Study Desk

And Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Yahweh, for Your slave is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Then Yahweh came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for Your slave is listening."

And I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew because his sons have been bringing a curse on themselves, but he did not rebuke them.

Now therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever."

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp." And they said, "Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; and the slaughter was very great, for there fell of Israel 30,000 foot soldiers.

And he came, and behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road eagerly watching because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. Now the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out.

And it happened that when he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken, and he died, for the man was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years.

Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas's wife, was with child and about to give birth. And she heard the report that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, so she kneeled down and gave birth, for her pains came upon her.

And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, "Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son." But she did not answer or pay attention.

And she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God was taken."

Thus the men of Ashdod saw that it was so and said, "The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is severe on us and on Dagon our god."

They sent therefore and gathered 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, so that it will not put us and our people to death." For there was a deadly confusion throughout the city; the hand of God was very glorious there.

And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? Make us know how we shall send it to its place."

Then they said, "What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him?" And they said, "Five golden tumors and five golden mice according to the number of the lords of the Philistines, for one plague was on all of you and on your lords.

Now these are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to Yahweh: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron;

Then Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to Yahweh for you."

So the sons of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry out to Yahweh our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines."

And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it for a whole burnt offering to Yahweh; and Samuel cried out to Yahweh for Israel, and Yahweh answered him.

But his return would be to Ramah, for his house was there, and there he judged Israel; and he built there an altar to Yahweh.