And the said man went out of his city every feastful day, to pray and to offer unto the LORD of Hosts: where the two sons of Eli - Hophni and Phinehas - were the LORD's priests.

And it fell on a day, as Elkanah had offered, that he gave to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters portions.

Then Hannah rose up after that they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh. And Eli the priest sat upon a stool by one of the side posts of the temple of the LORD.

and vowed a vow and said, "LORD of Hosts, if thou wilt look on the wretchedness of thine handmaid and shalt remember me and not forget thine handmaid, and shalt give unto thine handmaid a man child I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life and there shall neither razor or shears come upon his head."

And as she continued praying before the LORD, Eli marked her mouth -

For Hannah, she spake in her heart; and her lips did but move only, but her voice was not heard. And therefore Eli took her for drunken,

Eli answered, and said, "Go in peace, the God of Israel shall grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him."

And Elkanah and all his house went up to offer unto the LORD, both the offerings due for the feast and also his vows.

But Hannah went not up, for she said unto her husband, "I will tarry until the lad be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD and there abide forever."

And they slew the bullocks and brought in the lad to Eli,

Let go your great boasting of high things, let go out of your mouth that old byword: for the LORD is a God that knoweth all things, and judgeth the thoughts.

He will keep the feet of his saints but the wicked shall keep silence in darkness. For in his own might shall no man be strong.

And Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house, and the lad did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.

But the sons of Eli were unthrifty children, and knew not the LORD. For the manner of the priests with the people was:

whensoever any man offered any offerings, the priest's lad came, while the flesh was in seething, and a flesh hook with three teeth in his hand;

and thrust it into the pan, kettle, cauldron or pot. And all that the flesh hook brought up the priest took away. And so they did unto all Israel that came thither to Shiloh.

Yea, and thereto before they had offered the fat, the priest's lad came and said to the man that offered, "Give flesh to roast for the priest, for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw."

And if any man said unto him, "Let the fat be offered according to the day, and then take as much as thine heart desireth." The lad would answer him, "Thou shalt give it me now, or else I will take it with violence."

And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, "The LORD give thee seed of this woman, for that she hath lent the LORD." And they went unto their own home.

Eli was very old and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel, and how they slept with the women that waited in the door of the tabernacle of witness,

and said unto them, "Why do ye such things? For I hear your wicked deeds of all these people.

If one man sin against another, the judge can redress it. But if a man sin against the LORD, who can redress it?" Notwithstanding, they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, for the LORD's will was to slay them.

And there came a man of God unto Eli and said unto him, "Thus sayeth the LORD, 'I appeared unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt, in Pharaoh's house.

And I chose thy father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest for to offer upon mine altar and to burn cense, and to wear an ephod before me. And I gave unto the house of thy father all the offerings of the children of Israel.

Wherefore kick ye against my sacrifice and against mine offering which I command in the tabernacle, and honourest thy children above me, and make yourselves fat of the first fruits of all the offerings of Israel my people?'

Wherefore the LORD God of Israel sayeth, 'I said that thine house and the house of thy father should have walked before me forever. But now the LORD sayeth that be far from me: for them that honoureth me I will honour, and they that despise me, shall not be regarded.

Behold, the days will come that I will cut off thine arm and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an elder in thine house.

And thou shalt see thine enemy in the tabernacle, in all that shall please Israel, and there shall not be an elder in thine house while the world standeth.

Yet will I will not root out every man of thee from mine altar, but that thine eyes may be consumed, and thy soul may be sorry. And a great multitude of thine house shall die young.

And I will stir me up a faithful priest that shall do as it is in mine heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house. And he shall walk before mine anointed forever.

And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days, for there was none open vision.

And it chanced at that time, that Eli lay in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim that he could not see.

And he ran unto Eli and said, "Here am I for thou calledest me." And he said, "I called thee not: go again and sleep." And he went and laid him down to sleep.

And the LORD called once again, "Samuel." And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "I am here, thou didst call me." And he answered, "I called thee not my son. Go again and take thy rest."

And the LORD went and called Samuel the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "I am here, for thou hast called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the lad.

And the LORD said to Samuel, "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, that the ears of as many as heareth it, shall tingle.

In that day I will perform to Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house: I will begin it and end it.

For I have told him that I will judge his house forever. For the wickedness which he knoweth, how his sons are ungracious, and he was not wroth therewith.

And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the wickedness of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering, while the world standeth."

And Samuel lay till morning and then opened the doors of the house of the LORD. But Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.

Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." And he answered, "Here I am."

And he said, "What is that he said unto thee? See ye hide it not from me. The LORD do so and so to thee, if thou hide anything from me, of all that he said unto thee."

And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba wist that Samuel was truly made the LORD's prophet.

And Samuel spake unto all Israel. And Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside the help stone. And the Philistines pitched in Aphek,

And the people sent to Shiloh, and fetched from thence the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts which dwelleth between the Cherubims. And there were the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas with the ark of the covenant of God.

And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the host, all Israel shouted a mighty shout, so that the earth rang again.

Woe unto us, who shall deliver us out of the hand of this mighty God? This is the God that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues in the wilderness.

And the ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas were dead.

And when the man came in, Eli sat upon a stool by the wayside looking: for his heart feared for the ark of God. And the man came in and told it in the city. And all the city cried.

When Eli heard the noise of the crying, he asked what the noise of that rumour meant. And the man hasted and came in and told Eli.

Eli was four score and eighteen years old, and his sight failed him that he could not see.

And the man said unto Eli, "I am he that came out of the array and fled out of the host this day." And he said, "How is it fortuned, my son?"

