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22 Eli was very old. And he would hear about everything that his sons used to do to all the people of Israel[a] and[b] how they used to go to bed with[c] the women who were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do these things, these evil things that I hear about from all these people?[d] 24 No, my sons! For the report that I hear circulating[e] among the Lord’s people is not good. 25 If a man sins against a man, one may appeal to God on his behalf.[f] But if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But Eli’s sons[g] would not listen to their father.[h] Indeed[i] the Lord had decided[j] to kill them. 26 However, the boy[k] Samuel was growing up and finding favor both with the Lord and with people.[l]
The Lord Judges the House of Eli
27 Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘I plainly[m] revealed[n] myself to your ancestor’s house when they were slaves to the house of Pharaoh in Egypt.[o] 28 I chose[p] your ancestor[q] from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifice on my altar, to burn incense, and to bear[r] the ephod before me. I gave to your ancestor’s house all the fire offerings made by the Israelites. 29 Why are you[s] scorning my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling place?[t] You have honored your sons more than you have me by having made yourselves fat from the best parts of all the offerings of my people Israel.’
30 “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I really did say[u] that your house and your ancestor’s house would serve[v] me forever.’ But now the Lord says, ‘May it never be![w] For I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be cursed! 31 In fact, days are coming when I will remove your strength[x] and the strength[y] of your father’s house. There will not be an old man in your house! 32 You will see trouble in my dwelling place![z] Israel will experience blessings,[aa] but there will not be an old man in your[ab] house for all time.[ac] 33 Any man of yours that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause his[ad] eyes to fail[ae] and will cause him grief.[af] All those born to your family[ag] will die by the sword of man.[ah] 34 This will be a confirming sign for you that will be fulfilled through your two sons,[ai] Hophni and Phinehas: in a single day they both will die! 35 Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will do what is in my heart and soul. I will build for him a lasting dynasty,[aj] and he will serve my chosen one for all time.[ak] 36 Everyone who remains in your house will come to bow before him for a little money[al] and for a scrap of bread. Each will say, “Assign me to a priestly task so I can eat a scrap of bread.”’”
The Call of Samuel
3 Now the boy Samuel continued serving the Lord under Eli’s supervision.[am] Receiving a message from the Lord was rare in those days; revelatory visions were infrequent.
2 Eli’s eyes had begun to fail, so that he was unable to see well. At that time he was lying down in his place, 3 and the lamp of God had not yet been extinguished. Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord as well; the ark of God was also there. 4 The Lord called to Samuel, and he replied, “Here I am!” 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli[an] said, “I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went back and lay down. 6 The Lord again called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli[ao] said, “I didn’t call you, my son. Go back and lie down.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord; the Lord’s messages had not yet been revealed to him. 8 Then the Lord called Samuel a third time. So he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me!” Eli then realized that it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 9 So Eli said to Samuel, “Go back and lie down. When he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ So Samuel went back and lay down in his place.
10 Then the Lord came and stood nearby, calling as he had previously done, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel replied, “Speak, for your servant is listening!” 11 The Lord said to Samuel, “Look! I am about to do something in Israel;[ap] when anyone hears about it, both of his ears will tingle. 12 On that day I will carry out[aq] against Eli everything that I spoke about his house—from start to finish! 13 You[ar] should tell him that I am about to judge his house forever because of[as] the sin that he knew about. For his sons were cursing God,[at] and he did not rebuke them. 14 Therefore I swore an oath to the house of Eli, ‘The sin of the house of Eli can never be forgiven by sacrifice or by grain offering.’”
15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. 16 However, Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!” He replied, “Here I am.” 17 Eli[au] said, “What message did he speak to you? Don’t conceal it from me. God will judge you severely[av] if you conceal from me anything that he said to you!”
18 So Samuel told him everything. He did not hold back anything from him. Eli[aw] said, “The Lord will do what he pleases.”[ax] 19 Samuel continued to grow, and the Lord was with him. None of his prophecies fell to the ground unfulfilled.[ay] 20 All Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba realized that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 Then the Lord again appeared in Shiloh, for it was in Shiloh that the Lord had revealed himself to Samuel[az] through a message from the Lord.[ba] 4 1 Samuel revealed the word of the Lord[bb] to all Israel.
The Ark of the Covenant is Lost to the Philistines
Then the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines.[bc] They camped at Ebenezer,[bd] and the Philistines camped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines arranged their forces to fight[be] Israel. As the battle spread out,[bf] Israel was defeated by[bg] the Philistines, who[bh] killed about 4,000 men in the battle line in the field.
3 When the army[bi] came back to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why did the Lord let us be defeated today by[bj] the Philistines? Let’s take with us the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. When it is with us, it will save us[bk] from the hand of our enemies.”
