Part 6

Then Deliah sent to the Philistines and said, "Come once again; Samson has told me the truth; I know now what it is makes him so strong." The lords of the Philistines were glad enough to think that soon they might have their enemy in their power. They came at once, and brought money with them to give to Deliah. Then the cruel wife, when Samson was asleep, called a man and told him to shave off Samson's hair. When he had finished, Deliah cried, "The Philistines are upon thee, Samson!"

Samson arose, but alas, his strength was gone! He could not defend himself now! His enemies came and took him, and put out his eyes, and bound him in chains, and carried him to Gaza, and made him work hard in the prison there.

Samson was now in prison at Gaza, alone and blind, without any friend to comfort him. When he first went to prison, his strength was all gone; but, after a time, his hair began to grow, and his strength came again. Now, the Philistines worshipped an ugly idol, shaped like a fish, and named Dagon. They made a great sacrifice to Dagon and praised him, because they thought he had given Samson into their hands. They were very merry, playing, and laughing, and feasting, and praising their idol; and they said, "Let us call Samson, and we will play with him, and laugh at him, and make merry."

Then poor Samson was led in. He could not see his cruel enemies, and they all laughed at him, because he was blind and weak and in their power; and they made him stand between two pillars. The house in which they were feasting was very large and full of people. Three thousand of them were upon the roof, looking and wondering at Samson. Samson asked the boy who led him in to let him rest against the pillars on which the house stood. Then he seized one with his right hand and the other with his left hand. "Lord, give me now strength to conquer my enemies; Let them die, and let me die with them," Samson said. Then he bowed himself down with all his might and broke the pillars. They fell, and the house with them; and the people who were upon the roof were crushed; and Samson died with them.

THE STORY OF RUTH AND NAOMI.

There dwelt in Bethlehem in these days a good man named Elimelech, with his wife Naomi and their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. All their days these people had dwelt in the land, and always faithful had they been to the God of Israel.

But there came into the land a great famine. For days and weeks no rain fell; the trees were dropping their leaves; the grasses were dry and brown; and the corn lay wilted in the fields.

Everywhere there was suffering among the people; starvation was upon them, and the fathers of the little children could bring no food to them. "My wife and children must have food!" Elimelech cried. And so it came about that, when this famine was abroad in the land, Elimelech and his family went to Moab to live. And when they had come into Moab, Mahlon and Chilion chose for their wives Ruth and Orpah from the women of Moab, idolaters though they were.

It was not very long before Mahlon and Chilion, and Elimelech, too, died, and Naomi was left alone with Ruth and Orpah.

They were kind to Naomi, for they loved her well. Still, Naomi's heart longed for her own old home and for the people she had left there; and so (the days of mourning over) Naomi said to Ruth and Orpah, "Dear daughters, now will I return to my own land. You have been very kind to me, and gladly would I take you with me."

Then Ruth And Orpah wept and begged her to stay with them. But when they saw she would not, then they wanted to go with her.

Naomi would have been so happy to take them with her! But she feared they might be sorry by and by should they go into a new land. So she said, "No, my daughters go not with me. Live here in your own country and among your own people. Here are your parents and your friends; and may God deal kindly with you as you have dealt with me."

Then Naomi kissed them and bade them good-bye; but they went out from the village with her, saying, "Surely we may go with thee to Bethlehem."

But when they were far out across the country, then Naomi turned again and bade them return now to their people.

Then Orpah kissed Naomi and turned back to her own city. But Ruth begged to be allowed to go a little farther.

"Nay, nay," Naomi said; "go back, Ruth, with Orpah. See, she is already far back upon the road."

But Ruth fell at Naomi's feet and cried aloud. "O, send me not away from thee! Let me follow thee! Where thou goest, I will go. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Where thou diest I will die, and there will I be buried. Death only shall part thee and me!"

Then old Naomi's heart grew glad; for she loved Ruth and longed to take her with her. Then the two women walked on, and in time they came into the village of Bethlehem.

And as they neared Bethlehem, the old friends of Naomi came out and said, "Can this be Naomi?"

