Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Prayer to Yahweh for Victory over Enemies

A song. A psalm of David.^[a]

³ And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If with all your heart you are turning to Yahweh, remove the foreign gods and Ashtoreths^[a] from your midst. Commit your hearts to Yahweh and serve him alone. Then he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁴ So the Israelites^[b] removed the Baals^[c] and the Ashtoreths, and they served Yahweh alone.

⁵ Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to Yahweh for you.” ⁶ So they gathered to Mizpah and drew water and poured it out before Yahweh. They fasted on that day and said there, “We have sinned against Yahweh!” So Samuel judged the Israelites^[d] at Mizpah. ⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that the Israelites^[e] had gathered at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the Israelites^[f] heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.^{[g] 8} Then the Israelites^[h] said to Samuel, “You must not cease^[i] from crying out to Yahweh our God, so that he will deliver us from the hand of the Philistines.” ⁹ So Samuel took a single nursing lamb^[j] and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to Yahweh. Then Samuel cried out to Yahweh on behalf of Israel, and Yahweh answered him. ¹⁰ While^[k] Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near for the battle against Israel. But Yahweh thundered against the Philistines with a great noise on that day and threw them into confusion so that they were defeated before Israel. ¹¹ Then the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and they struck them down as far as below Beth Car.

¹² So Samuel took a single stone and put it between Mizpah and Shen, and he named it Ebenezer and said, “Up to here Yahweh has helped us.” ¹³ So the Philistines were subdued and they did not come into the territory of Israel again, and the hand of Yahweh was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. ¹⁴ The towns^[l] which the Philistines had taken from Israel were returned to Israel from Ekron to Gath, and Israel delivered their territories from the hand of the Philistines. Then there was peace between Israel and the Amorites.

The Circuit Ministry of Samuel

¹⁵ Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life.

Satan Bound for a Thousand Years

20 And I saw an angel descending from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. ² And he seized the dragon—the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan—and bound him for a thousand years, ³ and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it above him, in order that he could not deceive the nations again until the thousand years are completed. After these things it is necessary for him to be released for a short time.

⁴ And I saw thrones, and they sat down on them, and authority to judge was granted to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and did not receive the mark on their^[a] forehead and on their hand, and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.) This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection. Over this person the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him a thousand^[b] years.