When the story of 1 Samuel begins, the Tabernacle is located at Shiloh, and Samuel's mother is praying for a child, though she is barren. As with many of the judges, Samuel was a military leader, a spiritual leader, and a civic leader for Israel. He listened to court cases in four different towns: Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, and Ramah. When Saul sent soldiers to David's house to kill him, David's wife Michal (Saul's daughter) helped him escape through a window and flee to Samuel in Ramah.