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Judges

Judges 20

Scripture Religion 3d Faith Glasses Bible Book

Israel’s War with Benjamin

1 Then all the Israelites were united as one man, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, including those from across the Jordan in the land of Gilead. The entire community assembled in the presence of theLordat Mizpah.

2 The leaders of all the people and all the tribes of Israel—400,000 warriors armed with swords—took their positions in the assembly of the people of God.

3 (Word soon reached the land of Benjamin that the other tribes had gone up to Mizpah.) The Israelites then asked how this terrible crime had happened.

4 The Levite, the husband of the woman who had been murdered, said, “My concubine and I came to spend the night in Gibeah, a town that belongs to the people of Benjamin.

5 That night some of the leading citizens of Gibeah surrounded the house, planning to kill me, and they raped my concubine until she was dead.

6 So I cut her body into twelve pieces and sent the pieces throughout the territory assigned to Israel, for these men have committed a terrible and shameful crime.

7 Now then, all of you—the entire community of Israel—must decide here and now what should be done about this!”

8 And all the people rose to their feet in unison and declared, “None of us will return home! No, not even one of us!

9 Instead, this is what we will do to Gibeah; we will draw lots to decide who will attack it.

10 One-tenth of the menfrom each tribe will be chosen to supply the warriors with food, and the rest of us will take revenge on Gibeahof Benjamin for this shameful thing they have done in Israel.”

11 So all the Israelites were completely united, and they gathered together to attack the town.

12 The Israelites sent messengers to the tribe of Benjamin, saying, “What a terrible thing has been done among you!

13 Give up those evil men, those troublemakers from Gibeah, so we can execute them and purge Israel of this evil.”

But the people of Benjamin would not listen.

14 Instead, they came from their towns and gathered at Gibeah to fight the Israelites.

15 In all, 26,000 of their warriors armed with swords arrived in Gibeah to join the 700 elite troops who lived there.

16 Among Benjamin’s elite troops, 700 were left-handed, and each of them could sling a rock and hit a target within a hairsbreadth without missing.

17 Israel had 400,000 experienced soldiers armed with swords, not counting Benjamin’s warriors.

18 Before the battle the Israelites went to Bethel and asked God, “Which tribe should go first to attack the people of Benjamin?”

TheLordanswered, “Judah is to go first.”

19 So the Israelites left early the next morning and camped near Gibeah.

20 Then they advanced toward Gibeah to attack the men of Benjamin.

21 But Benjamin’s warriors, who were defending the town, came out and killed 22,000 Israelites on the battlefield that day.

22 But the Israelites encouraged each other and took their positions again at the same place they had fought the previous day.

23 For they had gone up to Bethel and wept in the presence of theLorduntil evening. They had asked theLord, “Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again?”

And theLordhad said, “Go out and fight against them.”

24 So the next day they went out again to fight against the men of Benjamin,

25 but the men of Benjamin killed another 18,000 Israelites, all of whom were experienced with the sword.

26 Then all the Israelites went up to Bethel and wept in the presence of theLordand fasted until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and peace offerings to theLord.

27 The Israelites went up seeking direction from theLord. (In those days the Ark of the Covenant of God was in Bethel,

28 and Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron was the priest.) The Israelites asked theLord, “Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again, or should we stop?”

TheLordsaid, “Go! Tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”

29 So the Israelites set an ambush all around Gibeah.

30 They went out on the third day and took their positions at the same place as before.

31 When the men of Benjamin came out to attack, they were drawn away from the town. And as they had done before, they began to kill the Israelites. About thirty Israelites died in the open fields and along the roads, one leading to Bethel and the other leading back to Gibeah.

32 Then the warriors of Benjamin shouted, “We’re defeating them as we did before!” But the Israelites had planned in advance to run away so that the men of Benjamin would chase them along the roads and be drawn away from the town.

33 When the main group of Israelite warriors reached Baal-tamar, they turned and took up their positions. Meanwhile, the Israelites hiding in ambush to the westof Gibeah jumped up to fight.

34 There were 10,000 elite Israelite troops who advanced against Gibeah. The fighting was so heavy that Benjamin didn’t realize the impending disaster.

35 So theLordhelped Israel defeat Benjamin, and that day the Israelites killed 25,100 of Benjamin’s warriors, all of whom were experienced swordsmen.

