1 Samuel 2
1 And Hannah prayed and 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.
“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 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.
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 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.
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 The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.
The bow of the powerful has been overwhelmed, and the weak have been girded with strength.
5 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.
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 The LORD makes poor, and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up.
The Lord impoverishes, and he enriches. He humbles, and he lifts up.
8 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.
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 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.
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 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."
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 she went to Ramah, while the child served the LORD before Eli the cohen.
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 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD.
But the sons of Eli were sons of Belial, not knowing the Lord,
13 The custom of the cohanim with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the cohen's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a fork 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 he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the cohen took therewith. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
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 Yes, before they burnt the fat, the cohen's servant came, and said to the man who sacrificed, "Give meat to roast for the cohen; for he will not accept boiled meat 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 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."
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 The sin of the young men was very great before the LORD; for they despised the offering of the LORD.
Therefore, the sin of the servants was exceedingly great before the Lord. For they drew men away from the sacrifice of the Lord.
18 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, clothed with a linen ephod.
But Samuel was ministering before the face of the Lord; he was a youth girded with a linen ephod.
19 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.
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 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.
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 The LORD visited Hannah, and she bore more children, three sons and two daughters. The child Samuel grew before the LORD.
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 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).
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 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?
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, do not do this. For it is not a good report that I hear the people of the LORD spreading.
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 gravely against another, he can appeal to the LORD; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?" But, they did not listen to the voice of their father, because the LORD intended to kill them.
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 The child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with the LORD, 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 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.
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 And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my cohen, 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.
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 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?'
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 "'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.
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 I will raise me up a faithful cohen, 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.
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 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 cohanim' offices, that I may 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.’”
