CHAP. I.

j Elkanah aud his two wives. 9 Hannah's prayer, ig Samuel is born, 24 and presented to the Lord.

NOW there was a certain man of Ramathaim-z.ophim, of mount Epluaim, and his name -was Elkanah, the Ion of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Znph, an Ephrathite:

2 And he had two wives; the name of the one -was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. J And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lor D of holts in Shiloh. And the two ions of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, -were there. + Ana when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:

5 But unto Hannali he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lo R D had (hut up her womb.

6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lor D had sliut up her womb.

7 And as he did so year by year, when me went up to the house of the Lord, so (lie provoked her; therefore (he wept, and did not eat.

8 Then laid Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatert thou not? and why is thy hea'rt grieved ? am not I better to thee than ten sons i

9 fl So Hannah rose up aster they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest fat upon a feat by a post of the temple of the Lord.

10 And (he <was in bitterness of soul, and prayed untotheLORD,andweptsore.

11 And (lie vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid xbut wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lor D all the days of his life, and there (hall no rasor come upon his head.

u And it came to pass, as (he continued praying before the Lord, that Eli inarktd her mouth.

13 Now Hannah, (he spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was

not heard: therefore Eli thought flic had been drunken.

14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.

15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my foul before the Lord.

16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have 1 spoken hitherto.

17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

18 And (he said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy fight. So the woman went her way, and did eat,and her countenance was no more fad.

19 ^f And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house toiiamah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; andtheLoR n remembered her.

20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that (he bare a son, and called his name Sam\it\,saying, Because I have asked him of the Lor D .

11 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the Lo R D the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.

22 But Hannah went not up: for (he said unto her husoand, / will not eo up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lo R D , and there abide for ever.

23 And Elkanah her husoand said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; Only the Lord establiih his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son fuck until (he weaned him.

14 fj And when (lie lud weaned him, (he took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unfo the house of the Lord in Shiloh: and the child was young.

25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.

26 And (he said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord.

»7 For this child I prayed; and the

Lord

IhuKah's ssng. Ch:i

Lord hath jjiven me my petition which I ailed ot him -.

zS Therefore also I have lent him to tie Lor D ; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lor O. And he worshipped the Lor D there.

CHAP. II. I Hszxak' s song, 12 The fin ofEli's sons.

Is Samuels ministry. 27 A prophecy

ogamst Eli's house.

AND Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine hem is exalted in the Lor D ; ray mouth ij enlarged over mine enemies} because I rejoice in thy salvation.

* There is none holy as the Lo R D : for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

j Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let xet arrogancy come out of your mouth : for the Lo R D is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

4. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that ilumbled are girded with strength.

5 TTtey that ivtre full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that nuere hungry ceased: ib that the barren hath borne seven: and (he that hath many children is waxed feeble.

6 The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

7 The Lor D maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

8 He raiscth up the poor out of the dust, etnJ lifteth up the beggar from the dunghil, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lo * D*s. and he hath set the world upon them.

9 He will keepthefeetof hissaints, and the •wicked shall be silent in darkness: far by strength shall no man prevail.

jo The adversaries of the Lord (hall be broken to pieces; out ot heaven (hall he thunder upon them: the Lor D mall >'ud=*e the ends of the earth ; and lie mail give strength unto his king, and exalt the liorn of his anointed.

11 And Elkanah went to Ramah to bis house: and the child did minister unto the Lor D before Eli the priest.

Ia »y Now the sons of Eli -were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.

! - And the priest's cyltom with the pe©r>le ivas, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleslihook of three teeth in his hand;

14 And he struck it into the pan, or

p. n. The fin of'Eli'ssin!.

kettle, or calJron, or pot: afl that the flefhhook brought up, the prielt took tor himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.

15 Also before they burnt the fat, the prielt's servant tame, and laid to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roalfc for the prielt: for he will not have lodden flelh of thee, but raw.

16 And {/'any man laid unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy foul delireth; then he would answer him, Nay 5 but thou (halt give /'/ me now: aud if not, I will take it by force.

