Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

27 A psalm for David himself. Unto thee will I cry, O Lord: O my God, be not thou silent to me: lest thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.

² Hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication, when I pray to thee; when I lift up my hands to thy holy temple.

³ Draw me not away together with the wicked; and with the workers of iniquity destroy me not: Who speak peace with their neighbour, but evils are in their hearts.

⁴ Give them according to their works, and according to the wickedness of their inventions. According to the works of their hands give thou to them: render to them their reward.

⁵ Because they have not understood the works of the Lord, and the operations of his hands: thou shalt destroy them, and shalt not build them up.

⁶ Blessed be the Lord, for he hath heard the voice of my supplication.

1 There was a man of Ramathaimsophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elcana, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliu, the son of Thohu, the son of Suph, an Ephraimite:

² And he had two wives, the name of one was Anna, and the name of the other Phenenna. Phenenna had children: but Anna had no children.

³ And this man went up out of his city upon the appointed days, to adore and to offer sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Silo. And the two sons of Heli, Ophni and Phinees, were there priests of the Lord.

⁴ Now the day came, and Elcana offered sacrifice, and gave to Phenenna his wife, and to all her sons and daughters, portions:

⁵ But to Anna he gave one portion with sorrow, because he loved Anna. And the Lord had shut up her womb.

⁶ Her rival also afflicted her, and troubled her exceedingly, insomuch that she upbraided her, that the Lord had shut up her womb:

⁷ And thus she did every year, when the time returned that they went up to the temple of the Lord: and thus she provoked her: but Anna wept, and did not eat.

⁸ Then Elcana her husband said to her: Anna, why weepest thou? and why dost thou not eat? And why dost thou afflict thy heart? Am not I better to thee than ten children?

⁹ So Anna arose after she had eaten and drunk in Silo: And Heli the priest sitting upon a stool, before the door of the temple of the Lord:

¹⁰ As Anna had her heart full of grief, she prayed to the Lord, shedding many tears,

¹¹ And she made a vow, saying: O Lord, of hosts, if thou wilt look down on the affliction of thy servant, and wilt be mindful of me, and not forget thy handmaid, and wilt give to thy servant a man child: I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.

¹² And it came to pass, as she multiplied prayers before the Lord, that Heli observed her mouth.

¹³ Now Anna spoke in her heart, and only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard at all. Heli therefore thought her to be drunk,

¹⁴ And said to her: How long wilt thou, be drunk? digest a little the wine, of which thou hast taken too much.

¹⁵ Anna answering, said: Not so, my lord: for I am an exceeding unhappy woman, and have drunk neither wine nor any strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the Lord.

¹⁶ Count not thy handmaid for one of the daughters of Belial: for out of the abundance of my sorrow and grief have I spoken till now.

¹⁷ Then Heli said to her: Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition, which thou hast asked of him.

¹⁸ And she said: Would to God thy handmaid may find grace in thy eyes. So the woman went on her way, and ate, and her countenance was no more changed.

¹⁹ And they rose in the morning, and worshipped before the Lord: and they returned, and came into their house at Ramatha. And Elcana knew Anna his wife: and the Lord remembered her.

²⁰ And it came to pass when the time was come about, Anna conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel: because she had asked him of the Lord.

¹¹ For I give you to understand, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.

¹² For neither did I receive it of man, nor did I learn it; but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³ For you have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion: how that, beyond measure, I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it.

¹⁴ And I made progress in the Jews' religion above many of my equals in my own nation, being more abundantly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

¹⁵ But when it pleased him, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,

¹⁶ To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles, immediately I condescended not to flesh and blood.

¹⁷ Neither went I to Jerusalem, to the apostles who were before me: but I went into Arabia, and again I returned to Damascus.

¹⁸ Then, after three years, I went to Jerusalem, to see Peter, and I tarried with him fifteen days.

¹⁹ But other of the apostles I saw none, saving James the brother of the Lord.

²⁰ Now the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I lie not.

²¹ Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

²² And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea, which were in Christ:

²³ But they had heard only: He, who persecuted us in times past, doth now preach the faith which once he impugned:

²⁴ And they glorified God in me.