AME Zion Universal Reading March 5th, 2023

Sunday School Zoom Link

First Portion

Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 27

20And you shall command the children of Israel, and they shall take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually.21In the Tent of Meeting, outside the dividing curtain that is in front of the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall set it up before the Lord from evening to morning; [it shall be] an everlasting statute for their generations, from the children of Israel.

Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 28

1And you bring near to yourself your brother Aaron, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel to serve Me [as kohanim]: Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.2You shall make holy garments for your brother Aaron, for honor and glory.3And you shall speak to all the wise hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, and they shall make Aaron's garments to sanctify him, [so] that he serve Me [as a kohen].4And these are the garments that they shall make: a choshen, an ephod, a robe, a tunic of checker work, a cap, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for your brother Aaron and for his sons to serve Me [as kohanim].5They shall take the gold, the blue, purple, and crimson wool, and the linen,6and they shall make the ephod of gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen, the work of a master weaver.7It shall have two connected shoulder straps at both its ends, and it shall be entirely connected.8And its decorative band, which is above it, shall be of the same work, [emanating] from it: gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen.9And you shall take two shoham stones and engrave upon them the names of the sons of Israel.10Six of their names on one stone and the names of the remaining six on the second stone, according to their births.11[Similar to] the work of an engraver of gems, [similar to] the engravings of a seal, you shall engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel; you shall make them enclosed in gold settings.12And you shall put the two stones upon the shoulder straps of the ephod as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel, and Aaron shall carry their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders as a remembrance.

Luke 15:11–24 (NLT): Parable of the Lost Son

11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.” ’

20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

Second Portion

Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 28

13You shall make settings of gold,14and two chains of pure gold you will make them attached to the edges, after the manner of cables, and you will place the cable chains upon the settings.15You shall make a choshen of judgment, the work of a master weaver. You shall make it like the work of the ephod; of gold, blue, purple, and crimson wool, and twisted fine linen shall you make it.16It shall be square [and] doubled; its length one span and its width one span.17And you shall fill into it stone fillings, four rows of stones. One row: odem, pitdah, and bareketh; thus shall the one row be.18The second row: nofech, sappir, and yahalom.19The third row: leshem, shevo, and achlamah.20And the fourth row: tarshish, shoham, and yashpheh; they shall be set in gold in their fillings.21And the stones shall be for the names of the sons of Israel twelve, corresponding to their names; [similar to] the engravings of a seal, every one according to his name shall they be, for the twelve tribes.22You shall make for the choshen chains at the edges, of cable work, of pure gold.23You shall make for the choshen two golden rings, and you shall place the two rings on the two ends of the choshen,24and you shall place the two golden cables on the two rings, at the ends of the choshen.25And the two ends of the two cables you shall place upon the two settings, and [these] you shall place upon the shoulder straps of the ephod, on its front part.26You shall make two golden rings, and you shall place them on the two ends of the choshen, on its edge that is toward the inner side of the ephod.27And you shall make two golden rings and place them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod, from below, toward its front, adjacent to its seam, above the band of the ephod.28And they shall fasten the choshen by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that it may be upon the band of the ephod, and the choshen will not move off the ephod.29Thus shall Aaron carry the names of the sons of Israel in the choshen of judgment over his heart when he enters the Holy, as a remembrance before the Lord at all times.30You shall place the Urim and the Tummim into the choshen of judgment so that they will be over Aaron's heart when he comes before the Lord, and Aaron will carry the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord at all times.

Monday

Psalm 28:1–9 (NLT):

1 I pray to you, O Lord, my rock.

Do not turn a deaf ear to me.

For if you are silent,

I might as well give up and die.

2 Listen to my prayer for mercy

as I cry out to you for help,

as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.

3 Do not drag me away with the wicked—

with those who do evil—

those who speak friendly words to their neighbors

while planning evil in their hearts.

4 Give them the punishment they so richly deserve!

Measure it out in proportion to their wickedness.

Pay them back for all their evil deeds!

Give them a taste of what they have done to others.

5 They care nothing for what the Lord has done

or for what his hands have made.

So he will tear them down,

and they will never be rebuilt!

6 Praise the Lord!

For he has heard my cry for mercy.

7 The Lord is my strength and shield.

I trust him with all my heart.

He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.

I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

8 The Lord gives his people strength.

He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.

9 Save your people!

Bless Israel, your special possession.

Lead them like a shepherd,

and carry them in your arms forever.

