28 And it came about in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, “Know assuredly that you will go out with me to battle, you and your men.”

² David said to Achish, “Surely you will know what your servant can do.”

And Achish said to David, “Therefore I will appoint you my bodyguard for life.”

The Medium of Endor

³ Now Samuel died and all Israel mourned him, and they buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and the necromancers from the land.

⁴ Then the Philistines gathered themselves together. And they came and camped in Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. ⁶ Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams, or by lots, or by prophets. ⁷ Then said Saul to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.”

And his servants said to him, “There is woman medium in Endor.”

⁸ So Saul disguised himself, put on other clothes, and he went with two of his men. And they came to the woman by night and he said, “Please divine for me by a spirit, and bring up for me whom I will name to you.”

⁹ The woman said to him, “Listen, you know what Saul has done, how he has eliminated the mediums and necromancers from the land. Now why are you laying a trap for my life to cause my death?”

¹⁰ Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment will happen to you for this thing.”

¹¹ Then said the woman, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”

And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”

¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.”

¹³ The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?”

And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a divine being ascending out of the earth.”

¹⁴ He said to her, “What is his appearance?”

And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a robe.”

And Saul perceived that it was Samuel. And he kneeled with his face to the ground and bowed himself.

¹⁵ Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you roused me to bring me up?”

And Saul answered, “I am greatly distressed, for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me any longer by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have called you that you might make known to me what I should do.”

¹⁶ Then said Samuel, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? ¹⁷ The Lord has done for Himself as He spoke by me. The Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your neighbor, David. ¹⁸ As you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out His fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. ¹⁹ And moreover, the Lord will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

²⁰ Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground because he greatly feared the words of Samuel. Also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no bread all day and all night.

²¹ The woman came to Saul and saw that he was terrified. And she said to him, “Listen, your handmaid has obeyed your voice. I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me. ²² Now therefore you also, please obey the voice of your maidservant and let me set before you a piece of bread, and eat so that you may have strength when you go on your way.”

²³ But he refused and said, “I will not eat.”

But his servants, and also the woman, urged him and he listened to them. So he arose from the ground and sat on the bed.

²⁴ Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she hurried and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. ²⁵ She brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they arose and went away that night.

The Prayer of Hannah

2 Hannah prayed, saying:

¹¹ Then Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the boy ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.

Wicked Sons of Eli

¹² Now the sons of Eli were corrupt. They did not know the Lord. ¹³ The priest’s custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant came while the flesh was cooking with a three-pronged fork in his hand. ¹⁴ And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot, and all that the fork brought up the priest took for himself. This they did in Shiloh to all the children of Israel who came there. ¹⁵ Even before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast. For he will not take boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

¹⁶ If any man said to him, “Let them first burn the fat and then take as much as you wish,” then he would answer him, “No, but you will give it to me now, and if not, I will take it by force.”

¹⁷ Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord. For the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

God Blesses Hannah

¹⁸ But Samuel ministered before the Lord, as a boy, wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁹ Now his mother would make him a little coat and brought it to him every year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. ²⁰ And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “The Lord give you offspring from this woman for the sake of the request which was made to the Lord.” Then they would return to their home. ²¹ The Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew before the Lord.

Eli Confronts Hophni and Phinehas

²² Now Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, even that they lay with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. ²³ He said to them, “Why are you doing these things? For I am hearing of your evil dealings from all these people. ²⁴ No, my sons! Truly, it is not a good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading. ²⁵ If one man sins against another, God will judge him, but if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?” But they did not listen to the voice of their father, because the Lord desired to kill them.

²⁶ Now the boy Samuel was growing both in stature and favor with the Lord and also with men.

God’s Case Against the House of Eli

²⁷ A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Did I not plainly reveal Myself to the house of your father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? ²⁸ And choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me? And I gave to the house of your father all the offerings made by fire by the children of Israel? ²⁹ Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering, which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?’

³⁰ “Therefore the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I surely said that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before Me forever,’ but now the Lord says, ‘Far be it from Me to do so, for those who honor Me, I will honor, and those that despise Me will be humbled. ³¹ The days are coming when I will cut off your authority and the strength of your father’s house, so there shall not be an old man in your house. ³² You shall see the distress of My dwelling, despite all the good which will be done for Israel. And there shall not be an elderly man in your house perpetually. ³³ Yet the one I do not cut off from My altar will be spared so your eyes will not stop weeping or your soul grieving. All the increase of your house will die in their prime.

³⁴ “ ‘This will be the sign to you which will come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: In one day, they will both die. ³⁵ And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest; what is in My heart and in My soul he will do it. And I will build him a sure house, and it will walk before My anointed forever. ³⁶ But it will be that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and will say, Please attach me to one of the priestly offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.’ ”