Samuel’s First Prophecy

Now (A)the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And (B)the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. And it came to pass at that time, while Eli was lying down in his place, and when his eyes had begun to grow (C)so dim that he could not see, and before (D)the lamp of God went out in the [a]tabernacle of the Lord where the ark of God was, and while Samuel was lying down, that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, “Here I am!” So he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”

And he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” And he went and lay down.

Then the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!”

So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” He answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” (Now Samuel (E)did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.)

And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.”

Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, (F)‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”

11 Then the Lord said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel (G)at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 In that day I will perform against Eli (H)all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 (I)For I have told him that I will (J)judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because (K)his sons made themselves vile, and he (L)did not [b]restrain them. 14 And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house (M)shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

15 So Samuel lay down until [c]morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell Eli the vision. 16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!”

He answered, “Here I am.”

17 And he said, “What is the word that the Lord spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. (N)God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you.” 18 Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, (O)“It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.”

19 So Samuel (P)grew, and (Q)the Lord was with him (R)and let none of his words [d]fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel (S)from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel had been [e]established as a prophet of the Lord. 21 Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by (T)the word of the Lord.

The Death of Eli

And the word of Samuel came to all [f]Israel.

The Ark of God Captured

Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside (U)Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. Then the (V)Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was [g]defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? (W)Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.” So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, (X)who dwells between (Y)the cherubim. And the (Z)two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp. So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, (AA)“Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before. Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. (AB)Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, (AC)as they have been to you. [h]Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!”

10 So the Philistines fought, and (AD)Israel was [i]defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 Also (AE)the ark of God was captured; and (AF)the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Death of Eli

12 Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day, and (AG)came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and (AH)dirt on his head. 13 Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on (AI)a seat [j]by the wayside watching, for his heart [k]trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out. 14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the sound of this tumult mean?” And the man came quickly and told Eli. 15 Eli was ninety-eight years old, and (AJ)his eyes were so [l]dim that he could not see.

16 Then the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.”

And he said, (AK)“What happened, my son?”

17 So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.”

18 Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that 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 had judged Israel forty years.

Ichabod

19 Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death (AL)the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not fear, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer, nor did she [m]regard it. 21 Then she named the child (AM)Ichabod,[n] saying, (AN)“The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”

The Philistines and the Ark

Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it (AO)from Ebenezer to Ashdod. When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of (AP)Dagon[o] and set it by Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, (AQ)fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and (AR)set it in its place again. And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. (AS)The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only [p]Dagon’s torso was left of it. Therefore neither the priests of Dagon nor any who come into Dagon’s house (AT)tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day.

But the (AU)hand of the Lord was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He (AV)ravaged them and struck them with (AW)tumors,[q] both Ashdod and its (AX)territory. And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of the (AY)God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.” Therefore they sent and gathered to themselves all the (AZ)lords of the Philistines, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?”

And they answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried away to (BA)Gath.” So they carried the ark of the God of Israel away. So it was, after they had carried it away, that (BB)the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction; and He struck the men of the city, both small and great, [r]and tumors broke out on them.

10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. So it was, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!” 11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people.” For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. 12 And the men who did not die were stricken with the tumors, and the (BC)cry of the city went up to heaven.

The Ark Returned to Israel

Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines (BD)called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it to its place.”

So they said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it (BE)empty; but by all means return it to Him with (BF)a trespass offering. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why His hand is not removed from you.”

Then they said, “What is the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?”

They answered, (BG)“Five golden tumors and five golden rats, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague was on all of [s]you and on your lords. Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that (BH)ravage the land, and you shall (BI)give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will (BJ)lighten[t] His hand from you, from (BK)your gods, and from your land. Why then do you harden your hearts (BL)as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, (BM)did they not let the people go, that they might depart? Now therefore, make (BN)a new cart, take two milk cows (BO)which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. Then take the ark of the Lord and set it on the cart; and put (BP)the articles of gold which you are returning to Him as a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to (BQ)Beth Shemesh, then He has done [u]us this great evil. But if not, then (BR)we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us—it happened to us by chance.”

