Psalm 3^[a]

A psalm of David. When he fled from his son Absalom.^(A)

¹⁹ The Lord was with^(A) Samuel as he grew^(B) up, and he let none^(C) of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. ²⁰ And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba^(D) recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.^{(E) 21} The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed^(F) himself to Samuel through his word.

4 And Samuel’s word came to all Israel.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer,^(G) and the Philistines at Aphek.^{(H) 2} The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield.

²⁶ If we deliberately keep on sinning^(A) after we have received the knowledge of the truth,^(B) no sacrifice for sins is left, ²⁷ but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire^(C) that will consume the enemies of God. ²⁸ Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.^{(D) 29} How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God^(E) underfoot,^(F) who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant^(G) that sanctified them,^(H) and who has insulted the Spirit^(I) of grace?^{(J) 30} For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[a](K) and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”^{[b](L) 31} It is a dreadful thing^(M) to fall into the hands^(N) of the living God.^(O)