Perhaps the phrase, be careful what you ask for, should have been coined for this early story. In the books of Samuel, the nation of Israel essentially 'comes of age', and enters the arena of other nations by forming a central hierarchical structure.

The politics of Israel was interesting at this point. From the time of the Exodus (after Moses and Joshua) to the time of Samuel (some 400+ years later, if the Biblical account of years can be trusted -- the exact meaning of some time phrasings is still in doubt), Israel had no central authority, no hierarchy. The people lived in a mostly agrarian culture, with small farming, flocks and herds as the norm. Cities were rare, and generally despised. For instance, the Philistines and the Egyptians were both known primarily as city-dwellers, and both were considered enemies in many respects.

Israel was guided by judges, who recognised God as King. This, however, was unsatisfactory to the people of Israel. The other nations had kings, to lead the battles and to rule and adjudicate. Samuel (and God, through Samuel) warned against having kings, but (interestingly) did not forbid the institution of a kingly dynasty to the people of Israel. Samuel selected Saul to be king. Of course, his kingship was a rocky one, and ended badly, not least of which because David was a challenger to the throne through most of Saul's reign, presumably based upon Samuel's (and God's) decision to take legitimacy away from Saul.

Finally, David succeeds to the kingship, and has a rather stormy reign himself, made however into the glorious reign that is still considered the model of God-sanctioned kingship under God by many Jews and Christians.

Everet Fox, who did a remarkable job at translating 'The Five Books of Moses' a few years ago (please see my review of that), turned next to the stories in the books of Samuel, and retranslated them as part of the new Schocken Bible Series, which his book entitled 'Give Us A King! Samuel, Saul, and David'. Fox had as one of his intentions in the retranslation of the Torah, which carries forward as a theme in this work, the adherence to the oral and aural aspects of the original Hebrew, sacrificing the scholarly-clarity issues that guide translations such as the New Revised Standard Version and others that are meant to be read, for this that is meant to be read aloud. One gets a greater sense of the way in which the Hebrew stories would have been conveyed.

Now David sand-dirge (with) this dirge
over Sha'ul and over Yehonatan his son,
he said:
To teach the Children of Judah the Bow,
here, it is written in the Book of the Upright:
O beauty of Israel, on your heights are the slain:
how have the mighty fallen!
Tell it not in Gat,
spread not the news in Ashkelon's streets,
lest they rejoice, the daughters of the Philistines,
lest they exult, the daughters of the foreskinned-ones!
Ohills of Gilbo'a, let there be no dew, no rain upon you,
or surging of the (watery) deeps,
for there lies-soiled the shield of the mighty, the shield of Sha'ul,
no more anointed with oil.

Fox accompanies his new translation with an interesting introductory essay setting context and meanings in place, as well as notes that explain both translation textual issues as well as interpretive issues in the text.

Included in this volume are drawings, paintings and etchings by the artist Schwebel. While these works are intriguing and inspired works of modern art with an influence from various historical patterns and themes, I found some of the art work, having modern settings in high streets with cars, shop signs, etc., hard to merge thematically with the ancient texts sometimes.

This is a fascinating text, a wonderful new translation, which gives new insight and fresh meaning to an ancient story.

I am not a Hebrew Scholar; I do not even qualify as a Hebrew Student. Yet this Biblical translation infuses new life into the Old Testament books of I and II Samuel. The meter, the poetry, the nuisances lost in other English translations have been magically restored by Everett Fox.

Mix in an insightful commentary and you have what is rapidly becoming the translation I reach for when I read or study the stories of Saul, Samuel and David. Hopefully Fox is fast at work on a translation of David's poetry - The Psalms.

You have NEVER read the old testament till you read Everett Fox's translations of it. It is a veritable revelation to see whole new meanings in the words, phraseology, and syntax. Now, Mr. Fox, how 'bout the rest of the OT. After teasing us with the Pentateuch and 1 & 2 Samuel, I am ITCHING to read the Psalms this way, as well as Isaiah, Ezra-Nehemiah, etc.

This book is very accurate description of the first 100 years of baseball in the U.S. THe book follows the major leagues in incriments of 10 years up until 2000. Moreover, the book adds important information about how important times in history effected the game. For example- racism and the depression of the 1920's. This book is a MUST read for any serious baseball fan or "history buff."

This book is a great review of the first century of major league baseball. Not only is it extremely accurate, but it shows how baseball changed due to the problems facing the U.S.- ie the depression and racism. This is a must read for any baseball fan.

Samuarai Selling gets to the heart of sales - what it is to service people and enjoy a win-win situation all around. We give it to all of our sales people as a welcome gift to our company. I re-read it once a year and always learn something new and enjoy the satisfaction of seeing that I really have incorporated the Samuarai Selling Principles into my every day activities. It's a success!

In today's IPO get rich quick world, this book is a must for those that enjoy selling because they are a believer in what they do. If you are a peddler PUSHING a product, go get tactics from another book. If you are a believer in your company, read this book.

The material is this book is an important part of my overall approach to sales. I have shared this material with many of co-workers over the years. It has been one of three key sales books in my collection.

This Book is about a king who lives in a castle. He has a baker called Adrian.The King always eats eggs. Adrian makes the king chicken eggs,goose eggs,duck eggs.Then he shouts More More More! The Next day he read in his Newspaper that a dodos egg was spotted on an island.So he told Adrian to prepare the boat.To get to The island.

This is a book of romance and forbidin love. I recomend this book to anyone who loves to read. You can find your own way to realate to this book no matter what type of book or lititure your in to. I would have to say that this book is for a higher reading level. To end my review I give this book a 5 star rating!

As a medical technician who helps advise patients with nutritional problems, I have read nearly every major dietary supplement guide that has been published in the last decade. This PDR is, by far, the best such guide I have found. The doctors I work with are equally enthusiastic about its in-depth analysis, full citations to the supporting literature and its refreshing objectivity. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that nutritional supplements have been accorded the same in-depth treatment given, in other guides, to prescription drugs. This book should be "must" reading for every doctor, dietician, pharmacist and for every lay person who wishes to intelligently share in the management of his/her own health. There has never been a resource like this before.

For those interested in herbal medicine, there is a separate PDR dealing with herbs; although I do not find the herbal PDR as useful as The PDR for Nutritional Supplements, which covers all the other nutritional/dietary supplements, as well as some of the active constituents of popular herbs, the herbal book is also better than most. Initially I wondered why Medical Economics, the highly respected publisher of the PDR series of books, did not combine the herbs with the other dietary supplements and cover all of them in one reference book. An editor at Medical Economics told me that had they done so they would have had to sacrifice much of the in-depth treatment they have provided--far in excess, as I have previously noted, of anything available in any of the other books--in order to squeeze all of the supplements discussed into one marketable tome. We can all be thankful that they did not do this. Both books are indispensable, as is every word in them.

Tired of getting your supplement information from the vitamin shop clerk? This is state of the art stuff. Finally here is a book that both the lay person and the physician can safely turn to. The author has no axe to grind. He neither overstates nor understates, but is carefully objective in his presentation and allows the evidence to speak for itself. Dr. Hendler brings to his subject an open mind, wide ranging intelligence, and a rigorous training in all of the relevant disciplines. He refuses to be a shill either for entrenched medical orthodoxy or starry eyed alternative approaches. The result is a cornucopia of information.

The PDR for Nutritional Supplements is the most well organized and substantive publication that I have ever used in over twenty years as a supplement consumer and one of the best literary purchases that I have ever made.

While other publications may purport to be "encyclopedic," they fall short of the mark in paying attention to detail. Dr. Hendler's PDR for Nutritional Supplements is a critical and necessary resource for anyone using nutritional supplements, functional foods and or herbs. The knowledge imparted here will allow you to take control of your life as it relates to health care and maintenance.

This is the first novel I have read from Saul and I admit I was impressed. From the first page it hooks you in and keeps you there. The ending was not typical and much of a surprise. Overall really good book, along the lines of Stephen King novels, which have that eerie and mysterious flavor to them that make them such good thrillers. I look forward to reading more of John Saul's work.

Punish the Sinners is simply an outstanding novel. It gives the reader a sense of urgency. I actually found my palms to be sweating while reading about Peter Balsam's (the main character)thoughts concerning his "bad" feeling about the town and his old friend Monseignor Vernon. I could not put the book down. I can honestly say that after reading The Blackstone Chronicles and then Punish the Sinners, I cannot wait to read all of John Saul's books. Saul is a master at placing you the readers into the main character's mind. Happy reading!

