rael that whoso heareth, his
ears shall ring and sound thereof. In that day I shall raise against Eli
that I have said upon his house. I shall begin and accomplish it. I have
given him in knowledge that I shall judge his house for wickedness,
forasmuch as he knoweth his sons to do wickedly, and hath not corrected
them. Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the wickedness of
his house shall not be made clean with sacrifices ne gifts never.

Samuel slept till on the morn, and then he rose and opened the doors of
the house of our Lord in his surplice; and Samuel was afeard to show
this vision unto Eli. Eli called him and asked what our Lord hath said
to him and charged him to tell him all: and Samuel told to him all that
our Lord had said, and hid nothing from him. And he said: He is our
Lord, what it pleaseth him, let him do. Samuel grew, and our Lord was
with him in all his works. And it was known to all Israel from Dan to
Beersheba that Samuel was the true prophet of our Lord. After this it
was so that the Philistines warred against the children of Israel,
against whom there was a battle, and the children of Israel overthrown
and put to flight. Wherefore they assembled again, and took with them
the ark of God which Hophni and Phineas, sons of Eli, bare, and when
they came with a great multitude with the ark, the Philistines were
afraid. Notwithstanding they fought against them manly and slew thirty
thousand footmen of the children of Israel and took the ark of God. And
the two sons of Eli were slain, Hophni and Phineas. And a man of the
tribe of Benjamin ran for to tell this unto Eli which sat abiding some
tidings of the battle. This man, as soon as he entered into the town,
told how the field was lost, the people slain, and how the ark was
taken. And there was a great sorrow and cry.

And when Eli heard this cry and wailing he demanded what this noise was
and meant, and wherefore they so sorrowed. Then the man hied and came
and told to Eli. Eli was at that tide ninety-eight years old, and his
eyes were waxen blind and might not see, and he said: I am he that came
from the battle, and fled this day from the host. To whom Eli said: What
is there done, my son? He answered: The host of Israel is overthrown and
fled tofore the Philistines, and a great ruin is made among the people,
thy two sons be slain and the ark of God is taken. And when Eli heard
him name the ark of God he fell down backward by the door and br