and then returned to Ekron on the same day.
6:17 These are the gold sores that the Philistines brought as a guilt offering to the Lord – one for each of the following cities: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron. 6:18 The gold mice corresponded in number to all the Philistine cities of the five leaders, from the fortified cities to hamlet villages, to greater Abel, 72 where they positioned the ark of the Lord until this very day in the field of Joshua who was from Beth Shemesh.
6:19 But the Lord 73 struck down some of the people of Beth Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the Lord; he struck down 50,070 74 of the men. The people grieved because the Lord had struck the people with a hard blow. 6:20 The residents of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who is able to stand before the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark 75 go up from here?”
6:21 So they sent messengers to the residents of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down here and take it back home with you.”
7:1 Then the people 76 of Kiriath Jearim came and took the ark of the Lord; they brought it to the house of Abinadab located on the hill. They consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord.
7:2 It was quite a long time – some twenty years in all – that the ark stayed at Kiriath Jearim. All the people 77 of Israel longed for 78 the Lord. 7:3 Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you are really turning to the Lord with all your hearts, remove from among you the foreign gods and the images of Ashtoreth. 79 Give your hearts to the Lord and serve only him. Then he will deliver you 80 from the hand of the Philistines.” 7:4 So the Israelites 81 removed the Baals and images of Ashtoreth. They served only the Lord.
7:5 Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord on your behalf.” 7:6 After they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. They fasted on that day, and they confessed 82 there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” So Samuel led 83 the people of Israel at Mizpah.
7:7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the leaders of the Philistines went up against Israel. When the Israelites heard about this, they were afraid of the Philistines. 7:8 The Israelites said to Samuel, “Keep 84 crying out to the Lord our 85 God so that he may save us 86 from the hand of the Philistines!” 7:9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb 87 and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Samuel cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.
7:10 As Samuel was offering burnt offerings, the Philistines approached to do battle with Israel. 88 But on that day the Lord thundered loudly against the Philistines. He caused them to panic, and they were defeated by 89 Israel. 7:11 Then the men of Israel left Mizpah and chased the Philistines, striking them down all the way to an area below Beth Car.
7:12 Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen. 90 He named it Ebenezer, 91 saying, “Up to here the Lord has helped us.” 7:13 So the Philistines were defeated; they did not invade Israel again. The hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
7:14 The cities that the Philistines had captured from Israel were returned to Israel, from Ekron to Gath. Israel also delivered their territory from the control 92 of the Philistines. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites. 7:15 So Samuel led 93 Israel all the days of his life. 7:16 Year after year he used to travel the circuit of Bethel, 94 Gilgal, and Mizpah; he used to judge Israel in all of these places. 7:17 Then he would return to Ramah, because his home was there. He also judged 95 Israel there and built an altar to the Lord there.
8:1 In his old age Samuel appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 8:2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beer Sheba. 8:3 But his sons did not follow 96 his ways. Instead, they made money dishonestly, accepted bribes, and perverted justice. 97
8:4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and approached Samuel at Ramah. 8:5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons don’t follow your ways. So now appoint over us a king to lead 98 us, just like all the other nations have.”
8:6 But this request displeased Samuel, for 99 they said, “Give us a king to lead us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. 8:7 The Lord said to Samuel, “Do everything the people request of you. 100 For it is not you that they have rejected, but it is me that they have rejected as their king. 8:8 Just as they have done 101 from the day that I brought them up from Egypt until this very day, they have rejected me and have served other gods. This is what they are also doing to you. 8:9 So now do as they say. 102 But seriously warn 103 them and make them aware of the policies of the king who will rule over them.” 104
8:10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 8:11 He said, “Here are the policies of the king who will rule over you: He will conscript your sons and put them in his chariot forces and in his cavalry; they will run in front of his chariot. 8:12 He will appoint for himself leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties, 105 as well as those who plow his ground, reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and his chariot equipment. 8:13 He will take your daughters to be ointment makers, cooks, and bakers. 8:14 He will take your best fields and vineyards and give them to his own servants. 8:15 He will demand a tenth of your seed and of the produce of your vineyards and give it to his administrators 106 and his servants. 8:16 He will take your male and female servants, as well as your best cattle and your donkeys, and assign them for his own use. 8:17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will be his servants. 8:18 In that day you will cry out because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you in that day.” 107
8:19 But the people refused to heed Samuel’s warning. 108 Instead they said, “No! There will be a king over us! 8:20 We will be like all the other nations. Our king will judge us and lead us 109 and fight our battles.”
