Outline
I. Samuel: Prophet and Judge to Israel (1:1-7:17)
A. Samuel the Prophet (1:1-4:1a)
1. The birth of Samuel (1:1–28)
2. The prayer of Hannah (2:1–10)
3. The growth of Samuel (2:11–26)
4. The oracle against Eli’s house (2:27–36)
5. The Word of the LORD through Samuel (3:1–4:1a)
B. Samuel the Judge (4:1b-7:17)
1. The saga of the ark (4:1b–7:1)
2. Israel’s victory over the Philistines and the judgeship of Samuel (7:2–17)
II. Saul: First King Over Israel (8:1-15:35)
A. The Rise of Saul to the Kingship (8:1-12:25)
1. The demand of Israel for a king (8:1–22)
2. The process of Saul becoming king (9:1—11:13)
3. The exhortation of Samuel to Israel concerning the king (11:14—12:25)
B. The Decline of Saul in the Kingship (13:1-15:35)
1. The rebuke of Saul (13:1–15)
2. The wars of Saul (13:16—14:52)
3. The rejection of Saul (15:1–35)
III. David and Saul: Transfer of the Kingship in Israel (16:1-31:13)
A. The Introduction of David (16:1-17:58)
1. The anointing of David (16:1–13)
2. David in the court of Saul (16:14–23)
3. David, the warrior of the LORD (17:1–58)
B. David Driven from the Court of Saul (18:1-20:42)
1. The anger and fear of Saul toward David (18:1–30)
2. The defense of David by Jonathan and Michal (19:1—20:42)
C. David’s Flight from Saul’s Pursuit (21:1-28:2)
1. Saul’s killing of the priests at Nob (21:1—22:23)
2. Saul’s life spared twice by David (23:1—26:25)
3. David’s despair and Philistine refuge (27:1—28:2)
D. The Death of Saul (28:3-31:13)
1. Saul’s final night (28:3–25)
2. David’s dismissal by the Philistines (29:1–11)
3. David’s destruction of the Amalekites (30:1–31)
4. Saul’s final day (31:1–13)
The First Book of
SAMUEL
1 Samuel 1
The Family of Elkanah
1Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the amountains of Ephraim, and his name was bElkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of 1Elihu, the son of 2Tohu, the son of Zuph, can Ephraimite.
2And he had dtwo wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3This man went up from his city eyearly fto worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in gShiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
4And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an hoffering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters.
5But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, ialthough the LORD had closed her womb.
6And her rival also jprovoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the LORD had closed her womb.
7So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.
Hannah’s Vow
8Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not kbetter to you than ten sons?”
9So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of lthe 3tabernacle of the LORD.
10mAnd she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and 4wept in anguish.
11Then she nmade a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed olook on the affliction of Your maidservant and premember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and qno razor shall come upon his head.”
12And it happened, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli watched her mouth.
13Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.
14So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!”
15But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have rpoured out my soul before the LORD.
16“Do not consider your maidservant a swicked5 woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”
17Then Eli answered and said, t“Go in peace, and uthe God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”
18And she said, v“Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman wwent her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
Samuel Is Born and Dedicated
19Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah xknew Hannah his wife, and the LORD yremembered her.
20So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name 6Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.”
21Now the man Elkanah and all his house zwent up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and his vow.
22But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will atake him, that he may appear before the LORD and bremain there cforever.”
23So dElkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the LORD 7establish 8His word.” Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
24Now when she had weaned him, she etook him up with her, with 9three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to fthe house of the LORD in Shiloh. And the child was young.
25Then they slaughtered a bull, and gbrought the child to Eli.
26And she said, “O my lord! hAs your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the LORD.
27i“For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.
28“Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he shall be 10lent to the LORD.” So they jworshiped the LORD there.
1 Samuel 2
Hannah’s Prayer
(cf. Luke 1:46–55)
1And Hannah aprayed and said:
b“My heart rejoices in the LORD;
c My 1horn is exalted in the LORD.
2 I smile at my enemies,
Because I drejoice in Your salvation.
2“Noe one is holy like the LORD,
For there is fnone besides You,
Nor is there any grock like our God.
