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unto her, "Where hast thou gleaned to-day? and where wroughtest thou? Blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee." And she showed her mother-in-law with whom she had wrought, and said, "The man's name with whom I wrought to-day is Boaz." And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, "Blessed be he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead." And Noami said unto her, "The man is near of kin unto us, one of our next kinsmen." And Ruth the Moabitess said, "He said unto me also, Thou shalt keep fast by my young men, until they have ended all my harvest." And Naomi said unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, "It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field." So she kept fast by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest; and dwelt with her mother-in-law.

And Ruth found favor in the eyes of Boaz, and he took her to wife, and the Lord gave unto her a son, and Naomi took the child and laid it in her bosom, and became nurse unto it. And they called the child Obed; and he was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

The Story of Little Samuel.

(From the 1st, 2d, and 3d Chapters of 1 SAMUEL.)

THERE was a woman whose name was Hannah, who went up to the temple to worship. Now Hannah had no children; and she prayed, and said, “O Lord of Hosts, if thou wilt indeed look upon my affliction, and remember me, and not forget my affliction, but wilt give to me a son, then will I give him unto the Lord all the days of his life."

Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. And Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple; and when he saw Hannah, and saw her lips move, but heard no voice, he thought that she had been drunken. And he said unto her, "How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee!"

And Hannah answered, "No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink. Yet have I poured out my soul before the Lord, and out of the abundance of my grief have I spoken."

And Eli said, "Go in peace, and the Lord grant thee thy prayer that thou hast asked of him."

So Hannah, when she heard those words went away; and she was no more sad.

And the Lord remembered Hannah, and gave unto her a son. And she called him Samuel.

And when the time had come that the child might be separated from his mother, she took him up to the temple; and she said unto Eli, the priest, "Oh, my lord, I am the woman who stood by thee here praying unto the Lord; for this child I prayed, and the Lord hath given me my petition, which I asked of him. Therefore I have lent the child unto the Lord: as long as he liveth shall he be lent unto the Lord."

So Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli the priest. And every year his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him when she came up to the temple to offer the yearly sacrifice. And the child Samuel grew, and was in favor with the Lord, and with men.

Now the sons of Eli did wickedly, and Eli restrained them not. And it came to pass, at the time when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to grow dim, that he could not see, and ere the lamp of God had gone out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of the Lord was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep, that the Lord called Samuel, “Samuel!

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And Samuel answered, "Here am I;" and arose and ran to Eli, and said, "Here am I, for thou calledst me."

And Eli said, "I called thee not; lie down again." And the child went and lay down.

And the Lord called yet again, "Samuel!"

And Samuel arose, and went to Eli, and said, "Here am 1, for thou didst call me."

And he answered, "I called not, my son; lie down again." Now Samuel knew not that it was the Lord. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here am I, for thou didst call me." And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if he call thee, thou shalt say, 'Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth.'

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So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord called as at other times, " Samuel! Samuel!"

Then Samuel answered, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth."

And the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. Because the sons of Eli have done wickedly, and Eli hath restrained them not, therefore the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor with offering forever."

And Samuel lay quiet until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. And Eli called Samuel, and said, "Samuel, my son."

And he answered, "Here am I."

And he said, "What is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me."

And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him.

And Eli said, "It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth

him good."

And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.

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