29 Wherefore kick ye at my facrifice, and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honoureft thy fons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefeft of all the offerings of Ifrael my people?

30 Wherefore the Lord God of Ifrael faith, I faid indeed, that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord faith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that defpife me fhall be lightly esteemed.

31 Behold, the days come that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there fhall not be an old man in thine house.

32 And thou fhalt fee an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God fhall give Ifrael: and there fhall not be an old man in thine house for ever.

33 And the man of thine, whom I fhall not cut off from mine altar, fhall be to confume thine eyes, and to

age.

on

34 And this fhall be a fign unto thee that fhall come upon thy two fons, Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they fhall die both of them.

35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind and I will build him a fure houfe; and he shall walk before mine Anointed for ever.

36 And it fhall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of filver, and a morfel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priefts' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.

A

CHAP. III.

ND the child Samuel miniftered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in thofe days; there was no open vifion.

2. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not fee;

3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to fleep;

4 That the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, Here am I.

5 And he ran unto Eli, and faid, Here am I, for thou calledft me. And he faid, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.

6 And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arofe and went to Eli, and faid, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he anfwered, I called not, my fon; lie down again.

7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.

8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arofe and went to Eli, and faid, Here am I ; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child..

9 Therefore Eli faid unto Samuel, Go, lie down and it fhall be, if he call thee, that thou fhalt fay, Speak Lord; for thy fervant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the Lord came

and ftood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel anfwered, Speak; for thy fervant heareth.

11 And the Lord faid to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Ifrael, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it fhall tingle.

12 In that day I will perform againft Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his houfe: when I begin, I will alfo make an end.

13 For I have told him, that I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth : becaufe his fons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.

14 And therefore I have fworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's houfe fhall not be purged with facrifice nor offering for ever.

15 ¶ And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to fhew Eli the vifion.

16 Then Eli called Samuel, and faid, Samuel, my fon. And he anfwered, here am I.

17 And he said, What is the thing that the Lord hath

faid unto thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me: God do fo to thee, and more alfo, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he faid unto thee.

18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he faid, It is the Lord let him do what feemeth him good.

19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

20 And all Ifrael, from Dan even to Beer-fheba, knew that Samuel was eftablifhed to be a prophet of the Lord.

3 Behold, here I am: witnefs against me before the Lord, and before his annointed whose ox have [ taken? or whofe afs have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppreffed? or of whofe hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will reftore it you.

4 And they faid, Thou haft not defrauded us, nor oppreffed us, neither haft thou taken ought of any man's' hand.

5 And he faid unto them, The Lord is witness against you, and his ancinted is witnefs this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is

A

CHAP. XII.

ND Samuel faid unto all Ifrael, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye faid unto me, and have made a king over you.

:

6And Samuel said unto the people, It is the Lord that advanced Mofes and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.

7 Now therefore ftand ftill, that I may reason with you before the Lord, of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did to you and to your fathers.

hood unto this day.

8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the Lord, then the

which brought forth your

fathers

fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.

9 And when they forgat the Lord their God, he fold them into the hand of Sifera captain of the hoft of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philiftines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought againft

them.

10 And they cried unto the Lord, and faid, We have finned, because we have forfaken the Lord, and have ferved Baalim and Afhitaroth but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will ferve thee. II And the Lord fent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every fide, and ye dwelled fafe.

12 And when ye faw that Nahafh the king of the children of Ammon came a gainst you, ye faid unto me, Nay, but a king fhall reign over us; when the Lord your God was your king.

13 Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chofen, and whom ye have defired and behold the Lord hath fet a king over you.

14 If ye will fear the Lord,

6

and ferve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye, and alfo the king that reigneth over you, continue following the Lord your God:

15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then fhall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers."

16 Now therefore stand and fee this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes.

17 Is it not wheat-harveft to day? I will call unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain: that ye may perceive and fee that your wickedness is great which ye have done in the fight of the Lord, in afking you a king.

18 So Samuel called unto the Lord, and the Lord fent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

19 And all the people faid unto Samuel, Pray for thy fervants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our fins this evil, to ask us a king.

20 And Samuel faid unto the people, Fear not, ye

have

vain.

22 For the Lord will not forfake his people, for his great name's fake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people.

23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I fhould fin against the Lord, in ceafing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:

24 Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for confider how great things he hath done for you.

25 But if ye fhall ftill do wickedly, ye fhall be confumed, both ye and your king.

CHAP. XVI.

2 And Samuel faid, How can I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord faid, Take an heifer with thee, and fay, I am come to facrifice to the Lord.

3 And call Jeffe to the facrifice, and I will fhew thee what thou fhalt do; and thou fhalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.

4 And Samuel did that which the Lord fpake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and faid, Comeft thou peaceably?

5 And he faid, Peaceably: I am come to facrifice unto the Lord: fanctify yourfelves, and come with me to the facrifice. And he fanctified Jeffe and his fons, and called them to the facrifice.

6 And it came to pafs when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and faid, Surely the Lord's anointed

7 But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his ftature; because I have refufed him. For the Lord feeth not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord

looketh