4 So the army[bl] sent to Shiloh, and they took from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who sits between the cherubim. Now the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord arrived at the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly[bm] that the ground shook.
6 When the Philistines heard the sound of the shout, they said, “What is this loud shout in the camp of the Hebrews?” Then they realized that the ark of the Lord had arrived at the camp. 7 The Philistines were scared because they thought that gods had come to the camp.[bn] They said, “Woe to us! We’ve never seen anything like this! 8 Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all sorts of plagues in the desert! 9 Be strong and act like men, you Philistines, or else you will wind up serving the Hebrews the way they have served you! Act like men and fight!”
10 So the Philistines fought. Israel was defeated; they all ran home.[bo] The slaughter was very great; 30,000 foot soldiers from Israel fell in battle. 11 The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed.
Eli Dies
12 On that day[bp] a Benjaminite ran from the battle lines and came to Shiloh. His clothes were torn, and dirt was on his head. 13 When he arrived in Shiloh, Eli was sitting in his chair on the lookout[bq] by the side of[br] the road, for he was very worried[bs] about the ark of God. As the man entered the city to give his report,[bt] the whole city cried out.
14 When Eli heard the outcry,[bu] he said, “What’s this commotion?”[bv] The man quickly came and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes looked straight ahead;[bw] he was unable to see.
16 The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle lines! Just today I fled from the battle lines!” Eli[bx] asked, “How did things go, my son?” 17 The messenger replied, “Israel has fled from[by] the Philistines! The army has suffered a great defeat! Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead! The ark of God has been captured!”
18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli[bz] fell backward from his chair beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he[ca] was old and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years.
19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and close to giving birth. When she heard that the ark of God was captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she doubled over and gave birth. But her labor pains were too much for her. 20 As she was dying, the women who were there with her said, “Don’t be afraid! You have given birth to a son!” But she did not reply or pay any attention.[cb]
21 She named the boy Ichabod,[cc] saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” referring to the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God has been captured.”
24 “I tell you the solemn truth,[a] the one who hears[b] my message[c] and believes the one who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned,[d] but has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the solemn truth,[e] a time[f] is coming—and is now here—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, thus he has granted the Son to have life in himself, 27 and he has granted the Son[g] authority to execute judgment,[h] because he is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, because a time[i] is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and will come out—the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation.[j] 30 I can do nothing on my own initiative.[k] Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just,[l] because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.[m]
More Testimony About Jesus
31 “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. 32 There is another[n] who testifies about me, and I know the testimony he testifies about me is true. 33 You have sent to John,[o] and he has testified to the truth. 34 (I do not accept[p] human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved.) 35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining,[q] and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time[r] in his light.
36 “But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds[s] that the Father has assigned me to complete—the deeds[t] I am now doing—testify about me that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You people[u] have never heard his voice nor seen his form at any time,[v] 38 nor do you have his word residing in you, because you do not believe the one whom he sent. 39 You study the scriptures thoroughly[w] because you think in them you possess eternal life,[x] and it is these same scriptures[y] that testify about me, 40 but you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.
41 “I do not accept[z] praise[aa] from people,[ab] 42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God[ac] within you. 43 I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept[ad] me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept[ae] him. 44 How can you believe, if you accept praise[af] from one another and don’t seek the praise[ag] that comes from the only God?[ah]
45 “Do not suppose that I will accuse you before the Father. The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope.[ai] 46 If[aj] you believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. 47 But if you do not believe what Moses[ak] wrote, how will you believe my words?”
Psalm 106[a]
106 Praise the Lord.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
and his loyal love endures.[b]
2 Who can adequately recount the Lord’s mighty acts,
or relate all his praiseworthy deeds?[c]
3 How blessed are those who promote justice,
and do what is right all the time.
4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people.
Pay attention to me, when you deliver,
5 so I may see the prosperity[d] of your chosen ones,
rejoice along with your nation,[e]
and boast along with the people who belong to you.[f]
6 We have sinned like[g] our ancestors;[h]
we have done wrong, we have done evil.
7 Our ancestors in Egypt failed to appreciate your miraculous deeds.
They failed to remember your many acts of loyal love,
and they rebelled at the sea, by the Red Sea.[i]
8 Yet he delivered them for the sake of his reputation,[j]
that he might reveal his power.
9 He shouted at[k] the Red Sea and it dried up;
he led them through the deep water as if it were a desert.
10 He delivered them from the power[l] of the one who hated them,
and rescued[m] them from the power[n] of the enemy.
11 The water covered their enemies;
not even one of them survived.[o]
12 They believed his promises;[p]
they sang praises to him.
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