Punish the Sinners is one of the most feveirish novels I have ever read. Sometimes John Saul says that he dose not belive he should be put in the horror section with Stephen King, and Dean Koontz, but he dose deserve to be put in the catagory! This one one of the most frightening novels I have ever read, and I would reccomend it to anyone. After the ending one has to think for a while, what just happened? Then after ten seconds of thinking you figure out the terrifying truth at the end. I would reccomend this novel if you haven't read John Saul before, or if you have. Don't get me wrong, this is not John Sauls best work, but it is one of his best...that I can tell you for sure. While reading this novel I just could not put it down. It is one of those books that you start and they are so interesting, or in this books case suspenseful, that you can't even put it down for a bathroom break. After reading this one and a few other, I can positivly say John Sauls earlier work was better than his work now. You will not be dissapointed if you read this. If you like horror/suspense I can assure you that you will enjoy this and rate it five starts as well.

John Saul's Punish the sinners prolouge starts off with a boy creeping into his parent's room closet while they are trying to have relations. As he is in his parent's closet his sister comes in and murders both his parents, then hangs herself. After the terrifying prlouge it is a few decades later, and a new man is hired as a teacher in a private catholic school. The new teacher also falls in love with a woman he found on his train ride over to the town. Ever since this new teacher moves in girls start commiting scuicide one by one. No one even knows why they commit scuicide, they just one after another either try to kill themselves or they do. Everyone in the small town assumes that the reason the girls are commiting scuicide has to do with the new teacher's phycology class..except his students and his new girlfriend.....I won't tell you more about this novel because I do not wish to 'give it away' for you. I hope you take my word for it, and read this. I can assure you that you'll enjoy it if you enjoy other novels in this genre.

This book is one of the most comprehensive books on intestinal yeast and its trauma I have seen to date. Just by taking some of the recommendations: acidophilus, a multi-vitamin, and severely reducing the sugar, yeast and pasta in my diet has made an incredible difference in my symptoms and the way I feel in the past month. I recommend this to anyone with intestinal yeast because the improvement, though not 100% is very drastic! I am feeling better every day!

Dr. Crook's "The Yeast Connection Handbook" is an easy to read, self-help guide to understanding and treating the problem of yeast disorders. This book I found much more "user friendly" than the original version "the Yeast Connection" because of how it is layed out: content, font-type, chapters, etc.

Dr. Crook gives hundreds of references and case studies that can assist the patient when talking with their own physician. This was especially helpful for me and my husband when dealing with an HMO doctor that had little knowledge of the subject or its treatment.

This is a valuable book for ANYONE (man, woman and child) that has had various ailments or recurring infections and wants to get healthy!

Here's to understanding "the yeast connection" and a better life!

Dr. Crook's book saved my life. Before his program I suffered from blurred vision, headaches, weight gain, low energy, dizzy spells, depression and a multitude of other ailments. Since January I have lost 30 pounds, have clear thinking, improved vision, a positive outlook on life, and boundless energy. I am ordering two more copies of this book; one for my daughter and one for my best friend Carole who is in the hospital. The book is an easy read, makes a lot of sense, easy to follow and the recipes are tasty and filling. My husband also is on the program with me. He no longer suffers from heartburn and his cholesterol has dropped over 150 points. This works and we are blessed to have Dr, Crook researching and continuing to assist others. Thank you.

This was the first John Saul book I have ever read. It Wowed me so much, that ever since I have be finding and reading anything and everthing written by Saul. The story is easy to read (with 1 or 2 slightly slow parts) and keeps you turning pages long into the night. The characters are very well developed and even though it is "supernatural" in contant he really leads you to believe that it is real. Let me say one thing, out of the 12 Saul books I've read, I have never been disappointed!

I would have liked to give this book a lower rating than a 4, however, it is so well written then you can picture the events and during the story you grow to understand and like the characters so much, that it deserves at least a 5 just for that reason. No one can deny that Mr. Saul is a very good writer. The reason I reduced the rating is because of content. As I said, you come to genuinely care about the characters. There are a lot of children in the book, those are the characters I most cared about. The problem is that children start to get killed in particularly horrific manners -- one sweet child who died in the book, could have been spared and the book would have been fabulous. The death, a grisly one, was not necessary to the plot, and did not help in the building of the conclusion.

I was so upset by this book at the end that I swore I would never read another book by Mr. Saul.

This book was great, and it might take me awhile to get over it. I actually CRIED!(never done that before). I love the way Saul created monsters you could actually feel sorry for. The action near the end of the book was so gut wrenching and intense I practically speed-read from one page to the next to see what happens. I also love the ending, maybe Saul had a sequel in mind??