And when he made mention of the ark of God, Eli fell from off his stool backward toward the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was old and unwieldy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with hemorrhoids; both Ashdod and all the coasts thereof.

And so they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" Then said they of Gath, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about." And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about.

Then they sent and fetched all the lords of the Philistines unto them and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go home again unto his own place, that it slay us not with our people." For there was a plague of death throughout all the city, and the hand of God was exceeding sore there,

They answered, "If you send the ark of the God of Israel home again, send it not empty: But reward it with a trespass offering; and then ye shall be whole, and it shall be known to you, why his hand departeth not from you."

Then said they, "What shall be the trespass offering which we shall reward him with?" And they answered, "Five golden arses with hemorrhoids and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For it was one manner of plague that was on you all, and on your lords too.

Wherefore should ye harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? Which for all that, when he had played his pageants with them, were fain to let the people go and depart.

And the golden mice were according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines through the five lordships: both of walled towns and of towns unwalled, even unto the great stone whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua the Bethshemite.

And while the ark abode in Kiriathjearim, the days multiplied, that it was twenty years, and all Israel lamented after the LORD.

And Samuel spake unto all Israel, saying, "If ye be come again unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods from among you, and Ashtaroth, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD and serve him alone; and so shall he rid you out of the hands of the Philistines."

Then said Samuel, "Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, that I may pray for you unto the LORD."

And so the Philistines were brought under, that they came no more into the coasts of Israel: for the hand of the LORD was upon the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life,

and went about year by year, to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places, and came again to Ramah:

Then all the elders of Israel gathered them together and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

and said unto him, "Behold, thou art old and thy sons follow not thy ways. Now, therefore, make us a king to judge us, as all other nations have."

And the LORD said unto Samuel, "Hear the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee. For they have not cast thee away, but me: that I should not reign over them.

And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked a king of him,

and he said, "This shall be the duty of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons and put them to his chariots and make his horsemen of them and they must run before his chariot,

and will make him captains of them over thousands and over fifties, and set them to ear his ground, and to gather in his harvest, and to make instruments of war and apparel for his chariots.

And he will take your daughters and make them the dressers of his ointments, and his cooks and bakers.

And when ye cry out at that time upon your king which ye shall have chosen you, the LORD will not hear you at that day."

and we will be like all other nations. And our king shall judge us, and go out before us and fight our battles."

And Samuel heard all the words of the people and rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.

the same had a son called Saul, a goodly young man, so that among the children of Israel, there was none goodlier than he, and was thereto, from the shoulders upward, higher than all the other people.

"Behold, there is in this city a worshipful man of God, and all that he sayeth cometh to pass. Now then let us go thither: peradventure he shall show us what way we may go."

Then said Saul to his lad, "If we go, what shall we bring the man? For our bread is all spent out of our hampers and there is none other present to bring the man of God. What have we?"

And the young man answered Saul again, and said, "I have found about me the fourth part of a sicle: that will we give the man of God to tell us our way."

Then said Saul to his young man, "Well said of thee, 'Come let us go.'" And so they went unto the city where the man of God was.

When ye be come into the city, so shall you find him, yer he go up to the hill to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he must bless the offering. And then eat they that be bidden to the feast. Now therefore get you up for even now shall ye find him."

"Tomorrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin: him shalt thou anoint to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines, for I have looked upon my people and their cry is come unto me."

and Samuel answered Saul, and said, "I am the Seer. Go up before me unto the hill, for ye shall eat with me today. And tomorrow I will let thee go early, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart.

And as for thine asses that were lost this day three days, care not for them - for they are found. And moreover, whose shall the beautiful things of Israel be? Belong they not unto thee, and unto all thy father's house?"

But Saul answered, and said, "Am not I the son of a Benjaminite of the smallest tribe of Israel, and my kindred the least of all the kindreds of the tribe of Benjamin? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me?"

And when they were come almost out of the town, Samuel said to Saul, "Bid the lad go before us," - and he went - "but stand thou still a while even now, that I may show thee what God sayeth."

And then Samuel took a box of oil and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, "The LORD hath anointed thee to be a captain over his inheritance.

And now when thou art departed from me, thou shalt meet two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the borders of Benjamin, even at Zelzah. And they will say unto thee, "The asses which thou wentest to seek, are found; see, thy father hath left the care of the asses and sorroweth for you, saying, 'What shall I do for my son?'"

And they will salute thee and give thee two loaves of bread: which thou shalt receive of their hands.

And the spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

And thou shalt also go before me to Gilgal. And behold, I will come unto thee to sacrifice burnt sacrifice and peace offerings. Tarry for me seven days till I come to thee and show thee what thou shalt do."

And as soon as he had turned his shoulder to go from Samuel, God gave him another manner of heart, and all those tokens came to pass that same day.

And all that knew him before, when they saw that he prophesied among the prophets, they said each to other, "What is happened unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

and said unto the children of Israel, "Thus sayeth the LORD God of Israel. 'I brought you out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hands of all kingdoms that oppressed you.

And ye have this day cast away your God that helped you out of all your adversities and tribulations. And ye have said unto him: make a king over us. Now therefore stand before the LORD by your tribes and your thousands.'"

And when Samuel had brought all the tribes of Israel the tribe of Benjamin was caught.

And Samuel said to all the people, "There! See ye whom the LORD hath chosen, and how there is none like him among all the company?" And all the people shouted and said, "God save the king!"

Then Samuel told the people the duty of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD, and so sent all the people away; every man to his house.

Then Nahash the Ammonite came and besieged Jabesh in Gilead. And all the people of Jabesh said unto Nahash,