36 Then the men of Benjamin saw that they were beaten.

The Israelites had retreated from Benjamin’s warriors in order to give those hiding in ambush more room to maneuver against Gibeah.

37 Then those who were hiding rushed in from all sides and killed everyone in the town.

38 They had arranged to send up a large cloud of smoke from the town as a signal.

39 When the Israelites saw the smoke, they turned and attacked Benjamin’s warriors.

By that time Benjamin’s warriors had killed about thirty Israelites, and they shouted, “We’re defeating them as we did in the first battle!”

40 But when the warriors of Benjamin looked behind them and saw the smoke rising into the sky from every part of the town,

41 the men of Israel turned and attacked. At this point the men of Benjamin became terrified, because they realized disaster was close at hand.

42 So they turned around and fled before the Israelites toward the wilderness. But they couldn’t escape the battle, and the people who came out of the nearby towns were also killed.

43 The Israelites surrounded the men of Benjamin and chased them relentlessly, finally overtaking them east of Gibeah.

44 That day 18,000 of Benjamin’s strongest warriors died in battle.

45 The survivors fled into the wilderness toward the rock of Rimmon, but Israel killed 5,000 of them along the road. They continued the chase until they had killed another 2,000 near Gidom.

46 So that day the tribe of Benjamin lost 25,000 strong warriors armed with swords,

47 leaving only 600 men who escaped to the rock of Rimmon, where they lived for four months.

48 And the Israelites returned and slaughtered every living thing in all the towns—the people, the livestock, and everything they found. They also burned down all the towns they came to.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JDG/20-c8101949a250eadd95f0a8548b61c2b4.mp3?version_id=116—

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Judges

Judges 21

Bible Candle Book Read

Israel Provides Wives for Benjamin

1 The Israelites had vowed at Mizpah, “We will never give our daughters in marriage to a man from the tribe of Benjamin.”

2 Now the people went to Bethel and sat in the presence of God until evening, weeping loudly and bitterly.

3 “OLord, God of Israel,” they cried out, “why has this happened in Israel? Now one of our tribes is missing from Israel!”

4 Early the next morning the people built an altar and presented their burnt offerings and peace offerings on it.

5 Then they said, “Who among the tribes of Israel did not join us at Mizpah when we held our assembly in the presence of theLord?” At that time they had taken a solemn oath in theLord’s presence, vowing that anyone who refused to come would be put to death.

6 The Israelites felt sorry for their brother Benjamin and said, “Today one of the tribes of Israel has been cut off.

7 How can we find wives for the few who remain, since we have sworn by theLordnot to give them our daughters in marriage?”

8 So they asked, “Who among the tribes of Israel did not join us at Mizpah when we assembled in the presence of theLord?” And they discovered that no one from Jabesh-gilead had attended the assembly.

9 For after they counted all the people, no one from Jabesh-gilead was present.

10 So the assembly sent 12,000 of their best warriors to Jabesh-gilead with orders to kill everyone there, including women and children.

11 “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Completely destroyall the males and every woman who is not a virgin.”

12 Among the residents of Jabesh-gilead they found 400 young virgins who had never slept with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.

13 The Israelite assembly sent a peace delegation to the remaining people of Benjamin who were living at the rock of Rimmon.

14 Then the men of Benjamin returned to their homes, and the 400 women of Jabesh-gilead who had been spared were given to them as wives. But there were not enough women for all of them.

15 The people felt sorry for Benjamin because theLordhad made this gap among the tribes of Israel.

16 So the elders of the assembly asked, “How can we find wives for the few who remain, since the women of the tribe of Benjamin are dead?

17 There must be heirs for the survivors so that an entire tribe of Israel is not wiped out.

18 But we cannot give them our own daughters in marriage because we have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this will fall under God’s curse.”

19 Then they thought of the annual festival of theLordheld in Shiloh, south of Lebonah and north of Bethel, along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem.

20 They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, “Go and hide in the vineyards.

21 When you see the young women of Shiloh come out for their dances, rush out from the vineyards, and each of you can take one of them home to the land of Benjamin to be your wife!

