Thursday 11 January 2018

1The 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.2The Philistines put themselves in array against Israel.When they joined battle,Israel was defeated by the Philistines,who killed about four thousand men of the army in the field.3When the people had come into the camp,the elders of Israel said,“Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines?Let’s get the ark of the Lord’s covenant out of Shiloh and bring it to us,that it may come among usand save us out of the hand of our enemies.”

4So the people sent to Shiloh,and they brought from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Armies,who sits above the cherubim;and the two sons of Eli,Hophni and Phinehas,were there with the ark of the covenant of God.5When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp,all Israel shouted with a great shout,so that the earth resounded.6When 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 understoodthat the Lord’s ark had come into the camp.7The 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.8Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods?These are the godsthat struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.9Be 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!”10The Philistines fought,and Israel was defeated,and each man fled to his tent.There was a very great slaughter;for thirty thousand footmen of Israel fell.11God’s ark was taken;and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.

10But now you rejected us, and brought us to dishonor,and don’t go out with our armies.11You make us turn back from the adversary.Those who hate us take plunder for themselves.

14You make us a reproach to our neighbors,a scoffing and a derision to those who are around us.15You make us a byword among the nations,a shaking of the head among the peoples.

24Wake up!Why do you sleep, Lord?Arise!Don’t reject us forever.25Why do you hide your face,and forget our affliction and our oppression?

40A leper came to him,begging him, kneeling down to him,and saying to him,“If you want to, you can make me clean.”

41Being moved with compassion,he stretched out his hand,and touched him, and said to him, “I want to.Be made clean.”42When he had said this,immediately the leprosy departed from himand he was made clean.43He strictly warned him and immediately sent him out,44and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anybody,but go show yourself to the priestand offer for your cleansing the thingswhich Moses commanded,for a testimony to them.”

45But he went out, and began to proclaim it much,and to spread about the matter,so that Jesus could no more openly enter into a city,but was outside in desert places.People came to him from everywhere.