8:21 So Samuel listened to everything the people said and then reported it to the Lord. 110 8:22 The Lord said to Samuel, “Do as they say 111 and install a king over them.” Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Each of you go back to his own city.”
9:1 There was a Benjaminite man named Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. He was a prominent person. 9:2 He had a son named Saul, a handsome young man. There was no one among the Israelites more handsome than he was; he stood head and shoulders above all the people.
9:3 The donkeys of Saul’s father Kish wandered off, 112 so Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go 113 look for the donkeys.” 114 9:4 So Saul 115 crossed through the hill country of Ephraim, passing through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. So they crossed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then he crossed through the land of Benjamin, and still they did not find them.
9:5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, “Come on, let’s head back before my father quits worrying about the donkeys and becomes anxious about us!” 9:6 But the servant said to him, “Look, there is a man of God in this town. He is highly respected. Everything that he says really happens. 116 Now let’s go there. Perhaps he will tell us where we should go from here.” 117 9:7 So Saul said to his servant, “All right, 118 we can go. But what can we bring the man, since the food in our bags is used up? We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?” 9:8 The servant went on to answer Saul, “Look, I happen to have in my hand a quarter shekel 119 of silver. I will give it to the man of God and he will tell us where we should go.” 120 9:9 (Now it used to be in Israel that whenever someone went to inquire of God he would say, “Come on, let’s go to the seer.” For today’s prophet used to be called a seer.) 9:10 So Saul said to his servant, “That’s a good idea! 121 Come on. Let’s go.” So they went to the town where the man of God was.
9:11 As they were going up the ascent to the town, they met some girls coming out to draw water. They said to them, “Is this where the seer is?” 9:12 They replied, “Yes, straight ahead! But hurry now, for he came to the town today, and the people are making a sacrifice at the high place. 9:13 When you enter the town, you can find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people won’t eat until he arrives, for he must bless the sacrifice. Once that happens, those who have been invited will eat. Now go on up, for 122 this is the time when you can find him!”
9:14 So they went up to the town. As they were heading for the middle of the town, Samuel was coming in their direction 123 to go up to the high place. 9:15 Now the day before Saul arrived, the Lord had told 124 Samuel: 9:16 “At this time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin. You must consecrate 125 him as a leader over my people Israel. He will save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked with favor on my people. Their cry has reached me!”
9:17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, 126 “Here is the man that I told you about! He will rule over my people.” 9:18 As Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate, he said, “Please tell me where the seer’s house is.”
9:19 Samuel replied to Saul, “I am the seer! Go up in front of me to the high place! Today you will eat with me and in the morning I will send you away. I will tell you everything that you are thinking. 127 9:20 Don’t be concerned 128 about the donkeys that you lost three days ago, for they have been found. Whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you, and all your father’s family?” 129
9:21 Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjaminite, from the smallest of Israel’s tribes, and is not my family clan the smallest of all the tribes of Benjamin? Why do you speak to me in this way?”
9:22 Then Samuel brought 130 Saul and his servant into the room and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited. There were about thirty people present. 9:23 Samuel said to the cook, “Give me the portion of meat that I gave to you – the one I asked you to keep with you.”
9:24 So the cook picked up the leg and brought it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel 131 said, “What was kept is now set before you! Eat, for it has been kept for you for this meeting time, from the time I said, ‘I have invited the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
9:25 When they came down from the high place to the town, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof. 9:26 They got up at dawn and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get up, so I can send you on your way.” So Saul got up and the two of them – he and Samuel – went outside. 9:27 While they were going down to the edge of town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” So he did. 132 Samuel then said, 133 “You remain here awhile, so I can inform you of God’s message.”
10:1 Then Samuel took a small container of olive oil and poured it on Saul’s 134 head. Samuel 135 kissed him and said, “The Lord has chosen you 136 to lead his people Israel! You will rule over the Lord’s people and you will deliver them from the power of the enemies who surround them. This will be your sign that the Lord has chosen 137 you as leader over his inheritance. 138 10:2 When you leave me today, you will find two men near Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah on Benjamin’s border. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you have gone looking for have been found. Your father is no longer concerned about the donkeys but has become anxious about you two! 139 He is asking, “What should I do about my son?”’
