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 thou shalt see thine enemy in the tabernacle, in all that shall please Israel, and there shall not be an elder in thine house while the world standeth.

Yet will I will not root out every man of thee from mine altar, but that thine eyes may be consumed, and thy soul may be sorry. And a great multitude of thine house shall die young.

And I will stir me up a faithful priest that shall do as it is in mine heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house. And he shall walk before mine anointed forever.

And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days, for there was none open vision.

And it chanced at that time, that Eli lay in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim that he could not see.

And he ran unto Eli and said, "Here am I for thou calledest me." And he said, "I called thee not: go again and sleep." And he went and laid him down to sleep.

And the LORD called once again, "Samuel." And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "I am here, thou didst call me." And he answered, "I called thee not my son. Go again and take thy rest."

And the LORD went and called Samuel the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "I am here, for thou hast called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the lad.

And the LORD said to Samuel, "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, that the ears of as many as heareth it, shall tingle.

In that day I will perform to Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house: I will begin it and end it.

For I have told him that I will judge his house forever. For the wickedness which he knoweth, how his sons are ungracious, and he was not wroth therewith.

And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the wickedness of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering, while the world standeth."

And Samuel lay till morning and then opened the doors of the house of the LORD. But Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.

Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." And he answered, "Here I am."

And he said, "What is that he said unto thee? See ye hide it not from me. The LORD do so and so to thee, if thou hide anything from me, of all that he said unto thee."

And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba wist that Samuel was truly made the LORD's prophet.

And Samuel spake unto all Israel. And Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside the help stone. And the Philistines pitched in Aphek,

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 when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the host, all Israel shouted a mighty shout, so that the earth rang again.

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.

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.

When Eli heard the noise of the crying, he asked what the noise of that rumour meant. And the man hasted and came in and told Eli.

Eli was four score and eighteen years old, and his sight failed him that he could not see.

And the man said unto Eli, "I am he that came out of the array and fled out of the host this day." And he said, "How is it fortuned, my son?"

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.

But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with hemorrhoids; both Ashdod and all the coasts thereof.

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 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."

Then said they, "What shall be the trespass offering which we shall reward him with?" And they answered, "Five golden arses with hemorrhoids and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For it was one manner of plague that was on you all, and on your lords too.

Wherefore should ye harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? Which for all that, when he had played his pageants with them, were fain to let the people go and depart.

And the golden mice were according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines through the five lordships: both of walled towns and of towns unwalled, even unto the great stone whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua the Bethshemite.

And while the ark abode in Kiriathjearim, the days multiplied, that it was twenty years, and all Israel lamented after the LORD.

And Samuel spake unto all Israel, saying, "If ye be come again unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods from among you, and Ashtaroth, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD and serve him alone; and so shall he rid you out of the hands of the Philistines."

Then said Samuel, "Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, that I may pray for you unto the LORD."

And so the Philistines were brought under, that they came no more into the coasts of Israel: for the hand of the LORD was upon the Philistines all the days of Samuel.

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life,

and went about year by year, to Bethel, Gilgal and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places, and came again to Ramah:

Then all the elders of Israel gathered them together and came to Samuel unto Ramah,

and said unto him, "Behold, thou art old and thy sons follow not thy ways. Now, therefore, make us a king to judge us, as all other nations have."

And the LORD said unto Samuel, "Hear the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee. For they have not cast thee away, but me: that I should not reign over them.

And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked a king of him,

and he said, "This shall be the duty of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons and put them to his chariots and make his horsemen of them and they must run before his chariot,

and will make him captains of them over thousands and over fifties, and set them to ear his ground, and to gather in his harvest, and to make instruments of war and apparel for his chariots.

And he will take your daughters and make them the dressers of his ointments, and his cooks and bakers.

And when ye cry out at that time upon your king which ye shall have chosen you, the LORD will not hear you at that day."

and we will be like all other nations. And our king shall judge us, and go out before us and fight our battles."

And Samuel heard all the words of the people and rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.

the same had a son called Saul, a goodly young man, so that among the children of Israel, there was none goodlier than he, and was thereto, from the shoulders upward, higher than all the other people.

"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."

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."

"Tomorrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin: him shalt thou anoint to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines, for I have looked upon my people and their cry is come unto me."

and Samuel answered Saul, and said, "I am the Seer. Go up before me unto the hill, for ye shall eat with me today. And tomorrow I will let thee go early, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart.