22 And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, ‘Please be sympathetic. Let them have your daughters, for we didn’t find wives for all of them when we destroyed Jabesh-gilead. And you are not guilty of breaking the vow since you did not actually give your daughters to them in marriage.’”

23 So the men of Benjamin did as they were told. Each man caught one of the women as she danced in the celebration and carried her off to be his wife. They returned to their own land, and they rebuilt their towns and lived in them.

24 Then the people of Israel departed by tribes and families, and they returned to their own homes.

25 In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/JDG/21-db6d12767a294c8530bdbc2e76624bc8.mp3?version_id=116—

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Ruth

Ruth 1

Elimelech Moves His Family to Moab

1 In the days when the judges ruled in Israel, a severe famine came upon the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah left his home and went to live in the country of Moab, taking his wife and two sons with him.

2 The man’s name was Elimelech, and his wife was Naomi. Their two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. And when they reached Moab, they settled there.

3 Then Elimelech died, and Naomi was left with her two sons.

4 The two sons married Moabite women. One married a woman named Orpah, and the other a woman named Ruth. But about ten years later,

5 both Mahlon and Kilion died. This left Naomi alone, without her two sons or her husband.

Naomi and Ruth Return

6 Then Naomi heard in Moab that theLordhad blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland.

7 With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah.

8 But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may theLordreward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me.

9 May theLordbless you with the security of another marriage.” Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept.

10 “No,” they said. “We want to go with you to your people.”

11 But Naomi replied, “Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands?

12 No, my daughters, return to your parents’ homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what?

13 Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because theLordhimself has raised his fist against me.”

14 And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi.

15 “Look,” Naomi said to her, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same.”

16 But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May theLordpunish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!”

18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more.

19 So the two of them continued on their journey. When they came to Bethlehem, the entire town was excited by their arrival. “Is it really Naomi?” the women asked.

20 “Don’t call me Naomi,” she responded. “Instead, call me Mara,for the Almighty has made life very bitter for me.

21 I went away full, but theLordhas brought me home empty. Why call me Naomi when theLordhas caused me to sufferand the Almighty has sent such tragedy upon me?”

22 So Naomi returned from Moab, accompanied by her daughter-in-law Ruth, the young Moabite woman. They arrived in Bethlehem in late spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/RUT/1-1762d625cf8115f5f23411aadf333156.mp3?version_id=116—

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Ruth

Ruth 2

Ruth Works in Boaz’s Field

1 Now there was a wealthy and influential man in Bethlehem named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi’s husband, Elimelech.

2 One day Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go out into the harvest fields to pick up the stalks of grain left behind by anyone who is kind enough to let me do it.”

Naomi replied, “All right, my daughter, go ahead.”

3 So Ruth went out to gather grain behind the harvesters. And as it happened, she found herself working in a field that belonged to Boaz, the relative of her father-in-law, Elimelech.

4 While she was there, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters. “TheLordbe with you!” he said.

“TheLordbless you!” the harvesters replied.

5 Then Boaz asked his foreman, “Who is that young woman over there? Who does she belong to?”

6 And the foreman replied, “She is the young woman from Moab who came back with Naomi.

7 She asked me this morning if she could gather grain behind the harvesters. She has been hard at work ever since, except for a few minutes’ rest in the shelter.”

8 Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field.

9 See which part of the field they are harvesting, and then follow them. I have warned the young men not to treat you roughly. And when you are thirsty, help yourself to the water they have drawn from the well.”

10 Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.”

11 “Yes, I know,” Boaz replied. “But I also know about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband. I have heard how you left your father and mother and your own land to live here among complete strangers.

12 May theLord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.”

13 “I hope I continue to please you, sir,” she replied. “You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.”

14 At mealtime Boaz called to her, “Come over here, and help yourself to some food. You can dip your bread in the sour wine.” So she sat with his harvesters, and Boaz gave her some roasted grain to eat. She ate all she wanted and still had some left over.

15 When Ruth went back to work again, Boaz ordered his young men, “Let her gather grain right among the sheaves without stopping her.

16 And pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don’t give her a hard time!”

17 So Ruth gathered barley there all day, and when she beat out the grain that evening, it filled an entire basket.

18 She carried it back into town and showed it to her mother-in-law. Ruth also gave her the roasted grain that was left over from her meal.