10:3 “As you continue on from there, you will come to the tall tree of Tabor. At that point three men who are going up to God at Bethel 140 will meet you. One of them will be carrying three young goats, one of them will be carrying three round loaves of bread, and one of them will be carrying a container of wine. 10:4 They will ask you how you’re doing and will give you two loaves of bread. You will accept them. 10:5 Afterward you will go to Gibeah of God, where there are Philistine officials. 141 When you enter the town, you will meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place. They will have harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying. 10:6 Then the spirit of the Lord will rush upon you and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person.
10:7 “When these signs have taken place, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God will be with you. 142 10:8 You will go down to Gilgal before me. I am going to join you there to offer burnt offerings and to make peace offerings. You should wait for seven days, until I arrive and tell you what to do.”
10:9 As Saul 143 turned 144 to leave Samuel, God changed his inmost person. 145 All these signs happened on that very day. 10:10 When Saul and his servant 146 arrived at Gibeah, a company of prophets was coming out to meet him. Then the spirit of God rushed upon Saul 147 and he prophesied among them. 10:11 When everyone who had known him previously saw him prophesying with the prophets, the people all asked one another, “What on earth has happened to the son of Kish? Does even Saul belong with the prophets?”
10:12 A man who was from there replied, “And who is their father?” Therefore this became a proverb: “Is even Saul among the prophets?” 10:13 When Saul 148 had finished prophesying, he went to the high place.
10:14 Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?” Saul 149 replied, “To look for the donkeys. But when we realized they were lost, 150 we went to Samuel.” 10:15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me what Samuel said to you.” 151 10:16 Saul said to his uncle, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul 152 did not tell him what Samuel had said about the matter of kingship.
10:17 Then Samuel called the people together before the Lord at Mizpah. 10:18 He said to the Israelites, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I brought Israel up from Egypt and I delivered you from the power 153 of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you. 10:19 But today you have rejected your God who saves you from all your trouble and distress. You have said, “No! 154 Appoint a king over us.” Now take your positions before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.’”
10:20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 10:21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of Matri was chosen by lot. At last Saul son of Kish was chosen by lot. But when they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found. 10:22 So they inquired again of the Lord, “Has the man arrived here yet?” The Lord said, “He has hidden himself among the equipment.” 155
10:23 So they ran and brought him from there. When he took his position among the people, he stood head and shoulders above them all. 10:24 Then Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? Indeed, there is no one like him among all the people!” All the people shouted out, “Long live the king!”
10:25 Then Samuel talked to the people about how the kingship would work. 156 He wrote it all down on a scroll and set it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away to their homes. 10:26 Even Saul went to his home in Gibeah. With him went some brave men whose hearts God had touched. 10:27 But some wicked men 157 said, “How can this man save us?” They despised him and did not even bring him a gift. But Saul said nothing about it. 158
11:1 159 Nahash 160 the Ammonite marched 161 against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh Gilead said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us and we will serve you.”
11:2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “The only way I will make a treaty with you is if you let me gouge out the right eye of every one of you and in so doing humiliate all Israel!”
11:3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Leave us alone for seven days so that we can send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. If there is no one who can deliver us, we will come out voluntarily to you.”
11:4 When the messengers went to Gibeah (where Saul lived) 162 and informed the people of these matters, all the people wept loudly. 163 11:5 Now Saul was walking behind the 164 oxen as he came from the field. Saul asked, “What has happened to the people? Why are they weeping?” So they told him about 165 the men of Jabesh.
11:6 The Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and he became very angry. 11:7 He took a pair 166 of oxen and cut them up. Then he sent the pieces throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, who said, “Whoever does not go out after Saul and after Samuel should expect this to be done to his oxen!” Then the terror of the Lord fell on the people, and they went out as one army. 167 11:8 When Saul counted them at Bezek, the Israelites were 300,000 168 strong and the men of Judah numbered 30,000. 169
11:9 They said to the messengers who had come, “Here’s what you should say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow deliverance will come to you when the sun is fully up.’” When the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh Gilead, they were happy. 11:10 The men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will come out to you 170 and you can do with us whatever you wish.” 171
11:11 The next day Saul placed the people in three groups. They went to the Ammonite camp during the morning watch and struck them 172 down until the hottest part of the day. The survivors scattered; no two of them remained together.
