tion of the Later Ephraimite Samuel Narratives Early Judean Saul Nar ratives hash the Ammonite came up and besieged Jabesh in Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, Make terms with us and we will serve you. 2But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, On this condition will I make terms with you: that I bore out the right eye of each of you and thereby bring a reproach upon all Israel. And the elders of Jabesh said to him, Give us seven days respite, that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then if there be none to save us we will come to you. Recep- 4So the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul news and recounted the facts in by Saul the hearing of the people, and all the people wept aloud. 5And Saul was just coming from the field after the oxen. And Saul said, What is the trouble with the people that they are weeping? Then they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. 6And the spirit of Jehovahm rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and pah; and he used to judge Israel in all those places. 17 And his return was to Ramah, for there was his home; and there he judged Israel. And there he built an altar to Jehovah. of his sons 8 'But when Samuel was old he appointed his Crimes sons judges over Israel. 2And the name of his eldest was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3However his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after unjust gain and took bribes and perverted justice. lar de king Jeho sponse 4Then all the elders of Israel assembled and Popucame to Samuel at Ramah, 5and they said to him, mand See, you have become old and your sons walk not for a in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to and judge us like all the nations. 6But the state- vah's ment displeased Samuel, when they said, Give reus a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to Jehovah. 7And Jehovah said to Samuel, Listen to the voice of the people according to all that they say to thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me from being king over them. Like all the deeds which they have done to me since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me and served other gods, so also are they doing to thee.* "Now therefore hearken to their voice, except that thou shalt solemnly warn them, and shalt show them the prerogative of the king who shall reign over them. uel's warn 10 And Samuel told all the words of Jehovah Samto the people who were asking of him a king. 11And he said, This will be the prerogative of the ingre garding king who shall reign over you: he will take your a king sons and appoint them for himself over his chariots and horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots; 12and he shall appoint them for himself as commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and some to plow his ground and to i 1027b, 111 So Gk. and Luc. and a slightly corrected Heb. text. Present Heb., and he was like me holding his peace. 82 Jos., Ant., VI, 32, one in Bethel and one in Beersheba. This vs. may be a later insertion. * 88 The direction continuation of 7 is 9. The language of 8 is that of the late prophetic writers. It also contradicts 7. 1812 So Gk., Luc., and Lat. Heb., fifties. Cf. Ex. 1821, 25, and I Sam. 227, which supposes the reading given above. m 116 So Gk., Targs., and certain Heb. MSS. and the prevailing usage in the chapter. Received Heb. text, God. the Israelites were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9And they said to the messengers who came, Thus say to the men of Jabesh in Gilead, 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun becomes hot, deliverance shall come to you.' So the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. 10Therefore the men of Jabesh said, To-morrow we will come out to you, and you shall do to us whatever you please. 11Accordingly on the following day, Saul divided the people into three divisions; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and smote the Ammonites Later Ephraimite Samuel Narratives reap his harvest and to make his implements of war and the furnishings for his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be perfumers and to be cooks and to be bakers. 14And of your fields and your vineyards and your oliveyards, he will take the best and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tithe of your grain fields and of your vineyards and give to his eunuchs and to his servants. 16And he will take your men-servants and your maid-servants, and the best of your cattle" and your asses, and use them for his work. 17He will take the tithe of your flocks; and you shall become his servants. 18Then you will cry out in that day on account of your king whom you will have chosen for yourselves; but Jehovah will not answer you in that day. mand people 19 But the people refused to listen to the voice Persistof Samuel, and said, Nay, but a king shall ende be over us, 20that we also may be like all the of the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people and repeated them to Jehovah. 22And Jehovah said to Samuel, Listen to their voice and make them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Go every man to his city.P ciation tude 10 17 And Samuel called the people together to DenunJehovah to Mizpah; 18and he said to the Israel- of their ites, Thus saith Jehovah the God of Israel, I ingratibrought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you. 19But you yourselves have this day rejected your God, who himself has been saving you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, Nay, but a king shalt thou set over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before Jehovah by your tribes and by your thousands. 816 So Gk. and Luc. Heb., young men, but those have already been alluded to in ". is good evidence that they have been supplied by an editor. 822b This may have been added by an editor in order to introduce the narrative in 91-1016, but it is also demanded by 1017. For a similar assembly at Mizpah cf. 76. Early Judean Saul Nar- until the heat of the day. His 14Then said Samuel to the Later Ephraimite Samuel Narratives of Saul 20So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel Choice near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken. 21 And by lot he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their clans; and the clan of the Matrites was taken; and he brought near the clan of Matri man by mana and Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they sought him he could not be found. 