3“Talk no more so very proudly;
h Let no arrogance come from your mouth,
For the LORD is the God of iknowledge;
And by Him actions are weighed.
4“Thej bows of the mighty men are broken,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
5Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
And the hungry have ceased to hunger.
Even kthe barren has borne seven,
And lshe who has many children has become feeble.
6“Them LORD kills and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and brings up.
7The LORD nmakes poor and makes rich;
o He brings low and lifts up.
8p He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,
q To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of glory.
r“For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’s,
And He has set the world upon them.
9s He will guard the feet of His saints,
But the
twicked shall be silent in darkness.
“For by strength no man shall prevail.
10The adversaries of the LORD shall be ubroken in pieces;
v From heaven He will thunder against them.
w The LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
x“He will give ystrength to His king,
And zexalt the 3horn of His anointed.”
11Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child 4ministered to the LORD before Eli the priest.
The Wicked Sons of Eli
12Now the sons of Eli were acorrupt;5 bthey did not know the LORD.
13And the priests’ custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling.
14Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in cShiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
15Also, before they dburned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, “Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw.”
16And if the man said to him, “They should really burn the fat first; then you may take as much as your heart desires,” he would then answer him, “No, but you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force.”
17Therefore the sin of the young men was very great ebefore the LORD, for men fabhorred6 the offering of the LORD.
Samuel’s Childhood Ministry
18gBut Samuel ministered before the LORD, even as a child, hwearing a linen ephod.
19Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she icame up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
20And Eli jwould bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “The LORD give you descendants from this woman for the 7loan that was kgiven to the LORD.” Then they would go to their own home. Locations of Samuel’s Ministry
21And the LORD lvisited8 Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel mgrew before the LORD.
Prophecy Against Eli’s Household
22Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, 9and how they lay with nthe women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.
23So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people.
24“No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the LORD’s people transgress.
25“If one man sins against another, oGod10 will judge him. But if a man psins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?” Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, qbecause the LORD desired to kill them.
26And the child Samuel rgrew in stature, and sin favor both with the LORD and men.
27Then a tman of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: u‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?
28‘Did I not vchoose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And wdid I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?
29‘Why do you xkick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My ydwelling place, and honor your sons more than zMe, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?’
30“Therefore the LORD God of Israel says: a‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the LORD says: b‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and cthose who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.
31‘Behold, dthe days are coming that I will cut off your 11arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.
32‘And you will see an enemy in My dwelling place, despite all the good which God does for Israel. And there shall not be ean old man in your house forever.
33‘But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age.
34‘Now this shall be fa sign to you that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: gin one day they shall die, both of them.
35‘Then hI will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. iI will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before jMy anointed forever.
36k‘And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and say, “Please, 12put me in one of the priestly positions, that I may eat a piece of bread.” ’ ”
1 Samuel 3
Samuel’s First Prophecy
1Now athe boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. And bthe word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation.
2And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow cso dim that he could not see,
3and before dthe lamp of God went out in the 1tabernacle of the LORD where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down,
4that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!”
5So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down. Locations of the Ark’s Journey
6Then the LORD called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”
7(Now Samuel edid not yet know the LORD, nor was the word of the LORD yet revealed to him.)
8And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy.
9Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, f‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”
11Then the LORD said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel gat which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.
12“In that day I will perform against Eli hall that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.
13i“For I have told him that I will jjudge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because khis sons made themselves vile, and he ldid not 2restrain them.
14“And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house mshall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
15So Samuel lay down until 3morning, and opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision.
16Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!” He answered, “Here I am.”
17And he said, “What is the word that the LORD spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. nGod do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you.”
18Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, o“It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him.”
19So Samuel pgrew, and qthe LORD was with him rand let none of his words 4fall to the ground.
20And all Israel sfrom Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been 5established as a prophet of the LORD.
21Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by tthe word of the LORD.
1 Samuel 4
The Death of Eli
1And the word of Samuel came to all 1Israel.
The Ark of God Captured
Now
Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside aEbenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.
2Then the bPhilistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was 2defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field.
3And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? cLet us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.”
4So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, dwho dwells between ethe cherubim. And the ftwo sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook.
6Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.
7So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, g“Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before.
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 134