11:12 Then the people said to Samuel, “Who were the ones asking, ‘Will Saul reign over us?’ Hand over those men so we may execute them!” 11:13 But Saul said, “No one will be killed on this day. For today the Lord has given Israel a victory!” 11:14 Samuel said to the people, “Come on! Let’s go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.” 11:15 So all the people went to Gilgal, where 173 they established Saul as king in the Lord’s presence. They offered up peace offerings there in the Lord’s presence. Saul and all the Israelites were very happy.
12:1 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have done 174 everything you requested. 175 I have given you a king. 176 12:2 Now look! This king walks before you. As for me, I am old and gray, though my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from the time of my youth till the present day. 12:3 Here I am. Bring a charge against me before the Lord and before his chosen king. 177 Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe so that I would overlook something? Tell me, 178 and I will return it to you!”
12:4 They replied, “You have not wronged us or oppressed us. You have not taken anything from the hand of anyone.” 12:5 He said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and his chosen king 179 is witness this day, that you have not found any reason to accuse me.” 180 They said, “He is witness!”
12:6 Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is the one who chose Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestors 181 up from the land of Egypt. 12:7 Now take your positions, so I may confront you 182 before the Lord regarding all the Lord’s just actions toward you and your ancestors. 183 12:8 When Jacob entered Egypt, your ancestors cried out to the Lord. The Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and they led your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
12:9 “But they forgot the Lord their God, so he gave 184 them into the hand of Sisera, the general in command of Hazor’s 185 army, 186 and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 12:10 Then they cried out to the Lord and admitted, 187 ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the images of Ashtoreth. 188 Now deliver us from the hand of our enemies so that we may serve you.’ 189 12:11 So the Lord sent Jerub-Baal, 190 Barak, 191 Jephthah, and Samuel, 192 and he delivered you from the hand of the enemies all around you, and you were able to live securely.
12:12 “When you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites was advancing against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king will rule over us’ – even though the Lord your God is your king! 12:13 Now look! Here is the king you have chosen – the one that you asked for! Look, the Lord has given you a king! 12:14 If you fear the Lord, serving him and obeying him 193 and not rebelling against what he says, 194 and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the Lord your God, all will be well. 195 12:15 But if you don’t obey 196 the Lord and rebel against what the Lord says, the hand of the Lord will be against both you and your king. 197
12:16 “So now, take your positions and watch this great thing that the Lord is about to do in your sight. 12:17 Is this not the time of the wheat harvest? I will call on the Lord so that he makes it thunder and rain. Realize and see what a great sin you have committed before the Lord by asking for a king for yourselves.”
12:18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord made it thunder and rain that day. All the people were very afraid of both the Lord and Samuel. 12:19 All the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God on behalf of us – your servants – so we won’t die, for we have added to all our sins by asking for a king.” 198
12:20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. You have indeed sinned. 199 However, don’t turn aside from the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart. 12:21 You should not turn aside after empty things that can’t profit and can’t deliver, since they are empty. 200 12:22 The Lord will not abandon his people because he wants to uphold his great reputation. 201 The Lord was pleased to make you his own people. 12:23 As far as I am concerned, far be it from me to sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the way that is good and upright. 12:24 However, fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Just look at the great things he has done for you! 12:25 But if you continue to do evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”
1 tn Heb “before Eli.”
2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn The Hebrew text adds “so that” here, formally connecting this clause with the next.
5 tn Or “fulfill.”
6 tc The MT has וְהִגַּדְתִּי לוֹ (vÿhiggadti lo). The verb is Hiphil perfect 1st person common singular, and apparently the conjunction should be understood as vav consecutive (“I will say to him”). But the future reference makes more sense if Samuel is the subject. This would require dropping the final י (yod) and reading the 2nd person masculine singular וְהִגַּדְתָּ (vÿhiggadta). Although there is no external evidence to support it, this reading has been adopted in the present translation. The alternative is to understand the MT to mean “I said to him,” but for this we would expect the preterite with vav consecutive.
7 tn The translation understands the preposition to have a causal sense. However, the preposition could also be understood as the beth pretii, indicating in a broad sense the price attached to this action. So GKC 380 §119.p.
