1 Samuel 1; 1 Samuel 2; 1 Samuel 3; Luke 8:26-56

1 Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the highlands of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah. He was from the tribe of Ephraim, and he was the son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph.

2 Elkanah had two wives, one named Hannah and the other named Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah didn't.

3 Every year this man would leave his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of heavenly forces in Shiloh, where Eli's two sons Hophni and Phinehas were the LORD's priests.

4 Whenever he sacrificed, Elkanah would give parts of the sacrifice to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.

5 But he would give only one part of it to Hannah, though he loved her, because the LORD had kept her from conceiving.

6 And because the LORD had kept Hannah from conceiving, her rival would make fun of her mercilessly, just to bother her.

7 So that is what took place year after year. Whenever Hannah went to the Lord's house, Peninnah would make fun of her. Then she would cry and wouldn't eat anything.

8 "Hannah, why are you crying?" her husband Elkanah would say to her. "Why won't you eat? Why are you so sad? Aren't I worth more to you than ten sons?"

9 One time, after eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah got up and presented herself before the LORD. (Now Eli the priest was sitting in the chair by the doorpost of the LORD's temple.)

10 Hannah was very upset and couldn't stop crying as she prayed to the LORD.

11 Then she made this promise: "LORD of heavenly forces, just look at your servant's pain and remember me! Don't forget your servant! Give her a boy! Then I'll give him to the LORD for his entire life. No razor will ever touch his head."

12 As she kept praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth.

13 Now Hannah was praying in her heart; her lips were moving, but her voice was silent, so Eli thought she was drunk.

14 "How long will you act like a drunk? Sober up!" Eli told her.

15 "No sir!" Hannah replied. "I'm just a very sad woman. I haven't had any wine or beer but have been pouring out my heart to the LORD.

16 Don't think your servant is some good-for-nothing woman. This whole time I've been praying out of my great worry and trouble!"

17 Eli responded, "Then go in peace. And may the God of Israel give you what you've asked from him."

18 "Please think well of me, your servant," Hannah said. Then the woman went on her way, ate some food, and wasn't sad any longer.

19 They got up early the next morning and worshipped the LORD. Then they went back home to Ramah. Elkanah had sex with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.

20 So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, which means "I asked the LORD for him."

21 When Elkanah and all his household went up to make the annual sacrifice and keep his solemn promise,

22 Hannah didn't go. "I'll bring the boy when he is weaned," she told her husband, "so he can be presented to the LORD and stay there permanently. I will offer him as a nazirite forever."

23 "Do what seems best to you," said her husband Elkanah. "Stay here until you've weaned him. But may the LORD bring to pass what you've promised." So the woman stayed home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

24 When he had been weaned and was still very young, Hannah took him, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a jar of wine, and brought him to the LORD's house at Shiloh.

25 They slaughtered the bull, then brought the boy to Eli.

26 "Excuse me, sir!" Hannah said. "As surely as you live, sir, I am the woman who stood here next to you, praying to the LORD.

27 I prayed for this boy, and the LORD gave me what I asked from him.

28 So now I give this boy back to the LORD. As long as he lives, he is given to the LORD." Then they worshipped there before the LORD.

1 Then Hannah prayed: My heart rejoices in the LORD. My strength rises up in the LORD! My mouth mocks my enemies because I rejoice in your deliverance.

2 No one is holy like the LORD— no, no one except you! There is no rock like our God!

3 Don't go on and on, talking so proudly, spouting arrogance from your mouth, because the LORD is the God who knows, and he weighs every act.

4 The bows of mighty warriors are shattered, but those who were stumbling now dress themselves in power!

5 Those who were filled full now sell themselves for bread, but the ones who were starving are now fat from food! The woman who was barren has birthed seven children, but the mother with many sons has lost them all!

6 The LORD! He brings death, gives life, takes down to the grave, and raises up!

7 The LORD! He makes poor, gives wealth, brings low, but also lifts up high!

8 God raises the poor from the dust, lifts up the needy from the garbage pile. God sits them with officials, gives them the seat of honor! The pillars of the earth belong to the LORD; he set the world on top of them!

