Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Hannah’s Prayer(A)
2 And Hannah (B)prayed and said:
(C)“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
(D)My [a]horn is exalted in the Lord.
[b]I smile at my enemies,
Because I (E)rejoice in Your salvation.
2 “No(F) one is holy like the Lord,
For there is (G)none besides You,
Nor is there any (H)rock like our God.
3 “Talk no more so very proudly;
(I)Let no arrogance come from your mouth,
For the Lord is the God of (J)knowledge;
And by Him actions are weighed.
4 “The(K) bows of the mighty men are broken,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
And the hungry have ceased to hunger.
Even (L)the barren has borne seven,
And (M)she who has many children has become feeble.
6 “The(N) Lord kills and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and brings up.
7 The Lord (O)makes poor and makes rich;
(P)He brings low and lifts up.
8 (Q)He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,
(R)To set them among princes
And make them inherit the throne of glory.
(S)“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He has set the world upon them.
9 (T)He will guard the feet of His saints,
But the (U)wicked shall be silent in darkness.
21 Now the man Elkanah and all his house (A)went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will (B)take him, that he may appear before the Lord and (C)remain there (D)forever.”
23 So (E)Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lord [a]establish [b]His word.” Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
24 Now when she had weaned him, she (F)took him up with her, with [c]three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to (G)the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered a bull, and (H)brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “O my lord! (I)As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. 27 (J)For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be [d]lent to the Lord.” So they (K)worshiped the Lord there.
The Good Confession
11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus (A)who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, 14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, 15 which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only [a]Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in (B)unapproachable light, (C)whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
Instructions to the Rich
17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain (D)riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things (E)to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 (F)storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
Guard the Faith
20 O Timothy! (G)Guard what was committed to your trust, (H)avoiding the profane and [b]idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge— 21 by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith.
Grace be with you. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.