Remain here tonight. Then in the morning, if he agrees to marry you,<n id="1" /> fine,<n id="2" /> let him do so.<n id="3" /> But if he does not want to do so, I promise, as surely as the <sc>Lordsc> lives, to marry you.<n id="4" /> Sleep here until morning.&#8221;<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">Therefore the <sc>Lordsc>, the God of Israel, says, &#8216;I really did say<n id="1" /> that your house and your ancestor&#8217;s house would serve<n id="2" /> me forever.&#8217; But now the <sc>Lordsc> says, &#8216;May it never be!<n id="3" /> For I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be cursed!

You<n id="1" /> should tell him that I am about to judge his house forever because of<n id="2" /> the sin that he knew about. For his sons were cursing God,<n id="3" /> and he did not rebuke them.

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.p>

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,<n id="1" /> where they positioned the ark of the <sc>Lordsc> until this very day in the field of Joshua who was from Beth Shemesh.p>

<p class="bodytext">Samuel took a stone and placed it between Mizpah and Shen.<n id="1" /> He named it Ebenezer,<n id="2" /> saying, &#8220;Up to here the <sc>Lordsc> has helped us.&#8221;

When you enter the town, you can find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people won&#8217;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<n id="1" /> this is the time when you can find him!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;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<n id="1" /> 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.

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.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">The next day Saul placed the people in three groups. They went to the Ammonite camp during the morning watch and struck them<n id="1" /> down until the hottest part of the day. The survivors scattered; no two of them remained together.p>

So all the people went to Gilgal, where<n id="1" /> they established Saul as king in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s presence. They offered up peace offerings there in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s presence. Saul and all the Israelites were very happy.p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Samuel said to Saul, &#8220;You have made a foolish choice! You have not obeyed<n id="1" /> the commandment that the <sc>Lordsc> your God gave<n id="2" /> you. Had you done that, the <sc>Lordsc> would have established your kingdom over Israel forever!

While<n id="1" /> Saul spoke to the priest, the panic in the Philistines&#8217; camp was becoming greater and greater. So Saul said to the priest, &#8220;Withdraw your hand!&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now the men of Israel were hard pressed that day, for Saul had made the army agree to this oath: &#8220;Cursed be the man who eats food before evening! I will get my vengeance on my enemies!&#8221; So no one in the army ate anything.p>

Saul said, &#8220;Let&#8217;s go down after the Philistines at night; we will rout<n id="1" /> them until the break of day.<n id="2" /> We won&#8217;t leave any of them alive!&#8221;<n id="3" /> They replied, &#8220;Do whatever seems best to you.&#8221;<n id="4" /> But the priest said, &#8220;Let&#8217;s approach God here.&#8221;

So go now and strike down the Amalekites. Destroy everything that they have. Don&#8217;t spare<n id="1" /> them. Put them to death &#8211; man, woman, child, infant, ox, sheep, camel, and donkey alike.&#8217;&#8221;p>

Until the day he<n id="1" /> died Samuel did not see Saul again. Samuel did, however, mourn for Saul, but the <sc>Lordsc> regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> said to Samuel, &#8220;How long do you intend to mourn for Saul? I have rejected him as king over Israel.<n id="1" /> Fill your horn with olive oil and go! I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem,<n id="2" /> for I have selected a king for myself from among his sons.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

Then Samuel said to Jesse, &#8220;Is that all of the young men?&#8221; Jesse<n id="1" /> replied, &#8220;There is still the youngest one, but he&#8217;s taking care of the flock.&#8221; Samuel said to Jesse, &#8220;Send and get him, for we cannot turn our attention to other things until he comes here.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward, shouting a battle cry.<n id="1" /> They chased the Philistines to the valley<n id="2" /> and to the very gates of Ekron. The Philistine corpses lay fallen along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.