Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 138
A Thankful Heart
Of David.
1 I will give you thanks with all my heart;(A)
I will sing your praise before the heavenly beings.[a](B)
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and give thanks to your name
for your constant love and truth.
You have exalted your name
and your promise above everything else.[b](C)
3 On the day I called, you answered me;
you increased strength within me.[c](D)
4 And Samuel’s words came to all Israel.
The Ark Captured by the Philistines
Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and[a] camped at Ebenezer(A) while the Philistines camped at Aphek.(B) 2 The Philistines lined up in battle formation against Israel, and as the battle intensified, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield.
3 When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord defeat us today before the Philistines?(C) Let’s bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh. Then it[b] will go with us and save us from our enemies.”(D) 4 So the people sent men to Shiloh to bring back the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim.(E) Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a loud shout that the ground shook.(F)
6 The Philistines heard the sound of the war cry and asked, “What’s this loud shout in the Hebrews’ camp?” When the Philistines discovered that the ark of the Lord had entered the camp, 7 they panicked. “A god has entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us! Nothing like this has happened before. 8 Woe to us! Who will rescue us from these magnificent gods? These are the gods that slaughtered the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. 9 Show some courage and be men, Philistines!(G) Otherwise, you’ll serve the Hebrews just as they served you.(H) Now be men and fight!”
10 So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated,(I) and each man fled to his tent.(J) The slaughter was severe—thirty thousand of the Israelite foot soldiers fell. 11 The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.(K)
Eli’s Death and Ichabod’s Birth
12 That same day, a Benjaminite man ran(L) from the battle and came to Shiloh. His clothes were torn,(M) and there was dirt on his head. 13 When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair beside the road waiting,(N) because he was anxious about the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the entire city cried out.
14 Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?” The man quickly came and reported to Eli. 15 At that time Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes didn’t move[c] because he couldn’t see.(O)
16 The man said to Eli, “I’m the one who came from the battle.[d] I fled from there today.”
“What happened, my son?” (P) Eli asked.
17 The messenger answered, “Israel has fled from the Philistines, and also there was a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.” 18 When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off the chair by the city gate,(Q) and since he was old and heavy, his neck broke and he died. Eli had judged Israel forty years.
19 Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news about the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth because her labor pains came on her. 20 As she was dying,[e] the women taking care of her said, “Don’t be afraid. You’ve given birth to a son!” (R) But she did not respond or pay attention. 21 She named the boy Ichabod,[f] saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,”(S) referring to the capture of the ark of God(T) and to the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 “The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “because the ark of God has been captured.”
End-Time Ethics
7 The end of all things is near;(A) therefore, be alert and sober-minded(B) for prayer. 8 Above all, maintain constant love(C) for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.[a](D) 9 Be hospitable(E) to one another without complaining. 10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others,(F) as good stewards of the varied grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides,(G) so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
Christian Suffering
12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal comes among you to test you, as if something unusual were happening to you.(H) 13 Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of Christ,(I) so that you may also rejoice with great joy when his glory is revealed.(J) 14 If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ,(K) you are blessed, because the Spirit(L) of glory and of God[b] rests on you. 15 Let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler.[c] 16 But if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in having that name.[d] 17 For the time has come for judgment(M) to begin with God’s household,(N) and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?
18 And if a righteous person is saved with difficulty,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?[e](O)
19 So then, let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust themselves(P) to a faithful Creator while doing what is good.
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