Now Nahash the Ammonite went up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us and we will serve you." But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, "On this condition I will make a treaty with you, by gouging out the right eye of each of you, so that I can make it a disgrace for all Israel." So the elders of Jabesh said to him, "Leave us alone for seven days so that we may send messengers in all the territory of Israel, and if there is no deliverer for us, then we will come out to you." When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported these things to the people. Then all the people lifted up their voices and wept. Just then, Saul was coming from the field behind the cattle. Saul said, "What is the matter with the people, that they are weeping?" So they recounted to him the words of the men of Jabesh.

Then the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and he became very angry. So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them into pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, "Whoever is not going out after Saul and after Samuel, so will it be done to his oxen." Then the fear of Yahweh fell on the people and they went out as one man. He mustered them at Bezek; the Israelites were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah were thirty thousand. They said to the messengers who had come, "Thus you will say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: ‘Tomorrow deliverance for you will come when the sun is hot.’" When the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh, they rejoiced. The men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you and you may do to us whatever seems good to you." And the next day Saul placed the people in three divisions. Then they came into the middle of the camp at the early morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. It happened that the remainder were scattered so that no two among them remained together. Then the people said to Samuel, "Who is the one who asked, ‘Will Saul reign over us?’ Give the men to us that we may kill them." But Saul said, "No one will be put to death on this day, because today Yahweh has provided deliverance in Israel."

Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal, and let us renew the kingship there." So all the people went to Gilgal and they made Saul king there before Yahweh in Gilgal. They sacrificed fellowship offerings there before Yahweh. Then Saul rejoiced there greatly along with all the men of Israel.

Then Samuel said to all Israel, "Look, I have listened to your voice regarding all that you have said to me, so I have set a king over you. And so then here is the king walking about before you. Now I am old and gray, but my sons (look at them!) are with you; and I have walked about before you from my youth until this day. Here I am! Testify against me before Yahweh and before his anointed one! Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe, that I may shut my eyes regarding him?–then I will restore it to you." Then they said, "You have not exploited us or oppressed us, and you have not taken anything from the hand of anyone." So he said to them, "Yahweh is witness against you, and his anointed one is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." Then they said, "He is witness." Then Samuel said to the people, "Yahweh is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt. So then take your stand, so that I may judge you before Yahweh with regard to all the deeds of justice of Yahweh that he performed with both you and your ancestors.

"When Jacob came to Egypt, your ancestors cried out to Yahweh, so he sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your ancestors out from Egypt and settled them in this place. But they forgot Yahweh their God, so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the hosts of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. So they cried out to Yahweh and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken Yahweh and have served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hand of our enemies and we will serve you!’ So Yahweh sent Jerub-Baal and Bedan and Jephthah and Samuel. Then he delivered you from the hand of your enemies all around, and you lived in security.

"And when you saw that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king shall reign over us,’ although Yahweh your God is your king. So then look! Here is the king you have chosen, for whom you have asked! Look, Yahweh has placed a king over you! If you will fear Yahweh, and serve him, and listen to his voice, and not be rebellious against what Yahweh says, and both you and the king who rules over you will follow after Yahweh your God, all will be well. But, if you do not listen to the voice of Yahweh, and you rebel against what Yahweh says, then the hand of Yahweh will be against you as it was against your ancestors. So then take your stand again and see this great thing that Yahweh is going to do before your eyes. Is the wheat harvest not today? I will call out to Yahweh so that he still sends thunder and rain, so that you will know and will see that your wickedness is great that you have done in the eyes of Yahweh by asking for a king for yourselves."

So Samuel called out to Yahweh, and Yahweh brought thunder and rain that same day, so all the people feared Yahweh and Samuel greatly. Then all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God so that we will not die, because we have added to all our sins by requesting a king for ourselves." And Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear! You have done all this evil; only do not turn aside from following Yahweh. But you must serve Yahweh with all your heart. And do not turn aside after the triviality, which have no value and cannot deliver, for they are triviality. For Yahweh will not forsake his people for the sake of his great name, because Yahweh has decided to make you his own people. Also, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the good and righteous way. Only fear Yahweh and serve him faithfully with all of your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. But if you continue to do wickedness, both you and your king will be swept away."

Saul was thirty years old at the beginning of his reign, and he reigned forty-two years over Israel. He chose for himself three thousand from Israel. Two thousand of these were with Saul at Micmash in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. He sent away the rest of the people, each to his tent. Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!" And all Israel did hear, saying, "Saul has defeated the garrison of the Philistines; and also, Israel has become a stench among the Philistines!" So the people were called out after Saul at Gilgal.

