Part 164 (1/2)

3:8. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose up and went to Heli,

3:9. And said: Here am I: for thou didst call me. Then Heli understood that the Lord called the child, and he said to Samuel: Go, and sleep: and if he shall call thee any more, thou shalt say: Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went, and slept in his place.

3:10. And the Lord came, and stood, and he called, as he had called the other times, Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said: Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.

3:11. And the Lord said to Samuel: Behold I do a thing in Israel: and whosoever shall hear it, both his ears shall tingle.

3:12. In that day I will raise up against Heli all the things I have spoken concerning his house: I will begin, and I will make an end.

3:13. For I have foretold unto him, that I will judge his house for ever, for iniquity, because he knew that his sons did wickedly, and did not chastise them.

3:14. Therefore have I sworn to the house of Heli, that the iniquity of his house shall not be expiated with victims nor offerings for ever.

3:15. And Samuel slept till morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to tell the vision to Heli.

3:16. Then Heli called Samuel, and said: Samuel, my son. And he answered: Here am I.

3:17. And he asked him: What is the word that the Lord hath spoken to thee? I beseech thee hide it not from me. May G.o.d do so and so to thee, and add so and so, if thou hide from me one word of all that were said to thee.

3:18. So Samuel told him all the words, and did not hide them from him.

And he answered: It is the Lord: let him do what is good in his sight.

3:19. And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and not one of his words fell to the ground.

3:20. And all Israel, from Dan to Bersabee, knew that Samuel was a faithful prophet of the Lord.

3:21. And the Lord again appeared in Silo, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Silo, according to the word of the Lord. And the word of Samuel came to pa.s.s to all Israel.

1 Kings Chapter 4

The Israelites being overcome by the Philistines, send for the ark of G.o.d: but they are beaten again, the sons of Heli are killed, and the ark taken: upon the hearing of the news Heli falleth backward and dieth.

4:1. And it came to pa.s.s in those days, that the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight: and Israel went out to war against the Philistines, and camped by the Stone of help. And the Philistines came to Aphec,

The Stone of help... In Hebrew Eben-ezer; so called from the help which the Lord was pleased afterwards to give to his people Israel in that place, by the prayers of Samuel, chap. 7.12.

4:2. And put their army in array against Israel. And when they had joined battle, Israel turned their backs to the Philistines: and there were slain in that fight, here and there in the fields, about four thousand men.

4:3. And the people returned to the camp: and the ancients of Israel said: Why hath the Lord defeated us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch unto us the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Silo, and let it come in the midst of us, that it may save us from the hand of our enemies.

4:4. So the people sent to Silo, and they brought from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, sitting upon the cherubims: and the two sons of Heli, Ophni and Phinees, were with the ark of the covenant of G.o.d.

4:5. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord was come into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, and the earth rang again.

4:6. And the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, and they said: What is this noise of a great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.

4:7. And the Philistines were afraid, saying: G.o.d is come into the camp.

And sighing, they said: