The Lord Considers the Heart

¹⁷ For the time has come ^(A)for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, ^(B)what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

²⁷ TEKEL: ^(A)You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting;

¹¹ For no other foundation can anyone lay than ^(A)that which is laid, ^(B)which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become clear; for the Day ^(C)will declare it, because ^(D)it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. ¹⁴ If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. ¹⁵ If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

^16 (E)Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone ^[a]defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Avoid Worldly Wisdom

^18 (F)Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

¹⁰ Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”

¹¹ Then the Lord said to Samuel: “Behold, I will do something in Israel ^(A)at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. ¹² In that day I will perform against Eli ^(B)all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ^13 (C)For I have told him that I will ^(D)judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because ^(E)his sons made themselves vile, and he ^(F)did not ^[a]restrain them. ¹⁴ And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house ^(G)shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”

¹¹ Also ^(A)the ark of God was captured; and ^(B)the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

¹⁵ Eli was ninety-eight years old, and ^(A)his eyes were so ^[a]dim that he could not see.

¹⁶ Then the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.”

And he said, ^(B)“What happened, my son?”

¹⁷ So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.”

¹⁸ Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years.

Ichabod

¹⁹ Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her. ²⁰ And about the time of her death ^(C)the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not fear, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer, nor did she ^[b]regard it. ²¹ Then she named the child ^(D)Ichabod,^[c] saying, ^(E)“The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. ²² And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”