Third Portion

Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 28

31And you shall make the robe of the ephod completely of blue wool.32Its opening at the top shall be turned inward; its opening shall have a border around it, the work of a weaver. It shall have [an opening] like the opening of a coat of armor; it shall not be torn.33And on its bottom hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, purple, and crimson wool, on its bottom hem all around, and golden bells in their midst all around.34A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, on the bottom hem of the robe, all around.35It shall be on Aaron when he performs the service, and its sound shall be heard when he enters the Holy before the Lord and when he leaves, so that he will not die.36And you shall make a showplate of pure gold, and you shall engrave upon it like the engraving of a seal: Holy to the Lord."37And you shall place it upon a cord of blue wool and it shall go over the cap, and it shall be opposite the front side of the cap.38It shall be upon Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things that the children of Israel sanctify, for all their holy gifts. It shall be upon his forehead constantly to make them favorable before the Lord.39You shall make the linen tunic of checker work, and you shall make a linen cap; and you shall make a sash of embroidery work.40For Aaron's sons you shall make tunics and make them sashes, and you shall make them high hats for honor and glory.41With these you shall clothe Aaron, your brother, and his sons along with him, and you shall anoint them and invest them with full authority and sanctify them so that they may serve Me [as kohanim].42And make for them linen pants to cover the flesh of [their] nakedness; they shall reach from the waist down to the thighs.43They shall be worn by Aaron and by his sons when they enter the Tent of Meeting or when they approach the altar to serve in the Holy, so they will not bear iniquity and die. It shall be a perpetual statute for him and for his descendants after him.

Tuesday

Matthew 11:25–30 (NLT): Jesus’ Prayer of Thanksgiving

25 At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!

27 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Fourth Portion

Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 29

1And this is the thing that you shall do for them to sanctify them to serve Me [as kohanim]: take one young bull and two rams, perfect ones.2And unleavened bread and unleavened loaves mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil; you shall make them out of fine wheat flour.3And you shall place them upon a basket, and you shall bring them in the basket, and the bull and the two rams.4And you shall bring Aaron and his sons near the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and you shall bathe them in water.5And you shall take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, with the robe of the ephod, with the ephod, and with the choshen, and you shall adorn him with the band of the ephod.6You shall place the cap upon his head and place the holy crown upon the cap.7You shall take the anointing oil and pour [it] on his head and anoint him.8And you shall bring his sons near, and you shall clothe them with tunics.9And you shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and you shall dress them with high hats, and the kehunah will be a perpetual statute for them, and you shall invest Aaron and his sons with full authority.10You shall bring the bull to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lean their hands upon the head of the bull.11You shall [then] slaughter the bull before the Lord, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.12And you shall take [some] of the blood of the bull and apply it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and you shall pour out all the blood upon the base of the altar.13You shall then take all the fat that covers the innards, and the diaphragm with the liver, also the two kidneys and the fat that is upon them, and make them go up in smoke upon the altar.14But the flesh of the bull, its hide and its dung you shall burn in fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.15And you shall take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lean their hands upon the ram's head.16You shall slaughter the ram, and you shall take its blood and sprinkle [it] on the altar all around.17And you shall dissect the ram into its parts, and you shall wash its innards and its legs and put them with its parts and with its head,18and you shall make the entire ram go up in smoke upon the altar; it is a burnt offering made to the Lord; it is a spirit of satisfaction, a fire offering for the Lord.

Wednesday

Matthew 14:13–21 (NLT): Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

13 As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. 14 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”

16 But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”

17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered.

18 “Bring them here,” he said. 19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. 21 About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!