22Therefore they asked of Jehovah further, Did the man come hither ?r And Jehovah answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the baggage. 23 And one ran and brought him from there. And as he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, Have you seen him whom Jehovah hath chosen? for there is none like him among all the people. And all the people shouted loudly, May the king live !u uel's and 12 Then Samuel said to all Israel, See, I Samhave hearkened to your voice in all that you resignahave said to me and have appointed a king over tion you. 2And from now on, behold the king who farewell will go before you; but as for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my youth to this day. 3Here am I! Testify against me before Jehovah, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I oppressed? whom have I defrauded? or from whose hand have I taken a ransom, or a sandal ?v Testify and I will restore it to you. 4And they said, You have not oppressed us, nor defrauded us, nor have you taken anything from any man's hand. Therefore he said to them, Jehovah is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand. And they said, He is witness. 6Then sense. 91021b Gk. has retained this clause, which is wanting in the Heb. but demanded by the 1022 So Gk. It is in harmony with the answer of Jehovah which follows. t1112-14 Vss. 12 and 14b contain clear allusions to the secondary tradition in 1017-27 and 13 1024 Samuel's address in 12 naturally follows the public choice of the king and precedes the formal dismissal of the people recorded in 1025-27. The transposition was doubtless made by the editor who brought in the account in 11 of Saul's victory over the Ammonites, which in the early narratives led to his being chosen by the people. v 123 So Gk., confirmed by Ben Sira 461o. Minor corruptions in the Heb. have given the very different reading. As in Ruth 48, the sandal may well represent the transfer of title to property offered to the judge as a bribe. 125 So Gk. Heb., he said. Later Ephraimite Samuel Narratives Samuel said to the people, Jehovah is witness, who appointed Moses and torical "Now therefore take your stand that I may declare to you before Jehovah The hisall the righteous acts of Jehovah, which he did to you and to your fathers. retroWhen Jacoby came to Egypt, and your fathers cried to Jehovah, then spect Jehovah sent Moses and Aaron to bring your fathers out of Egypt, and madea them dwell in this place. 9But they forgot Jehovah their God, and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them. 10And they cried to Jehovah and said, We have sinned because we have forsaken Jehovah and served the Baalim and the Ashtartes. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. 11And Jehovah sent Jerubbaal, and Barak,b and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies round about you so that you dwelt in safety. 12And you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against youd. And you said to me, Nay, but a king shall reign over us,' although Jehovah your God was your king. f solemn warn 13 Now therefore see the king whom you have chosen, for Jehovah has The now set a king over you. 14If you will fear Jehovah and serve him and listen to his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, and both ing you and the king who reigns over you follow Jehovah your God, well. 16 But if you will not hearken to the voice of Jehovah, but rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, then shall the hand of Jehovah be against you and your king. 16Now therefore take your stand and see this great thing, which Jehovah is about to do before your eyes. 17Is it not wheat harvest to-day? I will call upon Jehovah, to send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of Jehovah in asking you a king. 18So Samuel called upon Jehovah, and Jehovah sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people were greatly afraid of Jehovah and Samuel. Sam 19Then all the people said to Samuel, Intercede with Jehovah your God Confesin behalf of your servants that we die not; for we have added to all our sins of the peo the crime of asking a king. 20But Samuel said to the people, Fear not; ple and you have indeed done all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following uel's Jehovah, but serve Jehovah with all your heart; and do not turn aside after vain exhorthings which cannot profit or deliver, for they are vain. 22For Jehovah because tation of his great name will not cast away his people, for Jehovah has undertaken to make you a people for himself. 23Moreover, as for me, far be it from me 12 The Heb. is corrupt. The Gk. and Luc. have preserved the text followed above. 128 And his sons is added in the Gk. 128 Heb., they (i.e., Moses and Aaron) made them dwell; but this is contrary to all the early traditions. The Gk. again has a consonant reading which is here followed. b1211 Heb., Bedan; evidently a corruption for Barak, which is preserved in Gk., Luc., and Syr. 1276-11 This entire retrospect may be from the late prophetic editor. d 1212 The reference to Nahash is apparently based upon the early Judean narrative in 11, and, if so, is from a later editor familiar with both sources. error. 1213 So Gk. Heb. adds pleonastically, and whom you have asked. 11215 So Gk. and demanded by 14b. The Heb., and against your fathers, is an obvious final Dismissal of the people Outbreak of the war and the advance of the Philis tines Later Ephraimite Samuel Narratives that I should sin against Jehovah in ceasing to intercede for you; but I will 10 25Thus Samuel revealed to the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote § 7. The Great Deliverance from the Philistines, I Sam. 72-14, Early Judean Saul Narratives I Sam. 13 2Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel: two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and on the mountain of Bethel and a thousand were with Jonathan his son in Gibeah of Benjamin. But the rest of the people he had sent each to his home. 1026 So Gk. Heb., army or fighting force. h 1025-27 These verses appear to be simply editorial, and are intended to explain Saul's Of the manner in which the great victory was wrought a very different tradition was The points of contact between the primitive and late tradition are suggestive: not Gibeah 132 The Gk. which begins the chapter with 2 has here been followed. The Heb. has |