"Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even unto the end. For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not. And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering for ever."

And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of Jehovah. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. Then Eli called Samuel, and said, "Samuel, my son." And he said, "Here am I." And he said, "What is the thing that Jehovah hath spoken unto thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me of all the things that he spake unto thee.” And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is Jehovah: let him do what seemeth him. good."

And Samuel grew, and Jehovah was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba1 knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Jehovah. And Jehovah appeared again in Shiloh; for Jehovah revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of Jehovah.

[The people of Israel forgot Jehovah, as they so often
had done in the past, and just as before, troubles came
upon them.
In a battle with the Philistines, in which
they were defeated, the ark of the covenant was taken..
This was the greatest misfortune that had fallen upon

1. A proverbial expression meaning, throughout the whole land from North to South.

them since they had left Egypt. Eli was crushed by the
news that the ark had been captured and died soon after.
Samuel thereupon succeeded him as the priest of the tem-
ple. After the ark had been for seven months in the hands
of the Philistines, a pestilence attacked them.
As they
feared this came from keeping the ark of the covenant,
they returned it to Israel. Samuel then besought his
people to repent in order that Jehovah might save them
from their enemies. The Israelites returned to the wor-
ship of Jehovah, and again there was peace in the land.]

LIII

THE ISRAELITES DESIRE A KING

(I Samuel vii: 16-viii: 22)

And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went from year to year in circuit to Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he judged Israel in all those places. And his return was to Ramah, for there was his house; and there he judged Israel; and he built there an altar unto Jehovah.

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his first-born was Joel; and the name of his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted justice.

Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah; and they said unto him, "Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed unto Jehovah. And Jehovah said unto Samuel,

“Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit thou shalt protest solemnly unto them, and shalt show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them."

And Samuel told all the words of Jehovah unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, "This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run before his chariots; and he will appoint them unto him for captains of thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will set some to plow his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and the instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks: and ye shall be his servants. And ye

shall cry out in that day because of your king whom ye shall have chosen you; and Jehovah will not answer you in that day.”

But the people refused to hearken unto the voice of Samuel; and they said, "Nay; but we will have a king

over us, 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." And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Jehovah. And Jehovah 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."

LIV

THE ANOINTING OF SAUL

(I Samuel ix: 1-x: 27)

Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. And he had a son, whose name was Saul,1 a young man and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. 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. And he passed through the hill-country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.

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 off caring for the asses, and be anxious for us." And he said unto him, "Behold

1. "Asked for."

now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man that is held in honor; all that he saith cometh surely to pass now let us go thither; peradventure he can tell us concerning our journey whereon we go." Then said Saul to his servant, "But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?" And the servant answered Saul again, and said, "Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver:1 that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way." (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said, "Come, and let us go to the seer;" for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer). Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go." So they went unto the

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city where the man of God was.

As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, "Is the seer here?" And they answered them, and said, "He is; behold, he is before thee: make haste now, for he is come today into the city; for the people have a sacrifice today in the high place. As soon as ye are come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he goeth up to the high place to eat for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that are bidden. Now therefore get you up; for at this time ye shall find him." And they went up to the city; and as they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them, to go up to the high place.

Now Jehovah had revealed unto Samuel a day before

1. About fifteen cents.

2. An altar upon a hill or elevation for the worship of Jehovah. Later these high places became the scenes of idol-worship.