1 Samuel 2

1 And Hannah, in prayer before the Lord, said, My heart is glad in the Lord, my horn is lifted up in the Lord: my mouth is open wide over my haters; because my joy is in your salvation.

Hannah prayed, and said, “My heart exults in the LORD! My horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.

2 No other is holy as the Lord, for there is no other God but you: there is no Rock like our God.

There is no one as holy as the LORD, for there is no one besides you, nor is there any rock like our God.

3 Say no more words of pride; let not uncontrolled sayings come out of your mouths: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, by him acts are judged.

“Don’t keep talking so exceedingly proudly. Don’t 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 men of war are broken, and the feeble are clothed with strength.

“The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.

5 Those who were full are offering themselves as servants for bread; those who were in need are at rest; truly, she who had no children has become the mother of seven; and she who had a family is wasted with sorrow.

Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread. Those who were hungry are satisfied. Yes, the barren has borne seven. She who has many children languishes.

6 The Lord is the giver of death and life: sending men down to the underworld and lifting them up. (Sheol h7585)

“The LORD kills and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol and brings up. (Sheol h7585)

7 The Lord gives wealth and takes a man's goods from him: crushing men down and again lifting them up;

The LORD makes poor and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up.

8 Lifting the poor out of the dust, and him who is in need out of the lowest place, to give them their place among rulers, and for their heritage the seat of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and he has made them the base of 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 will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the evil-doers will come to their end in the dark night, for by strength no man will overcome.

He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked will be put to silence in darkness; for no man will prevail by strength.

10 Those who make war against the Lord will be broken; against them he will send his thunder from heaven: the Lord will be judge of the ends of the earth, he will give strength to his king, lifting up the horn of him on whom the holy oil has been put.

Those who strive with the LORD shall be broken to pieces. He will thunder against them in the sky. “The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

11 Then Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child became the servant of the Lord under the direction of Eli the priest.

Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. The child served the LORD before Eli the priest.

12 Now the sons of Eli were evil and good-for-nothing men, having no knowledge of the Lord.

Now the sons of Eli were wicked men. They didn’t know the LORD.

13 And the priests' way with the people was this: when any man made an offering, the priest's servant came while the flesh was being cooked, having in his hand a meat-hook with three teeth;

The custom of the priests with the people was that when anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant came while the meat was boiling, with a fork of three teeth in his hand;

14 This he put into the pot, and everything which came up on the hook the priest took for himself. This they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.

and he stabbed it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot. The priest took all that the fork brought up for himself. They did this to all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh.

15 And more than this, before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was making the offering, Give me some of the flesh to be cooked for the priest; he has no taste for meat cooked in water, but would have you give it uncooked.

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 the man said to him, First let the fat be burned, then take as much as you will; then the servant would say, No, you are to give it to me now, or I will take it by force.

If the man said to him, “Let the fat be burnt first, and then take as much as 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 And the sin of these young men was very great before the Lord; for they gave no honour to the Lord's offerings.

The sin of the young men was very great before the LORD; for the men despised the LORD’s offering.

18 But Samuel did the work of the Lord's house, while he was a child, dressed in a linen ephod.

But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, clothed with a linen ephod.

19 And his mother made him a little robe and took it to him every year when she came with her husband for the year's offering.

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 every year Eli gave Elkanah and his wife a blessing, saying, May the Lord give you offspring by this woman in exchange for the child you have given to the Lord. And they went back to their house.

Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, “May The LORD give you offspring from this woman for the petition which was asked of the LORD.” Then they went to their own home.

21 And the Lord had mercy on Hannah and she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the young Samuel became older before the Lord.

The LORD visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. The child Samuel grew before the LORD.

22 Now Eli was very old; and he had news from time to time of what his sons were doing to all Israel.

Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they slept with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

23 And he said to them, Why are you doing such things? for from all this people I get accounts of your evil ways.

He said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people.

24 No, my sons, the account which is given me, which the Lord's people are sending about, is not good.

No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear! You make the LORD’s people disobey.

25 If one man does wrong to another, God will be his judge: but if a man's sin is against the Lord, who will take up his cause? But they gave no attention to the voice of their father, for it was the Lord's purpose to send destruction on them.

If one man sins against another, God will judge him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?” Notwithstanding, they didn’t listen to the voice of their father, because the LORD intended to kill them.

26 And the young Samuel, becoming older, had the approval of the Lord and of men.

The child Samuel grew on, and increased in favour both with the LORD and also with men.

27 And a man of God came to Eli and said to him, The Lord says, Did I let myself be seen by your father's people when they were in Egypt, servants in Pharaoh's house?

A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “The LORD says, ‘Did I reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house?

28 Did I take him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest and to go up to my altar to make the smoke of the offerings go up and to take up the ephod? Did I give to your father's family all the offerings made by fire by the children of Israel?

Didn’t I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? Didn’t I give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?

29 Why then are you looking with envy on my offerings of meat and of meal which were ordered by my word, honouring your sons before me, and making yourselves fat with all the best of the offerings of Israel, my people?

Why do you kick at my sacrifice and at my offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honour your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel my people?’

30 For this reason the Lord God of Israel has said, Truly I did say that your family and your father's people would have their place before me for ever: but now the Lord says, Let it not be so; I will give honour to those by whom I am honoured, and those who have no respect for me will be of small value in my eyes.

“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, ‘Far be it from me; for those who honour me I will honour, and those who despise me will be cursed.

31 See, the days are coming when your arm and the arm of your father's people will be cut off;

Behold, the days come that I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father’s house, that there will not be an old man in your house.

32 And never again will there be an old man in your family.

You will see the affliction of my habitation, in all the wealth which I will give Israel. There shall not be an old man in your house forever.

33 But one man of your family will not be cut off by my hand, and his eyes will be made dark, and grief will be in his heart: and all the offspring of your family will come to their end by the sword of men.

The man of yours whom I don’t cut off from my altar will consume your eyes and grieve your heart. All the increase of your house will die in the flower of their age.

34 And this will be the sign to you, which will come on Hophni and Phinehas, your sons; death will overtake them on the same day.

This will be the sign to you that will come on your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they will both die.

35 And I will make a true priest for myself, one who will do what is in my heart and in my mind: and I will make for him a family which will not come to an end; and his place will be before my holy one for ever.

I will raise up a faithful priest for myself who will do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house. He will walk before my anointed forever.

36 Then it will be that the rest of your family, anyone who has not been cut off, will go down on his knees to him for a bit of silver or a bit of bread, and say, Be pleased to put me into one of the priest's places so that I may have a little food.

It will happen that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and will say, “Please put me into one of the priests’ offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’”