10 Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they set the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors. 12 Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, and went along the (BS)highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their (BT)wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 14 Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone was there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to the Lord. 16 So when (BU)the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

17 (BV)These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned as a trespass offering to the Lord: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for (BW)Gath, one for Ekron; 18 and the golden rats, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both fortified cities and country villages, even as far as the large stone of Abel on which they set the ark of the Lord, which stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

19 Then (BX)He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord. [v]He (BY)struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.

The Ark at Kirjath Jearim

20 And the men of Beth Shemesh said, (BZ)“Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? And to whom shall it go up from us?” 21 So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of (CA)Kirjath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord; come down and take it up with you.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 3:3 palace or temple
  2. 1 Samuel 3:13 Lit. rebuke
  3. 1 Samuel 3:15 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX adds and he arose in the morning
  4. 1 Samuel 3:19 fail
  5. 1 Samuel 3:20 confirmed
  6. 1 Samuel 4:1 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. add And it came to pass in those days that the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight; LXX adds further against Israel
  7. 1 Samuel 4:2 Lit. struck
  8. 1 Samuel 4:9 Lit. Be men
  9. 1 Samuel 4:10 Lit. struck down
  10. 1 Samuel 4:13 So with MT, Vg.; LXX beside the gate watching the road
  11. 1 Samuel 4:13 trembled with anxiety
  12. 1 Samuel 4:15 fixed
  13. 1 Samuel 4:20 pay any attention to
  14. 1 Samuel 4:21 Lit. Inglorious
  15. 1 Samuel 5:2 A Philistine idol
  16. 1 Samuel 5:4 So with LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg.; MT Dagon
  17. 1 Samuel 5:6 Probably bubonic plague. LXX, Vg. add And in the midst of their land rats sprang up, and there was a great death panic in the city.
  18. 1 Samuel 5:9 Vg. and they had tumors in their secret parts
  19. 1 Samuel 6:4 Lit. them
  20. 1 Samuel 6:5 ease
  21. 1 Samuel 6:9 this calamity to us
  22. 1 Samuel 6:19 Or He struck seventy men of the people and fifty oxen of a man

And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.

And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

11 And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.

12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.

13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.

15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.

16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I.

17 And he said, What is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.

18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good.

19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.

21 And the Lord appeared again in Shiloh: for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.

And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.

And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.

And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. And they said, Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a thing heretofore.

Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods? these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness.

Be strong and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and fight.

10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

12 And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head.

13 And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.

14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli.

15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see.

16 And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son?

17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken.

18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

19 And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.

20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it.

21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband.

22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod.

When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again.

And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off upon the threshold; only the stump of Dagon was left to him.

Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod unto this day.

But the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof.

And when the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not abide with us: for his hand is sore upon us, and upon Dagon our god.

They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines unto them, and said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried about unto Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel about thither.

And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.

10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.

11 So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to his own place, that it slay us not, and our people: for there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

12 And the men that died not were smitten with the emerods: and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.

And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.

Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?

Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:

And take the ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go.

And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Bethshemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us: it was a chance that happened to us.

10 And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:

11 And they laid the ark of the Lord upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods.

12 And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.

13 And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.

14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the Lord.

15 And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the Lord.

16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

17 And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the Lord; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;

18 And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the Lord: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Bethshemite.

19 And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the Lord had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.

20 And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall he go up from us?

21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the Lord; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.

耶和华向撒母耳显现

那孩子撒母耳以利面前事奉耶和华。在那些日子,耶和华的言语稀少,不常有异象。 那时,以利在自己的地方睡觉;他眼目开始昏花,不能看见。  神的灯还没有熄灭,撒母耳睡在耶和华的殿内, 神的约柜就在那里。 耶和华呼唤撒母耳撒母耳说:“我在这里!” 他跑到以利那里,说:“你叫我吗?我在这里。”以利说:“我没有叫你,回去睡吧。”他就回去睡了。 耶和华又呼唤撒母耳撒母耳起来,到以利那里,说:“你叫我吗?我在这里。”以利说:“我儿,我没有叫你,回去睡吧。” 那时撒母耳还未认识耶和华,耶和华的话也未曾向他启示。 耶和华第三次再呼唤撒母耳撒母耳起来,到以利那里,说:“你叫我吗?我在这里。”以利才明白是耶和华呼唤这小孩。 以利撒母耳说:“你回去睡吧。他若再叫你,你就说:‘耶和华啊,请说,仆人敬听!’”撒母耳就回去,仍睡在原处。

