And then the man arose to depart with his concubine and his lad. But his father-in-law, the damsel's father, said unto him, "Behold, the day goeth fast away and draweth toward even. Tarry all night: at the least way tarry this day here and let thine heart be merry. And tomorrow get you early upon your way and get thee to thy tent."

Behold my daughter, yet a virgin, and this man's concubine: them I will bring out unto you, and humble them, and do with them what seemeth you good: but unto this man, do not this folly."

And he said unto her, "Up, and let us be going." But she answered not. Then he took her up upon an ass and stood up and gat him unto his own home.

And there stood folk out of all quarters of all the tribes of Israel, in the congregation of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew swords.

And I took my concubine and cut her in pieces and sent her throughout all the lands of the inheritance of Israel. For they have committed abomination and folly in Israel.

And the children of Israel arose and went up to Bethel, and asked of God, who should begin the battle against the children of Benjamin, and the LORD said, "Judah shall begin."

And they asked the LORD - for there was the ark of the covenant of God, in those days;

And the people came to Bethel and abode there till evening, before God, and lifted up their voices and wept sore,

and said, "O LORD God of Israel, why is this chanced in Israel, that there should be this day one tribe lacking in Israel?"

And the children of Israel had pity on Benjamin their brethren, and said, "There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day:

what shall we do unto the remnant of them, for to get them wives, forasmuch as we have sworn by the LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?"

And the people had compassion on Benjamin, because that God had made a gap in the tribes of Israel.

And then the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do to the remnant of them, to get them wives; seeing all the wives of Benjamin are destroyed?"

And when ye see that the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in a row, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man a wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and get you unto the land of Benjamin."

Then she said, "See, thy sister-in-law is gone back again unto her people and unto her god: return thou after her."

But Ruth said, "Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from after thee. For whither thou goest, I will go. And where thou dwellest, there I will dwell. Thy people are my people, and thy God is my God.

The LORD recompense thee thy doing, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel unto whom thou art come, to trust under his wings."

wash thyself therefore and anoint thee and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee to the threshing floor. But let not the man be aware of thee, until he have left eating and drinking.

Tarry all night. And when morning is come, if he will marry thee: it is good, so let him do. But if he will not have thee, as sure as the LORD liveth I will have thee. Lie still until the morning."

And he said, "Bring thy mantle that thou hadst upon thee and hold it up." And she held it up. And he mette in six measures of barley and laid it on her. And she gat her into the city,

Then went Boaz unto the gate and sat him down there. And behold, the kinsman of which Boaz spake came by. Unto whom he said, "Come and sit down here, and called him by his name." And he turned in and sat down.

And moreover, Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, do I take unto me to wife to stir up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that his name be not put out from among his brethren, and from the gate of his city: ye are witnesses this day."

And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said "We are witnesses: the LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and Lea, which twain did build the house of Israel: that she may do virtuously in Ephrata, and be famous in Bethlehem,

And thereto her enemy Peninnah vexed her a good in casting her in the teeth how the LORD had made her barren.

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

And Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seemeth thee best: tarry until thou hast weaned him, only the LORD make good his saying." And so the woman abode and gave her son suck, until she weaned him.

There is none so holy as the LORD: no, there is none save thou. Neither is there any strength like unto our God.

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.

Moreover, his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from feast to feast when she came up with her husband to offer the offering of the said feast.

Oh, nay my sons: For it is no good report that I hear how that ye make the LORD's people to trespass.

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.

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 before the lamp of God went out Samuel laid him down to sleep, in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.

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 the Philistines were afraid, when it was told how that God was come into the host and said, "Woe unto us, for it was never so before this.

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.

Be strong and quit yourselves like men, ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men therefore and fight."

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.

And the messenger answered and said, "Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there is a great slaughter chanced among the people, and thy two sons Hophni and Phinehas are dead, and thereto the ark of God is taken."

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.

And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child and nigh the birth. And when she heard the tidings of the taking of the ark of God, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed, for her pains came upon her.

And she named the child Ichabod saying, "Honour is departed from Israel" - Because the ark of God was taken, and her father-in-law and her husband were dead.

And therefore she said, "Honour is gone from Israel," because the ark of God was taken.

And the Philistines took the ark of God and carried it from the help stone, unto Ashdod,

And when they were up early in the next morning behold, Dagon lay groveling upon the ground before the ark of the LORD, and his head and his two hands cut off upon the threshold, that the body only was left on him.

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

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 the ark of God to Ekron. And as soon as the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out saying, "They have brought the ark of the God of Israel unto us: to slay us and our people."

