Now David was sitting between the two gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the gate, to the city wall. He lifted his eyes and saw a man running by himself.
The king said to them, “I will do what seems best to you.” So the king stood beside the gate while all of the people went out by hundreds and thousands.
So the king arose and took his seat in the gate, and the people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” So all the people came before the king, but the Israelites had fled, each to his tent.
When he came, Eli was sitting on a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart feared for the ark of God. Now the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out.