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three sons and two daughters. But Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, not only sinned in the sacrifices, but also committed fornication with the women who were standing at the gates of the temple of the Lord. Therefore, the first book of Kingdoms relates that a war was waged by the for 1.109 eigners against Israel. And having been victorious, the foreigners took away the ark of Israel. And when Eli the priest heard, he fell and died. And the foreigners offer the ark as a gift to their god Dagon in Ashdod, and they set it up beside the feet of the idol. And during the night their god Dagon falls, and rising early they found him fallen before the ark. And they set him up, and on the next night Dagon fell again and was shattered, and his temple was no longer revered. And the foreigners were struck in their posteriors and those in all the territory of their five cities, Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, Ekron; and there was a great confusion of death among them, and their land swarmed with mice. And after seven months (but according to Josephus, the ark was with the foreigners, who are now called Palestinians, for only two months) they sent the ark away with gifts and sacrifices, placing it on a new cart, yoking choice unmilked cows, and the cows went straight on their own. And Israel came into honor. But when the foreigners saw, they were struck with a great fear. And the ark remained in the house of Aminadab for 20 years. But before this, the ark arrived in Beth-shemesh at the house of Hosea, who, having split the cart and kindled it in a fire, and having offered up the cows on it, brought a sacrifice to the Lord God. But the sons of Jeconiah approached the ark unworthily, and 70 men from among them perished, who were impious and idolaters, but 1.110 also almost all those in Beth-shemesh, so that fifty thousand of his people were also slain. Then again these also send the ark away to Kiriath-jearim; and the people there gladly received the ark, and they established it in the house of Aminadab on the hill, and he consecrated Eleazar his son to guard the ark of the covenant of the Lord. And the ark was there for 20 years, and the people now went after the Lord. And Samuel gathers everyone to Mizpah, and advises them to remove all the idols, and they did so. But the foreigners in full force encamped against them. And Samuel prayed for them, and the Lord thundered, and all Israel is moved against the foreigners, and the Lord struck them by the hand of Israel with a great blow. And after this all the people gather to Samuel, saying, 'Since your sons Joel and Abijah do not walk in your ways, but pervert justice for gifts, make for us a king, who will judge us.' But this seemed evil to Samuel. Nevertheless, God