1 Samuel 2
1 At that time Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the LORD in whom my horn is exalted. My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation.
And she said, "My heart rejoices in the LORD. My strength rises up in my God. My mouth boasts over my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.
2 There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God.
Truly, there is no one as holy as the LORD. Truly, there is no one besides you, nor is there any rock like our God.
3 Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by Him actions are weighed.
Do not speak boastfully or let arrogance come out of your mouth, for the LORD is a God of knowledge. By him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength.
The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 The well-fed hire themselves out for food, but the starving hunger no more. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but she who has many sons pines away.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread. Those who were hungry are satisfied. Even the barren has borne seven, and she who has many children languishes.
The LORD kills, and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol, and brings up. (Sheol h7585)
7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.
The LORD makes poor, and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up.
8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.
He raises up the poor out of the dust. He lifts up the needy from the dunghill, To make them sit with princes, and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's. He has set the world on them.
9 He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.
He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked will be put to silence in darkness. For no man will prevail by strength.
10 Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
The LORD will shatter his adversaries. He will thunder against them in the sky. "The LORD will judge the farthest parts of the earth. He will give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed."
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.
And she went to Ramah, while the child served the LORD before Eli the priest.
12 Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD.
13 or for the custom of the priests with the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling
The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a fork of three teeth in his hand;
14 and plunge it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or cooking pot. And the priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.
and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest took therewith. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
15 Even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
Yes, before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man who sacrificed, "Give meat to roast for the priest; for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but raw."
16 And if any man said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you may take whatever you want,” the servant would reply, “No, you must give it to me right now. If you refuse, I will take it by force!”
If the man said to him, "Let the fat be burned first, and then take all of it which your soul desires"; then he would say, "No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force."
17 Thus the sin of these young men was severe in the sight of the LORD, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt.
The sin of the young men was very great before the LORD; for they despised the offering of the LORD.
18 Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod.
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, clothed with a linen ephod.
19 Each year his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
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, saying, “May the LORD give you children by this woman in place of the one she dedicated to the LORD.” Then they would go home.
And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and said, "May the LORD repay you with offspring by this woman for the gift which she made to the LORD." And the man returned to his home.
21 So the LORD attended to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
The LORD visited Hannah, and she bore more children, three sons and two daughters. The child Samuel grew before the LORD.
22 Now Eli was very old, and he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Now Eli was very old; and he heard what his sons did to the children of Israel (and how that they lay with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting).
23 “Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people.
And he said to them, "Why do you do such things as these that I hear being said of you from the mouth of the people of the LORD?
24 No, my sons; it is not a good report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people.
No, my sons, do not do this. For it is not a good report that I hear the people of the LORD spreading.
25 If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to put them to death.
If one man sins against another, he shall appeal to the LORD; but if a man sins against the LORD, who shall entreat for him?" But, they did not listen to the voice of their father, because the LORD intended to kill them.
26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man.
The child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with the LORD, and also with men.
27 Then a man of God came to Eli and told him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh’s house?
A man of God came to Eli, and said, "Thus says the LORD, I plainly revealed myself to the house of your father, when they were slaves in Egypt to the house of Pharaoh.
28 And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the offerings of the Israelites made by fire.
And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod. And I gave to the house of your father all the offerings by fire of the children of Israel as food.
29 Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’
Then why do you look at my sacrifice and my offering with a selfish eye, and honor your sons more than me in letting them eat from the first part of every offering of Israel before me?'
30 Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.
"Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, says, 'I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk 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 days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no older man will be left in your house.
Look, the days come, that I will cut off your descendants, and the descendants of your father's house, that there shall not be an old man in your house.
32 You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age.
And you will see distress in the dwelling place, in all that he does good with Israel. And there will not be an old man in your house all the days.
33 And every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, your eyes will fail and your heart will grieve. All your descendants will die by the sword of men.
And the man of yours I do not cut off from my altar will be to cause his eyes to fail and to grieve his soul, and all the increase of your house will die by the sword of men.
34 And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.
"'This shall be the sign to you, that shall come on your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall both die.
35 Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. And I will build for him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed one for all time.
I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before my anointed forever.
36 And everyone left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of bread, pleading, “Please appoint me to some priestly office so that I can eat a piece of bread.”’”
It shall happen, that everyone who is left in your house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, "Please put me into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread."'"
