Old/New Testament
The Last Judges: Eli and Samuel[a]
Chapter 1[b]
Elkanah’s Pilgrimage to Shiloh. 1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim, from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives. The name of one of them was Hannah, and the name of the other was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not have any children. 3 This man would travel from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts[c] in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests there.
4 When Elkanah performed his sacrifice, he would give a portion of it to Peninnah his wife and a portion each to all of her sons and daughters, 5 but he would give a double portion to Hannah, for he loved her although the Lord had left her barren. 6 Her rival[d] provoked her and made her miserable because the Lord had left her barren. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever she went up to the house of the Lord, she provoked her. This made her weep, and she refused to eat. 8 Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why are you not eating? Why are you so downhearted? Am I not worth more than ten sons to you?”
Hannah’s Prayer. 9 Once, when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting upon a chair by the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. 10 She was greatly distressed and she prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.[e] 11 She made a vow saying, “O Lord of hosts, if you will regard the troubles of your handmaid and will remember me, and not forget your handmaid, and you will give your handmaid a son, then I will dedicate him to the Lord for his entire life, and no razor[f] will ever touch his head.”
12 As she continued to pray to the Lord, Eli watched her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart so that only her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli, therefore, thought that she was drunk. 14 He said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Get rid of your wine!” 15 Hannah answered, “Oh no, my lord! I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking either wine or liquor. I have been pouring out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not account your handmaid to be a daughter of Belial. I have been speaking out of the abundance of my difficulties and my grief.” 17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace. The God of Israel grant the request you have made of him.” 18 She said, “Let your handmaid find favor in your sight.” The woman then went her way and ate, and she was not downcast anymore.
19 They arose early the next morning and worshiped before the Lord. They then went their way and came to their home in Ramah. Elkanah slept with Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.
20 The Birth of Samuel. In time it came to pass that Hannah conceived and bore a son whom she named Samuel, saying, “For I have asked the Lord for him.” 21 When Elkanah and his household went up to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, 22 Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will dwell there forever.” 23 Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Do what you think is best. Stay here until you have weaned him, only may the Lord bring his word to fulfillment.” So the woman stayed there and nursed her son until she weaned him.
24 Samuel’s Consecration. When she had weaned him, she took him with herself along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, although the child was still young. 25 After they sacrificed the bull, they brought the child to Eli. 26 [g]She said, “Oh my lord, as my soul lives, I am the woman who stood beside you praying to the Lord. 27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted the request that I made of him. 28 Therefore, I have dedicated him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord.” So they worshiped the Lord there.
Chapter 2
1 [h]Then Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart rejoices in the Lord,
my horn is lifted high in the Lord.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
for I rejoice in my salvation.
2 There is no holy one like the Lord,
there is none beside you,
nor is there a rock like our God.
3 [i]Do not talk so proudly
nor let arrogance come forth from your mouth,
for the Lord is a knowing God,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
the feeble are clothed in strength.
5 The well-fed hire themselves out for bread,
and the hungry cease to hunger.
The barren has borne seven times,
while she who has many children grows faint.
6 The Lord kills and brings to life.
He brings down to Sheol, and lifts up.
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich,
he humbles and he also exalts.
8 He raises the poor from the dust,
and from the refuse he lifts up the beggar,
To seat them among princes,
that they might inherit a throne of glory.
For the Lord’s are the pillars of the earth,
and he has set the world upon them.
9 He will guard the feet of his saints,
but the wicked will be cut off in the darkness,
for by strength none shall prevail.
10 Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered,
he will thunder against them from the heavens,
the Lord will judge the ends of the earth,
He will give strength to his king,
and exalt the horn of his anointed one.”
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the child ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest.
12 The Sons of Eli.[j][k]Now Eli’s sons were sons of Belial, they had no regard for the Lord. 13 This is how the priests would deal with the people when anyone came to offer a sacrifice: the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14 He would stick it in the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot. Everything that he would bring up with the fork was for the priest. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came up to Shiloh. 15 Even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come up to a man and say, “Give the priest some meat to roast. He will not take any boiled meat from you, only raw meat.” 16 If the man said to him, “Let the fat be burned first, then you can take what you want,” he would answer him, “No! Give it to me now, or I will take it by force.” 17 The young men’s sin was very serious before the Lord, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.
18 Hannah’s Family Grows. Samuel was ministering to the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod.[l] 19 His mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him each year when she came up with her husband to offer their yearly sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife saying, “May the Lord grant you children from this woman in place of the one you have dedicated to the Lord.” They then went home. 21 The Lord was gracious to Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Young Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
22 Eli’s Warning Ignored. Now Eli was very old, and he heard about all the things that his sons were doing to the whole of Israel, how they lay with the woman who gathered at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 He said to them, “Why do you do these things? I have been hearing about your evil deeds from everyone. 24 No, my sons! It is an evil report that I hear among the Lord’s people. 25 If one man sins against another, then a judge will judge him. If a man sins against God, who will intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father’s rebuke, for the Lord wanted to put them to death.[m]
26 Meanwhile young Samuel grew in stature and favor with the Lord and with men.
27 The Punishment of Eli’s Sons.[n]Now a man of God came to Eli and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt, in Pharaoh’s house? 28 Did I not choose him from out of all of the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before me? Did I not give your father’s house all of the burnt offerings of the Israelites? 29 Why do you scorn my sacrifice and my offering that I have prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choicest of the offerings of my people Israel?