8 tc The translation follows the LXX θεόν (qeon, “God”) rather than the MT לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”). The MT seems to mean “they were bringing a curse on themselves” (cf. ASV, NASB). But this meaning is problematic in part because the verb qll means “to curse,” not “to bring a curse on,” and in part because it takes an accusative object rather than the equivalent of a dative. This is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.” Why would the ancient copyists alter the original statement about Eli’s sons cursing God to the less objectionable statement that they brought a curse on themselves? Some argue that the scribes were concerned that such a direct and blasphemous affront against God could occur without an immediate response of judgment from God. Therefore they changed the text by deleting two letters א and י (alef and yod) from the word for “God,” with the result that the text then read “to them.” If this ancient scribal claim is accepted as accurate, it implies that the MT here is secondary. The present translation follows the LXX (κακολογοῦντες θεόν, kakologounte" qeon) and a few
9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Heb “So God will do to you and thus he will add.” The verbal forms in this pronouncement are imperfects, not jussives, but the statement has the force of a curse or warning. One could translate, “May God do to you and thus may he add.”
11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Heb “what is good in his eyes.”
13 tn Heb “and he did not cause to fall from all his words to the ground.”
14 tc The LXX has a lengthy addition here: “And Samuel was acknowledged to be a prophet of the
15 tn The chapter division at this point is inappropriate. 1 Sam 4:1a is best understood as the conclusion to chap. 3 rather than the beginning of chap. 4.
16 tn Heb “and the word of Samuel was.” The present translation understands Samuel to be the speaker of the divine word (“Samuel” is a subjective genitive in this case), although the statement could mean that he was the recipient of the divine word (“Samuel” is an objective genitive in this case) who in turn reported it to Israel.
17 tn Heb “and Israel went out to meet the Philistines for battle.”
18 tn Heb “the stone, the help.” The second noun is in apposition to the first one and apparently is the name by which the stone was known. Contrast the expression used in 5:1 and 7:12, where the first word lacks the definite article, unlike 4:1.
19 tn Heb “to meet.”
20 tn The MT has וַתִּטֹּשׁ (vattittosh), from the root נטשׁ (ntsh). This verb normally means “to leave,” “to forsake,” or “to permit,” but such an idea does not fit this context very well. Many scholars have suspected that the text originally read either וַתֵּט (vattet, “and it spread out”), from the root נטה (nth), or וַתִּקֶשׁ (vattiqesh, “and it grew fierce”), from the root קשׂה (qsh). The former suggestion is apparently supported by the LXX ἔκλινεν (eklinen, “it inclined”) and is adopted in the translation.
21 tn Heb “before.”
22 tn Heb “the Philistines, and they killed.” The pronoun “they” has been translated as a relative pronoun (“who”) to make it clear to the English reader that the Philistines were the ones who did the killing.
23 tn Or “people.”
24 tn Heb “before.”
25 tn Heb “and it will come in our midst and it will save.” After the cohortative (see “let’s take”), the prefixed verbal forms with the prefixed conjunction indicate purpose or result. The translation understands the ark to be the subject of the third masculine singular verbs, although it is possible to understand the Lord as the subject. In the latter case, one should translate, “when he is with us, he will save us.”
26 tn Or “people.”
27 tn Heb “shouted [with] a great shout.”
28 tn The Hebrew text has a direct quote, “because they said, ‘Gods have come to the camp.’” Even though the verb translated “have come” is singular, the following subject should be taken as plural (“gods”), as v. 8 indicates. Some emend the verb to a plural form.
29 tn Traditionally “woe to.” They thought disaster was imminent.
30 tn Heb “and they fled, each to his tents.”
31 tn Or perhaps, “the same day.” On this use of the demonstrative pronoun see Joüon 2:532 §143.f.
32 tc Read with many medieval Hebrew
33 tn Heb “his heart was trembling.”
34 tn Heb “and the man came to report in the city.”
35 tn Heb “the sound of the cry.”
36 tn Heb “the sound of this commotion.”
37 tn Heb “were set” or “were fixed,” i.e., without vision.
38 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39 tn Heb “before.”
40 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
41 tn Heb “the man.”
42 tn Heb “and she did not set her heart.”
43 sn The name Ichabod (אִי־כָבוֹד) may mean, “Where is the glory?”