10 耶和华来站着,像前几次呼唤:“撒母耳撒母耳!”撒母耳说:“请说,仆人敬听!” 11 耶和华对撒母耳说:“看哪,我在以色列中必行一件事,凡听见的人都必双耳齐鸣。 12 我指着以利家所说的话,到了时候,必从头到尾应验在以利身上。 13 我曾告诉他,我必永远惩罚他的家,因为他知道自己的儿子作恶,亵渎 神[a],却不禁止他们。 14 所以我向以利家起誓:‘以利家的罪孽,就是献祭物和供物,也永不得赎。’”

15 撒母耳睡到天亮,就开了耶和华殿的门。撒母耳害怕,不敢将异象告诉以利 16 以利呼唤撒母耳说:“我儿撒母耳!”撒母耳说:“我在这里!” 17 以利说:“他对你说了什么话,你不要向我隐瞒。你若将他对你所说的话向我隐瞒一句,愿 神重重惩罚你。” 18 撒母耳就把一切话都告诉以利,并没有隐瞒。以利说:“他是耶和华,愿他照他看为好的去做。”

19 撒母耳长大了,耶和华与他同在,使他所说的话一句都不落空。 20 别是巴,所有的以色列人都知道耶和华立撒母耳为先知。 21 耶和华又在示罗显现,因为耶和华在示罗藉他的话向撒母耳启示他自己。

撒母耳的话传遍了全以色列

约柜被掳

以色列人出去与非利士人打仗,安营在以便‧以谢非利士人安营在亚弗 非利士人向以色列人摆阵。两军交战的时候,以色列人败在非利士人面前;非利士人在战场上杀了他们约四千人。 百姓回到营里,以色列的长老说:“耶和华今日为何使我们败在非利士人面前呢?我们要将耶和华的约柜从示罗抬到我们这里来,好让他来到我们中间,救我们脱离敌人的手掌。” 于是百姓派人到示罗,从那里将坐在二基路伯上万军之耶和华的约柜抬来。以利的两个儿子何弗尼非尼哈也与 神的约柜同来。

耶和华的约柜到了营中,全以色列就大声欢呼,连地都震动。 非利士人听见欢呼的声音,就说:“为何希伯来人在营里这么大声欢呼呢?”他们知道耶和华的约柜到了营中。 非利士人就惧怕,说:“有神明到了他们营中。”又说:“我们有祸了!从来不曾有这样的事。 我们有祸了!谁能救我们脱离这些大能之神明的手呢?从前在旷野用各样灾祸击打埃及人的,就是这些神明。 非利士人哪,要刚强,要作大丈夫,免得作希伯来人的奴仆,如同他们作你们的奴仆一样。你们要作大丈夫,与他们争战。” 10 非利士人进攻,以色列人败了,各往自己的家逃跑。被杀的人很多,以色列倒下的步兵有三万。 11  神的约柜被掳去,以利的两个儿子何弗尼非尼哈也都被杀了。

以利的死

12 有一个便雅悯人从战场上逃跑,衣服撕裂,头蒙灰尘,当日来到示罗 13 他到了的时候,看哪,以利正坐在路旁的位子上观望,为 神的约柜心里担忧。那人进城报信,全城的人就都呼喊起来。 14 以利听见呼喊的声音就说:“这喧嚷的声音是什么呢?”那人急忙来报信给以利 15 那时以利九十八岁了,两眼发直,不能看见。 16 那人对以利说:“我是从战场上来的,今日刚从战场上逃回来。”以利说:“我儿,事情怎样了?” 17 报信的回答说:“以色列人在非利士人面前逃跑,百姓中被杀的很多!你的两个儿子何弗尼非尼哈也都死了,并且 神的约柜已经被掳去了。” 18 他一提到 神的约柜,以利就从城门旁自己的位子上往后跌倒,折断颈项而死,因为他年纪老迈,身体沉重。以利以色列的士师四十年。