1 7 Wherefore the lin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lor D.

18 fl But Samuel ministered before the Lor D, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.

19 Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when Ihe came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lor D give thee seed of this woman, for the loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home.

21 And the Lord visited Hannah, so that (lie conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.

22 Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his Ions did unto all lirael; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

z^And he laid unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.

24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord's people to tiansgrels.

25 If one man lin against another, the judge (hall judge him: but if a mm (in against the Lord, who (hallentreat for him? notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice ot their father, because the Lord would (lay them.

26 And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men.

27 fl And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus faith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?

z8 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear

an Eli's fins reproved.

Samuel called.

■n ephod before me ? and did I give unto the house ot" thy father all the offerings made by fire ot the children of Israel?

■2.1) Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine brtering, which 1 have commanded in my habitation, and honoured thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Krael my people?

30 Wherefore the Lord God of Israel faith, I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord faith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me (hall be lightly esteemed.

31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine houle.

32 And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the ivealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.

33 And the man of thine 'whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, /hall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.

3+ And this shall be a sign unto thee, that (hall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni andThinehas; in one day they (hall die both of them.

35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine Anointed for ever.

36 And it (hall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house (hall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and (hall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests* oft'ices, that I may eat a piece of bread.

CHAP. III. 1 Honu the ivord of the LORD 'was first revealed to Samuel. 11 God tclleth Samuel the destruction of Eli's house. AN D the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lo R D was precious in those days; there <was no open vision.

a And it came to pass at that time, when Eli 'was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lor D, where the ark of God -was, and Samu«l was laid down to fires 5

4TliattheL0RD calledSamuel. And he answered, Here am I.

5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I: for thou calledlt me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

6 And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose, and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lor D, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.

8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose, and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

9 Therefore Eli saidunto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it (hall be, if he call thec, that thou (halt say, Speak, Lor D; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the Lord came, and stood and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

11 % And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone that heareth it (hall tingle.

Ii In that dav I will perform against Eli all things wsiich I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.

13 For I have told him, that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth: because his Ions made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity ot Eli's house (hall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.

15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel scared to (hew Eli the vision.

16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said. Samuel my son. And he answered, Here am I.

17 And he said, What is the thin'that the LORD hath said unto thee? 1 pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, is thou hide any thing from me of all the thing* that he said unto thee. ,.

18 And Samuel told him everv wn't; and hid nothing from him. f nd,,t said, It is the Lor D; let him do wnv seemeth him good, ^

19AodSamuel grew, and the Lord Wis roil him, and did let none of his wand; 6i! to the ground.

23 And all Ilracl from Dan even to fer-fcei>a knew that Samuel ivas esta.Mihcd ts be a prophet of the Lord.

» And the Lo a D appeared again in Siiki: for the Lord revealed himself a Ssnucl in Shiloh by the word of the Loid.

G H A P. IV. i Tki Israelites are overcome by the Philis

&*.'. io The ark is taken, and Eli's /ki par., ii Eli hearing the neivs,

i'taietk his neck.

AND the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out fioi the Philistines to battle, and P'cbtd beside Eben-ezer, and the Pi;Iiitinc5 pitched in Aphek.

- Aad die Philistines put themselves |a array against Israel: and when they ioind battle, Israel was smitten before At Philistines: and they flew of the army in the field about tour thousand

, 3 And when the people were come '"■o the carap, the elders of Israel said, y> «ercfore hath the Lord smitten us to ty before the Philistines? Let us fetch '•;'- irk of the covenant of the Lo a. D out <" Sb.'loh unto us, that, when itcometh xpoog us, it may save us out of the hand B our enemies.

♦ So the people sent to Shiloh, that tkty might bring from thence the ark ofibe covenant of the Lo R B of hosts, *i:ch dwelleth between the cheruTMn»: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni md Phinehas, tvere there with the ark • the covenant of Cod.

5 And when the ark of the covenant & the Lord came into the camp, all Ifwi shouted with a great shout, so that hearth rang again.

