And when the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions,

And it came to pass, as she continued praying before LORD, that Eli noticed her mouth.

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

And it came to pass, when the time came about, that Hannah conceived, and bore a son. And she called his name Samuel, [saying], Because I have asked him of LORD.

But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, [Not] until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before LORD, and abide there forever.

And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a flesh-hook of three teeth in his hand,

and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot. All that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took with it. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.

Now Eli was very old. And he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tent of meeting.

No, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear. Ye make LORD's people to transgress.

Therefore LORD, the God of Israel, says, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever, but now LORD says, Be it far from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me

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

And thou shall see an enemy [in my] habitation, in all that I shall give Israel, and there shall not be an old man in thy house forever.

And this shall be the sign to thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: In one day they shall die, both of them.

And I will raise up for me a faithful priest who shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build for him a sure house, and he shall walk before my anointed forever.

And it shall come to pass, that everyone who is left in thy house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices that I may eat a morse

And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim so that he could not see),

that LORD called Samuel. And he said, Here I am.

And LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here I am, for thou called me. And Eli perceived that LORD had called the child.

Therefore Eli said to Samuel, Go, lay down, and it shall be, if he calls thee, that thou shall say, Speak, LORD, for thy servant hears. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even to the end.

For I have told him that I will judge his house forever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse upon themselves, and he did not restrain them.

And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering forever.

And he said, What is the thing that [LORD] has spoken to thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me. God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke to thee.

And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of LORD.

And when the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has LORD smitten us today before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of LORD out of Shiloh to us, that it may come among us, and save us out o

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

And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What is the meaning of the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of LORD came into the camp.

Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that smote the Egyptians with all manner of plagues in the wilderness.

Be strong, and strengthen yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight.

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

And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that [Eli] fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate. And his neck broke, and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty year

And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered. And when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and brought forth, fo

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 hard upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of LORD was against the city with a very great discomfiture. And he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and tumors broke out upon them.

So 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 kill us and our people.

They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and they said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to its own place, that it not kill us and our people. For there was a deadly dis

Therefore ye shall make images of your tumors, and images of your mice that mar the land. And ye shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

And take the ark of LORD, and lay it upon the cart. And put the jewels of gold, which ye return to him for a trespass-offering, in a coffer by the side of it, and send it away, that it may go.

And watch. If it goes up by the way of its own border to Beth-shemesh, then he has done to us this great evil, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.

And the Levites took down the ark of LORD, and the coffer that was with it, in which the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt-offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same d

And it came to pass, from the day that the ark abode in Kiriath-jearim, that the time was long, for it was twenty years, and all the house of Israel lamented after LORD.

And they gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against LORD. And Samuel judged the sons of Israel in Mizpah.

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

And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, Do not cease to cry to 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 LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day upon the Philistines, and discomfited them, and they were smitten down before

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.

And LORD said to Samuel, Hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say to thee, for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them.

According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also to thee.

And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king whom ye shall have chosen you, and LORD will not answer 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 he said to him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man who is held in honor. All that he says comes surely to pass. Now let us go there, perhaps he can tell us concerning our journey on which we go.

And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver. I will give that to the man of God, to tell us our way.

And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place, for ye shall eat with me today. And in the morning I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thy heart.

And as for thy donkeys that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them, for they are found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for thee, and for all thy father's house?

And the cook took up the thigh, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And [Samuel] said, Behold, that which has been reserved! Set it before thee and eat, because it has been kept for thee to the appointed time, for I

And they arose early. And it came to pass about the dawning of the day, that Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.

As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us (and he passed on), but stand thou still first, that I may cause thee to hear the word of God.

Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not that LORD has anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance?

After that thou shall come to the hill of God where is the garrison of the Philistines. And it shall come to pass, when thou have come there to the city, that thou shall meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with

And let it be, when these signs have come to thee, that thou do as occasion shall serve thee, for God is with thee.

And it was so, that, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart. And all those signs came to pass that day.

And it came to pass, when all who knew him formerly saw, that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that has come to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?

And Saul's uncle said to him and to his servant, Where did ye go? And he said, To seek the donkeys, and when we saw that they were not found, we came to Samuel.

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

And he said to the sons of Israel, Thus says LORD, the God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you,

And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom LORD has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, Live, O king!

And Nahash the Ammonite said to them, On this condition will I make it with you, that all your right eyes be put out, and I will lay it for a reproach upon all Israel.

And the elders of Jabesh said to him, Give us seven days' respite that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel, and then, if there be none to save us, we will come out to thee.

And, behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field, and Saul said, What troubles the people that they weep? And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh.

Therefore the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will come out to you, and ye shall do with us all that seems good to you.

And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and smote the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it came to pass, that those who remaine

And the people said to Samuel, Who is he who said, Shall Saul reign over us? Bring the men that we may put them to death.

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

And he said to them, LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found anything in my hand. And they said, He is witness.

Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before LORD concerning all the righteous acts of LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.

And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, ye said to me, No, but a king shall reign over us, when LORD your God was your king.

Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to LORD that he may send thunder and rain, and ye shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of LORD in asking a king for you.

So Samuel called to LORD, and LORD sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people greatly feared LORD and Samuel.

And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for thy servants to LORD thy God that we not die, for we have added to all our sins [this] evil, to ask a king for us.

Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against LORD in ceasing to pray for you. But I will instruct you in the good and the right way.

And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.

And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.

When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in coverts, and in pits.

And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel [had appointed], but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattered from him.

And it came to pass that, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt-offering, behold, Samuel came, and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.

And Samuel said, What have thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash,

but now thy kingdom shall not continue. LORD has sought for him a man after his own heart, and LORD has appointed him to be prince over his people, because thou have not kept that which LORD commanded thee.

And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Geba of Benjamin, but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.

And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned to the way that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual,

and another company turned the way to Beth-horon, and another company turned the way of the border that looks down upon the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But with Saul and with Jonathan his son there was found.

Now it fell upon a day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison that is on yonder side. But he did not tell his father.

and Ahijah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the priest of LORD in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan was gone.

And Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that LORD will work for us, for there is no limitation to LORD to save by many or by few.

And his armor bearer said to him, Do all that is in thy heart. Turn thee, behold, I am with thee according to thy heart.

And that first slaughter, which Jonathan and his armor bearer made, was about twenty men, within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land.

And Saul said to Ahijah, Bring here the ark of God. For the ark of God was [there] at that time with the sons of Israel.

And it came to pass, while Saul talked to the priest, that the tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased. And Saul said to the priest, Withdraw thy hand.

Likewise all the men of Israel who had hid themselves in the hill-country of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed close after them in the battle.

So LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle passed over by Beth-aven.