非尼哈遗孀的死

19 以利的媳妇,非尼哈的妻子怀孕将到产期,她听见 神的约柜被掳,公公和丈夫都死了,就曲身生产,极其疼痛。 20 她将要死的时候,旁边站着的妇人们对她说:“不要怕!你生了男孩了。”她不回答,也不放在心上。 21 她给孩子起名叫以迦博[b],说:“荣耀离开以色列了!”这是因为 神的约柜被掳去,又因为她公公和丈夫都死了。 22 她又说:“荣耀离开以色列,因为 神的约柜被掳去了。”

约柜在非利士人当中

非利士人掳去 神的约柜,从以便‧以谢带到亚实突 非利士人掳了 神的约柜,带进大衮庙,放在大衮的旁边。 次日,亚实突人清早起来,看哪,大衮仆倒在耶和华的约柜前,脸伏于地,他们就扶起大衮,把它放回原处。 又次日,他们清早起来,看哪,大衮仆倒在耶和华的约柜前,脸伏于地,并且大衮的头和两手都在门槛上折断,只剩下大衮的躯干。 因此,大衮的祭司和所有进大衮庙的人,都不踏亚实突大衮庙的门槛,直到今日。

耶和华的手重重击打亚实突人,使他们恐惧,使亚实突亚实突周围的人都生痔疮。 亚实突人见这情况,就说:“以色列 神的约柜不可留在我们这里,因为他的手重重击打我们和我们的神明大衮”。 他们就派人去请非利士的众领袖来聚集,对他们说:“我们向以色列 神的约柜应当怎样做呢?”他们说:“可以把以色列 神的约柜运到迦特去。”于是他们把以色列 神的约柜运到那里。 运到之后,耶和华的手击打那城,使那城的人非常惊慌,无论大小都生痔疮。 10 他们就把 神的约柜送到以革伦。 神的约柜到了以革伦以革伦人就呼喊说:“他们把以色列 神的约柜运到我这里,要害我和我的百姓!” 11 于是他们派人去请非利士的众领袖来,说:“请你们把以色列 神的约柜送回原处,免得害死我和我的百姓!”原来 神的手重重攻击那城,死亡的恐惧弥漫全城, 12 没有死的人都受痔疮的折磨。城里的哀声上达于天。

送回约柜

耶和华的约柜在非利士人之地七个月。 非利士人召了祭司和占卜的来,说:“我们向耶和华的约柜应当怎样做呢?请指示我们要用什么方法把约柜送回原处。” 他们说:“若要将以色列 神的约柜送回去,不可空手送回,一定要给他献赔罪的礼物,然后你们才可以得痊愈,并且知道他的手为何不离开你们。” 非利士人说:“应当用什么献为赔罪的礼物呢?”他们说:“当按照非利士领袖的数目,献五个金痔疮和五个金老鼠,因为你们众人和领袖所遭遇的都是一样的灾祸。 当制造你们痔疮的像和毁坏田地老鼠的像,并要将荣耀归给以色列的 神,或者他向你们和你们的神明,以及你们的田地,把手放轻些。 你们为何硬着心,像埃及人和法老硬着心一样呢? 神岂不是严厉对付埃及,使埃及人释放以色列人,他们就走了吗? 现在你们应当造一辆新车,把两头未曾负轭,还在哺乳的母牛套在车上,赶牛犊离开母牛,回家去。 你们要把耶和华的约柜放在车上,把所献赔罪的金器装在匣子里,放在柜旁,送走柜子,让它去。 你们要观察:车若直行过以色列的边界,上到伯‧示麦去,这大灾祸就是耶和华降在我们身上的;若不然,我们就知道,这不是他的手击打我们,而是我们偶然遭遇的。”

