Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁴⁶ And Mary said, `My soul doth magnify the Lord,

⁴⁷ And my spirit was glad on God my Saviour,

⁴⁸ Because He looked on the lowliness of His maid-servant, For, lo, henceforth call me happy shall all the generations,

⁴⁹ For He who is mighty did to me great things, And holy [is] His name,

⁵⁰ And His kindness [is] to generations of generations, To those fearing Him,

⁵¹ He did powerfully with His arm, He scattered abroad the proud in the thought of their heart,

⁵² He brought down the mighty from thrones, And He exalted the lowly,

⁵³ The hungry He did fill with good, And the rich He sent away empty,

⁵⁴ He received again Israel His servant, To remember kindness,

⁵⁵ As He spake unto our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed -- to the age.'

1 And there is a certain man of Ramathaim-Zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name [is] Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, and Ephrathite,

² and he hath two wives, the name of the one [is] Hannah, and the name of the second Peninnah, and Peninnah hath children, and Hannah hath no children.

³ And that man hath gone up out of his city from time to time, to bow himself, and to sacrifice, before Jehovah of Hosts, in Shiloh, and there [are] two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to Jehovah.

⁴ And the day cometh, and Elkanah sacrificeth, and he hath given to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions,

⁵ and to Hannah he giveth a certain portion -- double, for he hath loved Hannah, and Jehovah hath shut her womb;

⁶ and her adversity hath also provoked her greatly, so as to make her tremble, for Jehovah hath shut up her womb.

⁷ And so he doth year by year, from the time of her going up into the house of Jehovah, so it provoketh her, and she weepeth, and doth not eat.

⁸ And Elkanah her husband saith to her, `Hannah, why weepest thou? and why dost thou not eat? and why is thy heart afflicted? am I not better to thee than ten sons?'

⁹ And Hannah riseth after eating in Shiloh, and after drinking, and Eli the priest is sitting on the throne by the side-post of the temple of Jehovah.

¹⁰ And she is bitter in soul, and prayeth unto Jehovah, and weepeth greatly,

¹¹ and voweth a vow, and saith, `Jehovah of Hosts, if Thou dost certainly look on the affliction of Thy handmaid, and hast remembered me, and dost not forget Thy handmaid, and hast given to Thy handmaid seed of men -- then I have given him to Jehovah all days of his life, and a razor doth not go up upon his head.'

¹² And it hath been, when she multiplied praying before Jehovah, that Eli is watching her mouth,

¹³ and Hannah, she is speaking to her heart, only her lips are moving, and her voice is not heard, and Eli reckoneth her to be drunken.

¹⁴ And Eli saith unto her, `Until when are thou drunken? turn aside thy wine from thee.'

¹⁵ And Hannah answereth and saith, `No, my lord, A woman sharply pained in spirit I [am], and wine and strong drink I have not drunk, and I pour out my soul before Jehovah;

¹⁶ put not thy handmaid before a daughter of worthlessness, for from the abundance of my meditation, and of my provocation, I have spoken hitherto.'

¹⁷ And Eli answereth and saith, `Go in peace, and the God of Israel doth give thy petition which thou hast asked of Him.'

¹⁸ And she saith, `Let thy handmaid find grace in thine eyes;' and the woman goeth on her way, and eateth, and her countenance hath not been [sad] for it any more.

9 It had, indeed, then (even the first tabernacle) ordinances of service, also a worldly sanctuary,

² for a tabernacle was prepared, the first, in which was both the lamp-stand, and the table, and the bread of the presence -- which is called `Holy;'

³ and after the second vail a tabernacle that is called `Holy of holies,'

⁴ having a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid all round about with gold, in which [is] the golden pot having the manna, and the rod of Aaron that budded, and the tables of the covenant,

⁵ and over it cherubim of the glory, overshadowing the mercy-seat, concerning which we are not now to speak particularly.

⁶ And these things having been thus prepared, into the first tabernacle, indeed, at all times the priests do go in, performing the services,

⁷ and into the second, once in the year, only the chief priest, not apart from blood, which he doth offer for himself and the errors of the people,

⁸ the Holy Spirit this evidencing that not yet hath been manifested the way of the holy [places], the first tabernacle having yet a standing;

⁹ which [is] a simile in regard to the present time, in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, which are not able, in regard to conscience, to make perfect him who is serving,

¹⁰ only in victuals, and drinks, and different baptisms, and fleshly ordinances -- till the time of reformation imposed upon [them].

¹¹ And Christ being come, chief priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands -- that is, not of this creation --

¹² neither through blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, did enter in once into the holy places, age-during redemption having obtained;

¹³ for if the blood of bulls, and goats, and ashes of an heifer, sprinkling those defiled, doth sanctify to the purifying of the flesh,

¹⁴ how much more shall the blood of the Christ (who through the age-during Spirit did offer himself unblemished to God) purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?