Eli told her, "How long will you stay drunk? Put away your wine!"

She said, "Let your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

By the time of the next year's sacrifice, Hannah had become pregnant and had borne a son. She named him Samuel because she said, "I asked the LORD for him."

"Do what you want," Elkanah told her. "Stay until you have weaned him, only may the LORD bring about what you've said." So Hannah stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

Hannah said, "Sir, as surely as you are alive, I'm the woman who stood before you here praying to the LORD.

He raises the poor up from the dust, he lifts up the needy from the trash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. Indeed the pillars of the earth belong to the LORD, and he has set the world on them.

By doing this, the sin of the young men was very serious in the LORD's sight because the men despised the LORD's offering.

He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am! You called me." "I didn't call you," Eli said. "Go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.

Then the LORD again called out, "Samuel!" So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, "Here I am! You called me."

He said, "I didn't call you, my son. Go back and lie down." Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD and had not yet had the word of the LORD revealed to him.

Then the LORD called out to Samuel again a third time, and he got up, went to Eli, and said, "Here I am! You called me."

Later, the LORD came and stood there, calling out, "Samuel! Samuel!" as he had before. Samuel said, "Speak, because your servant is listening."

Then Eli called Samuel: "Samuel, my son." He said, "Here I am."

Eli said, "What did the LORD say to you? Please don't conceal anything from me. May God do this to you and even more if you conceal from me one word of all that he spoke to you."

So Samuel told him everything he did not conceal anything from him. Eli said, "He is the LORD. May he do what seems good to him."

When the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why did the LORD defeat us today when we fought the Philistines? Let's take the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so it may go with us and deliver us from the power of our enemies."

and the Philistines were terrified. "God has come into the camp," they said. "How terrible for us, because nothing like this has ever happened before!

When he arrived, Eli was sitting there on a seat beside the road, watching because his heart trembled for the Ark of God. The man went into the town to give the report, and the whole town cried out.

When he mentioned the Ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backwards by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, since he was old and heavy. Eli had judged Israel for 40 years.

As she was about to die, the women standing around her said, "Don't be afraid! You've given birth to a son." But she did not respond or pay attention.

She said, "Glory has departed from Israel, because the Ark of God has been captured."

When the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, "Don't let the Ark of the God of Israel stay with us, because he is severely attacking us and our god Dagon."

They sent messengers and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines and asked, "What are we to do with the Ark of the God of Israel?" They said, "Let the Ark of the God of Israel move to Gath." So they moved the Ark of the God of Israel.

They said, "If you send the Ark of the God of Israel back, don't send it empty, but rather be sure to send back to him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed and will know why his oppression has not been removed from you."

Samuel said, "Bring all Israel together at Mizpah, and I'll pray to the LORD on your behalf."

On that day they fasted there and said, "We have sinned against the LORD." Then Samuel judged the Israelis at Mizpah. When the Philistines heard that the Israelis had gathered at Mizpah, the Philistine lords came up against Israel. When the Israelis heard this, they were afraid of the Philistines.

Then Samuel took a stone, placed it between Mizpah and Shen and named it Ebenezer. He said, "The LORD has helped us this far."

Samuel was displeased when they said, "Give us a king to govern us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD.

He said, "This is how the king who rules over you will operate: He will conscript your sons and assign them to his chariots. He will conscript them as his horsemen, and they'll run in front of his chariots.

He will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his officers and servants.

The young man said, "Look, there's a man of God in this town. The man is respected, and everything he predicts happens. Now, let's go there. Perhaps he can tell us about the journey on which we have set out."

As Saul approached Samuel in the middle of the gate, he said, "Please tell me where the seer's house is."

Then Samuel told the cook, "Bring the portion that I gave you, the one I told you to set aside."

The cook picked up the thigh and what was on it and set it in front of Saul. Then Samuel said, "Here is what is left! Set it before you and eat, for it has been kept for you until the appointed time, about which I said, "I've invited the people.'" So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, "The LORD has anointed you Commander-in-Chief over his inheritance, has he not?

Saul's uncle told him and to his young man, "Where did you go?" He said, "To look for the donkeys, and when we saw that they couldn't be found, we went to Samuel."

Then Saul's uncle said, "Please tell me what Samuel told you."

But today you have rejected your God who delivers you from all your troubles and difficulties. You have said, "No! Instead, appoint a king over us.' Now present yourselves in the LORD's presence by your tribes and families."

So they inquired further of the LORD, "Has the man come here yet?" The LORD said, "He is here, hiding among the baggage."

But some troublemakers said, "How can this man deliver us?" They despised him and did not bring him a gift. But Saul remained silent.

Just then Saul was coming in from the field behind the oxen and he said, "What's with the people? Why are they crying?" They reported to him what the men of Jabesh had said.

The men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you and surrender. Then you can do whatever you want to us."

The people told Samuel, "Who said, "Will Saul reign over us?' Bring them to us and we will put them to death!"

But Saul said, "Let no one be put to death this day, because today the LORD has delivered Israel."

They said, "You haven't cheated us or oppressed us, and you haven't taken anything from anyone's hand."

He told them, "Today the LORD is testifying, along with his anointed, that you haven't found any bribes in my possession." They said, "He's a witness."

Then the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel and he delivered you from the hand of your enemies on every side, so that you lived securely.

Is it not the wheat harvest today? I'll call upon the LORD, and he will send thunder and rain. Then you will know and understand that you have done a great evil in the sight of the LORD by asking for a king for yourselves."

