Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
4 Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he always gave portions of the meat(A) to his wife Peninnah and to each of her sons and daughters. 5 But he gave a double[a] portion(B) to Hannah, for he loved her even though the Lord had kept her from conceiving. 6 Her rival would taunt her severely just to provoke her, because the Lord had kept Hannah from conceiving. 7 Year after year, when she went up to the Lord’s house,(C) her rival taunted her in this way. Hannah would weep and would not eat. 8 “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband, Elkanah, would ask. “Why won’t you eat? Why are you troubled? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” (D)
9 On one occasion, Hannah got up after they ate and drank at Shiloh.[b] The priest Eli was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s temple.(E) 10 Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept with many tears.(F) 11 Making a vow,(G) she pleaded, “Lord of Armies, if you will take notice of your servant’s affliction,(H) remember and not forget me, and give your servant a son, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut.”[c](I)
12 While she continued praying in the Lord’s presence, Eli watched her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying silently,(J) and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to be drunk?(K) Get rid of your wine!”
15 “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman with a broken heart. I haven’t had any wine or beer; I’ve been pouring out my heart before the Lord.(L) 16 Don’t think of me as a wicked woman;(M) I’ve been praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment.”(N)
17 Eli responded, “Go in peace,(O) and may the God of Israel grant the request you’ve made of him.”(P)
18 “May your servant find favor with you,”(Q) she replied. Then Hannah went on her way; she ate and no longer looked despondent.[d](R)
Samuel’s Birth and Dedication
19 The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to worship before the Lord. Afterward, they returned home to Ramah.(S) Then Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.(T) 20 After some time,[e] Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,[f] because she said, “I requested him from the Lord.”
Hannah’s Triumphant Prayer
2 Hannah prayed:(A)
My heart rejoices in the Lord;(B)
my horn is lifted up by the Lord.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.(C)
2 There is no one holy like the Lord.(D)
There is no one besides you!(E)
And there is no rock like our God.(F)
3 Do not boast so proudly,
or let arrogant words come out of your mouth,
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and actions are weighed by him.(G)
4 The bows of the warriors are broken,(H)
but the feeble are clothed with strength.(I)
5 Those who are full hire themselves out for food,
but those who are starving hunger no more.
The woman who is childless gives birth to seven,(J)
but the woman with many sons pines away.(K)
6 The Lord brings death and gives life;(L)
he sends some down to Sheol, and he raises others up.(M)
7 The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth;(N)
he humbles and he exalts.(O)
8 He raises the poor from the dust(P)
and lifts the needy from the trash heap.(Q)
He seats them with noblemen(R)
and gives them a throne of honor.[a]
For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;(S)
he has set the world on them.(T)
9 He guards the steps[b] of his faithful ones,(U)
but the wicked perish in darkness,(V)
for a person does not prevail by his own strength.(W)
10 Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered;[c](X)
he will thunder in the heavens against them.(Y)
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.(Z)
He will give power to his king;
he will lift up the horn of his anointed.[d](AA)
11 Every priest stands day after day ministering and offering the same sacrifices time after time, which can never take away sins.(A) 12 But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.[a](B) 13 He is now waiting until his enemies are made his footstool.(C) 14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after he says:
16 This is the covenant I will make with them
after those days,
the Lord says,
I will put my laws on their hearts
and write them on their minds,
17 and I will never again remember
18 Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
Exhortations to Godliness
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus(A)— 20 he has inaugurated[a] for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh(B))— 21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God,(C) 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.(D) 23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful.(E) 24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other,(F) and all the more as you see the day approaching.
Destruction of the Temple Predicted
13 As(A) he was going out of the temple,(B) one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher,(C) look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!” (D)
2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings?(E) Not one stone will be left upon another—all will be thrown down.”
Signs of the End of the Age
3 While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives(F) across from the temple,(G) Peter,(H) James,(I) John,(J) and Andrew(K) asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”
5 Jesus told them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name,(L) saying, ‘I am he,’(M) and they will deceive(N) many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars,(O) don’t be alarmed;(P) these things must take place,(Q) but it is not yet the end. 8 For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.(R) There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines.[a] These are the beginning(S) of birth pains.(T)
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