Hannah’s Prayer

1 And Hannah prayed and said,

11 Then Elkanah went home ^yto Ramah. ^zAnd the boy¹ was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.

Eli’s Worthless Sons

12 Now the sons of Eli were ^aworthless men. ^bThey did not know the Lord. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Moreover, ^cbefore the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great ^din the sight of the Lord, ^efor the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

18 ^fSamuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy ^gclothed with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year ^hwhen she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman ⁱfor the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.

21 ^jIndeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. ^kAnd the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.

Eli Rebukes His Sons

22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who ^lwere serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, ^mfor it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.

26 Now the boy Samuel ⁿcontinued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.

The Lord Rejects Eli’s Household

27 And there came ^oa man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ^p‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 ^qDid I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, ^rto wear an ephod before me? ^sI gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29 Why then do you ^tscorn² my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ^v‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ ^wbut now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, ^xthe days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 Then ^yin distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, ^zand there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his³ eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants⁴ of your house shall die by the sword of men.⁵ 34 ^aAnd this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die ^bon the same day. 35 ^cAnd I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. ^dAnd I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before ^emy anointed forever. 36 And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests’ places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’”

God’s Righteous Judgment

1 Therefore you have ^fno excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For ^gin passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on ^hthe riches of his kindness and ⁱforbearance and ^jpatience, ^knot knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are ^lstoring up ^mwrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

6 ⁿHe will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who ^oby patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking¹ and ^pdo not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress ^qfor every human being who does evil, the Jew ^rfirst and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and ^speace for everyone who does good, ^tthe Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For ^uGod shows no partiality.

God’s Judgment and the Law

12 For all who have sinned ^vwithout the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For ^wit is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, ^xby nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is ^ywritten on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 ^zon that day when, ^aaccording to my gospel, God judges ^bthe secrets of men ^cby Christ Jesus.

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and ^drely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are ^ea guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law ^fthe embodiment of ^gknowledge and truth— 21 ^hyou then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you ⁱrob temples? 23 You who ^jboast in the law ^kdishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, ^las it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed ^mamong the Gentiles because of you.”

25 For circumcision indeed is of value ⁿif you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if ^oa man who is uncircumcised keeps ^pthe precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded² as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically³ uncircumcised but keeps the law ^qwill condemn you who have ^rthe written code⁴ and circumcision but break the law. 28 For ^sno one is a Jew ^twho is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one ^uinwardly, and ^vcircumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. ^wHis praise is not from man but from God.

Jeremiah Remains in Judah

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord ^rafter Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from ^sRamah, when he took him ^tbound in chains along with all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon. 2 The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, ^u“The Lord your God pronounced this disaster against this place. 3 The Lord has brought it about, and has done as he said. ^vBecause you sinned against the Lord and did not obey his voice, this thing has come upon you. 4 Now, behold, I release you today from ^tthe chains on your hands. ^wIf it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you well, ^wbut if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, do not come. ^xSee, the whole land is before you; go wherever you think it good and right to go. 5 If you remain,¹ then return to ^yGedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, ^zwhom the king of Babylon appointed governor of the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever you think it right to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a present, and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to ^yGedaliah the son of Ahikam, at ^aMizpah, and lived with him ^bamong the people ^cwho were left in the land.

7 ^dWhen all the captains of the forces in the open country and their men heard that ^ethe king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land and had committed to him men, women, and children, those of ^fthe poorest of the land who had not been taken into exile to Babylon, 8 they went to Gedaliah at ^aMizpah—^gIshmael the son of Nethaniah, ^hJohanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, ⁱJezaniah the son of the Maacathite, they and their men. 9 Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, swore to them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, ^jand it shall be well with you. 10 As for me, I will dwell at ^aMizpah, to represent you before the Chaldeans who will come to us. But as for you, ^lgather wine and summer fruits and oil, and store them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.” 11 Likewise, when all the Judeans who were in ^mMoab and among ⁿthe Ammonites and in ^oEdom and in other lands heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan, as governor over them, 12 ^pthen all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they had been driven and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah. And they ^qgathered wine and summer fruits in great abundance.

13 Now ^rJohanan the son of Kareah and ^sall the leaders of the forces in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said to him, “Do you know that Baalis the king of ^tthe Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam would not believe them. 15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah at Mizpah, “Please let me go and strike down Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he take your life, so that all the Judeans who are gathered about you would be scattered, ^uand the remnant of Judah would perish?” 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You shall not do this thing, for you are speaking falsely of Ishmael.”

Who Shall Dwell on Your Holy Hill?

A Psalm of David.

You Will Not Abandon My Soul

A ^hMiktam¹ of David.