19 “Where did you gather all this grain today?” Naomi asked. “Where did you work? May theLordbless the one who helped you!”

So Ruth told her mother-in-law about the man in whose field she had worked. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.”

20 “May theLordbless him!” Naomi told her daughter-in-law. “He is showing his kindness to us as well as to your dead husband.That man is one of our closest relatives, one of our family redeemers.”

21 Then Ruthsaid, “What’s more, Boaz even told me to come back and stay with his harvesters until the entire harvest is completed.”

22 “Good!” Naomi exclaimed. “Do as he said, my daughter. Stay with his young women right through the whole harvest. You might be harassed in other fields, but you’ll be safe with him.”

23 So Ruth worked alongside the women in Boaz’s fields and gathered grain with them until the end of the barley harvest. Then she continued working with them through the wheat harvest in early summer. And all the while she lived with her mother-in-law.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/RUT/2-ef4412d0419c5bf37983e5b6295f0333.mp3?version_id=116—

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Ruth

Ruth 3

Ruth at the Threshing Floor

1 One day Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for.

2 Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he’s been very kind by letting you gather grain with his young women. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor.

3 Now do as I tell you—take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking.

4 Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.”

5 “I will do everything you say,” Ruth replied.

6 So she went down to the threshing floor that night and followed the instructions of her mother-in-law.

7 After Boaz had finished eating and drinking and was in good spirits, he lay down at the far end of the pile of grain and went to sleep. Then Ruth came quietly, uncovered his feet, and lay down.

8 Around midnight Boaz suddenly woke up and turned over. He was surprised to find a woman lying at his feet!

9 “Who are you?” he asked.

“I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer.”

10 “TheLordbless you, my daughter!” Boaz exclaimed. “You are showing even more family loyalty now than you did before, for you have not gone after a younger man, whether rich or poor.

11 Now don’t worry about a thing, my daughter. I will do what is necessary, for everyone in town knows you are a virtuous woman.

12 But while it’s true that I am one of your family redeemers, there is another man who is more closely related to you than I am.

13 Stay here tonight, and in the morning I will talk to him. If he is willing to redeem you, very well. Let him marry you. But if he is not willing, then as surely as theLordlives, I will redeem you myself! Now lie down here until morning.”

14 So Ruth lay at Boaz’s feet until the morning, but she got up before it was light enough for people to recognize each other. For Boaz had said, “No one must know that a woman was here at the threshing floor.”

15 Then Boaz said to her, “Bring your cloak and spread it out.” He measured six scoopsof barley into the cloak and placed it on her back. Then hereturned to the town.

16 When Ruth went back to her mother-in-law, Naomi asked, “What happened, my daughter?”

Ruth told Naomi everything Boaz had done for her,

17 and she added, “He gave me these six scoops of barley and said, ‘Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.’”

18 Then Naomi said to her, “Just be patient, my daughter, until we hear what happens. The man won’t rest until he has settled things today.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/RUT/3-40382d95b62b16dbf5822c82ca22589e.mp3?version_id=116—

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Ruth

Ruth 4

Boaz Marries Ruth

1 Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. Just then the family redeemer he had mentioned came by, so Boaz called out to him, “Come over here and sit down, friend. I want to talk to you.” So they sat down together.

2 Then Boaz called ten leaders from the town and asked them to sit as witnesses.

3 And Boaz said to the family redeemer, “You know Naomi, who came back from Moab. She is selling the land that belonged to our relative Elimelech.

4 I thought I should speak to you about it so that you can redeem it if you wish. If you want the land, then buy it here in the presence of these witnesses. But if you don’t want it, let me know right away, because I am next in line to redeem it after you.”

The man replied, “All right, I’ll redeem it.”

5 Then Boaz told him, “Of course, your purchase of the land from Naomi also requires that you marry Ruth, the Moabite widow. That way she can have children who will carry on her husband’s name and keep the land in the family.”

6 “Then I can’t redeem it,” the family redeemer replied, “because this might endanger my own estate. You redeem the land; I cannot do it.”

7 Now in those days it was the custom in Israel for anyone transferring a right of purchase to remove his sandal and hand it to the other party. This publicly validated the transaction.

8 So the other family redeemer drew off his sandal as he said to Boaz, “You buy the land.”

9 Then Boaz said to the elders and to the crowd standing around, “You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon.

