1
About a month later King Nahash of Ammon led his army against the town of Jabesh in the territory of Gilead and besieged it. The men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we will accept you as our ruler."
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Nahash answered, "I will make a treaty with you on one condition: I will put out everyone's right eye and so bring disgrace on all Israel."
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The leaders of Jabesh said, "Give us seven days to send messengers throughout the land of Israel. If no one will help us, then we will surrender to you."
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The messengers arrived at Gibeah, where Saul lived, and when they told the news, the people started crying in despair.
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Saul was just then coming in from the field with his oxen, and he asked, "What's wrong? Why is everyone crying?" They told him what the messengers from Jabesh had reported.
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When Saul heard this, the spirit of God took control of him, and he became furious.
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He took two oxen, cut them in pieces, and had messengers carry the pieces throughout the land of Israel with this warning: "Whoever does not follow Saul and Samuel into battle will have this done to his oxen!" The people of Israel were afraid of what the LORD might do, and all of them, without exception, came out together.
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Saul gathered them at Bezek: there were 300,000 from Israel and 30,000 from Judah.
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They said to the messengers from Jabesh, "Tell your people that before noon tomorrow they will be rescued." When the people of Jabesh received the message, they were overjoyed
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and said to Nahash, "Tomorrow we will surrender to you, and you can do with us whatever you wish."
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That night Saul divided his men into three groups, and at dawn the next day they rushed into the enemy camp and attacked the Ammonites. By noon they had slaughtered them. The survivors scattered, each man running off by himself.
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Then the people of Israel said to Samuel, "Where are the people who said that Saul should not be our king? Hand them over to us, and we will kill them!"
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But Saul said, "No one will be put to death today, for this is the day the LORD rescued Israel."
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And Samuel said to them, "Let us all go to Gilgal and once more proclaim Saul as our king."
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So they all went to Gilgal, and there at the holy place they proclaimed Saul king. They offered fellowship sacrifices, and Saul and all the people of Israel celebrated the event.
1
Then Samuel said to the people of Israel, "I have done what you asked me to do. I have given you a king to rule you,
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and now you have him to lead you. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are with you. I have been your leader from my youth until now.
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Here I am. If I have done anything wrong, accuse me now in the presence of the LORD and the king he has chosen. Have I taken anybody's cow or anybody's donkey? Have I cheated or oppressed anyone? Have I accepted a bribe from anyone? If I have done any of these things, I will pay back what I have taken."
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The people answered, "No, you have not cheated us or oppressed us; you have not taken anything from anyone."
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Samuel replied, "The LORD and the king he has chosen are witnesses today that you have found me to be completely innocent." "Yes, the LORD is our witness," they answered.
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Samuel continued, "The LORD is the one who chose Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestors out of Egypt.
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Now stand where you are, and I will accuse you before the LORD by reminding you of all the mighty actions the LORD did to save you and your ancestors.
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When Jacob and his family went to Egypt and the Egyptians oppressed them, your ancestors cried to the LORD for help, and he sent Moses and Aaron, who brought them out of Egypt and settled them in this land.
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But the people forgot the LORD their God, and so he let the Philistines and the king of Moab and Sisera, commander of the army of the city of Hazor, fight against your ancestors and conquer them.
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Then they cried to the LORD for help and said, 'We have sinned, because we turned away from you, LORD, and worshiped the idols of Baal and Astarte. Rescue us from our enemies, and we will worship you!'
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And the LORD sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and finally me. Each of us rescued you from your enemies, and you lived in safety.
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But when you saw that King Nahash of Ammon was about to attack you, you rejected the LORD as your king and said to me, 'We want a king to rule us.'
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"Now here is the king you chose; you asked for him, and now the LORD has given him to you.
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All will go well with you if you honor the LORD your God, serve him, listen to him, and obey his commands, and if you and your king follow him.
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But if you do not listen to the LORD but disobey his commands, he will be against you and your king.
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So then, stand where you are, and you will see the great thing which the LORD is going to do.
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It's the dry season, isn't it? But I will pray, and the LORD will send thunder and rain. When this happens, you will realize that you committed a great sin against the LORD when you asked him for a king."
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So Samuel prayed, and on that same day the LORD sent thunder and rain. Then all the people became afraid of the LORD and of Samuel,
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and they said to Samuel, "Please, sir, pray to the LORD your God for us, so that we won't die. We now realize that, besides all our other sins, we have sinned by asking for a king."
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"Don't be afraid," Samuel answered. "Even though you have done such an evil thing, do not turn away from the LORD, but serve him with all your heart.
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Don't go after false gods; they cannot help you or save you, for they are not real.
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The LORD has made a solemn promise, and he will not abandon you, for he has decided to make you his own people.
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As for me, the LORD forbid that I should sin against him by no longer praying for you. Instead, I will teach you what is good and right for you to do.
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Obey the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Remember the great things he has done for you.
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But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be destroyed."
1
Adam was the father of Seth, Seth was the father of Enosh, Enosh the father of Kenan,
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Kenan the father of Mahalalel, Mahalalel the father of Jared.
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Jared was the father of Enoch, who was the father of Methuselah; Methuselah was the father of Lamech,
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who was the father of Noah. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
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The sons of Japheth---Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras---were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.
