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.p>

(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.)

So Saul said to his servant, &#8220;That&#8217;s a good idea!<n id="1" /> Come on. Let&#8217;s go.&#8221; So they went to the town where the man of God was.p>

<p class="bodytext">When Samuel saw Saul, the <sc>Lordsc> said,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Here is the man that I told you about! He will rule over my people.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Then Samuel brought<n id="1" /> 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.

<p class="bodytext">A man who was from there replied, &#8220;And who is their father?&#8221; Therefore this became a proverb: &#8220;Is even Saul among the prophets?&#8221;

So they inquired again of the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;Has the man arrived here yet?&#8221; The <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8220;He has hidden himself among the equipment.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">Nahash<n id="2" /> the Ammonite marched<n id="3" /> against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh Gilead said to Nahash, &#8220;Make a treaty with us and we will serve you.&#8221;p>

But Saul said, &#8220;No one will be killed on this day. For today the <sc>Lordsc> has given Israel a victory!&#8221;

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.

<p class="bodytext">Then Samuel set out and went up from Gilgal<n id="1" /> to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin.<n id="2" /> Saul mustered the army that remained with him; there were about six hundred men.

So all Israel had to go down to the Philistines in order to get their plowshares, cutting instruments, axes, and sickles<n id="1" /> sharpened.

<p class="bodytext">Now Saul was sitting under a pomegranate tree in Migron, on the outskirts of Gibeah. The army that was with him numbered about six hundred men.

In this initial skirmish Jonathan and his armor bearer struck down about twenty men in an area that measured half an acre.p>

<p class="bodytext">Saul and all the army that was with him assembled and marched into battle, where they found<n id="1" /> the Philistines in total panic killing one another with their swords.<n id="2" />

When all the Israelites who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, they too pursued them in battle.

<p class="bodytext">There was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. So whenever Saul saw anyone who was a warrior or a brave individual, he would conscript him.p>

<p class="bodytext">So Saul assembled<n id="1" /> the army<n id="2" /> and mustered them at Telaim. There were 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah.

Then the Philistine said, &#8220;I defy Israel&#8217;s troops this day! Give me a man so we can fight<n id="1" /> each other!&#8221;

As he was speaking with them, the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, was coming up from the battle lines of the Philistines. He spoke the way he usually did,<n id="1" /> and David heard it.