And the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen and an army as numerous as sand which is on the seashore. And they came up and encamped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven.

When the men of Israel saw that it was too difficult for them, because the army was hard pressed, the people hid themselves in the caves, in the thorn bushes, in the cliffs, in the vaults and in the wells. Some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the army followed him trembling. He waited seven days according to the appointed time Samuel determined, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the army started to slip away from him. So Saul said, "Bring here to me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." Then he offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished offering the burnt sacrifice, Samuel was coming. So Saul went out to meet him and to bless him. But Samuel said, "What have you done?" Saul said, "Because I saw that the army was scattering from me and you did not come at the appointed time and that the Philistines had gathered at Micmash, therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet implored the face of Yahweh.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering."

Then Samuel said to Saul, "You have behaved foolishly! You have not kept the command of Yahweh your God which he commanded you. For then, Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now, your kingdom will not endure. Yahweh has sought for himself a man according to his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him as leader over his people, because you have not kept what Yahweh commanded you."

Then Samuel got up and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul mustered the people who were found with him, about six hundred men. Saul and Jonathan his son and the army that remained with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, and the Philistines encamped at Micmash. The raiders went out from the camp of the Philistines in three divisions. One division turned on the road to Ophrah toward the land of Shual. One division turned on the road to Beth Horon, and one turned on the road toward the border overlooking the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

Now no skilled craftsman could be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, "So that the Hebrews cannot make swords or spears for themselves." So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to have his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his iron plowshare sharpened. The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshare and for the mattock, and a third of a shekel for the pick and for the axe, and to set the goading sticks. So on the day of battle, there was not a sword or a spear found in the hands of all the army that was with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and his son Jonathan had them. Now the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Micmash.

A psalm of David. To bring to remembrance.

But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, both men and women, he could bring them tied up to Jerusalem. Now as he proceeded, it happened that when he approached Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" So he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting! But get up and enter into the city, and it will be told to you what you must do." (Now the men who were traveling together with him stood speechless, because they heard the voice but saw no one.) So Saul got up from the ground, but although his eyes were open he could see nothing. And leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. And he was unable to see for three days, and he did not eat or drink.

Now there was a certain disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias!" And he said, "Behold, here I am, Lord!" And the Lord said to him, "Get up, go to the street called ‘Straight’ and in the house of Judas look for a man named Saul from Tarsus. For behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and placing hands on him so that he may regain his sight." But Ananias replied, "Lord, I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem, and here he has authority from the chief priests to tie up all who call upon your name!" But the Lord said to him, "Go, because this man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." So Ananias departed and entered into the house, and placing his hands on him, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you came, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight and got up and was baptized, and after taking food, he regained his strength. And he was with the disciples in Damascus several days.

And immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: "This one is the Son of God!" And all who heard him were amazed, and were saying, "Is this not the one who was wreaking havoc in Jerusalem on those who call upon this name, and had come here for this reason, that he could bring them tied up to the chief priests?" But Saul was increasing in strength even more, and was confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this one is the Christ.

And when many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted to do away with him. But their plot became known to Saul, and they were also watching the gates both day and night so that they could do away with him. But his disciples took him at night and let him down through the wall by lowering him in a basket.

And when he arrived in Jerusalem, he was attempting to associate with the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and related to them how he had seen the Lord on the road and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. And he was going in and going out among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. And he was speaking and debating with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they were trying to do away with him. And when the brothers found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

Then the church throughout all of Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being strengthened. And living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it was increasing in numbers.

Now it happened that as Peter was traveling through all the places, he also came down to the saints who lived in Lydda. And he found there a certain man named Aeneas who was paralyzed, who had been lying on a mat for eight years. And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and make your bed yourself!" And immediately he got up. And all those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him, who all indeed turned to the Lord.

Now in Joppa there was a certain female disciple named Tabitha (which translated means "Dorcas"). She was full of good deeds and charitable giving which she was constantly doing. Now it happened that in those days after becoming sick, she died. And after washing her, they placed her in an upstairs room. And because Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, when they heard that Peter was in Lydda, sent two men to him, urging, "Do not delay to come to us!" So Peter got up and accompanied them. When he arrived, they brought him up to the upstairs room, and all the widows came to him, weeping and showing him tunics and other clothing that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. But Peter sent them all outside, and, falling to his knees, he prayed. And turning toward the body, he said, "Tabitha, get up!" And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. And he called the saints and the widows and presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And it happened that he stayed many days in Joppa with a certain Simon, a tanner.