For Naomi had gone out from the city happy, with her husband and sons with her. But now they were all dead; and Naomi was returning, a lonely, sad woman.

It was the harvest time when Naomi and Ruth came into Bethlehem; and, when Ruth saw the gleaners at work, she said, "Let me not be idle; let me go forth into the fields to glean."

Now, Ruth knew no one among the gleaners; but, when she came into the field, and the gleaners looked upon her sweet face, they loved her at once and gladly took her into the field with them.

This field in which Ruth gleaned belonged to a rich man, named Boaz; and, when Boaz saw Ruth at work, he said kindly, "Stay here with my maidens and glean in my field. Follow them and glean after the reapers. And when thou art thirsty, then go and drink of the water which my servants have brought."

Ruth wondered at the kindness of Boaz and said, "Why dost thou show such kindness to me, a stranger?"

And Boaz smiled kindly upon Ruth and said, "Because I have heard of thy love for Naomi; and that thou hast left thy home to come with her and live among her people. May God bless and reward thee!"

By and by it came the time when all the gleaners stopped their work and ate their noonday meal. Kindly the maidens took Ruth with them, and they ate together. But when Ruth had had her share given her, she laid aside a part and carried it home to Naomi.

"Where hast thou gleaned to-day?" Naomi asked.

And when Ruth told her she had gleaned in the field of Boaz, and how kindly he had welcomed her, then Naomi was filled with gladness; for Boaz was of the family of Elimelech; and she knew that now he would be kind to them and not allow suffering and hunger to come to them.

All the long beautiful autumn Ruth gleaned in the fields of Boaz; and each day Boaz loved Ruth more and more, so gentle and kind was she.

Then, when the harvest was over, Boaz came to Naomi and told her that in Canaan there was land that belonged to Elimelech; and that he would buy this land and take Ruth and Naomi to his home.

Then Ruth and Boaz married; and by and by a little child was born to them. How much Naomi loved this little baby! How tenderly she nursed it; and how carefully she taught it as it grew into boyhood!

And so these people lived together until Naomi grew old and died. Then Ruth and Boaz, who had loved her and cared for her all these years, mourned for her, and buried her tenderly beside her own people in the land that had been her father's--the land she had loved so well.

THE STORY OF SAMUEL.

At Mount Ephraim there dwelt a man, named Elkanah, with his good wife, Hannah.

These good people had one son, Samuel, whom they loved with great tenderness. He was their only child; but, though they loved him so, they carried him when he was yet a tiny boy to the temple and left him with the holy priests.

"Here is my child," the good mother said. "I give him now to our God, the God of Israel. So long as he lives shall he be the Lord's."

Then the priest, Eli, took the child and blessed it, and blessed the mother too; and Samuel grew up a true, honest boy, and came in time to be himself a holy priest.

One night, when Samuel lay upon his bed, he heard a voice calling, "Samuel, Samuel!"

"Here am I, Eli," Samuel answered; for he thought it was the voice of the priest.

But Eli said, "No, my son, I did not call thee."

And Samuel went and lay down upon his bed again.

Again the voice called, "Samuel, Samuel!"

And again Samuel ran to Eli's bedside, saying, "Here am I, Eli."

A third time, even, the voice called. A third time Samuel ran to Eli's bedside.

"Samuel," Eli said, when the lad came a third time, "it may be it is the voice of the Lord. Go back to thy bed; and if it speaks again, say, 'Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.'"

Samuel obeyed; and a fourth time the voice called.

Then Samuel answered as Eli bade him. And the voice then said, "Lo, I am about to punish Eli and his sons; for the sons are wicked and Eli punishes them not."

Now, these sons were priests in the temple with their father, and Eli knew full well that they were wicked men. Still, because they were his own sons, and he loved them, he had not driven them forth from the temple.

Poor old Eli was sad when Samuel told him what the voice had said to him; but he bowed his head and said, "It is the voice of God that hath spoken. Let him do with me what seemeth to him wise and good."

Then came a great battle between the Philistines and the Israelites; and in this battle the Israelites were beaten, and the two sons of Eli slain.

Eli was too old to go himself into the battle, and so he sat at the gate of the city and waited with the people for news of the battle.

At last a man came running. His clothes were rent, and there was dust upon his head, and from this the people knew that he brought sad news only.

Then they set up a weeping and wailing; and old Eli, whose eyes were dim with age, said, "What is this noise I hear? Why do the people cry?"

Then the messenger said, "I have just come from the battle-field."

Eli's heart beat fast. "Tell me," he cried with trembling voice, "what has happened there?"

The messenger dreaded to tell the old priest the sad news; but he said, "Alas! alas! the Israelites are conquered! Your own sons have fallen; and even the Ark which the Israelites carried into battle has been taken!"

Poor old Eli! This was more than he could bear. The Ark taken! And the old man threw up his hands and fell back, dead.

Now, the Ark was taken by the Philistines to one of their own heathen temples, and one of their idols was set upon it.

The Philistines thought the Ark was one of the gods of the Israelites, just as their idols were their gods; so they set it up on their altar, and it was their chief god, Dagon they called it, that they set beside it.

But when the Philistines went into their temple the morning after the battle, there lay Dagon upon the floor.

"This is strange!" they said; and they put the idol back upon the Ark again.

The next morning, again was the idol found upon the floor, its hands and its head broken.

Then a dreadful plague settled upon the people. "It is the idol of the Israelites that has done all this!" the people cried. "Let us send it away!"

So the Ark was sent to Gath; but there a plague fell upon the people.

"We will not have it among us!" the people of Gath cried; so they sent it on to Ekron.

But when the people of Ekron saw it coming, they cried out, "Take away this idol of the Israelites! We fear the plague that is sure to come with it!"

At last the Philistines said, "We will not have it in our land." So they placed it upon a cart, and they fastened two cattle to the cart. Then they set the cart upon a road leading towards Bethshemesh and bade the oxen go.

The oxen, obedient, carried the Ark out upon the road, turning neither to the right nor to the left, and straight into the village of Bethshemesh.

Now, the people of the village were at work in their fields, for it was harvest time.

They heard the coming of the cart and looked. "It is the Ark! It is the Ark!" they cried; and the Levites came and took the Ark and set it upon a great stone.

Then followed a day of great sacrifice and rejoicing. And the Israelites later repented of all their sins, and came to Samuel and asked him what they should do.

Samuel called them all to him at Mizpah, and there he prayed for them and taught them wisely and well.

But as he was teaching them and offering sacrifices, lo! a great army of Philistines drew near. They had come again to fight the Israelites.

But Samuel bade them have no fear; for this time it was the Philistines that were to be conquered and not the Israelites.

So the Israelites made ready for battle; but, before they were ready, a great black cloud rolled up across the sky. The winds blew, the hail fell, and the skies blazed with terrible lightnings.

Never had such a storm been known either to Philistines or Israelites.

"Fear not," Samuel said; "this is God's hand." And the Philistines fled in terror.

Then, when the storm was over, and again the sun shone out, Samuel took a great stone and set it up near Mizpah; and the stone at Mizpah was for a sign to the Israelites that "God shall watch ever over thee and me."

And Samuel named the stone Ebenezer--which means, a stone of help.

For many years now Samuel had been judge over Israel; and so long as the people obeyed him they were safe and happy.

But there came a time when Samuel was an old, old man. Then the Israelites came to him and said, "Thou art very old; thy sons, who now judge over us, are not like thee. Let us have a king."

But Samuel said, "God only is the king of the Israelites."

The people would not listen to the words of Samuel. "We will have a king," they said. "We will be like other nations. We will have a king, and he shall go into battle with us."

And so it came about that from out their number a king was chosen.

Now, there was a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who had a son, named Saul.

Saul was a tall, strong, brave, young man, and of him the Lord said to Samuel, "If the Israelites have a king, let this man Saul be that king."