44 tc The LXX adds “they entered the temple of Dagon and saw.”
45 tc Heb “only Dagon was left.” We should probably read the word גֵּו (gev, “back”) before Dagon, understanding it to have the sense of the similar word גְּוִיָּה (gÿviyyah, “body”). This variant is supported by the following evidence: The LXX has ἡ ῥάχις (Jh rJacis, “the back” or “trunk”); the Syriac Peshitta has wegusmeh (“and the body of”); the Targum has gupyeh (“the body of”); the Vulgate has truncus (“the trunk of,” cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT). On the strength of this evidence the present translation employs the phrase “Dagon’s body.”
46 tn Heb “the hand of the
47 tn The words “the people of” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
48 tc The LXX and Vulgate add the following: “And mice multiplied in their land, and the terror of death was throughout the entire city.”
tn Or “tumors” (so ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NCV “growths on their skin”; KJV “emerods”; NAB “hemorrhoids.”
49 tn Heb “men.”
50 tn Heb “for his hand is severe upon.”
51 tn Heb “and they sent and gathered.”
52 tn Heb “the hand of the
53 tn Heb “and he struck the men of the city from small and to great.”
54 tn See the note on this term in v. 6. Cf. KJV “and they had emerods in their secret parts.”
55 tn Heb “to me.”
56 tn Heb “my.”
57 tn Heb “and they sent and gathered.”
58 tn Heb “me.”
59 tn Heb “my.”
60 tn Or “panic.”
61 tn Heb “the hand of God was very heavy there.”
62 tn Heb “men.”
63 tn Heb “field.”
64 tc The LXX adds “and their land swarmed with mice.”
65 tc The LXX and a Qumran
66 tn Heb “your mice.” A Qumran
67 tn Heb “Perhaps he will lighten his hand from upon you and from upon your gods and from upon your land.”
68 tn Heb “like Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their heart.”
69 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
70 tn Heb “and they sent them away and they went.”
71 tn Heb “and the men did so.”
72 tc A few Hebrew
73 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
74 tc The number 50,070 is surprisingly large, although it finds almost unanimous textual support in the MT and in the ancient versions. Only a few medieval Hebrew
75 tn Heb “he” or “it”; the referent here (the ark) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. also NIV, CEV, NLT). Others, however, take the referent to be the
76 tn Heb “men.”
77 tn Heb “house” (also in the following verse).
78 tn Heb “mourned after”; NIV “mourned and sought after”; KJV, NRSV “lamented after”; NAB “turned to”; NCV “began to follow…again.”
79 tn Heb “the Ashtarot” (plural; also in the following verse). The words “images of” are supplied for clarity.
sn The Semitic goddess Astarte was associated with love and war in the ancient Near East. The presence of Ashtarot in Israel is a sign of pervasive pagan and idolatrous influences; hence Samuel calls for their removal. See 1 Sam 31:10, where the Philistines deposit the armor of the deceased Saul in the temple of the Ashtarot, and 1 Kgs 11:5, 33; 2 Kgs 23:13, where Solomon is faulted for worshiping the Ashtarot.
80 tn Following imperatives, the jussive verbal form with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result.
81 tn Heb “the sons of Israel.”
82 tn Heb “said.”
83 tn Heb “judged”; NAB “began to judge”; TEV “settled disputes among.”
84 tn Heb “don’t stop.”
85 tc The LXX reads “your God” rather than the MT’s “our God.”
86 tn After the negated jussive, the prefixed verbal form with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result.
87 tn Heb “a lamb of milk”; NAB “an unweaned lamb”; NIV “a suckling lamb”; NCV “a baby lamb.”
88 tn Heb “approached for battle against Israel.”
89 tn Heb “before.”
90 tn Cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT “Jeshanah.”
91 sn The name Ebenezer (אֶבֶן הָעָזֶר) means “stone of help” in Hebrew (cf. TEV); NLT adds the meaning parenthetically after the name.
92 tn Heb “hand.”
93 tn Heb “judged” (also in v. 17).
94 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
95 tn Or perhaps “settled disputes for” (cf. NLT “would hear cases there”; NRSV “administered justice there”).
96 tn Heb “walk in” (also in v. 5).
97 tn Heb “and they turned aside after unjust gain and took bribes and perverted justice.”
98 tn Heb “judge” (also in v. 6).
