Now it’s your turn to listen to your servant! Let me set before you a bit of bread so that you can eat. When you regain your strength, you can go on your way.”p>

<p class="bodytext">The next day, when the Philistines came to strip loot from the corpses, they discovered Saul and his three sons lying dead<n id="1" /> on Mount Gilboa.

<t /><p class="bodytext">There was a man from Ramathaim Zophim,<n id="1" /> from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah. He was the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.

<t /><p class="bodytext">A man of God came to Eli and said to him, &#8220;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: &#8216;Did I not plainly<n id="1" /> reveal myself to your ancestor&#8217;s<n id="2" /> house when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh?

Everyone who remains in your house will come to bow before him for a little money<n id="1" /> and for a scrap of bread. Each will say, &#8216;Assign me to a priestly task so I can eat a scrap of bread.&#8217;&#8221;p>

So Eli said to Samuel, &#8220;Go back and lie down. When he calls you, say, &#8220;Speak, <sc>Lordsc>, for your servant is listening.&#8221; So Samuel went back and lay down in his place.p>

When he arrived in Shiloh, Eli was sitting in his chair watching by the side of<n id="1" /> the road, for he was very worried<n id="2" /> about the ark of God. As the man entered the city to give his report,<n id="3" /> the whole city cried out.p>

The messenger replied, &#8220;Israel has fled from<n id="1" /> the Philistines! The army has suffered a great defeat! Your two sons, Hophni and Phineas, are dead! The ark of God has been captured!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli<n id="1" /> fell backward from his chair beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he<n id="2" /> was old and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years.p>

So they sent the ark of God to Ekron.p> <p class="bodytext">But when the ark of God arrived at Ekron, the residents of Ekron cried out saying, &#8220;They have brought the ark of the God of Israel here<n id="1" /> to kill our<n id="2" /> people!&#8221;

So they assembled<n id="1" /> all the leaders of the Philistines and said, &#8220;Get the ark of the God of Israel out of here! Let it go back to its own place so that it won&#8217;t kill us<n id="2" /> and our<n id="3" /> people!&#8221; The terror<n id="4" /> of death was throughout the entire city; God was attacking them very severely there.<n id="5" />

But keep an eye on it. If it should go up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has brought this great calamity on us. But if that is not the case, then we will know that it was not his hand that struck us; rather, it just happened to us by accident.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">As Samuel was offering burnt offerings, the Philistines approached to do battle with Israel.<n id="1" /> But on that day the <sc>Lordsc> thundered loudly against the Philistines. He caused them to panic, and they were defeated by<n id="2" /> Israel.

<p class="bodytext">The cities that the Philistines had captured from Israel were returned to Israel, from Ekron to Gath. Israel also delivered their territory from the control<n id="1" /> of the Philistines. There was also peace between Israel and the Amorites.

<t /><p class="bodytext">There was a Benjaminite man named Kish son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah of Benjamin. He was a prominent person.

They got up at dawn and Samuel called to Saul on the roof, &#8220;Get up, so I can send you on your way.&#8221; So Saul got up and the two of them &#8211; he and Samuel &#8211; went outside.

Afterward you will go to Gibeah of God, where there are Philistine officials.<n id="1" /> When you enter the town, you will meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place. They will have harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.

<p class="bodytext">They said to the messengers who had come, &#8220;Here&#8217;s what you should say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: &#8216;Tomorrow deliverance will come to you when the sun is fully up.&#8217;&#8221; When the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh Gilead, they were happy.

If you fear the <sc>Lordsc>, serving him and obeying him<n id="1" /> and not rebelling against what he says,<n id="2" /> and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the <sc>Lordsc> your God, all will be well.<n id="3" />

So on the day of the battle no sword or spear was to be found in the hand of anyone in the army that was with Saul and Jonathan. No one but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.p>