But his father and his mother knew not that it was of LORD, for he sought an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines had rule over Israel.

And his father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there, for so the young men used to do.

And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said to Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare to us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire. Have ye called us to impoverish us? Is it not [s

And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks and the standing grain, and also the oliveyards.

Then the Philistines said, Who has done this? And they said, Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.

When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of LORD came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands dropped from off his hands.

And he was very thirsty, and called on LORD, and said, Thou have given this great deliverance by the hand of thy servant, and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised.

[And it was told] the Gazites, saying, Samson has come here. And they encompassed him in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, [Not] till morning light, then we will kill hi

Now she had an ambush abiding in the inner chamber. And she said to him, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he broke the withes, as a string of tow is broken when it touches the fire. So his strength was not known.

And he told her all his heart, and said to her, There has not come a razor upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I be shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I shall become weak, and be lik

And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come up this once, for he has told me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and broug

And she made him sleep upon her knees, and she called for a man, and shaved off the seven locks of his head. And she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him.

And she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free, but he knew not that LORD was departed from him.

And the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice, for they said, Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hand.

And when the people saw him, they praised their god, for they said, Our god has delivered into our hand our enemy, and the destroyer of our country who has slain many of us.

And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make sport to us. And they called for Samson out of the prison-house, and he made sport before them. And they set him between the pilla

And Samson called to LORD, and said, O lord LORD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.

And he restored the eleven hundred [pieces] of silver to his mother. And his mother said, I verily dedicate the silver to LORD from my hand for my son to make a graven image and a molten image. Now therefore I will restore it to th

Then Micah said, Now I know that LORD will do me good, seeing I have a Levite for my priest.

In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites sought for them an inheritance to dwell in, for to that day [their] inheritance had not fallen to them among the tribes of Israel.

Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were in it, how they dwelt in security, according to the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure, for there was none in the land possessing authority, that mi

And they said, Arise, and let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good, and are ye idle? Be not slothful to go and to enter in to possess the land.

When ye go, ye shall come to a people secure. And the land is large, for God has given it into your hand, a place where there is no want of anything that is on the earth.

And they said to him, Hold thy peace, lay thy hand upon thy mouth, and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for thee to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?

And the sons of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house.

And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and secure, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and they burnt the city with fire.

And there was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with any man, and it was in the valley that lays by Beth-rehob. And they built the city, and dwelt in it.

And the sons of Dan set up for themselves the graven image. And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land.

So they set up for them Micah's graven image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh.

And his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father's house to Bethlehem-judah, and was there the space of four months.

When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent, and the servant said to his master, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it.

And they turned aside there, to go in to lodge in Gibeah. And he went in, and sat down in the street of the city, for there was no man that took them into his house to lodge.

Yet there is both straw and provender for our donkeys, and there is bread and wine also for me, and for thy handmaid, and for the young man who is with thy servants. There is no want of anything.

And the chiefs of all the people, even of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen who drew a sword.

And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel, for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.

and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to fetch provision for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin,

And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men who drew a sword. All these were men of war.

And the sons of Israel arose, and went up to Bethel, and asked counsel of God. And they said, Who shall go up for us first to battle against the sons of Benjamin? And LORD said, Judah first.

And the sons of Israel asked of LORD (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,

and Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days), saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And LORD said, Go up, for tomorrow I will del

So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were smitten, for the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin because they trusted to the ambushment whom they had set against Gibeah.

And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons, for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us as in the first battle.

And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed, for they saw that evil had come upon them.

They enclosed the Benjamites round about, [and] chased them, [and] trod them down at [their] resting-place, as far as opposite Gibeah toward the sunrise.

But six hundred men turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon, and abode in the rock of Rimmon four months.

And the men of Israel turned again upon the sons of Benjamin, and smote them with the edge of the sword, both the entire city, and the cattle, and all that they found. Moreover they set on fire all the cities which they found.

And the sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that did not come up in the assembly to LORD? For they had made a great oath concerning him who did not come up to LORD to Mizpah, saying, He shall surely be

And the sons of Israel regretted for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day.

