Study Desk

But when they got up early the following day, Dagon was again lying on the ground before the ark of the Lord . The head of Dagon and his two hands were sheared off and were lying at the threshold. Only Dagon's body was left intact.

They replied, "If you are going to send the ark of the God of Israel back, don't send it away empty. Be sure to return it with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why his hand is not removed from you."

You should make images of the sores and images of the mice that are destroying the land. You should honor the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release his grip on you, your gods, and your land.

But keep an eye on it. If it should go up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity on us. But if that is not the case, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us; rather, it just happened to us by accident."

Then the people of Kiriath Jearim came and took the ark of the Lord ; they brought it to the house of Abinadab located on the hill. They consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the Lord .

So Samuel led Israel all the days of his life.

Then he would return to Ramah, because his home was there. He also judged Israel there and built an altar to the Lord there.

In his old age Samuel appointed his sons as judges over Israel.

The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second son was Abijah. They were judges in Beer Sheba.

But his sons did not follow his ways. Instead, they made money dishonestly, accepted bribes, and perverted justice.

He said, "Here are the policies of the king who will rule over you: He will conscript your sons and put them in his chariot forces and in his cavalry; they will run in front of his chariot.

He will appoint for himself leaders of thousands and leaders of fifties, as well as those who plow his ground, reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and his chariot equipment.

He will take your best fields and vineyards and give them to his own servants.

He will demand a tenth of your seed and of the produce of your vineyards and give it to his administrators and his servants.

He will take your male and female servants, as well as your best cattle and your donkeys, and assign them for his own use.

He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will be his servants.

The Lord said to Samuel, "Do as they say and install a king over them." Then Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Each of you go back to his own city."

The donkeys of Saul's father Kish wandered off, so Kish said to his son Saul, "Take one of the servants with you and go look for the donkeys."

When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, "Come on, let's head back before my father quits worrying about the donkeys and becomes anxious about us!"

So Saul said to his servant, "All right, we can go. But what can we bring the man, since the food in our bags is used up? We have no gift to take to the man of God. What do we have?"