The Israelites again abandoned Jehovah and began to worship false gods. When the Ammonites attacked and fought the Israelites, those false gods did nothing to help them. For many years, the Israelites suffered. Finally they said to Jehovah: ‘We have sinned. Please save us from our enemies.’ The Israelites destroyed their idols and began to worship Jehovah again. Jehovah did not want to see them continue to suffer.

A warrior named Jephthah was chosen to lead the people in battle against the Ammonites. He said to Jehovah: ‘If you help us win this battle, I promise that when I return home, I will give you the first person who comes out of my house to meet me.’ Jehovah listened to Jephthah’s prayer and helped him win the battle.

When Jephthah returned home, the first person to come out to meet him was his daughter, his only child. She was dancing and playing the tambourine. What would Jephthah do? He remembered his promise and said: ‘Oh no, my daughter! You have broken my heart. I made a promise to Jehovah. To keep it, I must send you to serve at the tabernacle in Shiloh.’ But his daughter said to him: ‘Father, if you made a promise to Jehovah, you must keep it. All I ask is that I can spend two months in the mountains with my female friends. Then I will go.’ Jephthah’s daughter served faithfully at the tabernacle for the rest of her life. Every year, her friends went to Shiloh to visit her.

High Priest Eli had two sons who served as priests at the tabernacle. Their names were Hophni and Phinehas. They did not obey Jehovah’s laws, and they treated the people very badly. When the Israelites brought sacrifices for Jehovah, Hophni and Phinehas would take the best meat for themselves. Eli heard about what his sons were doing, but he did nothing about it. Would Jehovah let this keep happening?

Although Samuel was much younger than Hophni and Phinehas, he did not imitate them. Jehovah was pleased with Samuel. One night while he was sleeping, Samuel heard a voice call his name. He got up, ran to Eli, and said: ‘Here I am!’ But Eli said: ‘I did not call you. Go back to sleep.’ Samuel went back to bed. Then it happened again. When Samuel heard the voice a third time, Eli realized that it was Jehovah who was calling Samuel. He told Samuel that if he heard the voice again, he should say: ‘Speak, Jehovah. Your servant is listening.’

Samuel went back to bed. Then he heard: ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ He answered: ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’ Jehovah told him: ‘Tell Eli that I am going to punish him and his family. He knows that his sons are doing bad things in my tabernacle, but he does nothing about it.’ The next morning Samuel opened the doors to the tabernacle, as he always did. He was afraid to tell the high priest what Jehovah had said. But Eli called for him and asked: ‘My son, what did Jehovah say to you? Tell me everything.’ So Samuel told Eli everything.

As Samuel grew up, Jehovah continued to be with him. From one end of the land to the other, all the Israelites knew that Jehovah had chosen Samuel to be a prophet and a judge.