Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Thanksgiving to God
138 Lord,[a] I thank[b] you with all of my heart;
because you heard the words that I spoke,[c]
I will sing your praise before the heavenly beings.[d]
2 I will bow down in worship toward your holy Temple
and give thanks to your name for your gracious love and truth,
for you have done great things
to carry out your word
consistent with your name.
3 When[e] I called out, you answered me;
you strengthened me.
4 Lord, all the kings of the earth will give you thanks,
for they have heard what you have spoken.[f]
5 They will sing about the ways of the Lord,
for great is the glory of the Lord!
6 Though the Lord is highly exalted,
yet he pays attention to those who are lowly regarded,
but he is aware of the arrogant from afar.
7 Though I walk straight into trouble,
you preserve my life,
stretching out your hand
to fight the vehemence of my enemies,
and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will complete what his purpose is for me.
Lord, your gracious love is eternal;
do not abandon your personal work in me.[g]
The Philistines Capture the Ark
4 What Samuel had to say was directed to all Israel, and Israel went out to engage the Philistines in battle. The Israelis[a] were camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines were camped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield.
3 When the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why did the Lord defeat us today when we fought the Philistines? Let’s take the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh, so it[b] may go with us and deliver us from the power of our enemies.” 4 So the people sent word[c] to Shiloh and took away from there the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, who sits above[d] the cherubim.
Now the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. 5 When the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a great shout and the earth reverberated! 6 When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they asked, “What is this noise coming from shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” Then they realized that the Ark of the Lord had come into the camp, 7 and the Philistines were terrified. “God has come[e] into the camp,” they said. “How terrible for us, because nothing like this has ever happened before! 8 How terrible for us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the desert. 9 Philistines, be strong and be men, or you will become slaves to the Hebrews just as they have been slaves to you! Be men and fight!”
10 The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated; each of them fled to his own tent. It was a very great slaughter, and 30,000 soldiers of Israel died. 11 The Ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, died.
The Death of Eli
12 That very same day, a man who was a descendant of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh, with his garments torn and dirt on his head. 13 When he arrived, Eli was sitting there on a seat beside the road, watching because his heart trembled for the Ark of God. The man went into the town to give the report, and the whole town cried out. 14 Eli heard the sound of the cry and asked, “What is the meaning[f] of this commotion?” Then the man quickly came and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was 98 years old, and his vision had failed.[g]
16 The man told Eli, “I’ve just come from the battle line, and I escaped from the battle today.”
He asked, “What happened, my son?”
17 The messenger answered, “Israel fled from the Philistines and the people suffered a great defeat as well. Moreover, your two sons, Hophni and Phineas, are dead, and the Ark of God was captured.”
18 When he mentioned the Ark of God, Eli[h] fell off the seat backwards by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, since he was old and heavy. Eli had judged Israel for 40 years.
Ichabod is Born
19 Eli’s[i] daughter-in-law, the wife of Phineas, was pregnant and ready to give birth. When she heard the report about the capture of the Ark of God and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she crouched down and gave birth, because her labor pains suddenly began. 20 As she was about to die, the women standing around her said, “Don’t be afraid! You’ve given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay attention. 21 She had named the boy Ichabod,[j] saying, “Glory has departed from Israel,” because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead.[k] 22 She said, “Glory has departed from Israel, because the Ark of God has been captured.”
7 Because everything will soon come to an end, be sensible and clear-headed, so you can pray. 8 Above all, continue to love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without complaining. 10 As good servant managers of God’s grace in its various forms, serve one another with the gift each of you has received. 11 Whoever speaks must speak God’s words.[a] Whoever serves must serve with the strength[b] that God supplies, so that in every way God may be glorified through Jesus, the Messiah.[c] Glory and power belong to him forever and ever! Amen.
Suffering as a Christian
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised by the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, because you are participating in the sufferings of the Messiah,[d] keep on rejoicing, so that you may be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of the Messiah,[e] you are blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God is resting on you.[f]
15 Of course, none of you should suffer for being a murderer, thief, criminal, or troublemaker. 16 But if you suffer for being a Christian, do not feel ashamed, but glorify God with that name. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who refuse to obey the gospel of God?
18 “If it is hard for the righteous person to be saved,
what will happen to the ungodly and sinful person?”[g]
19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should entrust their souls to their faithful Creator and continue to do what is good.
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