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.
“My heart exults in the Lord, and my horn is exalted in my God. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies. For I have rejoiced in your salvation.
2 There is none holy like YHWH, For there is none except You, And there is no rock like our God.
Nothing is holy as the Lord is holy. For there is no other beside you. And nothing is strong as our God is strong.
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 continue speaking of great things, boasting. Let what is old depart from your mouth. For the Lord is the God of knowledge, and thoughts are prepared for him.
4 Bows of the mighty are broken, And the stumbling have girded on strength.
The bow of the powerful has been overwhelmed, and the weak have been girded 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.
Those who before were filled, have hired themselves out for bread. And the starving have been filled, so that the barren have given birth to many. But she who had borne many sons has become unable.
The Lord brings death, and he gives life. He leads away to death, and he brings back again. (Sheol h7585)
7 YHWH dispossesses, and He makes rich, He makes low, indeed, He makes high.
The Lord impoverishes, and he enriches. He humbles, and he lifts up.
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 up the indigent from the dust, and he lifts up the poor from filth, so that they may sit with princes, and take hold of a throne of glory. For the hinges of the earth belong to the Lord, and he has placed the globe upon them.
9 He keeps the feet of His saints, And the wicked are silent in darkness, For man does not become mighty by power.
He will preserve the feet of his holy ones, and the impious will be silenced in darkness. For no man will prevail by his own strength.
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.”
The adversaries of the Lord will dread him. And over them, he will thunder in the heavens. The Lord will judge the parts of the earth, and he will give dominion to his king, and he will lift up the horn of his Christ.”
11 And Elkanah goes to Ramath, to his house, and the youth has been serving YHWH [in] the presence of Eli the priest;
And Elkanah went away to Ramah, to his house. But the boy was a minister in the sight of the Lord, before the face of Eli, the priest.
12 and the sons of Eli [are] sons of worthlessness, they have not known YHWH.
But the sons of Eli were sons of Belial, not knowing 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,
nor the priestly office for the people. And so, no matter who had immolated a victim, the servant of the priest would arrive, while the flesh was still cooking, and he would take a three-pronged hook in his hand,
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 put it into the vessel, or into the cauldron, or into the cooking pot, or into the pan, and all that the hook lifted up, the priest took for himself. So they did to all of Israel who arrived at 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”;
In addition, before they burned the fat, the servant of the priest would arrive, and he would say to the one who was immolating: “Give me the flesh, so that I may boil it for the priest. For I will not accept cooked meat from you, but 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 the one who was immolating would say to him, “First, allow the fat to be burned today, according to custom, and then take for yourself whatever your soul desires.” But in response, he would say to him: “By no means. For you will give it to me now, otherwise 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.
Therefore, the sin of the servants was exceedingly great before the Lord. For they drew men away from the sacrifice of the Lord.
18 And Samuel is ministering [in] the presence of YHWH, a youth girt [with] an ephod of linen;
But Samuel was ministering before the face of the Lord; he was a youth girded with 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.
And his mother fashioned a little tunic for him, which she brought to him on the appointed days, ascending with her husband, so that he might immolate the solemn 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 blessed Elkanah and his wife. And he said to him, “May the Lord repay to you offspring from this woman, on behalf of the loan that you offered to the Lord.” And they went away to their own place.
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.
Then the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the youth Samuel was magnified with 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 all that his sons were doing to all of Israel, and how they were sleeping with the women who were waiting at the door of the tabernacle.
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!
And he said to them: “Why are you doing these kinds of things, very wicked things, that I have heard from all the people?
24 No, my sons; for the report which I am hearing is not good, causing the people of YHWH to transgress.
My sons, do not be willing. For it is no good report that I am hearing, so that you would cause the people of the Lord to transgress.
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 has sinned against a man, God may be able to be appeased over him. But if a man has sinned against the Lord, who will pray for him?” But they did not listen to the voice of their father, that the Lord was willing to kill them.
26 And the youth Samuel is going on and growing up, and [is] good with both YHWH, and also with men.
But the youth Samuel advanced, and grew up, and he was pleasing to the Lord, as well as to men.
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 went to Eli, and he said to him: “Thus says the Lord: Was I not revealed openly to the house of your father, when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh?
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 I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel for myself as priest, so that he might ascend to my altar, and burn incense to me, and wear the ephod before me. And I gave to the house of your father all the sacrifices of the sons of Israel.
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 have you kicked away my victims and my gifts, which I instructed to be offered in the temple? And why have you given more honor to your sons than to me, so that you eat the first-fruits of every sacrifice 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.
Because of this, the Lord God of Israel says: I have spoken clearly, so that your house, and the house of your father, may minister in my sight, even forever. But now the Lord says: May this be far from me. Instead, whoever will have glorified me, I will glorify him. But whoever despises me, they will be despised.
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 arriving, when I will cut off your arm, and the arm of the house of your father, so that there will not be an old man 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.
And you will see your rival in the temple, amid all the prosperity of Israel. And there will not be an old man in your house for all days.
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;
Yet truly, I will not entirely take away a man of you from my altar, but such that your eyes may fail, and your soul may melt away, and a great part of your house may die out, as it pertains to the state 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;
But this will be a sign to you, which will happen to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on one day they both will die.
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;
And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will act in accord with my heart and my soul. And I will build a faithful house for him. And he will walk before my Christ for all days.
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.”
Then this will be in the future, that whoever will have remained of your house, he will approach so that he may pray on his behalf. And he will offer a coin of silver, and a twist of bread. And he will say: ‘Permit me, I beg you, one part of the priestly office, so that I may eat a mouthful of bread.’”
