1 Samuel

Samuel was a transitional leader between the time of the judges and the reigns of the kings. He appointed Israel’s first king, Saul. After Saul’s failure to obey God, Saul tried violently to prevent God’s king-elect, David, from taking the throne.

The Birth of Samuel

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim,a a Zuphitea b from the hill countryc of Ephraim,d whose name was Elkanahe son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives;f one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

3 Year after yearg this man went up from his town to worshiph and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh,i where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli,j were priests of the Lord. 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice,k he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.l 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portionm because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.n 6 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.o 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.p 8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?q”

9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house.r 10 In her deep anguishs Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow,t saying, “Lord Almightyu, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and rememberv me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life,w and no razorx will ever be used on his head.”

12 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

15 “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled.y I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouringz out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”a

17 Eli answered, “Go in peace,b and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.c”

18 She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.d” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.e

19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah.f Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord rememberedg her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.h She namedi him Samuel,b j saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

Hannah Dedicates Samuel

21 When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annualk sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow,l 22 Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and presentm him before the Lord, and he will live there always.”c

23 “Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make goodn hisd word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weanedo him.

24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull,e p an ephahf of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. 25 When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. 27 I prayedq for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole lifer he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah’s Prayer

2 Then Hannah prayed and said:s

“My heart rejoicest in the Lord;

in the Lord my horna u is lifted high.

My mouth boastsv over my enemies,w

for I delight in your deliverance.

2 “There is no one holyx likey the Lord;

there is no one besides you;

there is no Rockz like our God.

3 “Do not keep talking so proudly

or let your mouth speak such arrogance,a

for the Lord is a God who knows,b

and by him deedsc are weighed.d

4 “The bows of the warriors are broken,e

but those who stumbled are armed with strength.f

5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,

but those who were hungryg are hungry no more.

She who was barrenh has borne seven children,

but she who has had many sons pines away.

6 “The Lord brings death and makes alive;i

he brings down to the grave and raises up.j

7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth;k

he humbles and he exalts.l

8 He raisesm the poorn from the dusto

and lifts the needyp from the ash heap;

he seats them with princes

and has them inherit a throne of honor.q

“For the foundationsr of the earth are the Lord’s;

on them he has set the world.

9 He will guard the feets of his faithful servants,t

but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.u

“It is not by strengthv that one prevails;

10 those who oppose the Lord will be broken.w

The Most High will thunderx from heaven;

the Lord will judgey the ends of the earth.

“He will give strengthz to his king

and exalt the horna of his anointed.”

11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah,b but the boy ministeredc before the Lord under Eli the priest.

Eli’s Wicked Sons

12 Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regardd for the Lord. 13 Now it was the practicee of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meatf was being boiled 14 and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

16 If the person said to him, “Let the fatg be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”

17 This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for theyb were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.h

18 But Samuel was ministeringi before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod.j 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annualk sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayedl for and gave toc the Lord.” Then they would go home. 21 And the Lord was gracious to Hannah;m she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grewn up in the presence of the Lord.

22 Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everythingo his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the womenp who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. 24 No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. 25 If one person sins against another, Godd may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who willq interceder for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.

26 And the boy Samuel continued to grows in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.t

Prophecy Against the House of Eli

27 Now a man of Godu came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? 28 I chosev your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense,w and to wear an ephodx in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offeringsy presented by the Israelites. 29 Why do youe scorn my sacrifice and offeringz that I prescribed for my dwelling?a Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’

30 “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.b’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor,c but those who despised me will be disdained.e 31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age,f 32 and you will see distressg in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age.h 33 Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendantsi will die in the prime of life.

34 “ ‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a signj to you—they will both diek on the same day.l 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest,m who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointedn one always. 36 Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead,o “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.p” ’ ”

The Lord Calls Samuel

3 The boy Samuel ministeredq before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare;r there were not many visions.s

2 One night Eli, whose eyest were becoming so weak that he could barely see,u was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lampv of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the housew of the Lord, where the arkx of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.y” 5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

7 Now Samuel did not yet knowz the Lord: The worda of the Lord had not yet been revealedb to him.

8 A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!c”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.d 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everythinge I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,a and he failed to restrainf them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atonedg for by sacrifice or offering.’ ”

15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

17 “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hideh it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely,i if you hide from me anything he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”j

19 The Lord was withk Samuel as he grewl up, and he let nonem of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheban recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.o 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealedp himself to Samuel through his word.

4 And Samuel’s word came to all Israel.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer,q and the Philistines at Aphek.r 2 The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. 3 When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Whys did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the arkt of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh,u so that he may go with usv and save us from the hand of our enemies.”

