And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

And as year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.

Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weep you? and why eat you not? and why is your heart grieved? am not I better to you than ten sons?

And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your handmaid, and remember me, and not forget your handmaid, but will give unto your handmaid a male child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

And Eli said unto her, How long will you be drunk? put away your wine from you.

Count not your handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I been speaking.

Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant you your petition that you have asked of him.

And she said, Let your handmaid find grace in your sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

And she said, Oh my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman that stood by you here, praying unto the LORD.

And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoices in the LORD, my horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth boasts over my enemies; because I rejoice in your salvation.

There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside you: neither is there any rock like our God.

Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are clothed with strength.

They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased to hunger: so that the barren has borne seven; and she that has many children has grown feeble.

He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the rubbish, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he has set the world upon them.

Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.

And he thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh, unto all the Israelites that came there.

And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat first, and then take as much as your soul desires; then he would answer him, Nay; but you shall give it to me now: and if not, I will take it by force.

Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

And he said unto them, Why do you such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all these people.

And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus says the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of your father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?

And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of your father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?

Why trample you on my sacrifice and on my offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chief of all the offerings of Israel my people?

Therefore the LORD God of Israel says, I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before me forever: but now the LORD says, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

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

And you shall see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.

And any man of yours, whom I shall not cut off from my altar, shall consume your eyes, and grieve your heart: and all the increase of your house shall die in the flower of their age.

And this shall be a sign unto you, that shall come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall both of them die.

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in your house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray you, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.

And before the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was lying down to sleep;

Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, Speak, LORD; for your servant hears. 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 answered, Speak; for your servant hears.

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was defeated before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it comes among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God has come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there has not been such a thing before this.

Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.

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

Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.

And the messenger answered and said, Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.

And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.

And when they arose early the next day morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is heavy upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.

So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to its own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

And the men that died not were smitten with the tumors: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden tumors, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

Therefore you shall make images of your tumors, and images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory unto the God of Israel: perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

Why then do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had worked wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?

And the cows took the straight way to the road to Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.

And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they split the wood of the cart, and offered the cows a burnt offering unto the LORD.

And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the box that was with it, in which the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.

And these are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;

And Samuel spoke unto all the house of Israel, saying, If you do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.

And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines.

And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.

And as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel: but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and brought confusion upon them; and they were routed before Israel.

So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more into the territory of Israel: and the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were restored to Israel, from Ekron even unto Gath; and their territory did Israel deliver out of the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places.

Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beersheba.

And said unto him, Behold, you are old, and your sons walk not in your ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.

And he will appoint himself captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war, and equipment for his chariots.

And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, 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 grain, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.

And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.

He will take the tenth of your sheep: and you shall be his servants.

And you shall cry out in that day because of your king which you shall have chosen; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

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 the donkeys of Kish Saul's father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with you, and arise, go seek the donkeys.

And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.

And 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 cease caring for the donkeys, and become anxious for us.

And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man; all that he says comes surely to pass: now let us go there; perhaps he can show us our way that we should go.

Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is gone from our sacks, 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 here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way.

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 soon as you are come into the city, you shall immediately find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he comes, because he does bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat who are bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time you shall find him.

And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them, to go up to the high place.

Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,

Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray you, where the seer's house is.

And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for you shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let you go, and will tell you all that is in your heart.

And as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, set not your mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you, and on all your father's house?

And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlor, and made them sit in the chief place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons.

And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel talked with Saul upon the top of the house.

And as they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand you still awhile, that I may show you the word of God.

When you are departed from me today, then you shall find two men by Rachel's sepulcher in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say unto you, The donkeys which you went to seek are found: and, lo, your father has left the concern of the donkeys, and sorrows for you, saying, What shall I do for my son?

After that you shall come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when you are come there to the city, that you shall meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a harp, and a tambourine, and a flute, and a lyre, before them; and they shall prophesy:

And let it be, when these signs are come unto you, that you do as the occasion suits you; for God is with you.

And Saul's uncle said unto him and to his servant, Where went you? And he said, To seek the donkeys: and when we saw that they were nowhere, we came to Samuel.

And Saul said unto his uncle, He told us plainly that the donkeys were found. But of the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel spoke, he told him not.

And you have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes, and by your thousands.

And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel.

And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

And they said unto the messengers that came, Thus shall you say unto the men of Jabeshgilead, Tomorrow, by that time the sun is hot, you shall have help. And the messengers came and showed it to the men of Jabesh; and they were glad.

And it was so the next day, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and it came to pass, that they who remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.

And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that you said unto me, and have made a king over you.

And now, behold, the king walks before you: and I am old and gray headed; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.