1 Samuel 2

Chapter 2

Hannah’s Prayer of Praise

1 Then Hannah prayed:
“My heart rejoices in the LORD!
The LORD has made me strong.t
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
I rejoice because you rescued me.2 No one is holy like the LORD!
There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.3 “Stop acting so proud and haughty!
Don’t speak with such arrogance!
For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done;
he will judge your actions.4 The bow of the mighty is now broken,
and those who stumbled are now strong.5 Those who were well fed are now starving,
and those who were starving are now full.
The childless woman now has seven children,
and the woman with many children wastes away.6 The LORD gives both death and life;
he brings some down to the gravet but raises others up.7 The LORD makes some poor and others rich;
he brings some down and lifts others up.8 He lifts the poor from the dust
and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets them among princes,
placing them in seats of honor.
For all the earth is the LORD’s,
and he has set the world in order.9 “He will protect his faithful ones,
but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.10 Those who fight against the LORD will be shattered.
He thunders against them from heaven;
the LORD judges throughout the earth.
He gives power to his king;
he increases the strengtht of his anointed one.”

11 Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the LORD by assisting Eli the priest.

Eli’s Wicked Sons

12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the LORD13 or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling,14 the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli’s sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way.

15 Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal’s fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting.
16 The man offering the sacrifice might reply, “Take as much as you want, but the fat must be burned first.” Then the servant would demand, “No, give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.”

17 So the sin of these young men was very serious in the LORD’s sight, for they treated the LORD’s offerings with contempt.
18 But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the LORD. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest.t19 Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice.20 Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the LORD give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the LORD.t”

21 And the LORD gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
22 Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle.t23 Eli said to them, “I have been hearing reports from all the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning?24 You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the LORD’s people are not good.

25 If someone sins against another person, Godt can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede?” But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for the LORD was already planning to put them to death.

26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with the LORD and with the people.

A Warning for Eli’s Family

27 One day a man of God came to Eli and gave him this message from the LORD: “I revealed myselft to your ancestors when the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt.28 I chose your ancestor Aaront from among all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vestt as he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests.

29 So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!
30 “Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levit would always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me.31 The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age.32 You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel. But no members of your family will ever live out their days.33 Those who survive will live in sadness and grief, and their children will die a violent death.t

34 And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day!
35 “Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I desire. I will establish his family, and they will be priests to my anointed kings forever.

36 Then all of your surviving family will bow before him, begging for money and food. ‘Please,’ they will say, ‘give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.’”

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.’”