Fifth Portion

Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 29

19And you shall take the second ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lean their hands upon the ram's head.20You shall slaughter the ram, take [some] of its blood and put it upon the cartilage of Aaron's right ear and upon the cartilage of Aaron's sons' right ears, upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the big toes of their right feet, and you shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar all around.21You shall [then] take [some] of the blood that is upon the altar and [some] of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron and upon his garments, upon his sons and upon the garments of his sons with him; thus he will become holy along with his garments, and his sons and their garments with him.22And you shall take out of the ram the fat and the fat tail and the fat that covers the innards, the diaphragm of the liver, the two kidneys along with the fat that is upon them, and the right thigh, for it is a ram of perfection.23And one loaf of bread, one loaf of oil bread, and one wafer from the basket of matzoth that stands before the Lord,24and you shall place it all upon Aaron's palms and upon his sons' palms, and you shall wave them as a waving before the Lord.25You shall then take them from their hand[s] and make them go up in smoke upon the altar with the burnt offering as a spirit of satisfaction before the Lord; it is a fire offering for the Lord.26And you shall take the breast of the ram of perfection which is Aaron's, and wave it as a waving before the Lord, and it will become your portion.27And you shall sanctify the breast of the waving and the thigh of the uplifting, which was waved and which was lifted up, of the ram of perfection, of that which is Aaron's and of that which is his sons'.28And so it shall remain for Aaron and his sons as a perpetual allotment from the children of Israel; for it is an offering, and it shall remain an offering from the children of Israel of their peace offerings; it is their offering to the Lord.29The holy garments that are Aaron's shall be for his sons after him, to be exalted through them and invested with full authority through them.30Seven days shall the one of his sons [who will be] the kohen in his place wear them, the one who is to enter the Tent of Meeting to serve in the Holy.31You shall take the ram of perfection and cook its flesh in a holy place.32Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.33They shall eat those things with which atonement has been effected, in order to invest them with full authority, to sanctify them, but a stranger shall not eat [of them], because they are a sacred thing.34If any of the flesh of the perfection [offering] or of the bread is left over until the next morning, what is left over you shall burn in fire; it shall not be eaten because it is a sacred thing.35So shall you do to Aaron and his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; for seven days you shall perform their investiture.36And a bull as a sin offering you shall offer up every day for the atonements, and you shall purify the altar by performing atonement upon it, and you shall anoint it, in order to sanctify it.37For seven days you shall perform atonement upon the altar and sanctify it. Henceforth, the altar shall be a holy of holies. Whatever touches the altar will be holy.

Thursday

Psalm 71:1–12 (NLT):

1 O Lord, I have come to you for protection;

don’t let me be disgraced.

2 Save me and rescue me,

for you do what is right.

Turn your ear to listen to me,

and set me free.

3 Be my rock of safety

where I can always hide.

Give the order to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

4 My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked,

from the clutches of cruel oppressors.

5 O Lord, you alone are my hope.

I’ve trusted you, O Lord, from childhood.

6 Yes, you have been with me from birth;

from my mother’s womb you have cared for me.

No wonder I am always praising you!

7 My life is an example to many,

because you have been my strength and protection.

8 That is why I can never stop praising you;

I declare your glory all day long.

9 And now, in my old age, don’t set me aside.

Don’t abandon me when my strength is failing.

10 For my enemies are whispering against me.

They are plotting together to kill me.

11 They say, “God has abandoned him.

Let’s go and get him,

for no one will help him now.”

12 O God, don’t stay away.

My God, please hurry to help me.

Sixth Portion

Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 29

38And this is what you shall offer upon the altar: lambs in their first year, two a day, continually.39The one lamb you shall offer up in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer up in the afternoon.40And one tenth of fine flour, thoroughly mixed with a quarter of a hin of crushed [olive] oil, and a libation of one quarter of a hin of wine, for the one lamb.41And the other lamb you shall offer up in the afternoon; you shall offer [it] up like the meal offering of the morning and its libation, as a spirit of satisfaction, a fire offering to the Lord.42It shall be a continual burnt offering for your generations, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting before the Lord, where I will arrange meetings with you, to speak to you there.43There I will arrange meetings with the children of Israel, and it will be sanctified by My glory.44I will sanctify the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and I will sanctify Aaron and his sons to serve Me [as kohanim].45I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel and I will be their God.46They will know that I, the Lord, am their God, Who brought them out of the land of Egypt in order that I may dwell in their midst; I am the Lord, their God.

Friday

Psalm 71:13–24 (NLT):

13 Bring disgrace and destruction on my accusers.

Humiliate and shame those who want to harm me.

14 But I will keep on hoping for your help;

I will praise you more and more.

15 I will tell everyone about your righteousness.

All day long I will proclaim your saving power,

though I am not skilled with words.

16 I will praise your mighty deeds, O Sovereign Lord.

I will tell everyone that you alone are just.

17 O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood,

and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do.

18 Now that I am old and gray,

do not abandon me, O God.

Let me proclaim your power to this new generation,

your mighty miracles to all who come after me.

19 Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens.

You have done such wonderful things.

Who can compare with you, O God?

20 You have allowed me to suffer much hardship,

but you will restore me to life again

and lift me up from the depths of the earth.

21 You will restore me to even greater honor

and comfort me once again.

22 Then I will praise you with music on the harp,

because you are faithful to your promises, O my God.

I will sing praises to you with a lyre,

O Holy One of Israel.

23 I will shout for joy and sing your praises,

for you have ransomed me.

24 I will tell about your righteous deeds

all day long,

for everyone who tried to hurt me

has been shamed and humiliated.