4 So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim.w And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5 When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shoutx that the ground shook. 6 Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrewy camp?”

When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, 7 the Philistines were afraid.z “A god hasa come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before. 8 We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who strucka the Egyptians with all kinds of plaguesb in the wilderness. 9 Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as theyc have been to you. Be men, and fight!”

10 So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeatedd and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.e

Death of Eli

12 That same day a Benjamitef ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dustg on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was Elih sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.

14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?”

The man hurried over to Eli, 15 who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyesi had failed so that he could not see. 16 He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”

Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”

17 The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead,j and the ark of God has been captured.”k

18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had ledb l Israel forty years.m

19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. 20 As she was dying, the women attending her said, “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention.

21 She named the boy Ichabod,c n saying, “The Gloryo has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The Gloryp has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”q

The Ark in Ashdod and Ekron

5 After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezerr to Ashdod.s 2 Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.t 3 When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallenu on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. 4 But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been brokenv off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. 5 That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.w

6 The Lord’s handx was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastationy on them and afflicted them with tumors.a z 7 When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.” 8 So they called together all the rulersa of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?”

They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.b” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

9 But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic.c He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.b 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.d

As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.” 11 So they called together all the rulerse of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or itc will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it. 12 Those who did not dief were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

The Ark Returned to Israel

6 When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months, 2 the Philistines called for the priests and the divinersg and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”

3 They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift;h by all means send a guilt offeringi to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his handj has not been lifted from you.”

4 The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?”

They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the numberk of the Philistine rulers, because the same plaguel has struck both you and your rulers. 5 Make models of the tumorsm and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give gloryn to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. 6 Why do you hardeno your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god dealt harshly with them,p did theyq not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?

7 “Now then, get a new cartr ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked.s Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. 8 Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, 9 but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh,t then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance.”

10 So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. 11 They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. 12 Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheatu in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. 14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offeringv to the Lord. 15 The Levitesw took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock.x On that day the people of Beth Shemeshy offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. 16 The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.

17 These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one eachz for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. 18 And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

19 But God struck downa some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventya of them to death because they lookedb into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them. 20 And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can standc in the presence of the Lord, this holyd God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”

21 Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim,e saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town.”

7 So the men of Kiriath Jearim came and took up the arkf of the Lord. They brought it to Abinadab’sg house on the hill and consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord. 2 The ark remained at Kiriath Jearimh a long time—twenty years in all.

Samuel Subdues the Philistines at Mizpah

Then all the people of Israel turned back to the Lord.i 3 So Samuel said to all the Israelites, “If you are returningj to the Lord with all your hearts, then ridk yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtorethsl and commitm yourselves to the Lord and serve him only,n and he will delivero you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites put away their Baals and Ashtoreths, and served the Lord only.

5 Then Samuelp said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah,q and I will interceder with the Lord for you.” 6 When they had assembled at Mizpah,s they drew water and pouredt it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leadera u of Israel at Mizpah.

7 When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraidv because of the Philistines. 8 They said to Samuel, “Do not stop cryingw out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9 Then Samuelx took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.y

10 While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thunderedz with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panica that they were routed before the Israelites. 11 The men of Israel rushed out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, slaughtering them along the way to a point below Beth Kar.

12 Then Samuel took a stoneb and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer,b c saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”

13 So the Philistines were subduedd and they stopped invading Israel’s territory. Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. 14 The towns from Ekrone to Gath that the Philistines had captured from Israel were restored to Israel, and Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hands of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.f

15 Samuelg continued as Israel’s leaderh alli the days of his life. 16 From year to year he went on a circuit from Bethelj to Gilgalk to Mizpah, judgingl Israel in all those places. 17 But he always went back to Ramah,m where his home was, and there he also held courtn for Israel. And he built an altaro there to the Lord.

Israel Asks for a King

8 When Samuel grew old, he appointedp his sons as Israel’s leaders.a 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah,q and they served at Beersheba.r 3 But his sonss did not follow his ways. They turned asidet after dishonest gain and accepted bribesu and pervertedv justice.

4 So all the eldersw of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.x 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a kingy to leadb z us, such as all the other nationsa have.”

6 But when they said, “Give us a kingb to lead us,” this displeasedc Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listend to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected,e but they have rejected me as their king.f 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsakingg me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them knowh what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

10 Samuel toldi all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will takej your sons and make them servek with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.l 12 Some he will assign to be commandersm of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of yourn fields and vineyardso and olive groves and give them to his attendants.p 15 He will take a tenthq of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattlec and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answerr you in that day.s”

19 But the people refusedt to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We wantu a kingv over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations,w with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeatedx it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listeny to them and give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”