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 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 There's no one holy like the Lord—no one apart from you, no Rock like our God!

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 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?

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 weapons of the powerful are shattered, while those who stumble along are made strong.

The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed 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 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 he revives; he sends some down to the grave, but he raises others up. (Sheol h7585)

The LORD 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.

The LORD 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 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 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 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 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.”

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 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah while the boy stayed with Eli the priest serving the Lord.

And she went to Ramah, while the child served the LORD 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 worthless men; they did not know 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.

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 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 fork brought up the priest took therewith. 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.”

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 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.”

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 The sins of these young men were extremely serious from the Lord's perspective because they were treating with contempt the Lord's offerings.

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

18 But Samuel served before the Lord—a boy dressed as a priest, wearing a linen ephod.

But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, clothed 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 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 The Lord blessed Hannah with three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

The LORD visited Hannah, and she bore more children, three sons and two daughters. The child Samuel grew 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 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 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 you do such things as these that I hear being said of you from the mouth of the people of the LORD?

24 No, my sons, the report I hear about you from the Lord's people isn't good.

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 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, 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 The boy Samuel grew physically, and also grew in the approval of both the Lord and the people.

The child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with the LORD, 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?

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 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 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 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.

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 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 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 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.

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 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 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 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 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 Here is a sign for you that this will happen regarding your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: both will die on the same day.

"'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 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.

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 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.’”

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."'"