1The word of Samuel was pleasing to all Israel and Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer and the Philistines camped in Aphek 2 The Philistines lined up in battle against Israel and the warriors fought and Israel was defeated before the Philistines and they killed about four thousand men on the battlefield 3 The people came to the camp and the elders of Israel said Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines Let us bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh so that it may come among us and save us from the hand of our enemies 4 So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Hosts who sits above the cherubim and there the two sons of Eli Hophni and Phinehas were with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord 5 And when the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came to the camp all Israel shouted with a great shout and the earth resounded 6 When the Philistines heard the sound of the shout they said What is this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews and they understood that the Ark of the Lord had come to the camp 7 The Philistines were afraid for they said The Ark of the Lord has come to the camp and they said Woe to us for such a thing has never happened before 8 Woe to us Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues and did wonders in the wilderness 9 Take courage and be men Philistines or you will become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been slaves to you Be men and fight 10 So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated and each man fled to his tent and there was a very great slaughter for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell 11 The Ark of God was captured and the two sons of Eli Hophni and Phinehas died 12 A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dirt on his head 13 When he arrived Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching for his heart was trembling for the Ark of God When the man entered the city and told the news all the city cried out 14 When Eli heard the sound of the outcry he said What is this noise And the man hurried and came and told Eli 15 Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes were fixed so that he could not see 16 The man said to Eli I am he who has come from the battle line indeed I fled from the battle today And he said How did it go my son 17 The messenger answered and said Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has been a great slaughter among the people Also your two sons Hophni and Phinehas are dead and the Ark of God has been captured 18 When he mentioned the Ark of God Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate and his neck was broken and he died for he was old and heavy He had judged Israel forty years 19 Now his daughter-in-law the wife of Phinehas was pregnant and about to give birth When she heard the news that the Ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead she knelt down and gave birth for her pains came upon her 20 About the time of her death the women attending her said to her Do not be afraid for you have borne a son But she did not answer or pay attention 21 She named the child Ichabod saying The glory has departed from Israel because the Ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband 22 She said The glory has departed from Israel for the Ark of God has been captured
2And Saul spoke with Jonathan his son and with all his servants to kill David, but Jonathan son of Saul delighted much in David. 2 And Jonathan told David, saying, 'Saul my father seeks to kill you; now therefore be on your guard in the morning and stay in a secret place and hide yourself.' 3 'And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you; and if I learn anything, I will tell you.' 4 And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, 'Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you.' 5 'For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced; why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?' 6 And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, 'As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.' 7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before. 8 And there was war again; and David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. 9 Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. 10 And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night. 11 Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, 'If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.' 12 So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. 13 Michal took a saddle of a camel and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head and covered it with clothes. 14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, 'He is sick.' 15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, 'Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.' 16 And when the messengers came in, behold, the saddle of a camel was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, 'Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?' And Michal answered Saul, 'He said to me, 'Let me go. Why should I kill you?'' 18 Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. 19 And it was told Saul, 'Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.' 20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. 22 Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, 'Where are Samuel and David?' And one said, 'Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.' 23 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, 'Is Saul also among the prophets?'
3And the boy Samuel was serving before the LORD during the life of Eli. And the word of the LORD was hidden in those days; no prophecy was revealed 2 On that day Eli was lying down in his own place. His eyes had begun to grow dim so that he could not see 3 And the lamp of the LORD’s sanctuary had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the court of the Levites. And a voice was heard from the LORD’s temple, where the ark of the LORD was 4 Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, ‘Here I am.’ 5 And he ran to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call; lie down again.’ So he went and lay down 6 And the LORD called again, ‘Samuel!’ And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ But he said, ‘I did not call, my son; lie down again.’ 7 Now Samuel had not yet learned to recognise instruction from before the LORD, and until then no prophetic word of the LORD had been revealed to him 8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ Then Eli perceived that the boy was called from before the LORD 9 And Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and if He calls you, you shall say, “Speak, O LORD, for thy servant hears”.’ So Samuel went and lay down in his place 10 And the glory of the LORD was revealed and stood forth, calling as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for thy servant hears.’ 11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Here I am, doing something in Israel, at which the two ears of every one that hears it will tingle 12 On that day I will fulfil against Eli all that I have spoken concerning the people of his house. I will destroy and I will end 13 And I told him that I take revenge on the people of his house for ever, for the sins which he knew, because his sons are provoking and he did not restrain them[1] 14 Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli that the sins of Eli’s house shall not be forgiven by holy slaughterings or offerings for ever.’ 15 And Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the sanctuary of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell the prophetic vision to Eli 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, ‘Samuel, my son.’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ 17 And he said, ‘What is the word that He spoke with you? Do not hide it from me. May the LORD do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the word that He spoke with you.’ 18 So Samuel told him all the words and hid nothing from him. And he said, ‘It is the LORD; let him do what is right before Him.’ 19 And Samuel grew, and the speech of the LORD was in his aid, and none of all his words failed 20 And all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was reliable in the prophetic words of the LORD 21 And the LORD continued to reveal himself at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD