Study Desk

And it shall come to pass that every one who is left in your house shall come to bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Send me to one of the priests, that I may eat a piece of bread.

And he ran to Eli and said, Here I am; for you called me. And he said, I did not call; go back and lie down. And he went and lay down.

And the LORD called again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here I am; for you did call me. And he answered, I did not call, my son; go back and lie down.

And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here I am; for you did call me. Then Eli perceived that the LORD had called the boy.

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

And the LORD came and stood and called twice, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel said, Speak, LORD; for thy servant hears.

And I will show him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knew when his sons reviled the people and he did not rebuke them.

Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Elis household shall not be purged with sacrifices nor offerings for ever.

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe to us! For there has not been such a thing before.

And the Philistines fought with Israel, and Israel was defeated, and they fled every man to his tent; and there was a very great slaughter in Israel; for there fell of Israel in that day thirty thousand footmen.

And Eli was sitting upon a seat by the wayside watching; for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city to tell of the disaster, all the city cried out.

And it came to pass, when Eli thought of the ark of God, he fell from off the 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 years.

And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas wife, was with child; and was 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 down and travailed; for her pains came upon her.

And about the time of her death, the women that stood by her said to her, Fear not; for you have borne a son. But she neither answered nor did she pay attention to it.

And she said, The glory is departed from Israel; for the ark of God is taken.

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

So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it return to its own place, that it may not slay us and our people. For the fear of death caused a panic that spread throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

And the Philistines called for the priests and the lords, saying, What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us by what means shall we send it to its place.

And they said, What sort of offerings shall we bring to it? They answered, Five golden boils and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was upon you all and upon your lords.

And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the vessels of gold which you have brought for it as offerings, in a box by its side; and send it away, that it may go on its way.