John Saul has been writing clichéd horror novel after clichéd horror novel for years. Not that that's a bad thing - his novels are usually compelling and, at the very least, fun to read. Manhattan Hunt Club provides Saul fans with a different twist however. No supernatural occurrences, no possessed children, no haunted houses. Instead, Saul gives readers a pretty standard thriller.

As with most of Saul's novels, the characters are under-developed, the plot is straightforward, the action often intense but the outcome predictable. Manhattan Hunt Club is a simple novel yet the plot is interesting enough to draw readers in. I personally thought that Saul could have introduced a little more background about the NYC underground world. Additionally, as other reviews have pointed out, the coincidences in the novel were ridiculous. While the novel wasn't at all plausible, these coincidences made it seem even more ridiculous.

Overall, Manhattan Hunt Club is a fun read. Its not a fabulous novel, nor is it horrible. Just entertaining.

The promising future of New York City college student Jeff Converse is destroyed when he is accused of a crime he didn't commit.

After the victim swears Jeff is the man who assaulted her, Jeff is convicted and sentenced, but on his way to the prison, he is abducted and lured to the underground tunnels of New York, where he will become game for a vicious group of hunters who call themselves "THE MANHATTAN HUNT CLUB". Determined to escape alive, Jeff will use all his wits to come out the victor, and clear his name.

Jeff's parents are told he is dead, and only after viewing the horribly burned body, does Keith Converse realize his son is alive. Now, teaming with Jeff's fiancée, Keith and Mary Converse must enter into the labyrinth tunnels below the city to find their son and bring him back alive, and put a stop to the twisted individual heading up this murderous club.

'Manhattan Hunt Club' is an enjoyable suspense novel, fans looking for horror will be disappointed. John Saul has taken the high road to action/suspense, and he does a good job of it. Combining a creepy plot, and his usual cast of likable characters, Mr. Saul goes full steam ahead with an action novel that takes off on the first page, and barrels through twist after twist, leading to a shocking and satisfying conclusion.

Nick Gonnella

The Manhattan Hunt Club is a much different read than all of the other John Saul books I have read. There's no family curse or haunted youths to be found here; rather, this is a book of gritty, gripping realism. I admit it took me a while to get completely wrapped up in the story, but the final hundred pages had me captivated. The book starts with young college student Jeff Converse trying to help a lady being attacked in the subway; his good Samaritanism earns him a conviction of attempted murder as the victim fingers him as her assailant. Then a freak accident as he is being transferred to another prison finds him taken down into the unseen depths below the New York subway system, thrown together with a bona fide murderer, and forced to play a game he can barely comprehend: you win, you go free; you lose, you die. So begins a terrifying ordeal pitting Jeff and his new-found friend against a team of vigilantes straight out of The Most Dangerous Game. Meanwhile, Jeff's father and his "uptown girl" girlfriend refuse to believe the evidence given to them that Jeff in fact died in the traffic accident. They eventually go into the tunnels themselves in search of Jeff, and the convergence of all the characters takes place in an exciting climax of action.

There are some surprises in these pages, and a feeling of justice that sometimes does not find its way into Saul's fiction. The makeup of the Manhattan Hunt Club and the ideas behind its formation are disturbing yet frighteningly plausible. Saul does an admirably fine job of humanizing the homeless in all of their guises; the characters we meet underneath the subway tunnels are not all bad or shiftless, yet even some of the best of them, through their mute cooperation with "the game," cause one to face some troubling propositions and wonder if, in their shoes, he might do the same thing. The most enlightening character here is Jinx, a young girl who found a home beneath the city after running away from her mother's abusive boyfriend; despite the bad luck life has sent her way, she retains her dignity and bravely seeks to do the right thing when she does not have to get involved at all.

One is struck by the fact that much of this story could in fact be true to life. There are people living the kind of life described herein, but John Saul would seem to have done such unfortunate folks a great service. He brings out the humanity of these people, making the point that they are not all druggies and addicts but are all too often very human characters forced to live as best they can. Perhaps the motivation fueling some of the true villains here, the members of "the club," is not strongly enough developed, and the character of Jeff's deeply religious mother is somehow forgotten along the way, but The Manhattan Hunt Club is an increasingly compelling read that will take you into the filthy subterranean tunnels alongside its characters and very likely change you in some way by the time you finally manage to find the light at the end of the tunnel.