99 tn Heb “when.”
100 tn Heb “Listen to the voice of the people, to all which they say to you.”
101 tn Heb “according to all the deeds which they have done.”
102 tn Heb “and now, listen to their voice.”
103 tn The infinitive absolute appears before the imperative for emphasis.
104 tn Heb “and tell them the manner of the king who will rule over them.”
105 tc The numbers of v. 12 are confused in the Greek and Syriac versions. For “fifties” the LXX has “hundreds.” The Syriac Peshitta has “heads of thousands and heads of hundreds and heads of fifties and heads of tens,” perhaps reflecting influence from Deut 1:15.
106 tn Or “eunuchs” (so NAB); NIV “officials”; KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT “officers.”
107 tc The LXX adds “because you have chosen for yourselves a king.”
108 tn Heb “and the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel.”
109 tn Heb “and go out before us.”
110 tn Heb “and Samuel heard all the words of the people and he spoke them into the ears of the
111 tn Heb “listen to their voice.”
112 tn Heb “became lost.”
113 tn Heb “and arise, go.”
114 tc The Syriac Peshitta includes the following words: “So Saul arose and went out. He took with him one of the boys and went out to look for his father’s donkeys.”
115 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
116 tn The infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis.
117 tn Heb “our way on which we have gone.”
118 tn Heb “look.”
119 sn A quarter shekel of silver would weigh about a tenth of an ounce (about 3 grams).
120 tn Heb “our way.”
121 tn Heb “your word is good.”
122 tc The MT has “him” (אֹתוֹ, ’oto) here, in addition to the “him” at the end of the verse. The ancient versions attest to only one occurrence of the pronoun, although it is possible that this is due to translation technique rather than to their having a Hebrew text with the pronoun used only once. The present translation assumes textual duplication in the MT and does not attempt to represent the pronoun twice. However, for a defense of the MT here, with the suggested translation “for him just now – you will find him,” see S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text and the Topography of the Books of Samuel, 72-73.
123 tn Heb “to meet them.” This may indicate purpose on Samuel’s part. The next sentence indicates that the meeting was by design, not just an accident.
124 tn Heb “uncovered the ear of.”
125 tn Heb “anoint.”
126 tn Heb “responded.”
127 tn Heb “all that is in your heart.”
128 tn Heb “do not fix your heart.”
129 tn Heb “and all the house of your father.”
130 tn Heb “took and brought.”
131 tn Heb “he” (also in v. 25); the referent (Samuel) has been specified in both places in the translation for clarity.
132 tc This statement is absent in the LXX (with the exception of Origen), an Old Latin
133 tn The words “Samuel then said” are supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
134 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
135 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Samuel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
136 tn Heb “Is it not that the
137 tn That is, “anointed.”
138 tc The MT reads simply “Is it not that the
139 sn In the Hebrew text the pronoun you is plural, suggesting that Saul’s father was concerned about his son and the servant who accompanied him.
140 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
141 tn Or “sentries.” Some translate “outpost” (NIV) or “garrison” (NAB, NRSV, NLT) here (see 1 Sam 13:3). The noun is plural in the Hebrew text, but the LXX and other ancient witnesses read a singular noun here.
142 sn In light of Saul’s commission to be Israel’s deliverer (see v. 1), it is likely that some type of military action against the Philistines (see v.5) is implied.
143 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
144 tn Heb “turned his shoulder.”
145 tn Heb “God turned for him another heart”; NAB, NRSV “gave him another heart”; NIV, NCV “changed Saul’s heart”; TEV “gave Saul a new nature”; CEV “made Saul feel like a different person.”
146 tc Two medieval Hebrew
tn Heb “they”; the referents (Saul and his servant) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
147 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
148 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
149 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
150 tn Heb “And we saw that they were not.”
151 tc In the LXX and Vulgate the pronoun “you” is singular, referring specifically to Saul. In the MT it is plural, including Saul’s servant as well.
152 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Saul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
153 tn Heb “hand” (also later in this verse).
154 tc The translation follows many medieval Hebrew
155 tn Or “baggage” (so many English versions); KJV “stuff”; TEV “supplies.”
156 tn Heb “the regulation of the kingship.” This probably refers to the regulations pertaining to kingship given to Moses (see Deut 17:14-20).
157 tn Heb “sons of worthlessness” (see 2:12).