10 And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown. You are all witnesses today.”

11 Then the elders and all the people standing in the gate replied, “We are witnesses! May theLordmake this woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.

12 And may theLordgive you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.”

The Descendants of Boaz

13 So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, theLordenabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son.

14 Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise theLord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel.

15 May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!”

16 Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own.

17 The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.

18 This is the genealogical record of their ancestor Perez:

Perez was the father of Hezron.

19 Hezron was the father of Ram.

Ram was the father of Amminadab.

20 Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.

Nahshon was the father of Salmon.

21 Salmon was the father of Boaz.

Boaz was the father of Obed.

22 Obed was the father of Jesse.

Jesse was the father of David.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/RUT/4-29f8c7420508c8c384ae72102208f2f2.mp3?version_id=116—

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1 Samuel

1 Samuel 1

Elkanah and His Family

1 There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuphin the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim.

2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

3 Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to theLordof Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of theLordat that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas.

4 On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children.

5 And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portionbecause theLordhad given her no children.

6 So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because theLordhad kept her from having children.

7 Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle.Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.

8 “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?”

Hannah’s Prayer for a Son

9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle.

10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to theLord.

11 And she made this vow: “OLordof Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to theLord, his hair will never be cut.”

12 As she was praying to theLord, Eli watched her.

13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking.

14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”

15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to theLord.

16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”

17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”

18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

Samuel’s Birth and Dedication

19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship theLordonce more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, theLordremembered her plea,

20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,for she said, “I asked theLordfor him.”

21 The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to theLordand to keep his vow.

22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with theLordpermanently.”

23 “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may theLordhelp you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.

24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bullfor the sacrifice and a basketof flour and some wine.

25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli.

26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to theLord.

27 I asked theLordto give me this boy, and he has granted my request.

28 Now I am giving him to theLord, and he will belong to theLordhis whole life.” And theyworshiped theLordthere.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/1-4e3cbe11aac5017d0303581b51d0d2ec.mp3?version_id=116—

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1 Samuel

1 Samuel 2

Hannah’s Prayer of Praise

1 Then Hannah prayed:

“My heart rejoices in theLord!

TheLordhas made me strong.

Now I have an answer for my enemies;

I rejoice because you rescued me.

2 No one is holy like theLord!

There is no one besides you;

there is no Rock like our God.

3 “Stop acting so proud and haughty!

Don’t speak with such arrogance!

For theLordis a God who knows what you have done;

he will judge your actions.

4 The bow of the mighty is now broken,

and those who stumbled are now strong.

5 Those who were well fed are now starving,

and those who were starving are now full.

The childless woman now has seven children,

and the woman with many children wastes away.

6 TheLordgives both death and life;

he brings some down to the gravebut raises others up.

7 TheLordmakes some poor and others rich;

he brings some down and lifts others up.

8 He lifts the poor from the dust

and the needy from the garbage dump.

He sets them among princes,

placing them in seats of honor.

For all the earth is theLord’s,

and he has set the world in order.

9 “He will protect his faithful ones,

but the wicked will disappear in darkness.

No one will succeed by strength alone.

10 Those who fight against theLordwill be shattered.

He thunders against them from heaven;

theLordjudges throughout the earth.

He gives power to his king;

he increases the strengthof his anointed one.”

11 Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served theLordby assisting Eli the priest.

Eli’s Wicked Sons

12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for theLord

13 or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling,

14 the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli’s sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way.

15 Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal’s fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting.

16 The man offering the sacrifice might reply, “Take as much as you want, but the fat must be burned first.” Then the servant would demand, “No, give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.”

17 So the sin of these young men was very serious in theLord’s sight, for they treated theLord’s offerings with contempt.

18 But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served theLord. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest.

19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice.

20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May theLordgive you other children to take the place of this one she gave to theLord.”

21 And theLordblessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of theLord.

22 Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

23 Eli said to them, “I have been hearing reports from all the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning?

24 You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among theLord’s people are not good.

25 If someone sins against another person, Godcan mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against theLord, who can intercede?” But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for theLordwas already planning to put them to death.

26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with theLordand with the people.

A Warning for Eli’s Family

27 One day a man of God came to Eli and gave him this message from theLord: “I revealed myselfto your ancestors when they were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt.

