<p class="bodytext">The Israelites went up to Bethel<n id="1" /> and asked God,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Who should lead the charge against the Benjaminites?&#8221;<n id="3" /> The <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8220;Judah should lead.&#8221;

The Israelites went up and wept before the <sc>Lordsc> until evening. They asked the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;Should we<n id="1" /> again march out to fight<n id="2" /> the Benjaminites, our brothers?&#8221;<n id="3" /> The <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8220;Attack them!&#8221;<n id="4" />

Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> in those days), &#8220;Should we<n id="2" /> once more march out to fight the Benjaminites our brothers,<n id="3" /> or should we<n id="4" /> quit?&#8221; The <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8220;Attack, for tomorrow I will hand them<n id="5" /> over to you.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">So Boaz said to Ruth, &#8220;Listen carefully,<n id="1" /> my dear!<n id="2" /> Do not leave to gather grain in another field. You need not<n id="3" /> go beyond the limits of this field. You may go along beside<n id="4" /> my female workers.<n id="5" />

Ruth the Moabite replied, &#8220;He even<n id="1" /> told me, &#8216;You may go along beside my servants<n id="2" /> until they have finished gathering all my harvest!&#8217;&#8221;<n id="3" />

I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife to raise up a descendant who will inherit his property<n id="1" /> so the name of the deceased might not disappear<n id="2" /> from among his relatives and from his village.<n id="3" /> You are witnesses today.&#8221;

<p class="poetry">He lifts the weak<n id="1" /> from the dust;p> <p class="poetry">he raises<n id="2" /> the poor from the ash heapp> <p class="poetry">to seat them with princesp> <p class="poetry">and to bestow on them an honored position.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">The foundations of the earth belong to the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">and he has placed the world on them.p>

<p class="bodytext">So the army<n id="1" /> sent to Shiloh, and they took from there the ark of the covenant of the <sc>Lordsc> of hosts who sits between the cherubim. Now the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

When the people<n id="1" /> of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, &#8220;The ark of the God of Israel should not remain with us, for he has attacked<n id="2" /> both us and our god Dagon!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Samuel replied to Saul, &#8220;I am the seer! Go up in front of me to the high place! Today you will eat with me and in the morning I will send you away. I will tell you everything that you are thinking.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">So the cook picked up the leg and brought it and set it in front of Saul. Samuel<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;What was kept is now set before you! Eat, for it has been kept for you for this meeting time, from the time I said, &#8216;I have invited the people.&#8217;&#8221; So Saul ate with Samuel that day.p>

When everyone who had known him previously saw him prophesying with the prophets, the people all asked one another, &#8220;What on earth has happened to the son of Kish? Does even Saul belong with the prophets?&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">For the battle with Israel the Philistines had amassed 3,000<n id="1" /> chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven.

One of his attendants replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;I have seen a son of Jesse in Bethlehem<n id="2" /> who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave warrior<n id="3" /> and is articulate<n id="4" /> and handsome,<n id="5" /> for the <sc>Lordsc> is with him.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">David asked the men who were standing near him, &#8220;What will be done for the man who strikes down this Philistine and frees Israel from this humiliation?<n id="1" /> For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he defies the armies of the living God?&#8221;

But Saul replied to David, &#8220;You aren&#8217;t able to go against this Philistine and fight him! You&#8217;re just a boy! He has been a warrior from his youth!&#8221;p>

David went on to say, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> who delivered me from the lion and the bear will also deliver me from the hand of this Philistine!&#8221; Then Saul said to David, &#8220;Go! The <sc>Lordsc> will be with you.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">David said to Jonathan, &#8220;Tomorrow is the new moon, and I am certainly expected to join the king for a meal.<n id="1" /> You must send me away so I can hide in the field until the third evening from now.

You must be loyal<n id="1" /> to your servant, for you have made a covenant with your servant in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s name.<n id="2" /> If I am guilty,<n id="3" /> you yourself kill me! Why bother taking me to your father?&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Jonathan said, &#8220;Far be it from you to suggest this! If I were at all aware that my father had decided to harm you, wouldn&#8217;t I tell you about it?&#8221;