158 tc In place of the MT (“and it was like one being silent”) the LXX has “after about a month,” taking the expression with the first part of the following chapter rather than with 10:27. Some Hebrew support for this reading appears in the corrected hand of a Qumran
159 tc 4QSama and Josephus (Ant. 6.68-71) attest to a longer form of text at this point. The addition explains Nahash’s practice of enemy mutilation, and by so doing provides a smoother transition to the following paragraph than is found in the MT. The NRSV adopts this reading, with the following English translation: “Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the Gadites and the Reubenites. He would gouge out the right eye of each of them and would not grant Israel a deliverer. No one was left of the Israelites across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But there were seven thousand men who had escaped from the Ammonites and had entered Jabesh-gilead.” This reading should not be lightly dismissed; it may in fact provide a text superior to that of the MT and the ancient versions. But the external evidence for it is so limited as to induce caution; the present translation instead follows the MT. However, for a reasonable case for including this reading in the text see the discussions in P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 199, and R. W. Klein, 1 Samuel (WBC), 103.
160 sn The name “Nahash” means “serpent” in Hebrew.
161 tn Heb “went up and camped”; NIV, NRSV “went up and besieged.”
162 tn Heb “to Gibeah of Saul.”
163 tn Heb “lifted their voice and wept.”
164 tn Or perhaps, “his oxen.” On this use of the definite article see Joüon 2:506-7 §137.f.
165 tn Heb “the matters of.”
166 tn Heb “yoke.”
167 tn Heb “like one man.”
168 tc The LXX and two Old Latin
169 tc The LXX, two Old Latin
170 tn The second masculine plural forms in this quotation indicate that Nahash and his army are addressed.
171 tn Heb “according to all that is good in your eyes.”
172 tn Heb “Ammon.” By metonymy the name “Ammon” is used collectively for the soldiers in the Ammonite army.
173 tn Heb “and there in Gilgal.”
174 tn Heb “Look, I have listened to your voice.”
175 tn Heb “to all which you said to me.”
176 tn Heb “and I have installed a king over you.”
177 tn Heb “anointed [one].”
178 tn The words “tell me” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
179 tn Heb “anointed [one].”
180 tn Heb “that you have not found anything in my hand.”
181 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 7, 8).
182 tn Heb “and I will enter into judgment with you” (NRSV similar); NAB “and I shall arraign you.”
183 tn Heb “all the just actions which he has done with you and with your fathers.”
184 tn Heb “sold” (so KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “he allowed them to fall into the clutches of Sisera”; NLT “he let them be conquered by Sisera.”
185 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.
186 tn Heb “captain of the host of Hazor.”
187 tn Heb “and said.”
188 tn Heb “the Ashtarot” (plural). The words “images of” are supplied in both vv. 3 and 4 for clarity.
sn The Semitic goddess Astarte was associated with love and war in the ancient Near East. See the note on the same term in 7:3.
189 tn After the imperative, the prefixed verbal form with the prefixed conjunction indicates purpose/result.
190 sn Jerub-Baal (יְרֻבַּעַל) is also known as Gideon (see Judg 6:32). The Book of Judges uses both names for him.
191 tc The MT has “Bedan” (בְּדָן) here (cf. KJV, NASB, CEV). But a deliverer by this name is not elsewhere mentioned in the OT. The translation follows the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta in reading “Barak.”
192 tc In the ancient versions there is some confusion with regard to these names, both with regard to the particular names selected for mention and with regard to the order in which they are listed. For example, the LXX has “Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel.” But the Targum has “Gideon, Samson, Jephthah, and Samuel,” while the Syriac Peshitta has “Deborah, Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson.”
193 tn Heb “and you listen to his voice.”
194 tn Heb “the mouth of the
195 tn The words “all will be well” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
196 tn Heb “listen to the voice of.”
197 tc The LXX reads “your king” rather than the MT’s “your fathers.” The latter makes little sense here. Some follow MT, but translate “as it was against your fathers.” See P. K. McCarter, 1 Samuel (AB), 212.
198 tn Heb “for we have added to all our sins an evil [thing] by asking for ourselves a king.”
199 tn Heb “you have done all this evil.”
200 tn Or “useless” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “nothing”; NASB “futile”; TEV “are not real.”
201 tn Heb “on account of his great name.”
