1 Samuel 2
1 Then prayed Hannah, and said, My heart hath leaped for joy in Yahweh, My horn is exalted in Yahweh, My mouth is opened wide, o’er my foes, Because I rejoice in thy 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 Yahweh, Nay! there, is none, except Thee, Nor, is, there a 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 Do not multiply words, so loftily—loftily, Nor let arrogance proceed from your mouth, —For, a GOD of knowledge, is Yahweh, And, for himself, are great doings made firm.
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 The bow of the mighty, is dismayed, —While, the fainting, are girded with strength;
The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength.
5 The sated, have, for bread, taken hire, But, the famished, have left off their toil, —So that, the barren, hath given birth unto seven, While, she that hath many sons, languisheth:
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 Yahweh, maketh poor, and enricheth, —Layeth low, yea exalteth;
The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.
8 Raiseth, from the dust, the poor, From the dunghill, uplifteth the needy, To give them a dwelling with nobles, And, a throne of glory, to make them inherit. For, to Yahweh, belong the pillars of the earth, And he setteth thereon the habitable world.
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 The feet of his loving ones, he doth guard, But, the lawless, in darkness shall be silent, —For, by strength, shall no man prevail.
He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.
10 As for Yahweh, —they shall be shattered who contend with him, Over him, in the heavens will he thunder, Yahweh, will judge the ends of the earth, —That he may give strength to his King, And exalt the horn of his Anointed One.
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 Then went Elkanah to Ramah, unto his own house, —but, the boy, remained ministering unto Yahweh, before Eli the priest.
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.
12 Now, the sons of Eli, were abandoned men, —they knew not Yahweh.
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, was—when any man offered a sacrifice, then would come the priests young man, as the flesh was boiling, with a three-pronged fork 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 would strike it into the boiler, or into the trough, or into the kettle, or into the pot, all that the fork would bring up, the priest took for himself. Thus and thus, used they to do unto all Israel, who came thither, 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 any could make perfume with the fat, the priests young man would come in and say to the person who was sacrificing, Come! give flesh for the priest’s roastings, —for he will not take of thee boiled flesh—only 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, if the man said to him, Let them at least, make incense, at once with the fat, then take thou as much as thy soul craveth, Then said he to him, But, at once, shalt thou give it; or else, I will take it by force.
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 so it was, that, the sin of the young men, was exceeding great, before Yahweh, —for men scorned the offerings of Yahweh.
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 But, as for Samuel, he was ministering before Yahweh, —a boy girded with an ephod of linen.
Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod.
19 Also, a little robe, used his mother to make for him, and bring it up to him, from year to year, —when she came up with her husband, to offer the sacrifice of the year.
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 used to bless Elkanah and his wife, and to say—Yahweh give thee seed of this woman, instead of the loan that hath been lent unto Yahweh. So they went their way to his own 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 And Yahweh visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bare three sons, and two daughters. Thus did the boy Samuel grow up with Yahweh.
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 Now, Eli, was very old, —but he used to hear all that his sons did unto all Israel, and how they even lay with the women who did service, 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 So he said to them, Wherefore should ye do such things as these? for I keep hearing of your wicked doings, from all these people.
“Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people.
24 Nay, my sons! for it is no good report that I do hear: leading into transgression the people of Yahweh.
No, my sons; it is not a good report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people.
25 If one man sin against another, God will interpose, but, if, against Yahweh, a man sin, who will intercede, for him? But they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, for Yahweh was pleased 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 But, the boy Samuel, went on growing in stature, and in favour, —both with Yahweh, and also with men.
And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man.
27 And there came a man of God, unto Eli, —and said unto him—Thus, saith Yahweh, I, did indeed reveal myself, unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt, as servants unto the house of Pharaoh;
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 choosing him out of all the tribes of Israel unto myself, to minister as priest, to offer upon mine altar, to perfume with incense to bear an ephod before me, —Therefore gave I unto the house of thy father all the altar-flames 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 Wherefore have ye been kicking at my sacrifices, and my presents, which I commanded, to serve for a home, —and shouldest have honoured thy sons more than me: fattening yourselves, with the first of every present of Israel, before me?
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 Hence, the oracle of Yahweh God of Israel, I, said, that, thy house, and the house of thy father, should go to and fro in my presence, unto times age-abiding: But, now, (is the oracle of Yahweh)—Be it far from me! For, them who honour me, will I honour, but, they who despise me, shall be 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 Lo! days are coming, when I will hew off thine arm, and the arm of the house of thy father, —that there shall be no elder in thy 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 But thou shalt descry distress at home, in all that shall gladden Israel, —and there shall not be an elder in thine own 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 But, any man of thine whom I may not cut off from mine altar, it shall be—to consume his eyes, and grieve his soul; Howbeit, all the multitude of thy house, shall die, by the sword of men.
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, for thee is the sign, which shall come upon thy two sons, upon Hophni and Phinehas, —In one day, shall they, 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 will raise me up a faithful priest, According to that which is in my heart and in my soul, will he do; Therefore will I build for him an assured house, and he shall go to and fro in presence of mine 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 shall be, that, any that is left in thy house, shall come bowing down to him for a small coin of silver, and for a cake of bread, and shall say: Appoint me, I pray thee, to one of the priestly offices, that I may 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.”’”
