1 Samuel 2
1 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.
At that time Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the LORD in whom my horn is exalted. My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation.
2 There is none holy like YHWH, For there is none except You, And there is no rock like our God.
There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God.
3 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.
Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by Him actions are weighed.
4 Bows of the mighty are broken, And the stumbling have girded on strength.
The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength.
5 The satiated hired themselves for bread, And the hungry have ceased. While the barren has borne seven, And she abounding with sons has languished.
The well-fed hire themselves out for food, but the starving hunger no more. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but she who has many sons pines away.
The LORD brings death and gives life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. (Sheol h7585)
7 YHWH dispossesses, and He makes rich, He makes low, indeed, He makes high.
The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.
8 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.
He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world.
9 He keeps the feet of His saints, And the wicked are silent in darkness, For man does not become mighty by power.
He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.
10 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.”
Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
11 And Elkanah goes to Ramath, to his house, and the youth has been serving YHWH [in] the presence of Eli the priest;
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.
12 and the sons of Eli [are] sons of worthlessness, they have not known YHWH.
Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD
13 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,
or for the custom of the priests with the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling
14 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.
and plunge it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or cooking pot. And the priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.
15 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”;
Even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 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.”
And if any man said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you may take whatever you want,” the servant would reply, “No, you must give it to me right now. If you refuse, I will take it by force!”
17 And the sin of the young men is very great [in] the presence of YHWH, for the men have despised the offering of YHWH.
Thus the sin of these young men was severe in the sight of the LORD, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt.
18 And Samuel is ministering [in] the presence of YHWH, a youth girt [with] an ephod of linen;
Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod.
19 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.
Each year his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
20 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.
And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the LORD give you children by this woman in place of the one she dedicated to the LORD.” Then they would go home.
21 When YHWH has looked after Hannah, then she conceives and bears three sons and two daughters; and the youth Samuel grows up with YHWH.
So the LORD attended to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
22 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,
Now Eli was very old, and he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
23 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!
“Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people.
24 No, my sons; for the report which I am hearing is not good, causing the people of YHWH to transgress.
No, my sons; it is not a good report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people.
25 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.
If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to put them to death.
26 And the youth Samuel is going on and growing up, and [is] good with both YHWH, and also with men.
And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man.
27 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,
Then a man of God came to Eli and told him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh’s house?
28 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?
And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the offerings of the Israelites made by fire.
29 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?
Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’
30 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.
Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.
31 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;
Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no older man will be left in your house.
32 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.
You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age.
33 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;
And every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, your eyes will fail and your heart will grieve. All your descendants will die by the sword of men.
34 and this [is] the sign to you that comes to your two sons, to Hophni and Phinehas—in one day both of them die;
And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.
35 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;
Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. And I will build for him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed one for all time.
36 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.”
And everyone left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of bread, pleading, “Please appoint me to some priestly office so that I can eat a piece of bread.”’”