One day it chanced that the cattle belonging to Kish, Saul's father, strayed away; and Kish said to Saul, "Take a servant with thee and go and seek the cattle that have strayed."

So Saul took a servant, and they searched the country round about, going great distances; still the cattle could not be found.

At last Saul said to the servant, "I am tired with this search. Let us go back and tell my father all we have done."

Then the servant said, "There is a prophet living near this place into which we have come. Let us seek him; for I am told he is most wise. Perhaps he may help us to find our cattle."

"Let us go to him," Saul answered readily; and so the two men came into the city where Samuel dwelt; for it was he they sought.

As they drew near the city, they met two young women coming to a well to draw water.

"Tell me, is the prophet here?" Saul asked.

And the young women said, "Yes, to-day he offers sacrifice in the city. First, he blesses the sacrifice, and then the people feast; and now he is going towards the temple. Make haste and you will see him."

Saul and the servant hurried on towards the gate of the city; and there they saw an old man, sitting alone.

"Tell us," said Saul, "where we may find the prophet Samuel."

And the old man answered, "I am Samuel. Come and feast with me; and to-morrow thou shalt go. Grieve not about the cattle; already they are found. But come with me, for I have much to tell thee. The desire of all Israel is upon thee and upon thy father's house."

Then Saul said, "Why dost thou speak so to me? Knowest thou not that my family is one of the least of the tribe of Benjamin?"

But Samuel knew; and he led Saul to his house and feasted him. And when the feast was over, Samuel said to Saul, "The people of Israel desire a king; and it is thou, Saul, whom the Lord has chosen to be that king."

Then, when morning came, Saul and his servant set out upon their journey home; and Samuel went with them, even unto the city gates. Then Samuel said to the servant, "Go on before. I would speak once more with Saul alone." And when he had gone, Samuel poured oil upon the head of Saul and kissed him, saying, "God has chosen thee to be king to rule over his people in Israel."

Then Samuel went back to his home, and Saul went on his way. It was to him a strange journey back to his home, for God had already given him great wisdom and power. Already the gift of prophecy was his; and when he met a company of prophets, he too prophesied with them of things to come.

And the people wondered to hear Saul uttering prophecies. "What does this mean?" they cried. "Is Saul also a prophet?"

But now Samuel called all the tribes of Israel together at Mizpah. "It is your wish," he said, "that a king should be chosen to rule over you and lead you forth into battle. Now, God is not pleased that you should choose a king; for he was himself your king. Still, because it is your wish, a king shall be chosen by God. And that man chosen shall be Saul."

"But where is Saul?" the people asked; for nowhere was Saul to be found.

Then the Lord told the people that Saul was hiding; and he bade them go and search for him in that place which God should name.

The people obeyed, and Saul was found and brought before the people.

"Is this the man?" the people asked. And the Lord said, "This is the man."

Then the people shouted, and Saul was made king over the Israelites.

Then Samuel said to the people, "Behold I am an old man. My hair is white with age. All my life I have been with you, from the time when I was a little child until now. Tell me, have I ever oppressed you, or have I ever taken anything from you?"

And all the people shouted, "No! No! Never! Never have you oppressed us or wronged us in any way!" For the people all loved Samuel, from the oldest to the youngest.

"Wait, then," said Samuel, "and hear what I would say to you. Many years ago God brought your fathers out of Israel and gave this land to them for a possession.

"Often your fathers rebelled against God; and as often he sent punishment upon them that they might turn back to him. Sisera and the Philistines and the Moabites God sent to fight against the Israelites; but whenever they repented and turned back, then He forgave them. Many good captains He sent them,--Gideon, Jepthah and Samson.

"And now you have asked for a king, and God has given you one. And so long as the king and his people are true to the one God, so long shall His blessing be upon you."

And so ended that time in the history of the children of Israel when they were content to be ruled over by Judges chosen by God; and of these Judges, Samuel was the last.

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Transcriber's Notes

Various punctuation errors corrected

Multiple spellings of biblical and place names left unaltered

End of Project Gutenberg's Stories of the Bible, Volume 1, by Myles Endicott