<t /><p class="bodytext">The sons of Eli were wicked men.<n id="1" /> They did not recognize the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s authority.<n id="2" />

<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.

<p class="bodytext">But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped and fled to David. His name was Abiathar.

<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.

<p class="bodytext">When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the leaders of the Philistines went up against Israel. When the Israelites heard about this, they were afraid of the Philistines.

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>

Saul said to him, &#8220;Whose son are you, young man?&#8221; David replied, &#8220;I am the son of your servant Jesse in Bethlehem.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Saul&#8217;s son Jonathan liked David very much.<n id="1" />

The Philistines stayed right on the heels<n id="1" /> of Saul and his sons. They<n id="2" /> struck down Saul&#8217;s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua.

Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son<n id="1" /> of Abiel.p>

The king said, &#8220;Find out whose son this boy is!&#8221;p>

Now Ahijah was carrying<n id="1" /> an ephod. He was the son of Ahitub, who was the brother of Ichabod and a son of Phineas, son of Eli, the priest of the <sc>Lordsc> in Shiloh. The army was unaware that Jonathan had left.p>

For all of you have conspired against me! No one informs me<n id="1" /> when my own son makes an agreement with this son of Jesse! Not one of you feels sorry for me or informs me that my own son has commissioned my own servant to hide in ambush against me, as is the case today!&#8221;p>

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

<p class="poetry">Those who are well-fed hire themselves out to earn food,p> <p class="poetry">but the hungry no longer lack.p> <p class="poetry">Even<n id="1" /> the barren woman gives birth to seven,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">but the one with many children withers away.<n id="3" />p>

This ought not to be,<n id="1" /> my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s people is not good.

However, Eli called Samuel and said, &#8220;Samuel, my son!&#8221; He replied, &#8220;Here I am.&#8221;

The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were killed.p>

Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes looked straight ahead;<n id="1" /> he was unable to see.p>

So the Israelites<n id="1" /> removed the Baals and images of Ashtoreth. They served only the <sc>Lordsc>.p>