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The descendants of Gomer were the people of Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
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The descendants of Javan were the people of Elishah, Spain, Cyprus, and Rhodes.
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The sons of Ham---Cush, Egypt, Libya, and Canaan---were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.
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The descendants of Cush were the people of Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were the people of Sheba and Dedan.
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(Cush had a son named Nimrod, who became the world's first great conqueror.)
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The descendants of Egypt were the people of Lydia, Anam, Lehab, Naphtuh,
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Pathrus, Casluh, and of Crete (from whom the Philistines were descended).
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Canaan's sons---Sidon, the oldest, and Heth---were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.
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Canaan was also the ancestor of the Jebusites, the Amorites, Girgashites,
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Hivites, Arkites, Sinites,
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Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites.
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Shem's sons---Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshek---were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.
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Arpachshad was the father of Shelah, who was the father of Eber.
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Eber had two sons; one was named Peleg, because during his time the people of the world were divided, and the other was named Joktan.
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The descendants of Joktan were the people of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
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Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
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Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab.
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The family line from Shem to Abram is as follows: Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah,
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and Abram (also known as Abraham).
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Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael.
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The sons of Ishmael became the heads of twelve tribes: Nebaioth (from the name of Ishmael's oldest son), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
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Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,
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Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
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Abraham had a concubine named Keturah, who bore him six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan had two sons: Sheba and Dedan.
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Midian had five sons: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.
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Abraham's son Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob.
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Esau's sons were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
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Eliphaz became the ancestor of the following tribes: Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek.
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And Reuel became the ancestor of the tribes of Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
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The original inhabitants of Edom were descended from the following sons of Seir: Lotan, who was the ancestor of the clans of Hori and Homam. (Lotan had a sister named Timna.) Shobal, who was the ancestor of the clans of Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. Zibeon, who had two sons, Aiah and Anah. Anah was the father of Dishon, and Dishon was the ancestor of the clans of Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. Ezer, who was the ancestor of the clans of Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. Dishan, who was the ancestor of the clans of Uz and Aran.
43
The following kings ruled the land of Edom one after the other, in the time before there were any kings in Israel: Bela son of Beor from Dinhabah Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah Husham from the region of Teman Hadad son of Bedad from Avith (he defeated the Midianites in a battle in the country of Moab) Samlah from Masrekah Shaul from Rehoboth-on-the-River Baal Hanan son of Achbor Hadad from Pau (his wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Mezahab)
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The people of Edom were divided into the following tribes: Timna, Alvah, Jetheth,
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Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon,
1
I wish you would tolerate me, even when I am a bit foolish. Please do!
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I am jealous for you, just as God is; you are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, Christ himself.
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I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ---in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake's clever lies.
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For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us!
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I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those very special so-called "apostles" of yours!
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Perhaps I am an amateur in speaking, but certainly not in knowledge; we have made this clear to you at all times and in all conditions.
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I did not charge you a thing when I preached the Good News of God to you; I humbled myself in order to make you important. Was that wrong of me?
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While I was working among you, I was paid by other churches. I was robbing them, so to speak, in order to help you.
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And during the time I was with you I did not bother you for help when I needed money; the believers who came from Macedonia brought me everything I needed. As in the past, so in the future: I will never be a burden to you!
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By Christ's truth in me, I promise that this boast of mine will not be silenced anywhere in all of Achaia.
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Do I say this because I don't love you? God knows I love you!
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I will go on doing what I am doing now, in order to keep those other "apostles" from having any reason for boasting and saying that they work in the same way that we do.
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Those men are not true apostles---they are false apostles, who lie about their work and disguise themselves to look like real apostles of Christ.
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Well, no wonder! Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light!
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So it is no great thing if his servants disguise themselves to look like servants of righteousness. In the end they will get exactly what their actions deserve.
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I repeat: no one should think that I am a fool. But if you do, at least accept me as a fool, just so I will have a little to boast of.
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Of course what I am saying now is not what the Lord would have me say; in this matter of boasting I am really talking like a fool.
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But since there are so many who boast for merely human reasons, I will do the same.
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You yourselves are so wise, and so you gladly tolerate fools!
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You tolerate anyone who orders you around or takes advantage of you or traps you or looks down on you or slaps you in the face.
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I am ashamed to admit that we were too timid to do those things! But if anyone dares to boast about something---I am talking like a fool---I will be just as daring.
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Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I.
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Are they Christ's servants? I sound like a madman---but I am a better servant than they are! I have worked much harder, I have been in prison more times, I have been whipped much more, and I have been near death more often.
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Five times I was given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews;
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three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water.
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In my many travels I have been in danger from floods and from robbers, in danger from my own people and from Gentiles; there have been dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, dangers on the high seas, and dangers from false friends.
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There has been work and toil; often I have gone without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty; I have often been without enough food, shelter, or clothing.
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And not to mention other things, every day I am under the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
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When someone is weak, then I feel weak too; when someone is led into sin, I am filled with distress.
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If I must boast, I will boast about things that show how weak I am.
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The God and Father of the Lord Jesus---blessed be his name forever!---knows that I am not lying.
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When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas placed guards at the city gates to arrest me.
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But I was let down in a basket through an opening in the wall and escaped from him.
