< Kings I 2 >
1 My heart is established in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God; my mouth is enlarged over my enemies, I have rejoiced 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 For there is none holy as the Lord, and there is none righteous as our God; there is none holy besides you.
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 Boast not, and utter not high things; let not high-sounding words come out of your mouth, for the Lord [is] a God of knowledge, and God prepares his own designs.
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 bow of the mighty has waxed feeble, and the weak have girded themselves with strength.
The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5 They that were full of bread are brought low; and the hungry have forsaken the land; for the barren has born seven, and she that abounded in children has waxed feeble.
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.
6 The Lord kills and makes alive; he brings down to the grave, and brings up. (Sheol )
The LORD kills, and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol, and brings up. (Sheol )
7 The Lord makes poor, and makes rich; he brings low, and lifts up.
The LORD makes poor, and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up.
8 He lifts up the poor from the earth, and raises the needy from the dunghill; to seat him with the princes of the people, and causing them to inherit the throne of glory:
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 granting his petition to him that prays; and he blesses the years of the righteous, for by strength can’t 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 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and 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 and departed to Armathaim: and the child ministered in the presence of the Lord before Heli the priest.
And she went to Ramah, while the child served the LORD before Eli the priest.
12 And the sons of Heli the priest [were] evil sons, not knowing the Lord.
Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD.
13 And the priest's claim from every one of the people that sacrificed [was this: ] the servant of the priest came when the flesh was in seething, and a flesh-hook of three teeth [was] in his hand.
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 he struck it into the great cauldron, or into the brazen vessel, or into the pot, and whatever came up with the flesh-hook, the priest took for himself: so they did to all Israel that came to sacrifice to the Lord in Selom.
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 And before the fat was burnt for a sweet savour, the servant of the priest would come, and say to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest, and I will by no means take of you sodden flesh out of the cauldron.
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 that sacrificed said, First let the fat be burnt, as it is fit, and take for yourself of all things which your soul desires: then he would say, Nay, for you shall give it me now; and if not 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 So the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for they set at nothing the offering of the Lord.
The sin of the young men was very great before the LORD; for they despised the offering of the LORD.
18 And Samuel ministered before the Lord, a child girded with 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 doublet, and brought it to him from year to year, in her going up in company with her husband to offer the yearly 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 Heli blessed Helcana and his wife, saying The Lord recompense to you seed of this woman, in return for the loan which you have lent to the Lord: and the man returned to his place.
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 And the Lord visited Anna, and she bore yet three sons, and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.
The LORD visited Hannah, and she bore more children, three sons and two daughters. The child Samuel grew before the LORD.
22 And Heli [was] very old, and he heard what his sons did to the children of Israel.
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 And he said to them, Why do you according to this thing, which I hear from the mouth of all the people of the Lord?
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 Nay [my] sons, for the report which I hear [is] not good; do not so, for the reports which I hear [are] not good, so that the people do not serve God.
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 should at all sin against another, then shall they pray for him to the Lord; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him? But they listened not to the voice of their father, because the Lord would by all means destroy them.
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 child Samuel advanced, and was in favour with God and with men.
The child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with the LORD, and also with men.
27 And a man of God came to Heli, and said, Thus says the Lord, I plainly revealed myself to the house of your father, when they were servants in Egypt to the house of Pharao.
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 I chose the house of your father out of all the tribes of Israel to minister to me in the priest's office, to go up to my altar, and 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 for food.
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 And therefore have you looked upon my incense-offering and my meat-offering with a shameless eye, and have honoured your sons above me, so that they should bless themselves with the first fruits of every sacrifice of Israel before me?
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 thus says the Lord God of Israel, I said, Your house and the house of your father shall pass before me for ever: but now the Lord says, That be far from me; for I will only honour them that honour me, and he that sets me at nothing shall be despised.
"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 come when I will destroy your seed and the seed of your father's 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 And you shall not have an old man in my house for ever.
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 [if] I do not destroy a man of your from my altar, [it shall be] that his eyes may fail and his soul may perish; and every one that remains in your house shall fall 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 which shall come upon your two sons Ophni and Phinees shall be a sign to you; in one day they shall both die.
"'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 And I will raise up to myself a faithful priest, who shall do all that is in my heart and in my soul; and I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before my Christ for ever.
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 it shall come to pass that he that survives in your house, shall come to do obeisance before him for a little piece of silver, saying, Put me into one of your priest's offices to eat 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."'"