7. The LORD's anger burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon.

8. They troubled and oppressed the children of Israel that year. For eighteen years, they oppressed all the children of Israel that were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.

9. The children of Ammon passed over the Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was very distressed.

10. The children of Israel cried to The LORD, saying, "We have sinned against you, even because we have forsaken our God, and have served the Baals."

11. The LORD said to the children of Israel, "Didn't I save you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?

12. The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, oppressed you; and you cried to me, and I saved you out of their hand.

13. Yet you have forsaken me, and served other gods. Therefore I will save you no more.

14. Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen. Let them save you in the time of your distress!"

15. The children of Israel said to The LORD, "We have sinned! Do you to us whatever seems good to you; only deliver us, please, today."

16. They put away the foreign gods from among them, and served The LORD; and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

17. Then the children of Ammon were gathered together and encamped in Gilead. The children of Israel assembled themselves together and encamped in Mizpah.

18. The people, the princes of Gilead, said to one another, "Who is the man who will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead."

32. So Jephthah passed over to the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hand.

33. He struck them from Aroer until you come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and to Abelcheramim, with a very great slaughter. So the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

1. The men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed northward; and they said to Jephthah, "Why did you pass over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didn't call us to go with you? We will burn your house around you with fire!"

2. Jephthah said to them, "I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, you didn't save me out of their hand.

3. When I saw that you didn't save me, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me today, to fight against me?"

1. Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh Gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you."

2. Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "On this condition I will make it with you, that all your right eyes be gouged out. I will make this dishonor all Israel."

3. The elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days, that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel; and then, if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you."

4. Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, and spoke these words in the ears of the people, then all the people lifted up their voice, and wept.

5. Behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field; and Saul said, "What ails the people that they weep?" They told him the words of the men of Jabesh.

6. God's Spirit came mightily on Saul when he heard those words, and his anger burned hot.

7. 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 doesn't come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen." The dread of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out as one man.

8. He counted them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

9. They said to the messengers who came, "Tell the men of Jabesh Gilead, 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will be rescued.'" The messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.

10. Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you shall do with us all that seems good to you."

11. On the next day, Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the middle of the camp in the morning watch, and struck the AMMONITES until the heat of the day. Those who remained were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

12. The people said to Samuel, "Who is he who said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring those men, that we may put them to death!"

13. Saul said, "No man shall be put to death today; for today the LORD has rescued Israel."

14. Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there."

15. All the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they offered sacrifices of peace offerings before The LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

He will appoint them to him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will assign some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots.

1. Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said, "Hasn't the LORD anointed you to be prince over his inheritance?

2. When you have departed from me today, then you will find two men by Rachel's tomb, on the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. They will tell you, 'The donkeys which you went to look for have been found; and behold, your father has stopped caring about the donkeys, and is anxious for you, saying, "What shall I do for my son?"'

3. "Then you will go on forward from there, and you will come to the oak of Tabor. Three men will meet you there going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three young goats, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a bottle of wine.

4. They will greet you, and give you two loaves of bread, which you shall receive from their hand.

5. "After that you will come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is; and it will happen, when you have come there to the city, that you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a lute, a tambourine, a pipe, and a harp before them; and they will be prophesying.

6. Then The LORD's Spirit will come mightily on you, and you will prophesy with them, and will be turned into another man.

7. Let it be, when these signs have come to you, that you do what is appropriate for the occasion; for God is with you.

8. "Go down ahead of me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings. Wait seven days, until I come to you, and show you what you are to do."

9. It was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart; and all those signs happened that day.

10. When they came there to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came mightily on him, and he prophesied among them.

11. When all who knew him before saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said to one another, "What is this that has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

12. One of the same place answered, "Who is their father?" Therefore it became a proverb, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

13. When he had finished prophesying, he came to the high place.

14. Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, "Where did you go?"He said, "To seek the donkeys. When we saw that they were not found, we came to Samuel."

15. Saul's uncle said, "Please tell me what Samuel said to you."

16. Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys were found." But concerning the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel spoke, he didn't tell him.

17. Samuel called the people together to the LORD to Mizpah;

18. and he said to the children of Israel, "The LORD, the God of Israel, says 'I brought Israel up 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.'

19. But you have today rejected your God, who himself saves you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said to him, 'No! Set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands."

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

21. He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families; and the family of the Matrites was chosen. Then Saul the son of Kish was chosen; but when they looked for him, he could not be found.

22. Therefore they asked of the LORD further, "Is there yet a man to come here?"The LORD answered, "Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage."

23. They ran and got him there. When he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

24. Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?"All the people shouted, and said, "Long live the king!"

25. Then Samuel told the people the regulations of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before The LORD. Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house.

26. Saul also went to his house to Gibeah; and the army went with him, whose hearts God had touched.

27. But certain worthless fellows said, "How could this man save us?" They despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.