told him to obey the people, and that 'it is not you they have despised, but me, by not wanting to be ruled by me; according to these things their fathers have done, from the day I brought them out of Egypt.' Therefore Samuel anointed for them as king Saul, a man of Benjamin. And the king of the Ammonites, Nahash, rose up against Gilead. But they were willing to serve him for 1.111 their safety. And Nahash said, 'Not so, but your safety will be in my gouging out the right eye of every man as a reproach to Israel.' And the men in Gilead lamented. But Saul heard, and calls together all Israel, and it is numbered for him at 670 thousand. And having made them into three companies, he set upon the Ammonites and destroyed them. And Samuel takes the people and Saul, and goes down to Gilgal, and inaugurates the kingship of Saul, and departs to Arimathea. And a multitude of foreigners is gathered at Gilgal, and not more than six hundred men were found with Saul, and not even these had weapons. But Saul, being at a loss and taking matters into his own hands, offered a sacrifice to the Lord. And behold

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υἱοὺς τρεῖς καὶ θυγατέρας δύο. Ὀφνεὶ δὲ καὶ Φινεὲς οἱ υἱοὶ Ἠλεὶ οὐκ ἐν ταῖς θυσίαις μόνον ἐξημάρτανον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἐξεπόρνευον ταῖς παρεστηκυίαις ἐν ταῖς πύλαις τοῦ ναοῦ κυρίου. ἱστορεῖ τοίνυν ἡ πρώτη τῶν βασιλειῶν πόλεμον συστῆναι τοῖς ἀλ 1.109 λοφύλοις πρὸς τὸν Ἰσραήλ. καὶ νικήσαντες οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι αἴρουσι τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. καὶ ἀκούσας Ἠλεὶ ὁ ἱερεὺς πεσὼν ἀπέθανε. προσφέρουσι δὲ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι τὴν κιβωτὸν δῶρον τῷ θεῷ αὐτῶν ∆αγὼν εἰς Ἄζωτον, καὶ ἱστῶσιν αὐτὴν παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τοῦ εἰδώλου. ἐν δὲ τῇ νυκτὶ πίπτει ὁ θεὸς αὐτῶν ∆αγών, καὶ ὀρθρίσαντες εὗρον αὐτὸν πεπτωκότα ἔμπροσθεν τῆς κιβωτοῦ. ἀνέστησάν τε αὐτόν, καὶ τῇ ἑτέρᾳ νυκτὶ πάλιν ἔπεσε ∆αγὼν καὶ συνετρίβη, καὶ οὐκέτι ὁ ναὸς αὐτοῦ ἐσεβάσθη. καὶ ἐπατάχθησαν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι εἰς τὰς ἕδρας αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ ἐν παντὶ ὁρίῳ τῆς πεντα πόλεως αὐτῶν, Ἀζώτου Γάζης Ἀσκάλωνος Γὲθ Ἀκκάρων· καὶἐγένετο σύγχυσις μεγάλη θανάτου ἐν αὐταῖς, καὶ ἡ γῆ αὐτῶν ἐξ έβραζε μῦς. καὶ μετὰ ἑπτὰ μῆνας (ὡς δὲ Ἰώσηπος, μῆνας δύο μόνους ποιῆσαι τὴν κιβωτὸν παρὰ τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις, οἳ καὶ Πα λαιστηνοὶ νῦν καλοῦνται) ἐξέπεμψαν τὴν κιβωτὸν μετὰ δώρων καὶ θυσιῶν, ἐπιθήσαντες αὐτὴν ἐφ' ἅμαξαν καινήν, ζεύξαντες βόας ἐκλεκτοὺς ἀσκύλτους, καὶ ηὔθυναν οἱ βόες ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν. καὶ ἦλθεν Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τιμήν. ἰδόντες