Then someone from the army informed him, &#8220;Your father put the army under a strict oath<n id="1" /> saying, &#8216;Cursed be the man who eats food today!&#8217; That is why the army is tired.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">So they ran and brought him from there. When he took his position among the people, he stood head and shoulders above them all.

<p class="bodytext">When the messengers went to Gibeah (where Saul lived)<n id="1" /> and informed the people of these matters, all the people wept loudly.<n id="2" />

The <sc>Lordsc> will not abandon his people because he wants to uphold his great reputation.<n id="1" /> The <sc>Lordsc> was pleased to make you his own people.

The men of Israel realized they had a problem because their army was hard pressed. So the army hid in caves, thickets, cliffs, strongholds,<n id="1" /> and cisterns.

When the army entered the forest, they saw<n id="1" /> the honey flowing, but no one ate any of it,<n id="2" /> for the army was afraid of the oath.

So the army rushed greedily on<n id="1" /> the<n id="2" /> plunder, confiscating sheep, cattle, and calves. They slaughtered them right on the ground, and the army ate them blood and all.p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Samuel called the people together before the <sc>Lordsc> at Mizpah.

<p class="bodytext">But the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> struck down some of the people of Beth Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the <sc>Lordsc>; he struck down 50,070<n id="2" /> of the men. The people grieved because the <sc>Lordsc> had struck the people with a hard blow.

&#8220;At this time tomorrow I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin. You must consecrate<n id="1" /> 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!&#8221;p>

Then Samuel said to all the people, &#8220;Do you see the one whom the <sc>Lordsc> has chosen? Indeed, there is no one like him among all the people!&#8221; All the people shouted out, &#8220;Long live the king!&#8221;p>

This ought not to be,<n id="1" /> my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s people is not good.

<p class="bodytext">So Samuel spoke all the words of the <sc>Lordsc> to the people who were asking him for a king.

<p class="bodytext">But the people refused to heed Samuel&#8217;s warning.<n id="1" /> Instead they said, &#8220;No! There will be a king over us!

<p class="bodytext">So Samuel listened to everything the people said and then reported it to the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="1" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then the people said to Samuel, &#8220;Who were the ones asking, &#8216;Will Saul reign over us?&#8217; Hand over those men so we may execute them!&#8221;

Samuel said to the people, &#8220;Come on! Let&#8217;s go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.&#8221;

Saul, his son Jonathan, and the army that remained with them stayed in Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped in Micmash.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">On that day the army struck down the Philistines from Micmash to Aijalon, and they became very tired.

He captured King Agag of the Amalekites alive, but he executed all Agag&#8217;s people<n id="1" /> with the sword.