Now the priests would always treat the people in the following way:<n id="1" /> Whenever anyone was making a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling, the priest&#8217;s attendant would come with a three-pronged fork<n id="2" /> in his hand.

He said to them, &#8220;Why do you behave in this way? For I hear about these evil things from all these<n id="1" /> people.

Why are you<n id="1" /> scorning my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling place?<n id="2" /> You have honored your sons more than you have me by having made yourselves fat from the best parts of all the offerings of my people Israel.&#8217;p>

Any one of you that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause your<n id="1" /> eyes to fail<n id="2" /> and will cause you grief.<n id="3" /> All of those born to your family<n id="4" /> will die in the prime of life.<n id="5" />

Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will do what is in my heart and soul. I will build for him a secure dynasty<n id="1" /> and he will serve my chosen one for all time.<n id="2" />

The <sc>Lordsc> said to Samuel, &#8220;Look! I am about to do something in Israel;<n id="1" /> when anyone hears about it, both of his ears will tingle.

On that day I will carry out<n id="1" /> against Eli everything that I spoke about his house &#8211; from start to finish!

<p class="bodytext">So Samuel told him everything. He did not hold back anything from him. Eli<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> will do what he pleases.&#8221;<n id="2" />

Samuel revealed the word of the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> to all Israel.p><t /><p class="bodytext">Then the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines.<n id="2" /> They camped at Ebenezer,<n id="3" /> and the Philistines camped at Aphek.

When the ark of the covenant of the <sc>Lordsc> arrived at the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly<n id="1" /> that the ground shook.p>

Too bad for us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all sorts of plagues in the desert!

(For this reason, to this very day, neither Dagon&#8217;s priests nor anyone else who enters Dagon&#8217;s temple step on Dagon&#8217;s threshold in Ashdod.)p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">It was quite a long time &#8211; some twenty years in all &#8211; that the ark stayed at Kiriath Jearim. All the people<n id="1" /> of Israel longed for<n id="2" /> the <sc>Lordsc>.

So the Philistines were defeated; they did not invade Israel again. The hand of the <sc>Lordsc> was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.p>

Year after year he used to travel the circuit of Bethel,<n id="1" /> Gilgal, and Mizpah; he used to judge Israel in all of these places.

They said to him, &#8220;Look, you are old, and your sons don&#8217;t follow your ways. So now appoint over us a king to lead<n id="1" /> us, just like all the other nations have.&#8221;p>

He had a son named Saul, a handsome young man. There was no one among the Israelites more handsome than he was; he stood head and shoulders above all the people.p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">As Saul<n id="1" /> turned<n id="2" /> to leave Samuel, God changed his inmost person.<n id="3" /> All these signs happened on that very day.

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">Nahash<n id="2" /> the Ammonite marched<n id="3" /> against Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh Gilead said to Nahash, &#8220;Make a treaty with us and we will serve you.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">When the messengers went to Gibeah (where Saul lived)<n id="1" /> and informed the people of these matters, all the people wept loudly.<n id="2" />