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THE PLAIN OF ESDRAELONFrom a photograph belonging to Prof. H. G. Mitchell and used by his kind permission.
The plain of Esdraelon or Jezreel is one of the famous battle fields of the world's history. Lying in the heart of Palestine, the great highways of commerce come down through the hills and cross its level fields. Through it runs the little river Kishon. On the banks of this stream the hosts of Sisera were routed (seeTales of Brave Women, Vol. III). Here Gideon and his three hundred men swept before them the hordes of Midian in the panic of the night attack. Here began the battle between Saul and the Philistines which ended in the death of the king, whose force had been pushed back to the height of Gilboa (seeThe Great Kingsin this volume). Here King Josiah was mortally wounded in his fatal fight with the armies of Egypt (seeThe Story of a Divided Kingdom, Vol. III). Through its fertile fields in all ages of history the armies of the great kingdoms of the East have marched to battle and conquest
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Then went he down with Purah his servant to the outermost part of the armed men that were in the camp. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is upon the sea shore for multitude. And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream to his fellow, and said, "Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and smote it that it fell, and turned it upside down, that the tent lay flat."
And his fellow answered and said, "This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: into his hand God hath delivered Midian, and all the host."
And when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, he worshiped; and returned into the camp of Israel, and said, "Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian."
And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put into the hands of all of them trumpets, and empty pitchers, with torches within the pitchers. And he said to them, "Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow the trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say,--
"'For the Lord and for Gideon.'"
So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outermost part of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, when they had but newly set{330}the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and broke in pieces the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow wherewith: and they cried, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon."
And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran; and they shouted, and put them to flight. And they blew the three hundred trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, and against all the host: and the host fled in confusion. And the men of Israel were gathered together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after Midian. And Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against Midian, and hold the fords as far as the fords of Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and held the fords as far as the fords of Jordan. And they took the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the wine press of Zeeb, and pursued Midian: and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon beyond Jordan.
Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, "Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast saved us out of the hand of Midian."
And Gideon said unto them, "I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you."
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So Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, and they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon.
And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulcher of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
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ABIMELECHThe Story of the Sons of Gideon, and the Evil Which Befell Them.
ABIMELECH SEIZES THE LEADERSHIP.
(This is the first of the bloody conflicts for leadership in Hebrew history, so common after the kingdom was established. Abimelech, the son of Gideon, whose mother was a woman of Shechem and a servant, killed all the other children but Jotham, and died himself in battle after a brief period of supremacy.)
And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother's brethren, and spoke with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying, "Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, 'Which is better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, who are threescore and ten persons, rule over you, or that one rule over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.'"
And his mother's brethren spoke of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, "He is our brother." And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light fellows, who followed him. And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of{333}Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
AN OLD FABLE.
(This is one of the earliest of those stories called fables in which animals or trees or other things not living are represented as speaking and acting like living persons. Such stories were usually told to teach some lesson.)
And all the men of Shechem assembled themselves together, and all the house of Millo, and went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar that was in Shechem. And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, "Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you. The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, 'Reign thou over us.' But the olive tree said unto them, 'Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?' And the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come thou, and reign over us.' But the fig tree said unto them, 'Should I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?' And the trees said to the vine, 'Come thou, and reign over us.' And the vine said unto them, 'Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to wave to and fro over the trees?' Then said all the trees to the bramble, 'Come thou, and reign over us.' And the bramble{334}said to the trees, 'If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.'
"Now therefore, if ye have dealt truly and uprightly, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him according to the deserving of his hands; (for my father fought for you, and adventured his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: and ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maid-servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;) if ye then have dealt truly and uprightly with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech." And Jotham ran away, and fled, for fear of Abimelech his brother.
THE FATE OF ABIMELECH.After Several Years of Uneasy Rule Abimelech Met His Fate at the Hands of His Enemies.
And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together. And Abimelech went up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it up, and laid it on his shoulder: and he said to the people that were with him, "What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done."
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SHECHEM
In the time of the Judges, Shechem was known as the City of Abimelech. The people of the town first made him king and then revolted against him. Afterward he captured the city and utterly destroyed it
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And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them about the tower, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.
Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut themselves in, and went up to the roof of the tower. And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went close under the door of the tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman cast an upper millstone upon Abimelech's head, and broke his skull. Then he called hastily unto the young man his armor-bearer, and said unto him, "Draw thy sword, and kill me, that men say not of me, 'A woman slew him.'"
And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.
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SAMUELThe Story of a Man Who Began to Do Right When He Was a Boy, and Who Never Departed from the Way in Which He Began.
(Samuel is one of the finest characters in the Old Testament. In the midst of evil times, and in contact with evil men, he never departed from the strict way of truth and righteousness and service to God. Samuel was fortunate in having an excellent mother. She dedicated her son to God, and gave him very early to the service of God. She loved him very much, and no doubt missed him very much from the home. Every year she went to see him, and brought him a little coat which she had made.
"But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child. Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.")
HOW SAMUEL LEARNED TO OBEY THE VOICE OF GOD.
And the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see), and the lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was; that the Lord called Samuel: and he said, "Here am I."
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SOURCES OF THE JORDAN. THE ANCIENT DAN
Dan was a city on the northern boundary of Palestine, and Beer-sheba was a city on the southern boundary, so there came to be a national saying "from Dan to Beer-sheba," to indicate the whole kingdom. "And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord." The picture is taken near the supposed site of the ancient city at the point where a great spring bursting forth forms the principal source of the Jordan river.
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And he ran to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst me."
And he said, "I called not; lie down again."
And he went and lay down. And the Lord called yet again, "Samuel."
And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst me."
And he answered, "I called not, my son; lie down again."
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst. me."
And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.
Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, 'Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.'"
So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, "Samuel, Samuel."
Then Samuel said, "Speak; for thy servant heareth." And the Lord said, "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even unto the end. For I have told him that I will judge{342}his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever."
And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel, and said, "Samuel, my son."
And he said, "Here am I."
And he said, "What is the thing that the Lord hath spoken unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke unto thee."
And Samuel told him every word, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good."
And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.
HOW THE WICKEDNESS OF THE LEADERS BROUGHT SORE DEFEAT UPON ISRAEL AND HOW ELI DIED WHEN HE HEARD THE NEWS.
Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and camped beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines camped in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
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THE RUINS OF SHILOH (SEILUN), FROM THE NORTHEASTUsed by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
The mound is covered with foundations, heaps of stones, and walls.
"And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head." Shiloh was one of the principal sanctuaries of Israel throughout the time of the Judges. Here the ark was kept, and here Eli was living when the man of Benjamin came out of the fatal fight to tell Eli that his sons were slain and the Ark of God was taken by the Philistines.
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And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to-day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies."
So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which sitteth upon the cherubim: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews?"
And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp. And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God is come into the camp." And they said, "Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? these are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues in the wilderness. Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight."
And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man to his tent: and there was a very{346}great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon his seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, "What meaneth the noise of this tumult?"
And the man hasted, and came and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were set, that he could not see.
And the man said unto Eli, "I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to-day out of the army."
And he said, "How went the matter, my son?"
And he that brought the tidings answered and said, "Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken."
And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck broke, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.
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The Great Kings
After the judges came the kings. There were many kings in Israel's history, but the first three were really the greatest. Saul was the founder of the kingdom, a mighty king in spite of his faults. David made the nation great because he was great himself. Solomon by his wisdom and skill raised Israel to such wealth and splendor as it never had before or after.
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SAULThe Story of the Farmer Who Became King.
(Samuel was the last and the best of the Judges of Israel. He conquered the Philistines, and for many years the land had peace. He was a "circuit judge," going from district to district. As he grew old he attempted to put his sons in his place, but they were not like their father. They took bribes and did that which was evil. Then the people demanded a king. How Samuel at first resisted, but at last yielded and anointed Saul as king, is told in the following story.)
THE PEOPLE DEMAND A KING TO RULE OVER THEM.Samuel Warns Them of the Dangers of a Kingdom.
After a great victory over the Philistines, Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer (that is, the stone of help), saying, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us."
So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more within the border of Israel: and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went from year to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all those places. And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house; and there he judged Israel: and he built there an altar unto the Lord.
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And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after money, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah: and they said to him, "Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations."
But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, "Give us a king to judge us."
And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, "Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also to thee. Now therefore hearken to their voice: howbeit thou shalt protest solemnly to them, and shalt show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them."
And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, "This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before{351}his chariots: and he will appoint them for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will set some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not answer you in that day."
But the people refused to hearken to the voice of Samuel; and they said, "Nay; but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles."
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, "Hearken to their voice, and make them a king."
And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go ye every man unto his city."
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THE TALL SON OF KISH IS CHOSEN.Saul Is Secretly Anointed by Samuel to Be King.
Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. And he had a son whose name was Saul, a young man and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, "Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses."
And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim, but they found them not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. When they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, "Come and let us return; lest my father stop caring for the asses, and be anxious for us."
And he said to him, "Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can tell us concerning our journey whereon we go."
Then said Saul to his servant, "But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?" And the servant answered Saul again, and said, "Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way."
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Then said Saul to his servant, "Well said; come, let us go."
So they went unto the city where the man of God was. As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said to them, "Is the seer here?"
And they answered them and said, "He is; behold, he is before thee: make haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place: as soon as ye are come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards those eat who are bidden. Now therefore get you up; for at this time ye shall find him."
And they went up to the city; and as they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them to go up to the high place.
Now the Lord had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying, "To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be prince over my people Israel, and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me."
And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, "Behold the man of whom I spoke to thee! this same shall have authority over my people."
Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said. "Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is."
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And Samuel answered Saul, and said, "I am the seer; go up before me unto the high place, for ye shall eat with me to-day: and in the morning I will let thee go, and will tell all that is in thine heart. And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for thee, and for all thy father's house?"
And Saul answered and said, "Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou to me after this manner?"
And Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the guest chamber, and made them sit in the chiefest place among those who were bidden, who were about thirty persons. And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said to thee, 'Set it by thee.'"
And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, "Behold that which hath been reserved! set it before thee and eat; because to the appointed time hath it been kept for thee, for I said, 'I have invited the people.'"
So Saul did eat with Samuel that day. And when they were come down from the high place into the city, he communed with Saul upon the housetop.
And they arose early: and it came to pass about the dawning of the day, that Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying, "Up, that I may send thee away."
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THE ANCIENT MIZPAH, LOOKING FROM THE SOUTH.It is situated on a high hill to the northwest of Jerusalem.From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell. and used by his kind permission.
There were many places in Palestine called Mizpah, "watch tower," but it seems probable that the location shown in the picture was the site of Samuel's home.
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And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Bid the servant pass on before us" (and he passed on), "but stand thou still that I may cause thee to hear the word of God."
Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, "Is it not that the Lord hath anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance?" And Saul departed from Samuel.
And when Saul reached home his uncle said to him and to his servant, "Whither went ye?" And he said, "To seek the asses: and when we saw that they were not found, we came to Samuel."
And Saul's uncle said, "Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said to you." And Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the asses were found." But concerning the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel spoke, he told him not.
SAUL IS PUBLICLY PROCLAIMED KING."God Save the King!"
And Samuel called the people together to the Lord to Mizpah; and he said to the children of Israel, "Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you: but ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saveth you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and ye have said to him, 'Nay, but set a king over us.' Now{358}therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by your thousands."
So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. And he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by their families, and the family of the Matrites was chosen: and Saul the son of Kish was chosen; but when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they asked of the Lord further, "Is the man yet come hither?"
And the Lord answered, "Behold, he hath hid himself in the camp."
And they ran and fetched him thence; and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward. And Samuel said to all the people, "See ye him whom the Lord hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?"
And all the people shouted, and said,--
"God save the king!"
Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. And Saul also went to his house to Gibeah; and there went with him the host, whose hearts God had touched.
But certain worthless fellows said, "How shall this man save us?"
And they despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his peace.
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SAUL IS TRIED AND IS NOT FOUND WANTING.The First Battle of the New King.
Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve thee."
And Nahash the Ammonite said unto them, "On this condition will I make it with you, that all your right eyes be put out; and I will lay it for a reproach upon all Israel."
And the elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel: and then, if there be none to save us, we will come out to thee."
Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and spoke these words in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And, behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field; and Saul said, "What aileth the people that they weep?"
And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. And the spirit of God came mightily upon Saul when he heard those words, and his anger was kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, "Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen."
