came into the city and told it all the 2 When the Philistines took the city cried out. ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Da 14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What mean-gon. eth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. f 15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. 16 And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to-day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? 17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. m 3 And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again. m 4 And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD: and the head of Dagon, and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him. 5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold c 18 And it came to pass, when he of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day. made mention of the ark of God, m 6 But the hand of the LORD was that he fell from off the seat back-heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he ward by the side of the gate, and destroyed them, and smote them his neck brake, and he died: for he with emerods, even Ashdod, and the was an old man, and heavy. And coasts thereof. he had judged Israel forty years. f7 And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god. 19 And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child near to be delivered and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-g 8 They sent therefore, and gain-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself, and travailed; for her pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death, the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast borne a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. n 21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel. (Because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.) c 22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken. CHAP. V. g thered all the lords of the Philistines g 10 Therefore they sent the ark saying. They had brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people. m 11 So they sent and gathered to-tie the kine to the cart, and bring gether all the lords of the Philistines, their calves home from them : and said, Send away the ark of the 8 And take the ark of the LORD, God of Israel, and let it go again to and lay it upon the cart; and put his own place, that it slay us not, the jewels of gold which ye return and our people: for there was a him for a trespass-offering, in a deadly destruction throughout all the coffer by the side thereof; and send city; the hand of God was very it away, that it may go. heavy there. g 9 And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us. 12 And the men that died not, were smitten with the em rods: and the cry of the city went up to hea ven. 'Α CHAP. VI. ND the ark of the LORI was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. 3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass-offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. 10 And the men did so; and took two milch-kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: 11 And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. m 12 And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went af ter them unto the border of Bethshemesh. 4 Then said they, What shall be the trespass-offering which we shall e 13 And they of Beth-shemesh return to him? They answered, were reaping their wheat harvest in Five golden emerods, and five gold-the valley and they lifted up their en mice, according to the number eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced of the lords of the Philistines: for to see it. one plague was on you all, and on f 14 And the cart came into the your lords. field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and d 5 Wherefore ye shall make ima-stood there, where there was a great ges of your emerods, and images stone: and they clave the wood of of your mice that mar the land; the cart, and offered the kine a and ye shall give glory unto the burnt-offering unto the LORD. God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. 6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? f Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch-kine on which there hath come no yoke, and 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt-offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD. 16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Elkron the same day. 17 And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass-offering unto the g 5 And Samuel said, Gather all LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for you unto the LORD. for Ekron one; o 6 And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and staid there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. f 7 And when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel were gathered together to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. 18 And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite. m 19 T And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten 8 And the children of Israel said men and the people lamented, be- to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the cause the LORD had smitten many LORD our God for us, that he will of the people with a great slaughter. save us out of the hand of the Phit 20 And the men of Beth-shemesh listines. said, Who is able to stand before 9 ¶ And Samuel took a sucking this holy LORD God? and to whom lamb, and offered it for a burnt-ofshall he go up from us? tering wholly unto the LORD: and g 21 And they sent messengers Samuel cried unto the LORD for Isto the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, rael; and the LORD heard him. saying, The Philistines have brought m 10 And as Samuel was offering again the ark of the LORD; come up the burnt-offering, the Philistines ye down, and fetch it up to you. drew near to battle against Israel: CHAP. VII. but the LORD thundered with a AND the men of Kirjath-jerim great thunder on that day upon the came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. c 2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. f3¶ And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods, and Ashtaroth, from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. d 4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only. Philistines, and discomfited them; and they were smitten before Israel. g 11 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and smote them, until they came under Beth-car. n 12 Then Samuel took a stone, f 13 So the Philistines were sub- of the Philistines and there was words of the LORD unto the people peace between Israel and the Amo-that asked of him a king. rites. k 11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen ; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. w 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maid-servants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. g 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, c 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not 17 He will take the tenth of your in thy ways: now make us a king sheep and ye shall be his servants. to judge us like all the nations. 18 And ye shall cry out in that f6 But the thing displeased Sa-day because of your king which ye muel, when they said, Give us a shall have chosen you; and the king to judge us: and Samuel pray- LORD will not hear you in that day. ed unto the LORD. f19 Nevertheless, the people rev 7 And the LORD said unto Samu-fused to obey the voice of Samuel; el, Hearken unto the voice of the and they said, Nay; but we will people in all that they say unto thee: have a king over us; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. 9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice howbeit, yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. 10 And Samuel told all the 20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. d 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city. CHAP. IX. JOW there was a man of Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of 10 Then said Saul to his servant, Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son Well said; come, let us go so they of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty went unto the city where the man man of power. of God was. f2 And he had a son, whose name o 11 ¶ And as they went up the was Saul, a choice young man, and hill to the city, they found young a goodly and there was not among maidens going out to draw water, the children of Israel a goodlier per- and said unto them, Is the seer son than he: from his shoulders and here? upward he was higher than any off 12 And they answered them, and the people. said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to-day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to-day in the high place: 3 And the asses of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. 13 As soon as ye be come into g4 And he passed through mount the city, ye shall straightway find Ephraim, and passed through the him, before he go up to the high land of Shalisha, but they found place to eat for the people will not them not then they passed through eat until he come, because he doth the land of Shalim, and there they bless the sacrifice; and afterwards were not: and he passed through they eat that be bidden. Now therethe land of the Benjamites, but they fore get you up for about this time found them not. ye shall find him. g 5 And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us. d 6 And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man ; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go. 14 And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place. 15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, 16 To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people 7 Then said Saul to his servant, out of the hand of the Philistines: But behold, if we go, what shall for I have looked upon my peowe bring the man? for the bread is ple, because their cry is come unto spent in our vessels, and there is not me. a present to bring to the man of God: what have we ? o 8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way. 9 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the scer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) 17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people. I 18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, pray thee, where the seer's house is. 19 And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to-day, and tomorrow I will let thee go, and will |