9 God guards the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked die in darkness because no one succeeds by strength alone.

10 The LORD! His enemies are terrified! God thunders against them from heaven! The LORD! He judges the far corners of the earth! May God give strength to his king and raise high the strength of his anointed one.

11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served the LORD under Eli the priest.

12 Now Eli's sons were despicable men who didn't know the LORD.

13 This was how the priest was supposed to act with the people: Whenever anyone made a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling, the priest's assistant would come with a three-pronged fork in hand.

14 He would thrust it into the cauldron or the pot. Whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. This is how it was done for all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.

15 But with Eli's sons, even before the fat was burned, the priest's assistant would come and say to the person offering the sacrifice, "Give the priest some meat to roast. He won't accept boiled meat from you."

16 If anyone said, "Let the fat be burned off first, as usual, then take whatever you like for yourself," the assistant would reply, "No, hand it over now. If not, I'll take it by force."

17 The sin of these priestly assistants was very serious in the LORD's sight because they were disrespecting the Lord's own offering.

18 Now Samuel was serving the LORD. He was a young boy, clothed in a linen priestly vest.

19 His mother would make a small robe for him and take it to him every year when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.

20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife: "May the LORD replace the child of this woman that you gave back to the LORD." Then they would return home.

21 The LORD paid attention to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the LORD's service.

22 Eli was very old, but he heard everything his sons were doing to the Israelites, and how they had sex with the women who served at the meeting tent's entrance.

23 Eli said to his sons, "Why are you doing these terrible things that I'm hearing about from everybody?

24 No, my sons. Don't do this. The report I hear spreading among God's people isn't good.

25 If someone sins against someone else, God can intercede; but if someone sins against the LORD, who will intercede then?" But they wouldn't obey their father because the LORD wanted to kill them.

26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel kept growing up and was more and more liked by both the LORD and the people.

27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said, "This is what the LORD says: I revealed myself very clearly to your father's household when they were slaves in Egypt to the house of Pharaoh.

28 I chose your father from all of Israel's tribes to be my priest, to go up onto my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest in my presence. I also gave all of the Israelites' food offerings to your father's household.

29 Why then do you kick my sacrifices and my offerings—the very ones I commanded for my dwelling place? Why do you respect your sons more than me, getting fat off the best parts of every offering from my people Israel?

30 Because of all that, this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: I had promised that your household and your father's household would serve me forever. But now—this is what the LORD declares: I'll do no such thing! No. I honor those who honor me, and whoever despises me will be cursed.

31 The days are coming soon when I will eliminate both your children and the children of your father's household. There won't be an old person left in your family tree.

32 You'll see trouble in my dwelling place, though all will go well for Israel. But there will never be an old person in your family tree.

33 One of your descendants whom I don't eliminate from serving at my altar will cry his eyes out and be full of grief. Any descendants in your household will die by the sword.

34 And what happens to your two sons Hophni and Phinehas will be a sign for you: they will both die on the same day.

35 Then I will establish for myself a trustworthy priest who will act in accordance with my thoughts and desires. I will build a trustworthy household for him, and he will serve before my anointed one forever.

36 Anyone left from your household will come and beg him for a bit of silver or a loaf of bread, saying: ‘Please appoint me to some priestly duty so I can have a scrap of bread to eat.'"

1 Now the boy Samuel was serving the LORD under Eli. The LORD's word was rare at that time, and visions weren't widely known.

2 One day Eli, whose eyes had grown so weak he was unable to see, was lying down in his room.

3 God's lamp hadn't gone out yet, and Samuel was lying down in the LORD's temple, where God's chest was.

4 The LORD called to Samuel. "I'm here," he said.

5 Samuel hurried to Eli and said, "I'm here. You called me?" "I didn't call you," Eli replied. "Go lie down." So he did.

6 Again the LORD called Samuel, so Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, "I'm here. You called me?" "I didn't call, my son," Eli replied. "Go and lie down."