Seventh Portion

Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 30

1You shall make an altar for bringing incense up in smoke; you shall make it out of acacia wood.2It shall be one cubit long and one cubit wide, a square, and two cubits high; its horns shall be [one piece] with it.3You shall overlay it with pure gold, its top, its walls all around, and its horns; and you shall make for it a golden crown all around.4You shall make two golden rings for it underneath its crown on its two corners, you shall make [them] on its two sides, so that it should serve as holders for poles with which to carry it.5You shall make the poles out of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.6And you shall place it in front of the dividing curtain, which is upon the Ark of Testimony, in front of the ark cover, which is upon the testimony, where I will arrange to meet with you.7Aaron shall make incense of spices go up in smoke upon it; every morning when he sets the lamps in order, he shall make it go up in smoke.8And when Aaron kindles the lights in the afternoon, he shall make it go up in smoke, continual incense before the Lord for your generations.9You shall offer up on it no alien incense, burnt offering, or meal offering, and you shall pour no libation upon it.10But Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year; with the blood of the sin offering of the atonements, once a year he shall effect atonement upon it for your generations; it is a holy of holies to the Lord.

Saturday

Luke 15:1–10 (NLT): Parable of the Lost Sheep

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Parable of the Lost Coin

8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

Maftir Portion

Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 25

17You shall remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you went out of Egypt,18how he happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear God.19[Therefore,] it will be, when the Lord your God grants you respite from all your enemies around [you] in the land which the Lord, your God, gives to you as an inheritance to possess, that you shall obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from beneath the heavens. You shall not forget!

Haftarah

Shmuel I (I Samuel) Chapter 15

1And Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you to be king over His people, over Israel; and now hearken to the voice of the words of the Lord.2So said the Lord of Hosts, 'I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid (wait) for him on the way, when he came up out of Egypt.3Now, go, and you shall smite Amalek, and you shall utterly destroy all that is his, and you shall not have pity on him: and you shall slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.' "4And Saul called the people together, and he counted them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand, the men of Judah.5And Saul came as far as the city of Amalek, and he fought in the valley.6And Saul said to the Kenite, "Turn away and go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them, and you did kindness with all the children of Israel, when they went up out of Egypt." And the Kenites turned away from amidst Amalek.7And Saul smote Amalek, from Havilah until you come to Shur, which is in front of Egypt.8And he seized Agag, the king of Amalek, alive; and he completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.9And Saul and the people had pity on Agag, and on the best of the sheep and the cattle, and the fatlings, and on the fattened sheep, and on all that was good; and they did not want to destroy them; but everything which was vile and feeble, that they utterly destroyed.10And the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,11"I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me, and he has not fulfilled My words." And it distressed Samuel, and he cried out to the Lord all night.12And Samuel arose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told to Samuel, saying, "Saul has come to Carmel, and behold, he is setting up a place for himself, and he passed and went down to Gilgal."13And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "May you be blessed of the Lord; I have fulfilled the word of the Lord."14And Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears? And the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"15And Saul said, "They brought them from the Amalekites, for the people had pity on the best of the sheep, and the oxen, in order to sacrifice to the Lord your God: and the rest we have utterly destroyed."16And Samuel said to Saul, "Desist, and I shall tell you what the Lord spoke to me last night." And he said to him, "Speak."17And Samuel said, "Even if you are small in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed you as king over Israel.18And the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and you shall utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and you shall wage war against them until they destroy them.'19Now, why did you not hearken to the voice of the Lord, but you flew upon the spoil, and you did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord?"20And Saul said to Samuel, "Yes, I did hearken to the voice of the Lord. I did go on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and I brought Agag, the king of Amalek alive, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.21And the people took from the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the ban, to sacrifice to your God in Gilgal."22And Samuel said, "Has the Lord (as much) desire in burnt offerings and peace-offerings, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than a peace-offering; to hearken (is better) than the fat of rams.23For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Since you rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you from being a king."24And Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I transgressed the Lord's command, and your words, for I feared the people, and I hearkened to their voice.25And now, forgive now my sin, and return with me, and I shall prostrate myself to the Lord."26And Samuel said to Saul, "I shall not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being a king over Israel."27And Samuel turned to go, and he seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore.28And Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you, today; and has given it to your fellow who is better than you.29And also, the Strength of Israel will neither lie nor repent, for He is not a man to repent."30And he said, "I have sinned. Now, honor me now in the presence of the elders of my people, and in the presence of Israel, and return with me, and I shall prostrate myself to the Lord your God."31And Samuel returned after Saul, and Saul prostrated himself to the Lord.32And Samuel said, "Bring Agag, the king of Amalek, near to me." And Agag went to him delicately. And Agag said, "Surely, the bitterness of death has turned."33And Samuel said, "As your sword bereaved women, so will your mother be bereaved among women." And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.34And Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul.