1 Samuel 2

1  HANNAH PRAYED, and said, My heart exults and triumphs in the Lord; my horn (my strength) is lifted up in the Lord. My mouth is no longer silent, for it is opened wide over my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.2  There is none holy like the Lord, there is none besides You; there is no Rock like our God.3  Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance go forth from your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.4  The bows of the mighty are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength.5  Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children languishes and is forlorn.6  The Lord slays and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.7  The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He lifts up.8  He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts up the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with nobles and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and He has set the world upon them.9  He will guard the feet of His godly ones, but the wicked shall be silenced and perish in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.10  The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them will He thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge [all peoples] to the ends of the earth; and He will give strength to His king (King) and exalt the power of His anointed (Anointed His Christ). 11  Elkanah and his wife Hannah returned to Ramah to his house. But the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.12  The sons of Eli were base and worthless; they did not know or regard the Lord.13  And the custom of the priests with the people was this: when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came while the flesh was boiling with a fleshhook of three prongs in his hand;14  And he thrust it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh with all the Israelites who came there.15  Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant came and said to the man who sacrificed, Give the priest meat to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but raw.16  And if the man said to him, Let them burn the fat first, and then you may take as much as you want, the priest’s servant would say, No! Give it to me now or I will take it by force.17  So the sin of the [two] young men was very great before the Lord, for they despised the offering of the Lord.18  But Samuel ministered before the Lord, a child girded with a linen ephod.19  Moreover, his mother made him a little robe and brought it to him from year to year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.20  And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, May the Lord give you children by this woman for the gift she asked for and gave to the Lord. Then they would go to their own home.21  And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she bore three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.22  Now Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel and how they lay with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting.23  And he said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people.24  No, my sons; it is no good report which I hear the Lord’s people spreading abroad.25  If one man wrongs another, God will mediate for him; but if a man wrongs the Lord, who shall intercede for him? Yet they did not listen to their father, for it was the Lord’s will to slay them.26  Now the boy Samuel grew and was in favor both with the Lord and with men.27  A man of God came to Eli and said to him, Thus has the Lord said: I plainly revealed Myself to the house of your father [forefather Aaron] when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house.28  Moreover, I selected him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer on My altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me. And I gave [from then on] to the house of your father [forefather] all the offerings of the Israelites made by fire.29  Why then do you kick [trample upon, treat with contempt] My sacrifice and My offering which I commanded, and honor your sons above Me by fattening yourselves upon the choicest part of every offering of My people Israel?30  Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, I did promise that your house and that of your father [forefather Aaron] should go in and out before Me forever. But now the Lord says, Be it far from Me. For those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.31  Behold, the time is coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your own father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in your house.32  And you shall behold the distress of My house, even in all the prosperity which God will give Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.33  Yet I will not cut off from My altar every man of yours; some shall survive to weep and mourn [over the family’s ruin], but all the increase of your house shall die in their best years. 34  And what befalls your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be a sign to you--in one day they both shall die. [Fulfilled in I Sam. 4:17, 18.]35  And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest (Priest), who shall do according to what is in My heart and mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed (Anointed) forever. 36  Everyone who is left in your house shall come crouching to him for a piece of silver and a bit of bread and say, Put me, I pray you, into a priest’s office so I may have a piece of bread.

1 Samuel 2

Hannah Exalts the Lord in Prayer

1 Hannah prayed,t
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
my horns is exalted high because of the Lord.
I loudly denouncet my enemies,
for I am happy that you delivered me.t

2 No one is holys like the Lord!
There is no one other than you!
There is no rockt like our God!

3 Don’t keep speaking so arrogantly,t
letting proud talk come out of your mouth!
For the Lord is a God who knows;
hes evaluates what people do.

4 The bows of warriors are shattered,
but those who stumble find their strength reinforced.

5 Those who are well-fed hire themselves out to earn food,
but the hungry no longer lack.
Evens the barren woman gives birth to seven,s
but the one with many children withers away.t

6 The Lord both kills and gives life;
he brings down to the gravet and raises up.

7 The Lord impoverishes and makes wealthy;
he humbles and he exalts.

8 He lifts the weakt from the dust;
he raisest the poor from the ash heap
to seat them with princes
and to bestow on them an honored position.t
The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord,
and he has placed the world on them.

9 He watches overt his holy ones,s
but the wicked are made speechless in the darkness,
for it is not by one’s own strength that one prevails.

10 The Lord shatterst his adversaries;s
he thunders against them fromt the heavens.
The Lord executes judgment to the ends of the earth.
He will strengthent his king
and exalt the powert of his anointed one.”ss

11 Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah. But the boy was serving the Lord under the supervision oft Eli the priest.

Eli’s Sons Misuse Their Sacred Office

12 The sons of Eli were wicked men.t They did not recognize the Lord’s authority.t13 Now the priests would always treat the people in the following way:t Whenever anyone was making a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling, the priest’s attendant would come with a three-pronged forks in his hand.

14 He would jab it into the basin, kettle, caldron, or pot, and everything that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they used to do to all the Israelitest when they came there to Shiloh.
15 Even before they burned the fat, the priest’s attendant would come and say to the person who was making the sacrifice, “Hand over some meat for the priest to roast! He won’t take boiled meat from you, but only raw.”t

16 If the individual said to him, “First let the fat be burned away, and then take for yourself whatever you wish,” he would say, “No!s Hand it over right now! If you don’t, I will take it forcibly!”

17 The sin of these young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for theys treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.
18 Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord. The boy was dressed in a linen ephod.19 His mother used to make him a small robe and bring it up to him at regular intervals when she would go up with her husband to make the annual sacrifice.20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife saying, “May the Lord raise up for you descendantst from this woman to replace the one that shet dedicated to the Lord.” Then they would go to theirt home.

21 So the Lord graciously attended to Hannah, and she was able to conceive and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up at the Lord’s sanctuary.t
22 Now Eli was very old when he heard about everything that his sons used to do to all the people of Israelt and how they used to have sex witht the women who were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting.23 He said to them, “Why do you behave in this way? For I hear about these evil things from all theses people.24 This ought not to be,t my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the Lord’s people is not good.

25 If a man sins against a man, one may appeal to God on his behalf. But if a man sins against the Lord, who then will intercede for him?” But Eli’s sonst would not listen to their father, for the Lord had decidedt to kill them.

26 Now the boy Samuel was growing up and finding favor both with the Lord and with people.

The Lord Judges the House of Eli

27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not plainlyt reveal myself to your ancestor’st house when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh?28 I chose your ancestort from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifice on my altar, to burn incense, and to bear the ephod before me. I gave to your ancestor’s house all the fire offerings made by the Israelites.

29 Why are yous scorning my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling place?t You have honored your sons more than you have me by having made yourselves fat from the best parts of all the offerings of my people Israel.’
30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I really did sayt that your house and your ancestor’s house would servet me forever.’ But now the Lord says, ‘May it never be!t For I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be cursed!31 In fact, days are coming when I will remove your strengtht and the strengtht of your father’s house. There will not be an old man in your house!32 You will see trouble in my dwelling place!t Israel will experience blessings,t but there will not be an old man in yours house for all time.t33 Any one of you that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause yours eyes to failt and will cause you grief.t All of those born to your familyt will die in the prime of life.s34 This will be a confirming sign for you that will be fulfilled through your two sons,t Hophni and Phinehas: in a single day they both will die!35 Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will do what is in my heart and soul. I will build for him a secure dynastyt and he will serve my chosen one for all time.t

36 Everyone who remains in your house will come to bow before him for a little moneyt and for a scrap of bread. Each will say, ‘Assign me to a priestly task so I can eat a scrap of bread.’”