¹And the word of Samuel came to all Israel.Now Israel went out to battle against the Philistines, and encamped beside Ebenezer; and the Philistines encamped in Aphek. ²Then the Philistines put themselves in battle array against Israel. And when they joined battle, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. ³And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lᴏʀᴅ defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lᴏʀᴅ from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.” ⁴So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the Lᴏʀᴅ of hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. ⁵And when the ark of the covenant of the Lᴏʀᴅ came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. ⁶Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the Lᴏʀᴅ had come into the camp. ⁷So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, “God has come into the camp!” And they said, “Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before. ⁸Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. ⁹Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!” ¹⁰So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. ¹¹Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. ¹²Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day, and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. ¹³Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out. ¹⁴When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, “What does the sound of this tumult mean?” And the man came quickly and told Eli. ¹⁵Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. ¹⁶Then the man said to Eli, “I am he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line.” And he said, “What happened, my son?” ¹⁷So the messenger answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured.” ¹⁸Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. ¹⁹Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her. ²⁰And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, “Do not fear, for you have borne a son.” But she did not answer, nor did she regard it. ²¹Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel!” because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. ²²And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”

¹What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? ²For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. ³For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ⁴Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. ⁵But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, ⁶just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: ⁷“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; ⁸Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.” ⁹Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. ¹⁰How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. ¹¹And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, ¹²and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. ¹³For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. ¹⁴For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, ¹⁵because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. ¹⁶Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all ¹⁷(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; ¹⁸who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” ¹⁹And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, ²¹and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. ²²And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness.” ²³Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, ²⁴but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

¹Now all the captains of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, came near ²and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, and pray for us to the Lᴏʀᴅ your God, for all this remnant (since we are left but a few of many, as you can see), ³that the Lᴏʀᴅ your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do.” ⁴Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard. Indeed, I will pray to the Lᴏʀᴅ your God according to your words, and it shall be, that whatever the Lᴏʀᴅ answers you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.” ⁵So they said to Jeremiah, “Let the Lᴏʀᴅ be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the Lᴏʀᴅ your God sends us by you. ⁶Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the Lᴏʀᴅ our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lᴏʀᴅ our God.” ⁷And it happened after ten days that the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ came to Jeremiah. ⁸Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, ⁹and said to them, “Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: ¹⁰‘If you will still remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. ¹¹Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,’ says the Lᴏʀᴅ, ‘for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. ¹²And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’ ¹³“But if you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lᴏʀᴅ your God, ¹⁴saying, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Egypt where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell’— ¹⁵Then hear now the word of the Lᴏʀᴅ, O remnant of Judah! Thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you wholly set your faces to enter Egypt, and go to dwell there, ¹⁶then it shall be that the sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die. ¹⁷So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. And none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.’ ¹⁸“For thus says the Lᴏʀᴅ of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘As My anger and My fury have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will My fury be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And you shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more.’ ¹⁹The Lᴏʀᴅ has said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Know certainly that I have admonished you this day. ²⁰For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the Lᴏʀᴅ your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the Lᴏʀᴅ our God, and according to all that the Lᴏʀᴅ your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ ²¹And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the Lᴏʀᴅ your God, or anything which He has sent you by me. ²²Now therefore, know certainly that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell.”

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lᴏʀᴅ, who spoke to the Lᴏʀᴅ the words of this song on the day that the Lᴏʀᴅ delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said: I will love You, O Lᴏʀᴅ, my strength. ²The Lᴏʀᴅ is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. ³I will call upon the Lᴏʀᴅ, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. ⁴The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid. ⁵The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. ⁶In my distress I called upon the Lᴏʀᴅ, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears. ⁷Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. ⁸Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. ⁹He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. ¹⁰And He rode upon a cherub, and flew; He flew upon the wings of the wind. ¹¹He made darkness His secret place; His canopy around Him was dark waters And thick clouds of the skies. ¹²From the brightness before Him, His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire. ¹³The Lᴏʀᴅ thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. ¹⁴He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them. ¹⁵Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At Your rebuke, O Lᴏʀᴅ, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. ¹⁶He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. ¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. ¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lᴏʀᴅ was my support. ¹⁹He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. ²⁰The Lᴏʀᴅ rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. ²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lᴏʀᴅ, And have not wickedly departed from my God. ²²For all His judgments were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. ²³I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. ²⁴Therefore the Lᴏʀᴅ has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. ²⁵With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; ²⁶With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. ²⁷For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks. ²⁸For You will light my lamp; The Lᴏʀᴅ my God will enlighten my darkness. ²⁹For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall. ³⁰As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lᴏʀᴅ is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. ³¹For who is God, except the Lᴏʀᴅ? And who is a rock, except our God? ³²It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. ³³He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. ³⁴He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. ³⁵You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. ³⁶You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip. ³⁷I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. ³⁸I have wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. ³⁹For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. ⁴⁰You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. ⁴¹They cried out, but there was none to save; Even to the Lᴏʀᴅ, but He did not answer them. ⁴²Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind; I cast them out like dirt in the streets. ⁴³You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; You have made me the head of the nations; A people I have not known shall serve me. ⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me they obey me; The foreigners submit to me. ⁴⁵The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts. ⁴⁶The Lᴏʀᴅ lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. ⁴⁷It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me; ⁴⁸He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. ⁴⁹Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lᴏʀᴅ, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name. ⁵⁰Great deliverance He gives to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore.