Book of Common Prayer

מ (Mem)

נ (Nun)

ס (Samekh)

¹² ‘Eli’s sons were scoundrels who had no regard for Adonai. ¹³ The rule these cohanim followed in dealing with the people was that when anyone offered a sacrifice, the cohen’s servant would come, while the meat was stewing, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. ¹⁴ He would stick it in the pan, kettle, caldron or pot; and the cohen would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they dealt with all the people of Isra’el who came there to Shiloh. ¹⁵ The cohen’s servant would actually come before the fat had burned to smoke and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the cohen meat he can roast; because he doesn’t want your meat stewed, but raw.” ¹⁶ If the man answered, “First let the fat burn to smoke, then take as much as you want,” he would say, “No, give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.” ¹⁷ The sin of these young men was very serious in Adonai’s view, because they treated offerings made to Adonai with contempt.

¹⁸ But Sh’mu’el ministered in the presence of Adonai, wearing a linen ritual vest even though he was only a child. ¹⁹ Each year his mother would make him a little coat and bring it when she came up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. ²⁰ ‘Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Adonai give you children from this woman because of the boy you have loaned to Adonai”; then they would go home. ²¹ So Adonai took notice of Hannah, and she conceived and bore three more sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Sh’mu’el grew in the presence of Adonai.

²² When ‘Eli was very old, he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Isra’el, and that they were having sex with the women doing service at the door of the tent of meeting. ²³ He asked them, “Why are you doing things like this? I am hearing bad reports about you from all these people. ²⁴ No, my sons, I don’t hear Adonai’s people spreading a single good report! ²⁵ If a person commits a sin against another person, the judges can mediate between them. But if a person commits a sin against Adonai, who can intercede for him?” However, they wouldn’t pay attention to what their father said, because Adonai had decided to kill them.

²⁶ The child Sh’mu’el kept growing and gaining favor both with Adonai and with people.

2 The festival of Shavu‘ot arrived, and the believers all gathered together in one place. ² Suddenly there came a sound from the sky like the roar of a violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire, which separated and came to rest on each one of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the Ruach HaKodesh and began to talk in different languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

⁵ Now there were staying in Yerushalayim religious Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered; they were confused, because each one heard the believers speaking in his own language. ⁷ Totally amazed, they asked, “How is this possible? Aren’t all these people who are speaking from the Galil? ⁸ How is it that we hear them speaking in our native languages? ⁹ We are Parthians, Medes, Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Y’hudah, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome; ¹¹ Jews by birth and proselytes; Jews from Crete and from Arabia. . . ! How is it that we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things God has done?” ¹² Amazed and confused, they all went on asking each other, “What can this mean?” ¹³ But others made fun of them and said, “They’ve just had too much wine!”

¹⁴ Then Kefa stood up with the Eleven and raised his voice to address them: “You Judeans, and all of you staying here in Yerushalayim! Let me tell you what this means! Listen carefully to me!

¹⁵ “These people ar en’t drunk, as you suppose — it’s only nine in the morning. ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken about through the prophet Yo’el:

²⁷ Some Tz’dukim, who say there is no resurrection, came to Yeshua ²⁸ and put to him a sh’eilah: “Rabbi, Moshe wrote for us that if a man dies leaving a wife but no children, his brother must take the wife and have children to preserve the man’s family line.^{[a] 29} Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died childless, ³⁰ then the second ³¹ and third took her, and likewise all seven, but they all died without leaving children. ³² Lastly, the woman also died. ³³ In the Resurrection, which one’s wife will she be? For all seven were married to her.”

³⁴ Yeshua said to them, “In this age, men and women marry; ³⁵ but those judged worthy of the age to come, and of resurrection from the dead, do not get married, ³⁶ because they can no longer die. Being children of the Resurrection, they are like angels; indeed, they are children of God.

³⁷ “But even Moshe showed that the dead are raised; for in the passage about the bush, he calls Adonai ‘the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov.’^{[b] 38} Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living — to him all are alive.”

³⁹ Some of the Torah-teachers answered, “Well spoken, Rabbi.” ⁴⁰ For they no longer dared put to him a sh’eilah.