Day 138 of 365

1 Sam 3:1–5:12

3:1 The child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

3:2 It happened at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see),

3:3 and the lamp of God hadn't yet gone out, and Samuel had lain down in the Lord's temple, where the ark of God was;

3:4 that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, "Here I am."

3:5 He ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am; for you called me." He said, "I did not call; lie down again." He went and lay down.

3:6 The Lord called yet again, "Samuel!" Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am; for you called me." He answered, "I did not call, my son; lie down again."

3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.

3:8 The Lord called Samuel again the third time. He arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am; for you called me." Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

3:9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, Lord; for your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

3:10 The Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak; for your servant hears."

3:11 The Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle.

3:12 In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even to the end.

3:13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves, and he did not restrain them.

3:14 Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be removed with sacrifice nor offering forever."

3:15 Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.

3:16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, "Samuel, my son!" He said, "Here I am."

3:17 He said, "What is the thing that he has spoken to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke to you."

3:18 Samuel told him every bit, and hid nothing from him. He said, "It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him."

3:19 Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground.

3:20 All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.

3:21 The Lord appeared again in Shiloh; for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.

4:1 The word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and encamped beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines encamped in Aphek.

4:2 The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was struck before the Philistines; and they killed of the army in the field about four thousand men.

4:3 When the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the Lord struck us today before the Philistines? Let us get the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh to us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand of our enemies."

4:4 So the people sent to Shiloh; and they brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, who sits above the cherubim: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

4:5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again.

4:6 When the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" They understood that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp.

4:7 The Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp." They said, "Woe to us! For there has not been such a thing before.

4:8 Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.

4:9 Be strong, and behave like men, O you Philistines, that you not be servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Strengthen yourselves like men, and fight!"

4:10 The Philistines fought, and Israel was struck, and they fled every man to his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.

4:11 The ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

4:12 There ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the same day, with his clothes torn, and with earth on his head.

4:13 When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching; for his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.

4:14 When Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, "What does the noise of this tumult mean?" The man hurried, and came and told Eli.

4:15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old; and his eyes were set, so that he could not see.

4:16 The man said to Eli, "I am he who came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army." He said, "How did the matter go, my son?"

4:17 He who brought the news answered, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been also a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured."

4:18 It happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck broke, and he died; for he was an old man, and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years.

4:19 His daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered. When she heard the news that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth; for her pains came on her.

4:20 About the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, "Do not be afraid; for you have given birth to a son." But she did not answer, neither did she regard it.

4:21 She named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel"; because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

4:22 She said, "The glory has departed from Israel; for the ark of God is taken."

5:1 Now the Philistines had taken the ark of God, and they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

5:2 The Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

5:3 When they of Ashdod arose early on the next day, behold, Dagon was fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord. They took Dagon, and set him in his place again.

5:4 When they arose early on the next day morning, behold, Dagon was fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold. Only Dagon's torso was intact.

5:5 Therefore neither the priests of Dagon, nor any who come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod, to this day.

5:6 But the hand of the Lord was heavy on them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and struck them with tumors, even Ashdod and its borders.

5:7 When the men of Ashdod saw that it was so, they said, "The ark of the God of Israel shall not stay with us; for his hand is severe on us, and on Dagon our god."

5:8 They sent therefore and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them, and said, "What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?" They answered, "Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried over to Gath." They carried the ark of the God of Israel there.

5:9 It was so, that after they had carried it about, the hand of the Lord was against the city with a very great confusion: and he struck the men of the city, both small and great; and tumors broke out on them.

5:10 So they sent the ark of God to Ekron. It happened, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, "They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people."

5:11 They sent therefore and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and they said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to its own place, that it not kill us and our people." For there was a deadly confusion throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.

5:12 The men who did not die were struck with the tumors; and the cry of the city went up to heaven.

John 6:14–35

14 When therefore the people saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, "This is truly the Prophet who comes into the world."

15 Jesus therefore, perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,

17 and they entered into the boat, and were going over the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them.

18 The sea was tossed by a great wind blowing.

19 When therefore they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing near to the boat; and they were afraid.

20 But he said to them, "It is I. Do not be afraid."

21 They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat. Immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

22 On the next day, the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with his disciples into the boat, but his disciples had gone away alone.

23 However boats from Tiberias came near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

24 When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

26 Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.

27 Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him."

28 They said therefore to him, "What must we do, that we may work the works of God?"

29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

30 They said therefore to him, "What then do you do for a sign, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you do?

31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, 'He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.'"

32 Jesus therefore said to them, "Truly, truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven.

33 For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."

34 They said therefore to him, "Lord, always give us this bread."

35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

Prov 31:13–24

13 She seeks wool and flax, and works eagerly with her hands.

14 She is like the merchant ships. She brings her bread from afar.

15 She rises also while it is yet night, gives food to her household, and portions for her servant girls.

16 She considers a field, and buys it. With the fruit of her hands, she plants a vineyard.

17 She girds her waist with strength, and makes her arms strong.

18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp doesn't go out by night.

19 She lays her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.

20 She opens her arms to the poor; yes, she extends her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household; for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

22 She makes for herself carpets of tapestry. Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is respected in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them, and delivers sashes to the merchant.