10 非利士人就照样做了。他们取了两头哺乳的母牛套在车上,把牛犊关在家里, 11 把耶和华的约柜和装金老鼠以及金痔疮像的匣子都放在车上。 12 牛直行大路,在往伯‧示麦的一条大道上,一面走一面叫,不偏左右。非利士的领袖跟在后面,直到伯‧示麦的地界。 13 那时,伯‧示麦人正在平原收割麦子,举目看见约柜,就欢欢喜喜地迎见它。 14 车到了伯‧示麦约书亚的田间,就在那里停了。在那里有一块大磐石,他们把车的木头劈了,把两头母牛献给耶和华为燔祭。 15 利未人将耶和华的约柜和柜子旁边装金器的匣子拿下来,放在大磐石上。当日伯‧示麦人献上燔祭,又献其他祭物给耶和华。 16 非利士人的五个领袖看见了,当日就回以革伦去。

17 非利士人献给耶和华作赔罪的金痔疮像如下:一个为亚实突,一个为迦萨,一个为亚实基伦,一个为迦特,一个为以革伦 18 金老鼠的数目是按照非利士五个领袖的城镇,就是坚固的城镇和乡村,以及大磐石。这磐石是安放耶和华约柜的,到今日还在伯‧示麦约书亚的田间。

约柜在基列‧耶琳

19 耶和华击杀伯‧示麦人,因为他们观看他的约柜。他击杀了百姓七十人[c] [d]。百姓因耶和华大大击杀他们,就哀哭了。 20 伯‧示麦人说:“谁能在耶和华这位圣洁的 神面前侍立呢?这约柜可以从我们这里上到谁那里去呢?” 21 于是他们派使者到基列‧耶琳的居民那里,说:“非利士人将耶和华的约柜送回来了,你们下来将约柜接了,上到你们那里去吧!”

Footnotes

  1. 3.13 “亵渎 神”是根据七十士译本和其他古译本;原文是“自招诅咒”。
  2. 4.21 “以迦博”意思是“没有荣耀”。
  3. 6.19 “七十人”是根据一些古卷;原文是“七十人,五万人”,可能指“七十人加五万人”或“五万人中的七十人”。
  4. 6.19 “耶和华…七十人”:七十士译本是“主击杀耶哥尼雅的子孙七十人,因为他们没有和伯‧示麦人欢欢喜喜地迎见约柜”。

The Lord Calls Samuel

The boy Samuel ministered(A) before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare;(B) there were not many visions.(C)

One night Eli, whose eyes(D) were becoming so weak that he could barely see,(E) was lying down in his usual place. The lamp(F) of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house(G) of the Lord, where the ark(H) of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.(I) And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

Now Samuel did not yet know(J) the Lord: The word(K) of the Lord had not yet been revealed(L) to him.

A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!(M)

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.(N) 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything(O) I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God,[a] and he failed to restrain(P) them. 14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned(Q) for by sacrifice or offering.’”

15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, 16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

17 “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide(R) it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely,(S) if you hide from me anything he told you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”(T)

19 The Lord was with(U) Samuel as he grew(V) up, and he let none(W) of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba(X) recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.(Y) 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed(Z) himself to Samuel through his word.

And Samuel’s word came to all Israel.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer,(AA) and the Philistines at Aphek.(AB) The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why(AC) did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark(AD) of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh,(AE) so that he may go with us(AF) and save us from the hand of our enemies.”

So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim.(AG) And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout(AH) that the ground shook. Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew(AI) camp?”

When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, the Philistines were afraid.(AJ) “A god has[b] come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before. We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck(AK) the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues(AL) in the wilderness. Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they(AM) have been to you. Be men, and fight!”

10 So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated(AN) and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.(AO)

Death of Eli

12 That same day a Benjamite(AP) ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dust(AQ) on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was Eli(AR) sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.

14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?”

The man hurried over to Eli, 15 who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes(AS) had failed so that he could not see. 16 He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”

Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”

17 The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead,(AT) and the ark of God has been captured.”(AU)

18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led[c](AV) Israel forty years.(AW)

19 His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. 20 As she was dying, the women attending her said, “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention.

21 She named the boy Ichabod,[d](AX) saying, “The Glory(AY) has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, “The Glory(AZ) has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”(BA)

The Ark in Ashdod and Ekron

After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer(BB) to Ashdod.(BC) Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.(BD) When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen(BE) on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken(BF) off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon’s temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.(BG)

The Lord’s hand(BH) was heavy on the people of Ashdod and its vicinity; he brought devastation(BI) on them and afflicted them with tumors.[e](BJ) When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of the god of Israel must not stay here with us, because his hand is heavy on us and on Dagon our god.” So they called together all the rulers(BK) of the Philistines and asked them, “What shall we do with the ark of the god of Israel?”

