Samuel & King Saul

On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his family, from beginning to end.

I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them.

Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, ‘The iniquity of Eli’s house shall never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”

Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,

but Eli called to him and said, “Samuel, my son.” “Here I am,” answered Samuel.

“What was the message He gave you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May God punish you, and ever so severely, if you hide from me anything He said to you.”

So Samuel told him everything and did not hide a thing from him. “He is the LORD,” replied Eli. “Let Him do what is good in His eyes.”

And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.

So all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.

And the LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, because there He revealed Himself to Samuel by His word.

Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek.

The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield.

When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.”

So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a great shout that it shook the ground.

On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp,

the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before.

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 in the wilderness.

Take courage and be men, O Philistines! Otherwise, you will serve the Hebrews just as they served you. Now be men and fight!”

So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.

The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line all the way to Shiloh, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.

When he arrived, there was Eli, sitting on his chair beside the road and watching, because his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the whole city cried out.

Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?” So the man hurried over and reported to Eli.

Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his gaze was fixed because he could not see.