E-li said, I did not call thee, my son. Go back, and lie down. And the lad did so. In a short time he heard the same voice say, Sam-u-el--Sam-u-el. And he rose at once and went to E-li, and said to him, Here am I, for thou did'st call me. But E-li said, I did not call thee, and sent the lad back to his bed once more. Then Sam-u-el heard the voice a third time, and went to E-li and said, Here am I, for thou did'st call me. And E-li knew it was the Lord who spoke to Sam-u-el. And he said to the lad, Go, lie down, and if he call thee, say, Speak, Lord, for I hear thee. And Sam-u-el went and lay down. And the Lord came for the fourth time, and called, Sam-u-el--Sam-u-el! And Sam-u-el said, Speak, Lord, for I hear thee. And the Lord told Sam-u-el all that he meant to do to the house of E-li. He had let his sons go on in their sins, and they were to be put to death in a way that would make men fear God. Sam-u-el lay still till day-light. Then he rose, but did not dare to tell E-li what God had told him. But E-li called him and said, What did the Lord say to thee? I pray thee hide it not from me. So Sam-u-el told E-li all that the Lord had said. When E-li heard it, he said, It is the Lord, let him do what he thinks is best. And Sam-u-el grew, and the Lord was with him and blest him, and it was known to all that he was one of God's saints, who could fore-tell things that were to take place. Such wise men were some-times called seers. The words which God spoke to Sam-u-el came true; for the chil-dren of Is-ra-el went out to fight the Phil-is-tines, and a host of them were slain. Those who came back said, Let us take the ark out with us to save us from our foes. [Illustration: CAP-TURE OF THE ARK.] Now God had not told them to take the ark, and it was a sin for them to touch it. They should have put their trust in the Lord, and looked to him for help. But they sent to Shi-loh for the ark, and E-li's two sons came with it. When it was brought to the camp the Jews gave such a shout that the earth shook with the noise. And when the Phil-is-tines heard it, they said, What does it mean? And they were told that the ark of the Lord had been brought to the camp of Is-ra-el. And they were in great fear; for they said, God is come to the camp! Woe un-to us, for this is the first time such a thing has been done! And they said, Let us be strong and fight like men, that we may not be slaves to these Jews! So they fought once more with the Jews, and slew a host of them, and the rest fled to their tents. And the ark of the Lord fell in-to the hands of the foe, and E-li's two sons were slain. And the same day a man ran down to Shi-loh, with his clothes rent, and bits of earth on his head to show his grief.