Study Desk

So I have given him to the Lord. He is given to the Lord as long as he lives." And they worshiped the Lord there.

So the sin of the young men was very bad before the Lord. For the men hated the gift of the Lord.

So the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I did promise that those of your family and the family of your father should walk before Me forever.' But now the Lord says, ‘May this be far from Me. For I will honor those who honor Me. And those who hate Me will not be honored.

See, the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father's family. So there will not be an old man in your family.

Everyone who is left in your family will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and say, "I beg you, put me in one of the religious leader's places so that I may eat a piece of bread."'"

He ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call you. Lie down again." So Samuel went and lay down.

The Lord called again, "Samuel!" So Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But Eli answered, "I did not call you, my son. Lie down again."

Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down. If He calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

So I swear to the family of Eli that the sin of his family will not be paid for with gifts given on the altar forever."

Eli said, "What did the Lord tell you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more, if you hide anything from me of all He said to you."

So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And Eli said, "It is the Lord. Let Him do what is good in His eyes."

So the news of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines. They set up their tents beside Ebenezer while the Philistines stayed at Aphek.

So the people sent men to Shiloh to take the special box with the Law of the Lord of All Who sits above the cherubim. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the special box with the Law of God.

When the box with the Law of the Lord came among the tents, all Israel called out with a loud noise, so that the earth shook.

So the Philistines fought, and Israel lost. Every man ran to his tent. And many were killed, for 30,000 foot soldiers of Israel fell.

Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were weak so that he could not see.

When the Ashdodites got up early the next morning, they saw that Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the special box of the Lord. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again.

So the religious leaders of Dagon and all who go into Dagon's house do not step on the bottom part of the doorway in Ashdod to this day.

So they called together all the leaders of the Philistines and said, "What should we do with the special box of the God of Israel?" And they said, "Let the special box of the God of Israel be brought around to Gath." So they brought the box of the God of Israel there.

But after they had brought it there, the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing much fear. He punished both the young and old men of the city, so that sores broke out upon them.