1 Samuel 2
1 Hannah prayed, “I'm so happy in the Lord! He has empowered me! Now I have plenty to say in answer to those who hate me. I celebrate your salvation!
And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart exults in Jehovah. My horn is exalted in Jehovah. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies because I rejoice in thy salvation.
2 There's no one holy like the Lord—no one apart from you, no Rock like our God!
There is none holy as Jehovah, for there is none besides thee, neither is there any rock like our God.
3 Don't speak so conceitedly! Don't talk so arrogantly! For the Lord is a God who knows everything—doesn't he judge what you do?
Talk no more so very proudly. Let not arrogancy come out of your mouth, for Jehovah is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
4 The weapons of the powerful are shattered, while those who stumble along are made strong.
The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength.
5 Those who used to have plenty of food now have to work to earn a crust, while those who used to be hungry now have become fat. The woman who was childless now has seven children, while the woman with many children fades away.
Those who were full have hired out themselves for bread, and those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. Yea, the barren has borne seven, and she who has many sons languishes.
6 The Lord kills and he revives; he sends some down to the grave, but he raises others up. (Sheol h7585)
Jehovah kills, and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol, and brings up. (Sheol h7585)
7 The Lord makes some poor, but others rich; he brings some down, but he lifts others up.
Jehovah makes poor, and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up.
8 He helps the poor up from the dust; he raises the lowborn from the trash pile and seats them with the upper class in places of honor. For the foundations of the earth belong to the Lord, and he has placed the world on them.
He raises up the poor out of the dust, he lifts up the needy from the dunghill, to make them sit with rulers, and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are Jehovah's, and he has set the world upon them.
9 He will take care of those who trust him, but the wicked vanish into the darkness, for people don't succeed through their own strength.
He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness, for by strength no man shall prevail.
10 The Lord crushes his enemies, he thunders against them from heaven. He rules the whole earth; he strengthens his king, and gives power to the one he has anointed.”
Those who strive with Jehovah shall be broken to pieces. He will thunder against them in heaven. Jehovah will judge the ends of the earth, and he will give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah while the boy stayed with Eli the priest serving the Lord.
And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house, and the child ministered to Jehovah before Eli the priest.
12 Eli's sons were worthless men who didn't have any time for the Lord
Now the sons of Eli were base men; they knew not Jehovah.
13 or their role as priests to the people. They would send one of their servants over with a fork when anyone came to offer a sacrifice.
And 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 flesh-hook of three teeth in his hand,
14 The servant would stick the fork into the pot while the meat from the sacrifice was being boiled, and would take whatever meat came up on the fork to Eli's sons. 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 flesh-hook brought up the priest took with it. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
15 In fact even before the fat of the sacrifice was burned up the servant would come and would demand from the man sacrificing, “Give me meat to roast for the priest. He doesn't want boiled meat from you—he wants it raw.”
And before they burned the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man who sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest, for he will not have boiled flesh from thee, but raw.
16 The man might answer, “Let me first burn up all the fat, and then you can have as much as you want.” But the priest's servant would reply, “No, you must give it to me now. If you don't, I'll take it by force.”
And if the man said to him, They will surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as thy soul desires, then he would say, No, but thou shall give it to me now, and if not, I will take it by force.
17 The sins of these young men were extremely serious from the Lord's perspective because they were treating with contempt the Lord's offerings.
And the sin of the young men was very great before Jehovah, for the men despised the offering of Jehovah.
18 But Samuel served before the Lord—a boy dressed as a priest, wearing a linen ephod.
But Samuel ministered before Jehovah, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
19 Every year his mother made him a little robe and took 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 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to replace the one she prayed for and dedicated to the Lord.” Then they would return home.
And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, Jehovah give thee seed by this woman for the petition which was asked of Jehovah. And they went to their own home.
21 The Lord blessed Hannah with three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
And Jehovah visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bore three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before Jehovah.
22 Eli was very old, however he had heard about all the things his sons were doing to the people of Israel, and how they were seducing the women who were serving at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
Now Eli was very old. And he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tent of meeting.
23 He asked them, “Why are you doing all this? I keep on hearing from everyone about your evil actions.
And he said to them, Why do ye such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.
24 No, my sons, the report I hear about you from the Lord's people isn't good.
No, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear. Ye make Jehovah's people to transgress.
25 If a man sins against someone, God can intercede for him; but if a man sin against the Lord, who is going to intercede for him?” But they didn't pay attention to what their father said, for the Lord was planning to put them to death.
If one man sins against another, God shall judge him, but if a man sins against Jehovah, who shall entreat for him? Notwithstanding, they did not hearken to the voice of their father, because Jehovah intended to kill them.
26 The boy Samuel grew physically, and also grew in the approval of both the Lord and the people.
And the child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with Jehovah, and also with men.
27 A man of God came to Eli and told him, “This is what the Lord says: Didn't I very clearly reveal myself to your forefather's family when they were ruled by Pharaoh in Egypt?
And there came a man of God to Eli, and said to him, Thus says Jehovah, Did I reveal myself to the house of thy father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh's house?
28 I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel as my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave to your forefather's family all the Israelites' offerings made with fire.
And did 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? And did I give to the house of thy father all the offerings of the sons of Israel made by fire?
29 So why have you treated with contempt my sacrifices and offerings that I have ordered for my place of worship? You honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves with the best parts of all the offerings from my people Israel.
Why do ye kick at my sacrifice and at my offering, which I have commanded in my habitation, and honor thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chief of all the offerings of Israel my people?
30 Consequently, this is the declaration of the Lord: I made a definite promise that your family and your father's family would always serve me as priests. But now the Lord declares: Not anymore! Instead I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me I will treat with contempt.
Therefore Jehovah, the God of Israel, says, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me forever, but now Jehovah says, Be it far from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
31 The time is coming when I will bring your family and your father's family to an end. No one will live to an old age.
Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house.
32 You will see tragedy in the place of worship. While Israel will prosper, no one in your family will ever again reach old age.
And thou shall see an enemy in my habitation, in all that I shall give Israel, and there shall not be an old man in thy house forever.
33 Anyone of your family not cut off from serving at my altar will make your eyes weep and cause you grief. All your descendants will die when full of life.
And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from my altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy heart. And all the increase of thy house shall die in the flower of their age.
34 Here is a sign for you that this will happen regarding your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: both will die on the same day.
And this shall be the sign to thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: In one day they shall die, both of them.
35 I will choose for myself a trustworthy priest who will do what I really want, what I have in mind. I will make sure he and his descendants are trustworthy and they will always serve my anointed one.
And I will raise up for me a faithful priest who shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build for him a sure house, and he shall walk before my anointed forever.
36 Every one of your descendants who is left will come and bow down to him, asking for money and food, saying, ‘Please give me work as a priest so that I can have food to eat.’”
And it shall come to pass, that everyone who is left in thy house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices that I may eat a morsel of bread.
