Study Desk

And the custom of the priests with the people was : any man offering a sacrifice and the priest's young man came when the flesh was boiling with the three-toothed hook in his hand,

And his mother made a small coat for him, and she brought it up to him from year to year, as she came up with her husband to offer the sacrifice of the days.

And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, Jehovah shall give you seed of this woman, because of the petition she prayed to Jehovah. And they went away to their place.

And Eli was very old and had heard all that his sons did to Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

And it happened at that time, Eli was lying down in his place, and his eyes had begun to be dim; he was not able to see.

And Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down; and it shall be, if One calls you, even you shall say, Speak, O Jehovah, for Your servant hears. And Samuel lay down in his place.

In that day I will confirm to Eli all that I have spoken to his house, beginning and making an end.

And I declare to him that I am judging his house forever, for the iniquity which he has known; for his sons have been making themselves vile, and he has not restrained them.

And Samuel told him all the words, and did not hide from him. And he said, It is Jehovah; He does that which is good in His eyes.

And Samuel grew up, and Jehovah was with him, and did not let any of his words fall to the earth.

And the Philistines fought, and Israel was beaten. And they each one fled to his tent. And the blow was very great, and thirty thousand footmen of Israel fell.

And a man of Benjamin ran out of the battle line and came to Shiloh on that day. And his clothes were torn, and earth on his head.

And he came in. And, behold, Eli was sitting on the seat by the side of the highway, watching. For his heart trembled for the ark of God. And the man came in to report in the city. And all the city cried out.

And Eli was ninety eight years old, and his eyes were set, and he was not able to see.

And it happened when he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell off the seat backward, by the side of the gate. And his neck was broken, and he died. For the man was old and heavy. And he judged Israel forty years.

And his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was with child, about to bear. And she heard the report of the taking of the ark of God, and that her father-in-law and her husband had died. And she bowed and bore, for her pains hadturned in on her.

And the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, and said, The ark of God of Israel shall not remain with us, for His hand has been hard on us, and on our god Dagon.

And they said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, you shall not send it away empty. For turning back you shall return a guilt offering back to Him. Then you shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His hand has not turned away from you.

And you shall make images of your hemorrhoids, and images of your mice that are corrupting the land, and shall give honor to the God of Israel. It may be that He will lighten His hand from off you and from off your gods, and from off your land.

And watch; if it goes up by way of its own border, to Beth-shemesh, He has done this great evil to us. And if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that touched us; it was an accident to us.