The Philistines Gather against Israel

¹Now in those days the Philistines gathered their forces for warfare against Israel. So Achish said to David, “You must understand that you and your men are to go out to battle with me.”

²David replied, “Then you will come to know what your servant can do.”“Very well,” said Achish. “I will make you my bodyguard for life.”

³Now by this time Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.

⁴The Philistines gathered together and camped at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and camped at Gilboa.

⁵When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid and trembled violently.

⁶He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urimor prophets.

Saul and the Medium of Endor

⁷Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.”“There is a medium at Endor,” his servants replied.

⁸So Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and he set out with two of his men. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said, “Consult a spirit for me. Bring up for me the one I name.”

⁹But the woman replied, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has killed the mediums and spiritists in the land. Why have you set a trap to get me killed?”

¹⁰Then Saul swore to her by the LORD: “As surely as the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this.”

¹¹“Whom shall I bring up for you?” the woman asked.“Bring up Samuel,” he replied.

¹²But when the woman saw Samuel, she cried out in a loud voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”

¹³“Do not be afraid,” the king replied. “What do you see?”“I see a godcoming up out of the earth,” the woman answered.

¹⁴“What does he look like?” asked Saul.“An old man is coming up,” she replied. “And he is wearing a robe.”So Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed facedown in reverence.

¹⁵Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”“I am deeply distressed,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

¹⁶“Why do you consult me,” asked Samuel, “since the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy?

¹⁷He has done exactly what He spoke through me: The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David.

¹⁸Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out His burning anger against Amalek, the LORD has done this to you today.

¹⁹Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And the LORD will deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

²⁰Immediately Saul fell flat on the ground, terrified by the words of Samuel. And his strength was gone, because he had not eaten anything all that day and night.

²¹When the woman came to Saul and saw how distraught he was, she said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice. I took my life in my hands and did as you told me.

²²Now please listen to your servant and let me set a morsel of bread before you so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way.”

²³Saul refused, saying, “I will not eat.” But his servants joined the woman in urging him, and he heeded their voice. He got up from the ground and sat on the bed.

²⁴The woman had a fattened calf at her house, and she quickly slaughtered it. She also took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread.

²⁵She served it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. And that night they got up and left.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

¹Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel.Now the Israelites went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek.

²The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield.

³When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may gowith us to save us from the hand of our enemies.”

⁴So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

⁵When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a great shout that the ground shook.

⁶On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?”And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp,

⁷the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have enteredtheir camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before.

⁸Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.

⁹Take courage and be men, O Philistines! Otherwise, you will serve the Hebrews just as they served you. Now be men and fight!”

¹⁰So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.

¹¹The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

The Death of Eli

¹²That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line all the way to Shiloh, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.

¹³When he arrived, there was Eli, sitting on his chair beside the road and watching, because his heart trembled for the ark of God.When the man entered the city to give a report, the whole city cried out.

¹⁴Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?”So the man hurried over and reported to Eli.

¹⁵Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his gaze was fixed because he could not see.

¹⁶“I have just come from the battle,” the man said to Eli. “I fled from there today.”“What happened, my son?” Eli asked.

¹⁷The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”

¹⁸As soon as the ark of God was mentioned, Eli fell backward from his chair by the city gate, and being old and heavy, he broke his neck and died. And Eli had judgedIsrael forty years.

¹⁹Now Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news of the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth, for her labor pains overtook her.

²⁰As she was dying, the women attending to her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son!”But she did not respond or pay any heed.

²¹And she named the boy Ichabod,saying, “The glory has departedfrom Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.

²²“The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “for the ark of God has been captured.”

The Philistines Reject David

¹Now the Philistines brought all their forces together at Aphek, while Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel.

²As the Philistine leaders marched out with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men marched behind them with Achish.

³Then the commanders of the Philistines asked, “What about these Hebrews?”Achish replied, “Is this not David, the servant of King Saul of Israel? He has been with me all these days, even years, and from the day he defected until today I have found no fault in him.”

⁴But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not go down with us into battle only to become our adversary during the war. What better way for him to regain the favor of his master than with the heads of our men?

⁵Is this not the David about whom they sing in their dances:‘Saul has slain his thousands,and David his tens of thousands’?”

⁶So Achish summoned David and told him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and it seems right in my sight that you should march in and out with me in the army, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until this day. But you are not good in the sight of the leaders.

⁷Therefore turn back now and go in peace, so that you will not do anything to displease the leaders of the Philistines.”

⁸“But what have I done?” David replied. “What have you found against your servant, from the day I came to you until today, to keep me from going along to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

⁹Achish replied, “I know that you are as pleasing in my sight as an angel of God. But the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’

¹⁰Now then, get up early in the morning, along with your master’s servants who came with you, and go as soon as it is light.”

¹¹So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

The Way of Wisdom

¹Wisdom has built her house;she has carved outher seven pillars.

²She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;she has also set her table.

³She has sent out her maidservants;she calls out from the heights of the city.

⁴“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”she says to him who lacks judgment.

⁵“Come, eat my breadand drink the wine I have mixed.

⁶Leave your folly behind, and you will live;walk in the way of understanding.”

⁷He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself;he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.

⁸Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you;rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

⁹Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still;teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning.

¹⁰The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

¹¹For through wisdomyour days will be multiplied,and years will be added to your life.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage;but if you scoff, you alone will bear the consequences.

The Way of Folly

¹³The woman named Folly is loud;she is naive and knows nothing.

¹⁴She sits at the door of her house,on a seat in the heights of the city,

¹⁵calling out to those who pass by,who make their paths straight.

¹⁶“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”she says to him who lacks judgment.

¹⁷“Stolen water is sweet,and bread eaten in secret is tasty!”

¹⁸But they do not know that the deadare there,that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.