7 (Now Samuel didn't yet know the LORD, and the LORD's word hadn't yet been revealed to him.)

8 A third time the LORD called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, "I'm here. You called me?" Then Eli realized that it was the LORD who was calling the boy.

9 So Eli said to Samuel, "Go and lie down. If he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD. Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down where he'd been.

10 Then the LORD came and stood there, calling just as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel said, "Speak. Your servant is listening."

11 The LORD said to Samuel, "I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of all who hear it tingle!

12 On that day, I will bring to pass against Eli everything I said about his household—every last bit of it!

13 I told him that I would punish his family forever because of the wrongdoing he knew about—how his sons were cursing God, but he wouldn't stop them.

14 Because of that I swore about Eli's household that his family's wrongdoing will never be reconciled by sacrifice or by offering."

15 Samuel lay there until morning, then opened the doors of the LORD's house. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.

16 But Eli called Samuel, saying: "Samuel, my son!" "I'm here," Samuel said.

17 "What did he say to you?" Eli asked. "Don't hide anything from me. May God deal harshly with you and worse still if you hide from me a single word from everything he said to you."

18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. "He is the LORD, " Eli said. "He will do as he pleases."

19 So Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not allowing any of his words to fail.

20 All Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was trustworthy as the LORD's prophet.

21 The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh because the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh through the LORD's own word.

26 Jesus and his disciples sailed to the Gerasenes' land, which is across the lake from Galilee.

27 As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a certain man met him. The man was from the city and was possessed by demons. For a long time, he had lived among the tombs, naked and homeless.

28 When he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down before him. Then he shouted, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!"

29 He said this because Jesus had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had taken possession of him, so he would be bound with leg irons and chains and placed under guard. But he would break his restraints, and the demon would force him into the wilderness.

30 Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had entered him.

31 They pleaded with him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

32 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs. Jesus gave them permission,

33 and the demons left the man and entered the pigs. The herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned.

34 When those who tended the pigs saw what happened, they ran away and told the story in the city and in the countryside.

35 People came to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone. He was sitting at Jesus' feet, fully dressed and completely sane. They were filled with awe.

36 Those people who had actually seen what had happened told them how the demon-possessed man had been delivered.

37 Then everyone gathered from the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave their area because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and returned across the lake.

38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged to come along with Jesus as one of his disciples. Jesus sent him away, saying,

39 "Return home and tell the story of what God has done for you." So he went throughout the city proclaiming what Jesus had done for him.

40 When Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, for they had been waiting for him.

41 A man named Jairus, who was a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus' feet. He pleaded with Jesus to come to his house

42 because his only daughter, a twelve-year-old, was dying. As Jesus moved forward, he faced smothering crowds.

43 A woman was there who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had spent her entire livelihood on doctors, but no one could heal her.

44 She came up behind him and touched the hem of his clothes, and at once her bleeding stopped.

45 "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When everyone denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing in on you!"

46 But Jesus said, "Someone touched me. I know that power has gone out from me."

47 When the woman saw that she couldn't escape notice, she came trembling and fell before Jesus. In front of everyone, she explained why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed.

48 "Daughter, your faith has healed you," Jesus said. "Go in peace."

49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader's house, saying to Jairus, "Your daughter has died. Don't bother the teacher any longer."

50 When Jesus heard this, he responded, "Don't be afraid; just keep trusting, and she will be healed."

51 When he came to the house, he didn't allow anyone to enter with him except Peter, John, and James, and the child's father and mother.

52 They were all crying and mourning for her, but Jesus said, "Don't cry. She isn't dead. She's only sleeping."

53 They laughed at him because they knew she was dead.

54 Taking her hand, Jesus called out, "Child, get up."

55 Her life returned and she got up at once. He directed them to give her something to eat.

56 Her parents were beside themselves with joy, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.