Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 1

Elkanah and His Wives

¹ Now there was a man from ^(C1)Ramathaim-zophim from the ^(C2)hill country of Ephraim, and his name was ^(C3)Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.² And he had ^(C1)two wives: the name of one was ^(C2)Hannah and the name of the ^(F1)other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³ Now this man would go up from his city ^(C1)yearly ^(C2)to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of armies in ^(C3)Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD there.⁴ When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he ^(C1)would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters;⁵ but to Hannah he would give a double portion, because he loved Hannah, ^(C1)but the LORD had closed her womb.⁶ Her rival, moreover, ^(C1)would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb.⁷ And it happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, that she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat.⁸ Then Elkanah her husband would say to her, "Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you not eat, and why is your heart sad? ^(C1)Am I not better to you than ten sons?"

⁹ Then Hannah got up after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of ^(C1)the ^(F1)temple of the LORD.¹⁰ She, ^(F1)greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.¹¹ And she ^(C1)made a vow and said, "LORD of armies, if You will indeed ^(C2)look on the affliction of Your bond-servant and remember me, and not forget Your bond-servant, but will give Your bond-servant a ^(F1)son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and ^(C3)a razor shall never come on his head."

¹² Now it came about, as she ^(F1)continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth.¹³ As for Hannah, ^(C1)she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were quivering, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought that she was drunk.¹⁴ Then Eli said to her, "^(C1)How long will you behave like a drunk? Get rid of your wine!"¹⁵ But Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman ^(F1)despairing in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I ^(C1)have poured out my soul before the LORD.¹⁶ "Do not ^(F1)consider your bond-servant a useless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation."¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, "^(C1)Go in peace; and may the God of Israel ^(C2)grant your request that you have asked of Him."¹⁸ She said, "^(C1)Let your bond-servant find favor in your sight." So the woman went on her way and ate, and ^(C2)her face was no longer sad.

Samuel Is Born to Hannah

¹⁹ Then they got up early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned again to their house in ^(C1)Ramah. And Elkanah ^(F1)had relations with Hannah his wife, and ^(C2)the LORD remembered her.²⁰ It came about ^(F1)in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, "^(C1)Because I have asked for him of the LORD."

²¹ Then the man Elkanah ^(C1)went up with all his household to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow.²² But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "I will not go until the child is weaned; then I will ^(C1)bring him, so that he may appear before the LORD and ^(C2)stay there for life."^23 (C1)Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do ^(F1)what seems best to you. Stay until you have weaned him; only ^(C2)may the LORD confirm His word." So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him.²⁴ Now when she had weaned him, ^(C1)she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull, one ephah of flour, and a jug of wine, and brought him to ^(C2)the house of the LORD in Shiloh, although the child was young.²⁵ Then ^(C1)they ^(F1)slaughtered the bull, and ^(C2)brought the boy to Eli.²⁶ And she said, "Pardon me, my lord! ^(C1)As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD.²⁷ "^(C1)For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my request which I asked of Him.²⁸ "^(C1)So I have also ^(F1)dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is ^(F1)dedicated to the LORD." And ^(C2)he worshiped the LORD there.

Chapter 26

¹⁹ "For that reason, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision,²⁰ but continually proclaimed ^(C1)to those in Damascus first, and ^(C2)in Jerusalem, and then all the region of Judea, and even ^(C3)to the Gentiles, that they are to ^(C4)repent and turn to God, performing deeds ^(C5)consistent with repentance.²¹ "For these reasons some Jews ^(C1)seized me in the temple and tried ^(C2)to murder me.²² "So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day ^(C1)testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what ^(C2)the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place,²³ as to ^(C1)whether the ^(F1)Christ was ^(F2)to suffer, and whether, as ^(C2)first from the resurrection of the dead, He would proclaim ^(C3)light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles."

²⁴ While ^(F1)Paul was stating these things in his defense, Festus ^(*)said in a loud voice, "Paul, you are out of your mind! ^(F2)Your great ^(C1)learning is ^(F3)driving you insane."²⁵ But Paul ^(*)said, "I am not insane, ^(C1)most excellent Festus; on the contrary, I am speaking out with ^(F1)truthful and rational words.²⁶ "For the king ^(F1)(C1)knows about these matters, and I also speak to him with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a ^(F2)corner.²⁷ "King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you believe."²⁸ Agrippa replied to Paul, "^(F1)In a short time you are going to persuade me to ^(F2)make a ^(C1)Christian of myself."²⁹ And Paul said, "I would ^(F1)wish to God that even ^(F2)in a short or long time not only you, but also all who hear me this day would become such as I myself am, except for these ^(C1)chains."

^30 (C1)The king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them,³¹ and when they had gone out, they began talking to one another, saying, "^(C1)This man is not doing anything deserving death or ^(F1)imprisonment."³² And Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been ^(C1)set free if he had not ^(C2)appealed to Caesar."