< 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.
And Hannah prayed, and said: My heart exulteth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.
2 There is none holy like YHWH, For there is none except You, And there is no rock like our God.
There is none holy as the LORD; for there is none beside thee: neither is there any 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.
Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, 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 men are broken, and they that stumbled are 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.
They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry have ceased: yea, the barren hath borne seven; and she that hath many children languisheth.
6 YHWH puts to death, and keeps alive, He brings down to Sheol, and brings up. (Sheol )
The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. (Sheol )
7 YHWH dispossesses, and He makes rich, He makes low, indeed, He makes high.
The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, he also lifteth 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 raiseth up the poor out of the dust, he lifteth 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, and he hath set the world 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 keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; for by 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.”
They that strive with the LORD shall be broken to pieces; against them shall he thunder in heaven: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and 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;
And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto 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 sons of Belial; they knew not 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,
And the custom of the priests with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth 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 he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took therewith. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.
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”;
Yea, before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, 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 if the man said unto him, They will surely burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would say, Nay, but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, 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.
And the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.
18 And Samuel is ministering [in] the presence of YHWH, a youth girt [with] an ephod of linen;
But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, 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.
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 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 said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which was lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own 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.
And the LORD visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before 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 did unto all Israel, and how that they lay with the women that did service at the door of 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!
And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.
24 No, my sons; for the report which I am hearing is not good, causing the people of YHWH to transgress.
Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’S people 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 one man sin against another, God shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall entreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.
26 And the youth Samuel is going on and growing up, and [is] good with both YHWH, and also with men.
And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with 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,
And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I reveal myself unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt [in bondage] to 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 did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up unto mine altar to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings of the children of Israel 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?
Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in [my] habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
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, saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
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 come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine 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 thou shalt behold the affliction of [my] habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.
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 the man of thine, [whom] I shall not cut off from mine altar, [shall be] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.
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 shall be the sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.
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 me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.
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 it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests’ offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.