Now there was  ¹a certain rich man, and he clothed himself in purple and fine linen, making merry every day in splendor.

And a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores

And longing to be satisfied with the things falling from the rich man's table; moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.

And the beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels into  ¹Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.

And in  ¹Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham from afar and Lazarus in his bosom.

And he called out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in this flame.

But Abraham said, Child, remember that in your lifetime you fully received your good things, and Lazarus likewise bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.

And besides all these things, between us and you a great  ¹chasm is fixed, so that those wanting to pass from here to you cannot, neither from there to us may any cross over.

And he said, Then I ask you, Father, to send him to the house of my father —

For I have five brothers — so that he may solemnly testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.

But Abraham said, They have  ¹Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

But he said, No, Father Abraham; but if someone risen from the dead would go to them, they will repent.

But he said to him, If they do  ¹not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.

And He said to His disciples, It is impossible for causes of stumbling not to come, but woe to him through whom they come.

It is more profitable for him if a millstone is put around his neck and he is hurled into the sea than to stumble one of these little ones.

Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

And if he sins against you seven times in a day and turns again to you seven times, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him.

And the apostles said to the Lord,  ¹Increase our faith.

But the Lord said, If you have faith like a mustard seed, you would have said to this sycamine tree, Be uprooted and be planted in the sea; and it would have obeyed you.

But which of you, having a slave who is plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, Come immediately and recline at table?

Will he not rather say to him, Prepare something that I may dine, and gird yourself and serve me until I eat and drink; and after that you will eat and drink?

He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were ordered, does he?

So also you, when you do all the things which are ordered you, say, We are unprofitable slaves; we have done what we ought to have done.

 ¹Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim, from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite.

And he had two wives; the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other was Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

And this man went up from his city year by year to worship and to sacrifice to Jehovah of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests of Jehovah, were there.

And when the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters.

But he would give a double portion to Hannah, for it was Hannah whom he loved; but  ¹Jehovah had shut up her womb.

And her rival provoked her bitterly to irritate her, because Jehovah had shut up her womb.

And so it happened year after year; when she went up to the house of Jehovah,  ¹the other provoked her this way; and she wept and would not eat.

And Elkanah her husband said to her, Hannah, why are you weeping, and why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?

Then after the eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah rose up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his seat at the doorpost of the  ¹temple of Jehovah.

And she was bitter in soul and  ¹prayed to Jehovah and wept much.

And she made a vow and said, O Jehovah of hosts, if You will indeed look upon the affliction of Your female servant and remember me and not forget Your female servant, but give to Your female servant a male child, then I will give him to Jehovah for all the days of his life, and no  ¹razor will come upon his head.

And while she continued praying a long time before Jehovah, Eli watched her mouth.

And Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought that she was drunk.

And Eli said to her, How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine from you.

And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord. I am a woman oppressed in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before Jehovah.

Do not take your female servant for a worthless woman; for out of the greatness of my anxiety and provocation I have been speaking all this time.

Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your request that you have requested from Him.

And she said, Let your servant find favor in your sight. And the woman went her way; and she ate, and her countenance was sad no more.

And they rose up early in the morning and worshipped before Jehovah; and they returned and came to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and Jehovah remembered her.

And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son; and she called his name  ¹Samuel, For, she said, I asked for him of Jehovah.

And the man Elkanah went up with all his house to offer the yearly sacrifice to Jehovah and his vow.

But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, When the child is weaned, then I will bring him up, so that he may appear before Jehovah and stay there forever.

And Elkanah her husband said to her, Do what is good in your sight; stay until you have weaned him. Only, may Jehovah establish His word. So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him.

And as soon as she weaned him, she brought him up with her, along with three bulls and one ephah of flour and a skin of wine; and she brought him to the house of Jehovah in Shiloh, although the child was young.

And they slaughtered the bull and brought the child to Eli.

And she said, Oh, my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here by you, praying to Jehovah.

It was for this child that I prayed, and Jehovah has granted me my request that I requested from Him.

Therefore I, for my part, have  ¹lent him to Jehovah; all the days that he lives, he is lent to Jehovah. And he worshipped Jehovah there.

And Hannah prayed and said:
My heart exults in Jehovah;
My horn is exalted in Jehovah;
My mouth is enlarged against my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your  ¹salvation.

There is none holy like Jehovah,
For there is none besides You;
Nor is there a rock like our God.

Talk no more so very proudly;
Do not let arrogance go forth from your mouth;
For Jehovah is a God of knowledge,
 ¹And actions are weighed by Him.

The bows of the mighty men are broken,
And those who stumbled are girded with strength.

Those who were full have hired themselves out for food,
And those who were hungry are not so any longer.
She who was barren has borne seven,
And she who had many children languishes.

Jehovah kills and makes alive;
He brings down to Sheol and brings up.

Jehovah makes poor and makes rich;
He makes low and also lifts up.

He raises the poor from the dust,
From the ash heap He lifts the needy,
That He may seat them with princes
And cause them to inherit the throne of glory.
For the pillars of the earth are Jehovah's,
And He has set the world upon them.

He will keep the feet of His faithful ones,
But the wicked will be silenced in darkness;
For not by strength shall any man prevail.

Those who strive with Jehovah will be shattered;
Against them He will thunder in heaven.
Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth;
And He will give strength to His king
And exalt the horn of His anointed.

And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child  ¹ministered to Jehovah before  ²Eli the priest.

Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know Jehovah,

Nor did they regard the priests' rightful due with the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's attendant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the flesh was boiling,

And he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot; all that the fork brought up, the priest took with it. Thus they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.

Indeed before they burned the fat, the priest's attendant would come and say to the man sacrificing, Give some flesh to roast for the priest, for he will not accept boiled flesh from you, but only raw.

And if the man said to him, Let them burn up the fat first, then take as much as your soul desires; he would say, No, but you shall give it now; otherwise, I will take it by force.

And the sin of the young men was very great before Jehovah, for the men despised the offering of Jehovah.

And Samuel ministered before Jehovah, as a boy wearing a linen ephod.

And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it up to him yearly when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, May Jehovah give you seed by this woman in place of the one she requested of Jehovah; and they would go back to their place.

 ¹And Jehovah visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew before Jehovah.

Now Eli was very old, and he heard of all that his sons did to all Israel and how they lay with the women who were engaged in service at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

And he said to them,  ¹Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.

No, my sons; for it is not a good report  ¹that I hear Jehovah's people spreading.

If one man sins against another man, God will arbitrate for him; but if a man sins against Jehovah, who will arbitrate for him? But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for Jehovah was pleased to kill them.

And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor both with Jehovah and with men.