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."

Wherefore ye shall make images like to your arses with hemorrhoids and images like to your mice that destroyed your land, and shall give glory unto the God of Israel: that he may take his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

And the men of Bethshemesh said, "Who is able to stand before the LORD, so holy a God, and to whom shall he go from us?"

and said to Samuel, "Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he may save us out of the hands of the Philistines."

"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."

Before time in Israel, when a man went to seek an answer of God, thus wise he spake: "Come, and let us go to the Seer." For he that is now called a prophet, was in the old time called a Seer.

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."

Then went Saul to Samuel in the middle of the gate, and said, "Tell me, I pray thee, where about the Seer's house is."

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."

Then thou shalt go forth from thence and shalt come to the oak of Tabor. And there shalt thou meet three men going to God to Bethel: one carrying three kids; and another carrying three loaves of bread; and the third carrying a bottle of wine.

After that, thou shalt come to the hill of God, where the Philistines keep their watch. And when thou art come thither to the city thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the hill, with a psaltery, a timbrel, a pipe, and a harp before them; and they prophesying.

And when these signs are chanced thee, then do what thou hast to do, for God is with thee.

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.

When they came to the hill, behold, the company of prophets met him, and the spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

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 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!"

And Saul also went home to Gibeah. And there went with him a host, such as God had touched their hearts.

Then came the spirit of God upon Saul, when he heard those tidings, and he was exceeding angry.

Neverthelater, they forgot the LORD their God. And he sold them into the hand of Sisera chief captain of Jabin king of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the king of Moab, which fought against them.

And for all that, when you saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, 'Not so, a king shall reign over us' - when yet the LORD your God was your king.

Oh that ye would fear the LORD and serve him and hear his voice and not disobey the mouth of the LORD: and that both ye and the king that reigneth over you would follow the LORD your God.

Then said all the people unto Samuel, "Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have sinned in asking us a king, beside all the sins that ever we did."

Moreover, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in leaving praying for you and to show you the good and right way.

And the Hebrews went over Jordan unto the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul was yet in Gilgal, and all the people that followed him were astonished.

Then said Samuel to Saul, "Thou hast done foolishly and hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God which he commanded thee. For at this time would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever.

And Samuel arose and gat him from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were found with him, about a six hundred men.

And there was a fear in the host that was in the field, and among all the people: insomuch that they that kept the hold, and they that were gone to rob, were afraid also: and the earth trembled and there was a fear sent of God.

And then Saul said unto Ahijah, "Bring hither the ark of God." For the ark of God was at the time with the children of Israel.

And so God helped Israel that day. And the battle continued until they came unto Bethaven.

Then the people gat them to the spoil and took sheep oxen and calves, and slew them on the ground and did eat with the blood.

And Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and let us make havoc among them until it be day in the morning, and let us not leave one of them." And the people answered, "Do whatsoever thou thinkest best." Then said the priest, "Let us come hither unto God."

And Saul asked of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? And wilt thou deliver them into mine hands?" But he answered him not at that time.

And Saul said unto the LORD God of Israel, "Give perfect knowledge." And Saul and Jonathan were caught, and the people escaped free.

Then said Saul, "God do so and so to me, except that thou die Jonathan."

But the people said unto Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, which hath so mightily helped Israel? God forbid. As truly as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground: for he hath wrought with God this day." And so the people delivered Jonathan, that he died not.

But Saul said unto the Kenites, "Go and depart and get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them, for ye showed mercy with Israel when they came out of Egypt." And the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.

But Saul and the people spared Agag, and they left of the sheep and of the oxen and fat things and the lambs and all that was good, and would not destroy them. But all that was nought worth and flaggy, that they destroyed utterly.

And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites. For the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God. And the remnant we have destroyed."

And the people took of the spoil, sheep, oxen, and the chiefest of the things which should have been destroyed, to offer unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal."

Then said Samuel unto Saul, "I will not return with thee: for thou hast cast away the bidding of God, and therefore the LORD hath cast away thee also, that thou shalt not be king over Israel."

And as Samuel turned to go away, he caught the lap of his coat, and it rent.

Then he said, "I have sinned. But yet honour me before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may pray unto the LORD thy God."

Then said his servants unto him, "Behold, an evil spirit sent of God vexeth thee.

Let our lord therefore command his servants to seek a man that is a cunning player with a harp. And then when the evil spirit sent of God cometh upon thee, that he may play with his hand and thou shalt be eased."

And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a flacket of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.