And as for thine asses that were lost this day three days, care not for them - for they are found. And moreover, whose shall the beautiful things of Israel be? Belong they not unto thee, and unto all thy father's house?"

But Saul answered, and said, "Am not I the son of a Benjaminite of the smallest tribe of Israel, and my kindred the least of all the kindreds of the tribe of Benjamin? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me?"

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."

And then Samuel took a box of oil and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said, "The LORD hath anointed thee to be a captain over his inheritance.

And now when thou art departed from me, thou shalt meet two men by Rachel's sepulchre in the borders of Benjamin, even at Zelzah. And they will say unto thee, "The asses which thou wentest to seek, are found; see, thy father hath left the care of the asses and sorroweth for you, saying, 'What shall I do for my son?'"

And they will salute thee and give thee two loaves of bread: which thou shalt receive of their hands.

And the spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

And thou shalt also go before me to Gilgal. And behold, I will come unto thee to sacrifice burnt sacrifice and peace offerings. Tarry for me seven days till I come to thee and show thee what thou shalt do."

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.

And all that knew him before, when they saw that he prophesied among the prophets, they said each to other, "What is happened unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?"

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 when Samuel had brought all the tribes of Israel the tribe of Benjamin was caught.

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!"

Then Samuel told the people the duty of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the LORD, and so sent all the people away; every man to his house.

Then Nahash the Ammonite came and besieged Jabesh in Gilead. And all the people of Jabesh said unto Nahash,

"Make a covenant with us and we will be thy servants." And Nahash the Ammonite said, "Hereto will I make a covenant with you: even to thrust out all your right eyes, that I may bring that shame upon all Israel."

Then said the elders of Jabesh, "Give us seven days respite that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel. And then if there come no man to help us, we will come out to thee."

Then came the messengers to Gibeah where Saul dwelt, and told this tidings in the ears of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept.

And took a yoke of oxen and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, "Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall his oxen be served." Then the fear of the LORD fell upon the people, and they came out as it had been but one man.

And then the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out unto you, that ye may do with us all that pleaseth you."

And the people went to Gilgal and made Saul king there, before the LORD in Gilgal. And there they offered peace offerings before the LORD. And there Saul and all the people rejoiced exceedingly.

Then said Samuel unto all Israel, "Behold, I have obeyed your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made you a king.

Behold, here I am. Answer me before the LORD and before his anointed, whose ox have I taken? Or whose ass have I taken? Whom have I done wrong to? Or whom have I oppressed? And of whose hand have I received any bribe, to blind mine eyes therewith? And I will restore it you again."

Now therefore stand still, and let me reason with you before the LORD, of all the righteousnesses of the LORD which he showed both you and your fathers.

Then they cried unto the LORD and said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth. But now deliver us out of the hands of our enemies and we will serve thee.'

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.

Now also stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes:

Is it not now wheat harvest? And yet for all that, I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain. Wherefore, perceive and understand how that your wickedness is great which ye have done in the sight of the LORD in asking you a king."

And when Samuel called unto the LORD, the LORD sent thunder and rain the same day. And all the people feared the LORD and Samuel exceedingly.

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."

Then said Samuel unto the people, "Fear not. And though ye have done all this wickedness, yet depart not from the LORD in any case. But serve him with all your hearts.

But the LORD will not forsake his people, because of his great name's sake: because the LORD hath begun to make you his people.

Only fear you the LORD and serve him truly with all your hearts: for he hath done great things for you.

And Jonathan slew the Philistines in a hold they had in Gibeah, and it came to the Philistines' ears. And Saul caused the trumpet to be blown throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear."

And all Israel heard say, how that Saul had destroyed a hold of the Philistines, and how that Israel stank unto the Philistines. And all the people cried after Saul to Gilgal.

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.

And therefore must all Israel go down to the Philistines, to mend every man his share, his mattock, his axe or his sickle:

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

Then said Jonathan to the young man that bare his harness, "Come, and let us go over unto the standing of these uncircumcised, peradventure the LORD will work with us: for the LORD is free to save with many or with few."

And his harness bearer said unto him, "Do all that is in thine heart. Set thee forward; and see, I am with thee, as thine heart lusteth."

if they say on this wise to us, 'Tarry until we come to you,' then we will stand still where we be and not go up unto them.