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 prays and says: “My heart has exulted in YHWH, My horn has been high in YHWH, My mouth has been large over my enemies, For I have rejoiced in Your salvation.
2 There's no one holy like the Lord—no one apart from you, no Rock like our God!
There is none holy like YHWH, For there is none except You, And 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?
You do not multiply—you speak haughtily—The old saying goes out from your mouth, For YHWH [is] a God of knowledge, And actions are weighed by Him.
4 The weapons of the powerful are shattered, while those who stumble along are made strong.
Bows of the mighty are broken, And the stumbling have girded on 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.
The satiated hired themselves for bread, And the hungry have ceased. While the barren has borne seven, And she abounding with sons has languished.
6 The Lord kills and he revives; he sends some down to the grave, but he raises others up. (Sheol h7585)
YHWH puts to death, and keeps 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.
YHWH dispossesses, and He makes rich, He makes low, indeed, He makes high.
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 the poor from the dust, He lifts up the needy from a dunghill, To cause [them] to sit with nobles, Indeed, He causes them to inherit a throne of glory, For the fixtures of earth [are] of YHWH, And He sets the habitable world on 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 keeps the feet of His saints, And the wicked are silent in darkness, For man does not become mighty by power.
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.”
YHWH—His adversaries are broken down, He thunders against them in the heavens: YHWH judges the ends of the earth, And gives strength to His king, And exalts 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 goes to Ramath, to his house, and the youth has been serving YHWH [in] the presence of Eli the priest;
12 Eli's sons were worthless men who didn't have any time for the Lord
and the sons of Eli [are] sons of worthlessness, they have not known YHWH.
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 [is that when] any man is sacrificing a sacrifice, then the servant of the priest has come in when the flesh is boiling, and [with] the 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 has struck [it] into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot; all that the hook brings up the priest takes for himself; thus they do to all Israel who are coming in there in Shiloh.
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.”
Also, before they make incense with the fat, then the priest’s servant has come in and said to the man who is sacrificing, “Give flesh to roast for the priest, and he does not take boiled flesh from you, 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 the man says to him, “Let them surely make incense with the fat according to the [custom] today, then take to yourself as your soul desires”; and he has said to him, “Surely you give now; and if not—I have taken by strength.”
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 is very great [in] the presence of YHWH, for the men have despised the offering of YHWH.
18 But Samuel served before the Lord—a boy dressed as a priest, wearing a linen ephod.
And Samuel is ministering [in] the presence of YHWH, a youth girt [with] an ephod of linen;
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 makes a small upper coat for him, and she has brought it up to him from time to time, in her coming up with her husband to sacrifice the sacrifice of the time.
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, “YHWH appoints seed of this woman for you, for the petition which she asked for YHWH”; and they have gone to their place.
21 The Lord blessed Hannah with three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
When YHWH has looked after Hannah, then she conceives and bears three sons and two daughters; and the youth Samuel grows up with YHWH.
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.
And Eli [is] very old, and has heard all that his sons do to all Israel, and how that they lie with the women who are assembling [at] the opening 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 says to them, “Why do you do things like these? For I am hearing of your evil words from all the people—these!
24 No, my sons, the report I hear about you from the Lord's people isn't good.
No, my sons; for the report which I am hearing is not good, causing the people of YHWH 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 a man sins against a man, then God has judged him; but if a man sins against YHWH, who prays for him?” And they do not listen to the voice of their father, though YHWH has delighted to put them to death.
26 The boy Samuel grew physically, and also grew in the approval of both the Lord and the people.
And the youth Samuel is going on and growing up, and [is] good with both YHWH, 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 a man of God comes to Eli and says to him, “Thus said YHWH: Was I really revealed to the house of your father in their being in Egypt, before 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.
even to choose him out of all the tribes of Israel for a priest for Myself, to go up on My altar, to make incense, to bear an ephod before Me, and I give to the house of your father all the fire-offerings of the sons 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 do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering, which I commanded [in] My habitation, and honor your sons above Me, to make yourselves fat from the first part of every offering of Israel, of 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—a declaration of YHWH, God of Israel—I certainly said, Your house and the house of your father walk up and down before Me for all time; and now—a declaration of YHWH—Far be it from Me! For he who is honoring Me, I honor, and those despising Me, are 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, days [are] coming, and I have cut off your arm, and the arm of the house of your father, that an old man is not in your 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 you have beheld an adversary [in My] habitation, in all that He does good with Israel, and there is not an old man in your house all the days.
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 yours I do not cut off from My altar—[My purpose is] to consume your eyes, and to grieve your soul; and all the increase of men [in] your house die;
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 [is] the sign to you that comes to your two sons, to Hophni and Phinehas—in one day both of them die;
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 have raised up a steadfast priest for Myself; he does as in My heart and in My soul; and I have built a steadfast house for him, and he has walked up and down before My anointed all the days;
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 has been, everyone who is left in your house comes to bow himself to him for a wage of silver and a cake of bread, and has said, Please admit me to one of the priest’s offices, to eat a morsel of bread.”
