Saturday in Epiphany

3Verse 3. Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts for the LORD, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” 4Verse 4. So the Israelites put away the Baals and Ashtoreths and served only the LORD. 5Verse 5. Then Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the LORD on your behalf.” 6Verse 6. When they had gathered at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out before the LORD. On that day they fasted, and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the LORD.” And Samuel judged the Israelites at Mizpah. 7Verse 7. When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, their rulers marched up toward Israel. And when the Israelites learned of this, they feared the Philistines 8Verse 8. and said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 9Verse 9. Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on behalf of Israel, and the LORD answered him. 10Verse 10. As the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel, Samuel was offering up the burnt offering. But that day the LORD thundered loudly against the Philistines and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel. 11Verse 11. Then the men of Israel charged out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistines, striking them down all the way to an area below Beth-car. 12Verse 12. Afterward, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” 13Verse 13. So the Philistines were subdued, and they stopped invading the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 14Verse 14. The cities from Ekron to Gath, which the Philistines had taken, were restored to Israel, who also delivered the surrounding territory from the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between the Israelites and the Amorites. 15Verse 15. So Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 16Verse 16. Every year he would go on a circuit from Bethel to Gilgal to Mizpah, judging Israel in all these places. 17Verse 17. Then he would return to Ramah because his home was there, and there he judged Israel and built an altar to the LORD.

19Verse 19. And he spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20Verse 20. Saul promptly began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, declaring, “He is the Son of God.” 21Verse 21. All who heard him were astounded and asked, “Isn’t this the man who wreaked havoc in Jerusalem on those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22Verse 22. But Saul was empowered all the more, and he confounded the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. 23Verse 23. After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24Verse 24. but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him. 25Verse 25. One night, however, his disciples took him and lowered him in a basket through a window in the wall. 26Verse 26. When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. 27Verse 27. Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him on the road to Damascus, and how Saul had spoken boldly in that city in the name of Jesus. 28Verse 28. So Saul stayed with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29Verse 29. He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30Verse 30. When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 31Verse 31. Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew in strength and numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.