30 “ ‘Therefore,’ says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Even though I declared that you and your father’s house would minister before me forever, now, far be it from me,’ says the Lord. ‘I will honor those who honor me, and those who despise me will be despised. 31 Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that not a single old man remains in your house. 32 You will see the distress of my dwelling in spite of all that I have given Israel. In your house there will never again be an old man. 33 Everyone of you whom I do not cut off from my altar will be spared so that you can cry out your eyes and grieve your heart. All the descendants of your house will die in the prime of their life.
34 “ ‘This will be a sign for you of what will come upon your two sons, upon Hophni and Phinehas. They will both die on the same day. 35 But I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do what is my in heart and my mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will walk before my anointed forever. 36 Whoever is left in your house will bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread. He will say, “Please place me in one of the priest’s offices so that I might have a piece of bread to eat.” ’ ”
Chapter 3
Samuel’s Call.[o] 1 Young Samuel ministered to the Lord under Eli. Now the word of the Lord was rare in those days, there were not many visions. 2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow so weak so that he could not see well anymore, was lying down in his place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the Ark of God was kept.[p] 4 The Lord called out, “Samuel.” He answered, “Here I am.” 5 He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, you called me.” He said, “I did not call you, go back and lie down.” He went and lay down.
6 The Lord called again, “Samuel.” Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, you called me.” He said, “I did not call you, my son, lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
8 The Lord called Samuel a third time. He got up and went to Samuel and said, “Here I am, you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord had called him. 9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ” So he went and lay down in his place.
10 Then the Lord came and stood and called out as he had the other times, “Samuel, Samuel.” Samuel said, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” 11 The Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am going to do something in Israel that will cause the ears of everyone who hears it to ring. 12 On that day I will bring against Eli all of the things that I have proclaimed against his house, from beginning to end. 13 I have told him that I would judge his household forever because of the sin about which he knew, because his sons brought a curse upon themselves and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore, I have sworn to the house of Eli that the guilt will never be atoned from Eli’s house by either sacrifice or offering.”
15 Samuel lay down until the morning, and then he opened the doors to the house of the Lord. However, he was afraid to reveal the vision to Eli, 16 but Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son,” and he answered, “Here I am.” 17 He said, “What is it that the Lord said to you? Please, do not hide it from me. May the Lord do it to you[q] and even more if you hide anything from me of all those things that he said to you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. He then said, “He is the Lord, let him do what seems best to him.”
19 Samuel the Prophet. Samuel grew up, and the Lord was with him and did not let any of his words fall to the ground. 20 All of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba,[r] knew that Samuel had been confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear in Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh through the word of the Lord.
26 Jesus Casts Out a Legion of Demons.[a] Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 As he stepped ashore, he was approached by a man from the town who was possessed by demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes. Moreover, he did not live in a house but among the tombs.
28 When the man caught sight of Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you, do not torment me!” 29 For he had ordered the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times in the past it had seized him, and on such occasions they used to restrain him with chains and shackles, but he would manage to break loose and be driven by the demon into the wilds.
30 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.
32 Now on the mountainside a large herd of pigs was feeding, and they pleaded with him to let them go into the pigs. He allowed this. 33 The demons then came out of the man and entered the pigs. Thereupon the herd charged down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
34 When those tending the herd saw what had occurred, they ran off and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. 35 As a result, people came out to see what had happened. When they came near Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and in his right mind, and they were frightened.
36 Those who had been eye-witnesses to the incident told how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and went away.
38 The man from whom the demons had gone out pleaded that he be allowed to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home and give witness to what God has done for you.” He then departed, proclaiming throughout the town what Jesus had done for him.
40 Jesus Heals a Woman and Raises a Child.[b] When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they had all been waiting for him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue, came forward. Throwing himself at the feet of Jesus, he pleaded with him to come to his house, 42 because he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, who was dying. And as Jesus went forth, the crowds were pressing in on him.
43 There was a woman who had been suffering from bleeding for twelve years, but no one had been able to cure her affliction. 44 Coming up behind him, she touched the fringe of his cloak, and her bleeding stopped immediately.
45 Jesus then asked, “Who was it who touched me?” When everyone denied doing so, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing closely upon you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I could sense power going out from me.”
47 When the woman realized that she had not escaped notice, she came forward, trembling, and knelt down before him. In the presence of all the people, she related why she had touched him and how she had been healed immediately. 48 Then Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
49 While he was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue leader and said, “Your daughter has died. Do not bother the Teacher any further.” 50 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Do not be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be saved.”
51 When he arrived at the house, he permitted no one to go in with him except Peter, John, and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Everyone was weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Stop your weeping! She is not dead; she is asleep.” 53 They laughed at him because they knew that she had died.
54 However, Jesus took her by the hand and called out to her, “Little child, arise.” 55 Her spirit returned, and she stood up at once. Then Jesus directed that she be given something to eat. 56 Her parents were stunned, but he gave them strict instructions to tell no one what had happened.
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