What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since we have sworn by LORD that we will not give them of our daughters to wives?

For when the people were numbered, behold, there were none of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead there.

And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had not known man by laying with him, and they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan.

And Benjamin returned at that time, and they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead. And even so they were not sufficient for them.

And the people regretted for Benjamin, because LORD had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.

Then the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those who remain, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?

And they said, There must be an inheritance for those who are escaped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel.

However we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the sons of Israel had sworn, saying, Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.

and watch. And, behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch for you every man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin.

And it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, that we will say to them, Grant them graciously to us, because we took not for each man [of them] his wife in battle, neither did ye give them to them, e

And the sons of Benjamin did so, and took for them wives, according to their number, of those who danced, whom they carried off. And they went and returned to their inheritance, and built the cities, and dwelt in them.

And they took wives for them of the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth, and they dwelt there about ten years.

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law that she might return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the country of Moab how that LORD had visited his people in giving them bread.

Turn again, my daughters. Go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope. If I should even have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons,

would ye therefore delay till they were grown? Would ye therefore stay from having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes, for the hand of LORD has gone forth against me.

And Ruth said, Entreat me not to leave thee, and to return from following after thee, for where thou go, I will go, and where thou lodge, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.

And she said to them, Call me not Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

And also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and do not rebuke her.

And Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?

And he said, Who are thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thy handmaid. Spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid, for thou are a near kinsman.

And now, my daughter, fear not. I will do to thee all that thou say, for all the city of my people knows that thou are a worthy woman.

And she lay at his feet until the morning. And she rose up before one could discern another. For he said, Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor.

And she said, He gave me these six [measures] of barley, for he said, Go not empty to thy mother-in-law.

Then she said, Sit still, my daughter, until thou know how the matter will fall, for the man will not rest until he has finished the thing this day.

And I thought to disclose it to thee, saying, Buy it before those who sit here, and before the elders of my people. If thou will redeem it, redeem it, but if thou will not redeem it, then tell me that I may know, for there is none

And the near kinsman said, I cannot redeem it for myself lest I mar my own inheritance. Take thou my right of redemption on thee, for I cannot redeem it.

So the near kinsman said to Boaz, Buy it for thyself. And he drew off his shoe.

And he shall be to thee a restorer of life, and a nourisher of thine old age, for thy daughter-in-law, who loves thee, who is better to thee than seven sons, has borne him.

but to Hannah he gave a double portion, for he loved Hannah, but LORD had shut up her womb.

Count not thy handmaid for an iniquitous woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation have I spoken until now.

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.

I prayed for this child, and LORD has given me my petition which I asked of him.

There is none holy as LORD, for there is none besides thee, neither is there any rock like our God.

Talk no more so very proudly. Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth, for LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

Those who were full have hired out themselves for bread, and those who were hungry have ceased [to hunger]. Yea, the barren has borne seven, and she who has many sons languishes.

He raises up the poor out of the dust, he lifts up the needy from the dunghill, to make them sit with rulers, and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are LORD's, and he has set the world upon them.

He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness, for by strength no man shall prevail.

And before they burned the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man who sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest, for he will not have boiled flesh from thee, but raw.

And the sin of the young men was very great before LORD, for the men despised the offering of LORD.

And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, LORD give thee seed by this woman for the petition which was asked of LORD. And they went to their own home.

And he said to them, Why do ye such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.

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

If one man sins against another, God shall judge him, but if a man sins against LORD, who shall entreat for him? Notwithstanding, they did not hearken to the voice of their father, because LORD intended to kill them.

And there came a man of God to Eli, and said to him, Thus says LORD, Did I reveal myself to the house of thy father when they were in Egypt [in bondage] to Pharaoh's house?

And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? And did I give to the house of thy father all the offerings of the sons of Israel made by fire

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

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 he ran to Eli, and said, Here I am, for thou called me. And he said, I did not call. Lay down again. And he went and lay down.

And LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here I am, for thou called me. And he answered, I did not call, my son. Lay down again.

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.