So they ran and brought him from there. When he took his position among the people, he stood head and shoulders above them all.

When the messengers went to Gibeah (where Saul lived) ¹  and informed the people of these matters, all the people wept loudly. ² 

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

When the army entered the forest, they saw ¹  the honey flowing, but no one ate any of it, ²  for the army was afraid of the oath.

Then someone from the army informed him, “Your father put the army under a strict oath ¹  saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food today!’ That is why the army is tired.”

So the army rushed greedily on ¹  the ²  plunder, confiscating sheep, cattle, and calves. They slaughtered them right on the ground, and the army ate them blood and all.

Then Samuel called the people together before the Lord at Mizpah.

Then Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? Indeed, there is no one like him among all the people!” All the people shouted out, “Long live the king!”

So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king.

But the people refused to heed Samuel’s warning. ¹  Instead they said, “No! There will be a king over us!

So Samuel listened to everything the people said and then reported it to the Lord. ¹ 

Then the people said to Samuel, “Who were the ones asking, ‘Will Saul reign over us?’ Hand over those men so we may execute them!”

Samuel said to the people, “Come on! Let’s go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.”

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’s people ¹  with the sword.

But the army took from the plunder some of the sheep and cattle – the best of what was to be slaughtered – to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”

The soldiers ¹  told him what had been promised, saying, ²  “This is what will be done for the man who can strike him down.”

Saul removed David ¹  from his presence and made him a commanding officer. ²  David led the army out to battle and back. ³ 

Then Samuel talked to the people about how the kingship would work. ¹  He wrote it all down on a scroll and set it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away to their homes.

Now the men of Israel were hard pressed that day, for Saul had made the army agree to this oath: “Cursed be the man who eats food before evening! I will get my vengeance on my enemies!” So no one in the army ate anything.