* And when the Philistines heard the wifeof the shout, they said, What mean"> the noise of this great shout in the wrap of the Hebrews? And they unMoodthat the ark of the Lord was c<sne into the cama.

7 And the Philistines were afraid, for '*) laid, God is come into the camp. Aoii they laid, Woe unto us! for there •ath not been such a thin? heretofore. ) Wot unto us I who fhalsdeliver us out c" the hand of these mighty Gods? these "/theGods that smote the Egyptians W|*J> all the plagues in the wilderness.

jBeftronz, and quit yourselves like w», 0 ye Philistines, that ye be not *w«» unto the Hebrews, as they have j

been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.

io tj And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter: for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

Ii And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

iz ^ And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the fame day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.

13 And when he came, lo, Eli fat upon a seat by the wayside watching; for his heart trembled tor the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out.

14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in haltily, and told Eli.

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 armv, 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 Phililtines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two ions also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.

18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the scat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

19 And his daughter in laiv, Phinehas'' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when stic heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, (he bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.

%o 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 (he answered not, neither did stie regard //.

21 And she named the child I-chabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

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

R CHAP.

Dagonsalleth btsore the art. I.SAM

CHAP. V.

i The Philistines bring the ark into the house of Dagon, j Dagon faileth down. 6, 9,ii They are smitten with emerods.

AND the Philistines took the ark of God, ami brought it from Ebenezer unto Alhdod.

i When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

3 fl And when they of Alhdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon ivas fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lo R n. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.

4. And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon ivas 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 stums e/Dagon was left to him.

5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Alhdod unto this day.

6 fl But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Alhdod, and he destroyed them, and smote hhem with emerods, even Alhdod and the ccUlts thereof.

7 And when the men of Alhdod saw that it was so, they slid, The ark of the God of Israel (hail not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

8 They lent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What snail we do with the ark of the God os Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.

9 fl And it was/s, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lo R D was against the city with a very great destruction ■. and he smote the men of the city both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.

ro Therefore they sent the ark of God to Kkroir. And it came to pals, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have bronght about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.

1 r 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 go again to his own place, that it stay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout al!

UEL The Philistines fend back the ark.

the city; the hand of God was ver

heavy there.

12 ^1 And the men that died not wet

smitten with the emerods: and the ci

of the city went up to heaven. CHAP. VI.

1 The Philistines' counsel hvui to send bat the ark. 10 They brinr it on a new ca to Beth-fliemejh. 19 The people smitten

AND the ark of the Lord was i the country of the Philistines seve months.

2 And the Philistines called for tl priests and the diviners, saying, Wh; mall we do to the ark of the Lo R D ? te us wherewith we shall send it to his placi

3 And they said, Ifye send away th ark of the God of Israel, send it nt empty j but in any wise return him trespass offering: then ye fliall be healec and it shall be known to you why hi hand is not removed from you.

4 Then said they, What fliall be th trespass offering which we Ihall return t him? They anlwered, Five golden erne rods, and fire eolden mice, according 1 the number of the lords of the Philil tines: for one plague ivas on you al and on your lords.

5 Wherefore ye (hall make images c your emerods, and images of yourmic that mar the land; and ye (hall gii glory unto the God of Israel: perad venture he will lighten his hand froi off yon, and from off your gods, an from off your land.

6 Wherefore then do ye harden you hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharao hardened their hearts? when he ha wrought wonderfully among then did they not let the people go, an they departed?

7 Now therefore make a new carl and t.ike two milch kine, on whit there hath come no yoke, and tie tli kine to the cart, and bring their calvi home from them:

8 And take the ark of the Lord, an lay it upon the cart; und put the jewe of gold, which ye return him/era trel pal's offering, in a coffer by the lid thereof; aud fend it away, that it ma

g°

9 And fee, if it goeth up by the wa of his own coast to Beth-flieniclb,"' he hath done us this great evil: but not, then we shall know that it is not h hand that smote us; it <was a clian< that happened to us.

'10 f And the men did so; and too

two milch kine, and tied them to '>

cai t, and Unit up their calve> at honH

1 it An