Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
4 On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he gave portions of food to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters, 5 but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved Hannah, but the Lord had kept her from having children.[a]
6 Hannah’s rival kept taunting her to make her miserable, because the Lord had kept Hannah from having children. 7 Year after year, when Hannah went up to the Lord’s house, her rival taunted her, so Hannah would weep and would not eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why is your heart so sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
9 Once, when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s temple. 10 Hannah’s spirit was very distressed, and as she prayed to the Lord, she sobbed and wept many tears. 11 She made a vow and said, “O Lord of Armies, if you will carefully consider the misery of your servant and remember me, and if you do not forget your servant but give your servant a male child,[b] then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”
12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli was looking at her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking silently from her heart. Although her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to be drunk? Get away from your wine!”
15 Hannah replied, “No, my lord, I am a woman with a very troubled spirit. I have not been drinking wine or beer, but I have poured out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as a worthless, wicked woman. I have been speaking like this because of my great misery and because of how I have been grieved.”[c]
17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel give you what you have asked for.”
18 She said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went on her way. She ate, and her face no longer looked sad.
19 They got up early in the morning and worshipped the Lord. They then returned to their home at Ramah.
Elkanah was intimate with Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. 20 So Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel[d] because she said, “I asked for him from the Lord.”
Hannah’s Song
2 Hannah prayed and said:
My heart rejoices in the Lord!
In the Lord, my horn[a] is raised high.
My mouth is opened wide against my enemies,
because I find joy in your salvation.
2 There is no one holy like the Lord.
Yes, there is no one but you,
and there is no rock like our God.
3 Do not talk so high and mighty.
Do not let proud words come out of your mouth,
because the Lord is a God who knows.
By him actions are weighed.[b]
4 The bows of powerful warriors are broken.
Those who were staggering are now armed with strength.
5 Those who once were full now hire themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry are satisfied.
Yes, the childless woman has given birth to seven children,
but she who had many children is weak with sorrow.
6 The Lord puts to death, and he makes alive.
He brings down to the grave, and he raises up.
7 The Lord makes some people poor, and he makes others wealthy.
He brings some low. He raises others up.
8 He raises the poor out of the dust.
He lifts up the needy from the garbage pile.
He makes them sit with nobles.
He gives them a glorious throne as a possession.
The pillars of the earth belong to the Lord.
He has set the world upon them.
9 He will guard the feet of his favored ones,
but the wicked will be put to silence in darkness,
because a person does not prevail by his own strength.
10 Those who oppose the Lord will be broken to pieces.
He will thunder against them in the heavens.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.
He will give strength to his king.
He will raise up the horn of his anointed one.[c]
Christ’s Sacrifice Is Sufficient
11 In the one case, every priest stood ministering day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which are never able to remove sin. 12 In the other case, this priest, after he offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God. 13 Since then he has been waiting until his enemies are made a footstool under his feet. 14 By only one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being sanctified.
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies in Scripture[a] to us, for first he said:
16 This is the covenant I will make with them
after those days, says the Lord.
I will put my laws on their hearts
and I will write them on their mind.[b]
17 Then he adds:
And I will not remember their sins and their lawlessness any longer.[c]
18 Now where these sins are forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.
Confidence Through Christ
19 Brothers,[a] we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place through the blood of Jesus. 20 It is a new and living way he opened for us through the curtain, that is, his flesh. 21 We also have a great priest over the house of God. 22 So let us approach with a sincere heart, in the full confidence of faith, because our hearts have been sprinkled to take away a bad conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold on firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.
Do Not Keep On Sinning
24 Let us also consider carefully how to spur each other on to love and good works. 25 Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have the habit of doing. Rather, let us encourage each other, and all the more as you see the Day[b] approaching.
The Destruction of Jerusalem and the End of the World
13 As Jesus was leaving the temple courts, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look what impressive stones these are, and what impressive buildings!”
2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these large buildings? There will not be one stone here left on top of another. They will all be thrown down.”
3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be fulfilled?”
5 Jesus began by telling them, “Be careful that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.
7 “Whenever you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled. Such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 In fact, nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.