1 Samuel 2

Hannah’s Prayer

1 Hannah prayed out loud,“My heart finds joy in the Lord.My head is lifted to the Lord.My mouth mocks my enemies.I rejoice because you saved me.2 There is no one holy like the Lord.There is no one but you, O LORD.There is no Rock like our God.3 “Do not boastor let arrogance come out of your mouthbecause the Lord is a God of knowledge,and he weighs our actions.4 “The bows of the warriors are broken,but those who stumble are armed with strength.5 Those who were well-fed hire themselves out for a piece of bread,but those who were hungry hunger no more.Even the woman who was childless gives birth to seven children,but the mother of many children grieves all alone.6 “The Lord kills, and he gives life.He makes people go down to the grave, and he raises them up again.7 The Lord causes poverty and grants wealth.He humbles people; he also promotes them.8 He raises the poor from the dust.He lifts the needy from the trash heapin order to make them sit with noblesand even to make them inherit a glorious throne.“The pillars of the earth are the Lord’s.He has set the world on them.9 He safeguards the steps of his faithful ones,but wicked people are silenced in darknessbecause humans cannot succeed by their own strength.10 “Those who oppose the Lord are broken into pieces.He thunders at them from the heavens.The Lord judges the ends of the earth.He gives strength to his Kingand lifts the head of his Messiah.”t11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. But the boy Samuel served the Lord under the priest Eli.

The Sins of Eli’s Sons

12 Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were good-for-nothing priests; they had no faith in the Lord.13 Now, this was how the priests dealt with the people who were offering sacrifices: While the meat was boiling, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand.14 Then he would stick it into the pot, kettle, cauldron, or pan. Whatever the fork brought up from the pot belonged to the priest. This is what the priests did in Shiloh to all the people of Israel who came there to sacrifice.

15 But in the case of Eli’s sons, even before the people burned the fat, their servants would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the meat to the priest to roast. He doesn’t want boiled meat from you. He wants it raw.”
16 If the man said to the servant, “First let the fat be burned, then take as much as you want,” the servant would say to him, “Give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.”

17 The sin of Eli’s sons was a serious matter to the Lord, because these men were treating the offerings made to the Lord with contempt.

The Faithfulness of Samuel’s Family

18 Meanwhile, Samuel continued to serve in front of the Lord. As a boy he was already wearing a linen ephod.t

19 His mother would make him a robe and bring it to him every year when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
20 Eli would bless Elkanah (and his wife) and say, “May the Lord give you children from this woman in place of the one which she has given to the Lord.” Then they would go home.21 The Lord came to Hannah. She became pregnant five times and had three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in front of the Lord.

Eli’s Family Condemned

22 Now, Eli was very old, and he had heard everything that his sons were doing to all Israel and that they were sleeping with the women who served at the gate of the tent of meeting.23 So he asked them, “Why are you doing such things? I hear about your wicked ways from all these people.24 Sons, the report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading isn’t good!

25 If one person sins against another, God will take care of him. However, when a person sins against the Lord, who will pray for him?” But they wouldn’t listen to their father’s warning—the Lord wanted to kill them.
26 The boy Samuel continued to grow and gained the favor of the Lord and the people.27 Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: I revealed myself to your ancestors when they were under Pharaoh’s control in Egypt.28 I chose one of your ancestors out of all the tribes of Israel to serve as my priest, to sacrifice burnt offerings on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the ephod in my presence. And I gave your ancestors the right to keep portions of the sacrifices that the people of Israel burned on the altar.

29 Why do you show no respect for my sacrifices and grain offerings that I have commanded people to make in my dwelling place? Why do you honor your sons more than me by making yourselves fat on the best of all the sacrifices offered by my people Israel?
30 “Therefore, the Lord God of Israel declares: I certainly thought that your family and your father’s family would always live in my presence.“But now the Lord declares: I promise that I will honor those who honor me, and those who despise me will be considered insignificant.31 The time is coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s house so that no one will grow old in your family.32 You will see distress in my dwelling place. In spite of the good that I do for Israel, no one in your family will live to an old age.33 Any man in your family whom I do not remove from my altar will have his eyes fail, and het will be heartbroken. And all your descendants will die in the prime of life.34 What is going to happen to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you: Both of them will die on the same day.35 Then I will appoint a faithful priest to serve me. He will do everything I want him to do. I will give him faithful descendants, and he will always live as my anointed one.

36 Then anyone who is left from your household will bow down in front of him to get a coin or a loaf of bread and say, ‘Please appoint me to one of the priestly classes so that I may eat 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.’”