28 I chose your ancestor Aaronfrom among all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vestas he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests.

29 So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!

30 “Therefore, theLord, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Leviwould always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me.

31 The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age.

32 You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel. But no members of your family will ever live out their days.

33 The few not cut off from serving at my altar will survive, but only so their eyes can go blind and their hearts break, and their children will die a violent death.

34 And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day!

35 “Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I desire. I will establish his family, and they will be priests to my anointed kings forever.

36 Then all of your surviving family will bow before him, begging for money and food. ‘Please,’ they will say, ‘give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.’”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/2-ca07f1b44bd3fc888821e08fb1c7496c.mp3?version_id=116—

Categories
1 Samuel

1 Samuel 3

The Lord Speaks to Samuel

1 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served theLordby assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from theLordwere very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.

2 One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed.

3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernaclenear the Ark of God.

4 Suddenly theLordcalled out, “Samuel!”

“Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?”

5 He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.

6 Then theLordcalled out again, “Samuel!”

Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”

7 Samuel did not yet know theLordbecause he had never had a message from theLordbefore.

8 So theLordcalled a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

Then Eli realized it was theLordwho was calling the boy.

9 So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak,Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.

10 And theLordcame and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

11 Then theLordsaid to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel.

12 I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end.

13 I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming Godand he hasn’t disciplined them.

14 So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”

Samuel Speaks for the Lord

15 Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacleas usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what theLordhad said to him.

16 But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.”

“Here I am,” Samuel replied.

17 “What did theLordsay to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!”

18 So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is theLord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.”

19 As Samuel grew up, theLordwas with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.

20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of theLord.

21 TheLordcontinued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.

4:1 And Samuel’s words went out to all the people of Israel.

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/3-582dfd95d648f864dcde2b1329776ca1.mp3?version_id=116—

Categories
1 Samuel

1 Samuel 4

The Philistines Capture the Ark

At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israelite army was camped near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were at Aphek.

2 The Philistines attacked and defeated the army of Israel, killing 4,000 men.

3 After the battle was over, the troops retreated to their camp, and the elders of Israel asked, “Why did theLordallow us to be defeated by the Philistines?” Then they said, “Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of theLordfrom Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, itwill save us from our enemies.”

4 So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of theLordof Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were also there with the Ark of the Covenant of God.

5 When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of theLordcoming into the camp, their shout of joy was so loud it made the ground shake!

6 “What’s going on?” the Philistines asked. “What’s all the shouting about in the Hebrew camp?” When they were told it was because the Ark of theLordhad arrived,

7 they panicked. “The gods havecome into their camp!” they cried. “This is a disaster! We have never had to face anything like this before!

8 Help! Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness.

9 Fight as never before, Philistines! If you don’t, we will become the Hebrews’ slaves just as they have been ours! Stand up like men and fight!”

10 So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents.

11 The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed.

The Death of Eli

12 A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battlefield and arrived at Shiloh later that same day. He had torn his clothes and put dust on his head to show his grief.

13 Eli was waiting beside the road to hear the news of the battle, for his heart trembled for the safety of the Ark of God. When the messenger arrived and told what had happened, an outcry resounded throughout the town.

14 “What is all the noise about?” Eli asked.

The messenger rushed over to Eli,

15 who was ninety-eight years old and blind.

16 He said to Eli, “I have just come from the battlefield—I was there this very day.”

“What happened, my son?” Eli demanded.

17 “Israel has been defeated by the Philistines,” the messenger replied. “The people have been slaughtered, and your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were also killed. And the Ark of God has been captured.”

18 When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark of God, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and overweight. He had been Israel’s judge for forty years.

19 Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near her time of delivery. When she heard that the Ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth.

20 She died in childbirth, but before she passed away the midwives tried to encourage her. “Don’t be afraid,” they said. “You have a baby boy!” But she did not answer or pay attention to them.

21 She named the child Ichabod (which means “Where is the glory?”), for she said, “Israel’s glory is gone.” She named him this because the Ark of God had been captured and because her father-in-law and husband were dead.

22 Then she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the Ark of God has been captured.”

—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/6/32k/1SA/4-23a4cf32388ad3717d3b5771f9df20a6.mp3?version_id=116—