Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Davidic
Confidence in the Lord
27 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom will I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom will I be afraid?
2 When those who practice evil, my enemies, and my oppressors
come near me to devour my flesh,
they stumble and fall.
3 If an army encamps against me,
my heart will not fear.
If a war is launched against me,
I will even trust in that situation.
4 I have asked one thing from the Lord;
it is what I really seek:
that I may remain in the Lord’s Temple
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord;
and to inquire in his Temple.
5 For he will conceal me in his shelter on the day of evil;
He will hide me in a secluded chamber within his tent;
He will place me on a high rock.
6 Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies,
even those who surround me.
I will sacrifice in his tent with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melodies to the Lord.
The Birth of Samuel
1 A certain man lived in Ramathaim-zophim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim. He was Jeroham’s son Elkanah, the grandson of Elihu and grandson of Tohu, who was the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 That man would go up from his town each year to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of the Heavenly Armies at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons Hophni and Phineas served as priests of the Lord. 4 On the day when Elkanah offered sacrifices, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters, 5 but he would give twice as much to Hannah because he loved her.
Now the Lord had closed her womb. 6 Her rival would provoke her severely so that she complained loudly[a] because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 Elkanah[b] would do this year after year, as often as Hannah[c] went up to the house of the Lord. Likewise, Peninnah[d] would provoke her, and Hannah[e] would cry and would not eat. 8 Elkanah her husband told her, “Hannah, why are you crying and why don’t you eat? Why are you upset?[f] Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
9 Hannah got up after she had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the chair by the doorpost of the tent[g] of the Lord. 10 Deeply distressed, she prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11 Hannah[h] made a vow: “Lord of the Heavenly Armies, if you just look at the misery of your maid servant, remember me, and don’t forget your maid servant. If you give your maid servant a son,[i] then I’ll give him to the Lord[j] for all the days of his life,[k] and a razor is never to touch[l] his head.”
12 As she continued to pray in the Lord’s presence, Eli was watching her mouth. 13 Hannah[m] was praying inwardly.[n] Her lips were quivering, and her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. 14 Eli told her, “How long will you stay drunk? Put away your wine!”
15 “No, sir!”[o] Hannah replied. “I’m a deeply troubled[p] woman. I’ve drunk neither wine nor beer. I’ve been pouring out my soul in the Lord’s presence. 16 Don’t consider your maid servant a worthless woman. Rather, all this time I’ve been speaking because I’m very anxious and distressed.”
17 “Go in peace,” Eli answered. “May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
18 She said, “Let your servant[q] find favor in your eyes.” Then she[r] went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.[s]
19 They got up early the next morning and worshipped in the Lord’s presence, and then they returned and came to their house at Ramah. Elkanah had marital relations with[t] his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20 By the time of the next year’s sacrifice,[u] Hannah had become pregnant and had borne a son. She named him Samuel[v] because she said,[w] “I asked the Lord for him.”
Jesus Himself Gave Paul His Message
11 For[a] I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin. 12 For I did not receive it from a man, nor was I taught it, but it was revealed to me by Jesus the Messiah.[b] 13 For you have heard about my earlier life in Judaism—how I kept violently persecuting God’s church and was trying to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries, because I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.
15 But when God, who set me apart before I was born and who called me by his grace, was pleased 16 to reveal his Son to me so that I might proclaim him among the gentiles, I did not confer with another human being[c] at any time, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see[d] those who were apostles before me. Instead, I went away to Arabia and then came back to Damascus.
18 Then three years later, I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas,[e] and I stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 But I did not see any other apostle except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Before God, what I’m writing to you is the truth.)[f] 21 Then I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 But the churches of the Messiah[g] that are in Judea did not yet know me personally. 23 The only thing they kept hearing was this: “The man who used to persecute us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy!” 24 So they kept glorifying God for what had happened to[h] me.
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