Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Declaration of Trust

Of David.^[a]

The Family of Elkanah

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim Zophim, from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.^{[a] 2} He had two wives; the name of the first was Hannah, and the name of the second was Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ³ Now this man used to go up from his town year by year^[b] to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of hosts in Shiloh, where^[c] the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to Yahweh. ⁴ On^[d] the day Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. ⁵ But to Hannah he would give a double portion,^[e] because he loved Hannah, though Yahweh had closed her womb. ⁶ (Now her rival wife would provoke her severely in order to upset her because Yahweh had closed her womb.) ⁷ And so he used to do^[f] year after year; whenever^[g] she went up to the house of Yahweh, she^[h] would provoke her so that she^[i] would weep and would not eat. ⁸ So Elkanah her husband would say to her: “Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat? And why are you heartsick?^[j] Am I not better to you than ten sons?” ⁹ Then Hannah got up after eating and drinking at Shiloh. (Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the temple^[k] of Yahweh.) ¹⁰ She was deeply troubled,^[l] so she prayed to Yahweh and wept bitterly. ¹¹ She made a vow^[m] and said: “O Yahweh of hosts, if you will look with compassion on the misery of your female servant, and will remember me, and not forget your female servant, and will give to your female servant a male child^[n] then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and a razor will never pass over his head.”^{[o] 12} While^[p] she continued to pray before Yahweh, Eli was observing her mouth. ¹³ Now Hannah had been speaking in her heart; her lips were moving, but her voice could not be heard, so Eli considered her to be drunk. ¹⁴ Then Eli said to her, “How long will you behave like someone who is drunk? Put away your wine!” ¹⁵ But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord. I am a woman deeply distressed,^[q] but I have not drunk wine or strong drink. Rather, I have poured out my soul before Yahweh. ¹⁶ Do not regard your female servant as worthless,^[r] but because of the extent of my worries and my provocation I have spoken all of this.” ¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your request that you have asked of him.” ¹⁸ And she said, “May your female slave find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went on her way and ate something, and her face did not look sad any longer.^[s]

The Birth of Samuel

¹⁹ Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before Yahweh and returned^[t] to their house at Ramah. Then Elkanah had sexual relations with^[u] Hannah his wife, and Yahweh remembered her. ²⁰ In due time,^[v] Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She called his name Samuel, for she said, “I requested him from Yahweh.”

Paul’s Defense of His Apostleship

¹¹ For I make known to you, brothers, the gospel that has been proclaimed by me, that it is not of human origin^[a]. ¹² For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³ For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism, that to an extraordinary degree I was persecuting the church of God, and trying to destroy it, ¹⁴ and was progressing in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in my nation, because^[b] I was a far more zealous adherent of the traditions handed down by my forefathers.

¹⁵ But when the one who set me apart^[c] from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal his Son in me in order that I would proclaim the gospel about him among the Gentiles, immediately I did not consult with flesh and blood, ¹⁷ nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away to Arabia and I returned again to Damascus. ¹⁸ Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days, ¹⁹ but I did not see any others of the apostles except James, the brother of the Lord. ²⁰ (Now the things which I am writing to you, behold, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) ²¹ Then I came to the regions of Syria and of Cilicia, ²² but I was unknown in person^[d] to the churches of Judea that are in Christ, ²³ and they were only hearing, “The one formerly persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith that formerly he was attempting to destroy,” ²⁴ and they were glorifying God because of me.