And the dread of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out as one man. And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they said{360}to the messengers that came, "Thus shall ye say unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, 'To-morrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall have deliverance.'"
And the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "To-morrow we will come out unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you."
And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and smote the Ammonites until the heat of day: and it came to pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.
And the people said to Samuel, "Who is he that said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' bring the men, that we may put them to death."
And Saul said, "There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to-day the Lord hath wrought deliverance in Israel."
SAUL THE WARRIOR.Battles and Victories.
Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two years over Israel. And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mount of Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul{361}blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear." And all Israel heard that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was held in abomination by the Philistines. And the people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.
And the Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up and pitched in Michmash, eastward of Beth-aven. When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in holds, and in pits. Now some of the Hebrews had gone over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said, "Bring hither the burnt offering to me, and the peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering. And it came to pass that, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, "What hast thou done?" And Saul said, "Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou earnest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash; therefore said I, 'Now will the Philistines come{362}down upon me to Gilgal, and I have not intreated the favor of the Lord': I forced myself therefore to do it, and offered the burnt offering."
And Samuel said to Saul, "Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath appointed him to be prince over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee."
And Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men. And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Geba of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash. And bands of the Philistines came out and ravaged the country all about.
Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, "There shall be no blacksmith, lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears": but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen their axes and ploughshares and other tools.
So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan; except in the hands of Saul and Jonathan his son. And the garrison of the Philistines went out unto the pass of Michmash.
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THE VALLEY OF AIJALON
"Throughout history we see hosts swarming up this avenue or swept down it in flight. Joshua drove the Canaanites down this valley. Down Aijalon the early men of Ephraim and Benjamin raided the Philistines. Up Aijalon the Philistines swarmed to the very heart of Israel's territory at Michmash, disarmed the Israelites, and forced them to come down the vale to get their tools sharpened, so that the mouth of the vale was called the 'Valley of the Smiths,' even till after the Exile. Down Aijalon Saul and Jonathan beat the Philistines from Michmash."
--George Adam Smith
David also fought in Aijalon, and in 66 A. D., a Roman army suffered a terrible defeat in the valley.
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Now it fell upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man who bore his armor, "Come and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison, that is on yonder side."
But he told not his father. And Saul abode in the uttermost part of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men. And the people knew not that Jonathan was gone. And between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side. The one crag rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba. And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armor, "Come and let us go over unto the garrison of the Philistines: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no reason why the Lord cannot save by many or by few."
And his armorbearer said to him, "Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee, behold I am with thee according to thy wish." Then said Jonathan, "Behold, we will pass over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. If they say thus unto us, 'Tarry until we come to you'; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to them. But if they say thus, 'Come up to us'; then we will go up: for the Lord hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be the sign to us."
And both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, "Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid{366}themselves." And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, "Come up to us, and we will show you something."
And Jonathan said to his armorbearer, "Come up after me: for the Lord hath delivered them into the hand of Israel."
And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armorbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armorbearer slew them after him. And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armorbearer made, was about twenty men, within an acre of land. And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went hither and thither.
Then said Saul to the people that were with him, "Number now, and see who is gone from us."
And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. And Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring hither the ark of God."
For the ark of God was there at that time with the children of Israel. And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased: and Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw thine hand."
And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together, and came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great rout. Now the Hebrews that were with the{367}Philistines as beforetime, which went up with them into the camp from the country round about; even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves in the hill country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle.
So the Lord saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over by Beth-aven. And the men of Israel were distressed that day: but Saul commanded the people, saying, "Cursed be the man that eateth any food until it be evening, and I be avenged on mine enemies." So none of the people tasted food. And all the people came into the forest; and there was honey upon the ground. And when the people were come unto the forest, behold, the honey dropped: but no man ate any; for the people feared the oath. But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and ate it; and he was strengthened. Then said one of the people, "Thy father straitly charged the people with an oath, saying, "Cursed be the man that eateth food this day."
And the people were faint. Then said Jonathan, "My father hath troubled the land: see, I pray you, how I have been strengthened, because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more, if the people had eaten freely to-day of the spoil of their enemies which they found? for now hath there been no great slaughter among the Philistines."