They answered, “Have the ark of the god of Israel moved to Gath.(BL)” So they moved the ark of the God of Israel.

But after they had moved it, the Lord’s hand was against that city, throwing it into a great panic.(BM) He afflicted the people of the city, both young and old, with an outbreak of tumors.[f] 10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.(BN)

As the ark of God was entering Ekron, the people of Ekron cried out, “They have brought the ark of the god of Israel around to us to kill us and our people.” 11 So they called together all the rulers(BO) of the Philistines and said, “Send the ark of the god of Israel away; let it go back to its own place, or it[g] will kill us and our people.” For death had filled the city with panic; God’s hand was very heavy on it. 12 Those who did not die(BP) were afflicted with tumors, and the outcry of the city went up to heaven.

The Ark Returned to Israel

When the ark of the Lord had been in Philistine territory seven months, the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners(BQ) and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Tell us how we should send it back to its place.”

They answered, “If you return the ark of the god of Israel, do not send it back to him without a gift;(BR) by all means send a guilt offering(BS) to him. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand(BT) has not been lifted from you.”

The Philistines asked, “What guilt offering should we send to him?”

They replied, “Five gold tumors and five gold rats, according to the number(BU) of the Philistine rulers, because the same plague(BV) has struck both you and your rulers. Make models of the tumors(BW) and of the rats that are destroying the country, and give glory(BX) to Israel’s god. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you and your gods and your land. Why do you harden(BY) your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh did? When Israel’s god dealt harshly with them,(BZ) did they(CA) not send the Israelites out so they could go on their way?

“Now then, get a new cart(CB) ready, with two cows that have calved and have never been yoked.(CC) Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up. Take the ark of the Lord and put it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to him as a guilt offering. Send it on its way, but keep watching it. If it goes up to its own territory, toward Beth Shemesh,(CD) then the Lord has brought this great disaster on us. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us but that it happened to us by chance.”

10 So they did this. They took two such cows and hitched them to the cart and penned up their calves. 11 They placed the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the chest containing the gold rats and the models of the tumors. 12 Then the cows went straight up toward Beth Shemesh, keeping on the road and lowing all the way; they did not turn to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed them as far as the border of Beth Shemesh.

13 Now the people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat(CE) in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they rejoiced at the sight. 14 The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and there it stopped beside a large rock. The people chopped up the wood of the cart and sacrificed the cows as a burnt offering(CF) to the Lord. 15 The Levites(CG) took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock.(CH) On that day the people of Beth Shemesh(CI) offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord. 16 The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.

17 These are the gold tumors the Philistines sent as a guilt offering to the Lord—one each(CJ) for Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. 18 And the number of the gold rats was according to the number of Philistine towns belonging to the five rulers—the fortified towns with their country villages. The large rock on which the Levites set the ark of the Lord is a witness to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

19 But God struck down(CK) some of the inhabitants of Beth Shemesh, putting seventy[h] of them to death because they looked(CL) into the ark of the Lord. The people mourned because of the heavy blow the Lord had dealt them. 20 And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand(CM) in the presence of the Lord, this holy(CN) God? To whom will the ark go up from here?”

21 Then they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath Jearim,(CO) saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Come down and take it up to your town.”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 3:13 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition (see also Septuagint); Masoretic Text sons made themselves contemptible
  2. 1 Samuel 4:7 Or “Gods have (see Septuagint)
  3. 1 Samuel 4:18 Traditionally judged
  4. 1 Samuel 4:21 Ichabod means no glory.
  5. 1 Samuel 5:6 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate tumors. And rats appeared in their land, and there was death and destruction throughout the city
  6. 1 Samuel 5:9 Or with tumors in the groin (see Septuagint)
  7. 1 Samuel 5:11 Or he
  8. 1 Samuel 6:19 A few Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint 50,070