Saul waited seven days for the appointment set by Samuel. When Samuel did not arrive at Gilgal, as the people began to scatter from Saul,

Saul said, "Bring the burnt offering and the peace offering to me," and he offered the burnt offering.

Samuel said, "What have you done?"

One day Jonathan told his armor bearer, "Come, let's go over to the Philistine garrison which is on the other side," but he did not tell his father.

Now in the pass through which Jonathan planned to get across to the Philistine garrison, there was a sharp crag on one side and a sharp crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other was Seneh.

Jonathan said, "Look, we're going over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them.

If they say to us, "Stay there until we come to you,' then we will stay where we are and not go up to them.

When the two of them showed themselves to the Philistine garrison, the Philistines said, "Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have been hiding."

Then one of the people responded: "Your father strictly ordered the army to take an oath. That's why he said, "Cursed is the person who eats food today,' and so the army is exhausted."

Jonathan said, "My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

Someone reported this to Saul: "Right now the army is sinning against the LORD by eating meat with the blood." He said, "You have acted treacherously. Roll a large stone to me today."

Then Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the soldiers and say to them, "Let each man bring his ox and his sheep to me, and you are to slaughter them here and eat. But don't sin against the LORD by eating meat with the blood.'" So every soldier brought his ox with him that night, and they slaughtered them there.

Saul said, "Let's go down after the Philistines tonight and plunder them until dawn, and let's not leave a single one of them alive." They said, "Do whatever seems good to you!" But the priest said, "Let's draw near to God here."

Saul said, "All you army officers are to come here to find out what constitutes this sin today.

Then he told all Israel, "You will be on one side, and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side." The people told Saul, "Do what seems good to you."

Saul said, "Cast lots between me and my son Jonathan," and Jonathan was selected.

Saul said, "May God do this to me and even more, if you don't surely die, Jonathan!"

When Saul became king over Israel, he fought against all his enemies on every side against Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Everywhere he turned he was victorious.

This is what the LORD of the Heavenly Armies says: "I'll punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, when he set himself against Israel in the way, as they were going up from Egypt.

Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley.

Samuel got up early in the morning to meet Saul, but Samuel was told, "Saul went up to Carmel to set up a monument for himself. Then he turned around and traveled on to Gilgal."

Samuel approached Saul. "May the LORD bless you," Saul said. "I've carried out the LORD's command."

Samuel said, "Then what is this bleating of sheep in my ears and the lowing of cattle that I hear?"

"Be quiet!" Samuel said. "I'll tell you what the LORD told me last night." Saul told him, "Speak."

Why didn't you obey the LORD, but grabbed the spoil and did evil in the LORD's sight?"

Samuel said, "Does the LORD delight as much in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the LORD? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.

"I've sinned," Saul said. "But please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me so I may worship the LORD your God."

Then Samuel said, "Bring Agag king of Amalek to me." Agag came to him in fetters, saying to himself, "Surely the bitterness of death is past."

Samuel said, "Just as your sword has made women childless, so your mother will be childless among women." Then Samuel cut Agag into pieces in the LORD's presence in Gilgal.

Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear about this and kill me!"

The LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, "I've come to offer a sacrifice to the LORD.' You are to invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I'll show you what you are to do. You are to anoint for me the one I tell you."

Samuel did what the LORD said and went to Bethlehem. The elders of the town came out to meet him trembling, and said, "May your coming be in peace."

He said, "Peace, I've come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." Samuel consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab, and said, "Surely he's the LORD's anointed."

Then Jesse summoned Abinadab and brought him before Samuel, and he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."

Then Jesse brought Shammah, and he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."

Then Samuel told Jesse, "Are these all the young men?" He said, "There yet remains the youngest one, and right now he's tending the sheep." Samuel told Jesse, "Send someone to get him, for we won't do anything else until he arrives here."

So he sent and brought him. He had a dark, healthy complexion, with beautiful eyes, and he was handsome. The LORD said, "Get up and anoint him, for this is the one."

So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep."

Saul and the Israelis assembled and camped in the valley of Elah, where they set up their forces to meet the Philistines.

The Philistines were standing on the hill on one side while the Israelis were standing on the hill on the other side, with the valley between them.

The Philistine said, "I defy the ranks of Israel today. Send me one man and let's fight together."

Eliab his oldest brother heard him talking to the men. Eliab was angry with David and said, "Why did you come down here? And who did you leave those few sheep with in the wilderness? I know your insolence and wicked intentions. You came down just to see the battle!"

Saul put his garments on David, set a bronze helmet on his head, and put armor on him.

When Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of the army, "Whose son is this young man, Abner?" Abner said, "As surely as you live, your majesty, I don't know."

Saul told him, "Whose son are you, young man?" David said, "The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."

As the women sang and played, they said, "Saul has struck down his thousands but David his ten thousands."

Saul's officials reported to him: "This is what David said."

Saul said, "This is what you are to tell David, "The king desires no bride price except 100 Philistine foreskins to take vengeance on the king's enemies.'" Now Saul thought he would cause David to die at the hand of the Philistines.

So Jonathan told David, "My father Saul is trying to kill you. In the morning be careful and stay hidden in a secret place.

When Saul sent the messengers to take David, Michal said, "He's sick."

David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came to Jonathan and said, "What have I done? What is my crime, and how have I wronged your father so that he's determined to kill me?