Introduction
This document tells about the people of the nation of Yisrael (called ‘Israel’ in older Bibles) at the time when Shemuel (commonly, but wrongly known as ‘Samuel’) was still their teacher through to when Sha’ul (commonly, but wrongly known as ‘Saul’) led them as their first king. It also reveals the reasons why Sha’ul lost his position as king and why God promised to replace him with David.
Long ago before Yisrael had a king, the people regarded their god as their ruler, but eventually they came to the point of asking God to give them a king to lead them. Both the king and the people were subject to God’s leading and expected to obey God’s laws.
The main theme of this document is showing how peace and prosperity came when the people obeyed God, and if not, it could lead to destruction. And then sometimes God used his people to apply his discipline to other people groups. It pays to note what’s written in 2:30 that goes, “I will honour those who honour me, but those who despise me will be side-lined.”
Main components of this account
Shemuel as Yisrael’s judge 1:1-7:17
Sha’ul becomes king 8:1-10:27
The first years of Sha’ul’s reign 11:1-15:35
David and Sha’ul 16:1-30:31
The death of Sha’ul and his sons 31:1-13
This is still an early look into the unpolished text of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check the text in advance before using in public.