Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁴⁶ Then Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord,

⁴⁷ and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saving Health,

⁴⁸ for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden; for, behold, from now on all generations shall call me blessed.

⁴⁹ For he that is mighty has done great things unto me, and holy is his name.

⁵⁰ And his mercy is on those that fear him from generation to generation.

⁵¹ He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

⁵² He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the humble.

⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away.

⁵⁴ He has received his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy

⁵⁵ as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.

1 ¶ Now there was a certain man of Ramath of Zophim, of Mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.

² And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³ And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of the hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

⁴ And when the day would come, Elkanah would sacrifice, and he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters.

⁵ But unto Hannah he would give a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah, even though the LORD had shut up her womb.

⁶ And her rival provoked her to anger and sorrow because the LORD had shut up her womb.

⁷ And this would happen year by year when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she would provoke her; therefore, she would weep and not eat.

⁸ Then Elkanah, her husband, said to her, Hannah, why dost thou weep? And why dost thou not eat? And why is thy heart grieved? Am I not better to thee than ten sons?

⁹ ¶ So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.

¹⁰ And she was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the LORD and wept sore;

¹¹ and she vowed a vow and said, O LORD of the hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thy handmaid and remember me and not forget thy handmaid but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.

¹² And it came to pass as she continued praying before the LORD that Eli was observing her mouth.

¹³ Now Hannah spoke in her heart and only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore, Eli thought she was drunk.

¹⁴ And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? Put away thy wine from thee.

¹⁵ And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

¹⁶ Do not count thy handmaid for a daughter of Belial, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have waited until now to speak.

¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

¹⁸ And she said, Let thy handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and ate, and her countenance was no longer sad.

9 ¶ Nevertheless the first had its justifications of worship and its worldly sanctuary.

² For there was a tabernacle made: the first, in which was the lampstand and the table and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary.

³ And after the second veil was the tabernacle which is called the holy of holies,

⁴ which had a golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, in which was the golden urn that had the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the testament,

⁵ and over it the cherubim of glory shadowing the seat of reconciliation, of which we cannot now speak particularly.

⁶ Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.

⁷ But into the second the high priest went alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for his own ignorance, and for that of the people:

⁸ ¶ The Holy Spirit signifying in this, that the way into the sanctuary was not yet made manifest, as long as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

⁹ Which was a figure of that time present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience,

¹⁰ but in foods and drinks and different washings and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of correction.

¹¹ But Christ being now come, high priest of the good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation,

¹² neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the sanctuary designed for eternal redemption.

¹³ For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctified to the purifying of the flesh,

¹⁴ how much more shall the blood of the Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from the works of death to serve the living God?