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, 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.
2 There's no one holy like the Lord—no one apart from you, no Rock like our God!
No other is holy as the Lord, for there is no other God but you: there is no 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?
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.
4 The weapons of the powerful are shattered, while those who stumble along are made strong.
The bows of the men of war are broken, and the feeble are clothed 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 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.
6 The Lord kills and he revives; he sends some down to the grave, but he raises others up. (Sheol h7585)
The Lord is the giver of death and life: sending men down to the underworld and lifting them up. (Sheol h7585)
7 The Lord makes some poor, but others rich; he brings some down, but he lifts others up.
The Lord gives wealth and takes a man's goods from him: crushing men down and again lifting them 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.
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.
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 evil-doers will come to their end in the dark night, for by strength no man will overcome.
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 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.
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah while the boy stayed with Eli the priest serving the Lord.
Then Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child became the servant of the Lord under the direction of 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 evil and good-for-nothing men, having no knowledge of the Lord.
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 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;
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.
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.
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 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.
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, 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.
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 these young men was very great before the Lord; for they gave no honour to the Lord's offerings.
18 But Samuel served before the Lord—a boy dressed as a priest, wearing a linen ephod.
But Samuel did the work of the Lord's house, while he was a child, dressed in 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.
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.
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 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.
21 The Lord blessed Hannah with three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
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.
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 had news from time to time of what his sons were doing to all Israel.
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 are you doing such things? for from all this people I get accounts of your evil ways.
24 No, my sons, the report I hear about you from the Lord's people isn't good.
No, my sons, the account which is given me, which the Lord's people are sending about, is not good.
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 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.
26 The boy Samuel grew physically, and also grew in the approval of both the Lord and the people.
And the young Samuel, becoming older, had the approval of the Lord and of 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 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?
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.
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?
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 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?
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.
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.
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.
See, the days are coming when your arm and the arm of your father's people will be cut off;
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 never again will there be an old man in your family.
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.
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.
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 will be the sign to you, which will come on Hophni and Phinehas, your sons; death will overtake them on the same day.
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 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.
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.’”
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.