δὲ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν. καὶ ἔμεινεν ἡ κιβωτὸς εἰς οἶκον Ἀμιναδὰμ ἔτη κʹ. πρὸ τούτου δὲ κατήντησεν ἡ κιβωτὸς ἐν Βεθσαμοῖς εἰς οἶκον Ὠσηέ, ὃς τὴν μὲν ἅμαξαν διασχίσας καὶ ἀνάψας ἐν πυρί, τοὺς δὲ βόας ἐν αὐτῇ ἀνενεγκὼν προσήνεγκε θυσίαν κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ. οἱ δὲ υἱοὶ Ἰεχωνίου ἀναξίως προσήγγισαν τῇ κιβωτῷ, καὶ ἀπώλοντο ἐξ αὐ τῶν οʹ ἄνδρες, οἵτινες ὑπῆρχον δυσσεβεῖς καὶ εἰδωλολάτραι, ἀλλὰ 1.110 καὶ σχεδὸν ἅπαντες οἱ ἐν Βεθσαμοῖς, ὥστε καὶ πνιγῆναι ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ πεντήκοντα χιλιάδας. αὖθις δὲ πάλιν ἀποπέμπουσι καὶ οὗτοι τὴν κιβωτὸν εἰς Καριαθιαρείμ· οἱ δὲ ἐν αὐτῇ ἄσμενοι ἀπεδέξαντο τὴν κιβωτόν, καὶ κατέστησαν αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν οἶκον Ἀμιναδὰμ τὸν ἐν τῷ βουνῷ, καὶ ἡγίασεν Ἐλεάζαρ τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ φυλάσσειν τὴν κιβωτὸν τῆς διαθήκης κυρίου. ἐποίησε δὲ ἡ κιβωτὸς ἐκεῖσε ἔτη κʹ, καὶ ὁ λαὸς ἄρτι ἐπορεύθη ὄπισθεν κυρίου. καὶ συνάγει Σαμουὴλ πάντας εἰς Μασιφᾶ, καὶ παραινεῖ περιελέ σθαι αὐτοὺς πάντα τὰ εἴδωλα, καὶ ἐποίησαν οὕτως. οἱ δὲ ἀλλό φυλοι παμπληθεὶ παρενέβαλον ἐπ' αὐτούς. καὶ ηὔξατο ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν Σαμουήλ, καὶ ἐβρόντησε κύριος, κινεῖται δὲ πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ κατὰ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτοὺς κύριος διὰ χειρὸς Ἰσραὴλ πληγὴν μεγάλην. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο συνάγεται πᾶς ὁ λαὸς πρὸς Σαμουὴλ λέγοντες "ἐπειδὴ οἱ υἱοί σου Ἰωὴλ καὶ Ἀβιᾶ οὐ κατὰ τὰς σὰς πορεύονται ὁδούς, ἀλλὰ δώροις ἐκκλίνουσι τὸ δί καιον, ποίησον ἡμῖν βασιλέα, ὃς κρινεῖ ἡμᾶς." πονηρὸν δὲ τοῦτο ἐφάνη τῷ Σαμουήλ. ὅμως εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ θεὸς ὑπακοῦσαι τοῦ λαοῦ, καὶ ὅτι οὐ σὲ ἐξουδενώκασιν ἀλλ' ἐμὲ τῷ μὴ θέλειν βασι λεύεσθαι ὑπ' ἐμοῦ· κατὰ ταῦτα πεποιήκασιν οἱ πατέρες αὐτῶν, ἀφ' ἧς ἡμέρας ἐξήγαγον αὐτοὺς ἐξ Αἰγύπτου. ἔχρισεν οὖν αὐ τοῖς Σαμουὴλ βασιλέα τὸν Σαούλ, ἄνδρα Βενιαμίτην. καὶ ὁ βα σιλεὺς Ἀμανιτῶν Ναᾶς ἐπανέστη τῇ Γαλαάδ. οἱ δὲ ἤθελον ἐπὶ 1.111 σωτηρίᾳ δουλεύειν αὐτῷ. καὶ εἶπε Ναᾶς "οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' ἔσται ὑμῖν ἡ σωτηρία ἐν τῷ ἐξορύξαι με παντὸς ἀνδρὸς ὀφθαλμὸν δε ξιὸν εἰς ὄνειδος Ἰσραήλ." καὶ ἐθρήνησαν οἱ ἄνδρες οἱ ἐν Γα λαάδ. ἤκουσε δὲ Σαούλ, καὶ προσκαλεῖται πάντα Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἐξαριθμεῖται αὐτὸν εἰς χοʹ χιλιάδας. ποιήσας δὲ αὐτοὺς εἰς τρεῖς ἀρχὰς ἐπέθετο τοῖς Ἀμανίταις καὶ ὠλόθρευσεν αὐτούς. ὁ δὲ Σαμουὴλ λαμβάνει τὸν λαὸν καὶ Σαούλ, καὶ κατέρχεται εἰς Γάλ γαλα, καὶ ἐγκαινίζει τὴν βασιλείαν Σαούλ, καὶ ἄπεισιν εἰς Ἀρμα θαΐμ. συναθροίζεται δὲ πλῆθος ἀλλοφύλων ἐν Γαλγάλοις, καὶ οὐχ εὑρέθησαν μετὰ Σαοὺλ εἰ μὴ ἑξακόσιοι ἄνδρες, καὶ οὐδὲ τού τοις ἦν ὅπλα. Σαοὺλ δὲ διαπορηθεὶς καὶ ἐγκρατευσάμενος ἀνή νεγκεν θυσίαν τῷ κυρίῳ. καὶ ἰδοὺ