¹Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ²And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ³This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lᴏʀᴅ of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lᴏʀᴅ, were there. ⁴And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. ⁵But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lᴏʀᴅ had closed her womb. ⁶And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lᴏʀᴅ had closed her womb. ⁷So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lᴏʀᴅ, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. ⁸Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” ⁹So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lᴏʀᴅ. ¹⁰And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lᴏʀᴅ and wept in anguish. ¹¹Then she made a vow and said, “O Lᴏʀᴅ of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lᴏʀᴅ all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” ¹²And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lᴏʀᴅ, that Eli watched her mouth. ¹³Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” ¹⁵And Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lᴏʀᴅ. ¹⁶Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.” ¹⁷Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” ¹⁸And she said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. ¹⁹Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lᴏʀᴅ, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lᴏʀᴅ remembered her. ²⁰So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lᴏʀᴅ.” ²¹Now the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to the Lᴏʀᴅ the yearly sacrifice and his vow. ²²But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the Lᴏʀᴅ and remain there forever.” ²³And Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lᴏʀᴅ establish His word.” So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. ²⁴Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lᴏʀᴅ in Shiloh. And the child was young. ²⁵Then they slaughtered a bull, and brought the child to Eli. ²⁶And she said, “O my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lᴏʀᴅ. ²⁷For this child I prayed, and the Lᴏʀᴅ has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. ²⁸Therefore I also have lent him to the Lᴏʀᴅ; as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lᴏʀᴅ.” So they worshiped the Lᴏʀᴅ there.

¹Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God ²which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, ³concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, ⁴and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. ⁵Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, ⁶among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ; ⁷To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ⁸First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. ⁹For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, ¹⁰making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. ¹¹For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— ¹²that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. ¹³Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. ¹⁴I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. ¹⁵So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. ¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. ¹⁷For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” ¹⁸For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, ²¹because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. ²²Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. ²⁴Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, ²⁵who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. ²⁶For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. ²⁷Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. ²⁸And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; ²⁹being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, ³⁰backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; ³²who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

¹In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem, and besieged it. ²In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was penetrated. ³Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sarezer, Rabmag, with the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon. ⁴So it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the plain. ⁵But the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had captured him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him. ⁶Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah; the king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah. ⁷Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, and bound him with bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. ⁸And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people with fire, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. ⁹Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive to Babylon the remnant of the people who remained in the city and those who defected to him, with the rest of the people who remained. ¹⁰But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah the poor people, who had nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time. ¹¹Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, ¹²“Take him and look after him, and do him no harm; but do to him just as he says to you.” ¹³So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon’s chief officers; ¹⁴then they sent someone to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he dwelt among the people. ¹⁵Meanwhile the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ had come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, ¹⁶“Go and speak to Ebed-Melech the Ethiopian, saying, ‘Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will bring My words upon this city for adversity and not for good, and they shall be performed in that day before you. ¹⁷But I will deliver you in that day,” says the Lᴏʀᴅ, “and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. ¹⁸For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,” says the Lᴏʀᴅ.’ ”

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. How long, O Lᴏʀᴅ? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? ²How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? ³Consider and hear me, O Lᴏʀᴅ my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; ⁴Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. ⁵But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. ⁶I will sing to the Lᴏʀᴅ, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. ²The Lᴏʀᴅ looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. ³They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. ⁴Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on the Lᴏʀᴅ? ⁵There they are in great fear, For God is with the generation of the righteous. ⁶You shame the counsel of the poor, But the Lᴏʀᴅ is his refuge. ⁷Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lᴏʀᴅ brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.