Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.

And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

“Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age.

“‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day.

The Lord Calls Samuel

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

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.

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.

Death of Eli

That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dust on his head.

who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes had failed so that he could not see.

He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.” Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”

When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place.

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.

The Levites took down the ark of the Lord, together with the chest containing the gold objects, and placed them on the large rock. On that day the people of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the Lord.

The five rulers of the Philistines saw all this and then returned that same day to Ekron.

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.

When they had assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the Lord. On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah.

While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.

Samuel continued as Israel’s leader all the days of his life.

As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.

When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

(Formerly in Israel, if someone went to inquire of God, they would say, “Come, let us go to the seer,” because the prophet of today used to be called a seer.)

As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water, and they asked them, “Is the seer here?”

Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel:

Saul approached Samuel in the gateway and asked, “Would you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”