1 Samuel 2

1 And Hannah prayeth, and saith: 'My heart hath exulted in Jehovah, My horn hath been high in Jehovah, My mouth hath been large over mine enemies, For I have rejoiced in Thy salvation.

And Hannah, in prayer before the Lord, said, My heart is glad in the Lord, my horn is lifted up in the Lord: my mouth is open wide over my haters; because my joy is in your salvation.

2 There is none holy like Jehovah, For there is none save Thee, And there is no rock like our God.

No other is holy as the Lord, for there is no other God but you: there is no Rock like our God.

3 Ye multiply not — ye speak haughtily — The old saying goeth out from your mouth, For a God of knowledge [is] Jehovah, And by Him actions are weighed.

Say no more words of pride; let not uncontrolled sayings come out of your mouths: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, by him acts are judged.

4 Bows of the mighty are broken, And the stumbling have girded on strength.

The bows of the men of war are broken, and the feeble are clothed with strength.

5 The satiated for bread hired themselves, And the hungry have ceased. While the barren hath borne seven, And she abounding with sons hath languished.

Those who were full are offering themselves as servants for bread; those who were in need are at rest; truly, she who had no children has become the mother of seven; and she who had a family is wasted with sorrow.

6 Jehovah putteth to death, and keepeth alive, He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up. (Sheol h7585)

The Lord is the giver of death and life: sending men down to the underworld and lifting them up. (Sheol h7585)

7 Jehovah dispossesseth, and He maketh rich, He maketh low, yea, He maketh high.

The Lord gives wealth and takes a man's goods from him: crushing men down and again lifting them up;

8 He raiseth from the dust the poor, From a dunghill He lifteth up the needy, To cause [them] to sit with nobles, Yea, a throne of honour He doth cause them to inherit, For to Jehovah [are] the fixtures of earth, And He setteth on them the habitable world.

Lifting the poor out of the dust, and him who is in need out of the lowest place, to give them their place among rulers, and for their heritage the seat of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and he has made them the base of the world.

9 The feet of His saints He keepeth, And the wicked in darkness are silent, For not by power doth man become mighty.

He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the evil-doers will come to their end in the dark night, for by strength no man will overcome.

10 Jehovah — broken down are His adversaries, Against them in the heavens He thundereth: Jehovah judgeth the ends of earth, And giveth strength to His king, And exalteth the horn of His anointed.'

Those who make war against the Lord will be broken; against them he will send his thunder from heaven: the Lord will be judge of the ends of the earth, he will give strength to his king, lifting up the horn of him on whom the holy oil has been put.

11 And Elkanah goeth to Ramath, unto his house, and the youth hath been serving Jehovah, [in] the presence of Eli the priest;

Then Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child became the servant of the Lord under the direction of Eli the priest.

12 and the sons of Eli [are] sons of worthlessness, they have not known Jehovah.

Now the sons of Eli were evil and good-for-nothing men, having no knowledge of the Lord.

13 And the custom of the priests with the people [is]: any man sacrificing a sacrifice — then hath the servant of the priest come in when the flesh is boiling, and the hook of three teeth in his hand,

And the priests' way with the people was this: when any man made an offering, the priest's servant came while the flesh was being cooked, having in his hand a meat-hook with three teeth;

14 and hath struck [it] into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the hook bringeth up doth the priest take for himself; thus they do to all Israel who are coming in, there, in Shiloh.

This he put into the pot, and everything which came up on the hook the priest took for himself. This they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.

15 Also before they make perfume with the fat — then hath the priest's servant come in, and said to the man who is sacrificing, 'Give flesh to roast for the priest, and he doth not take of thee flesh boiled, but raw;'

And more than this, before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was making the offering, Give me some of the flesh to be cooked for the priest; he has no taste for meat cooked in water, but would have you give it uncooked.

16 and the man saith unto him, 'Let them surely make a perfume (as to-day) with the fat, then take to thee as thy soul desireth;' and he hath said to him, 'Surely now thou dost give; and if not — I have taken by strength.'

And if the man said to him, First let the fat be burned, then take as much as you will; then the servant would say, No, you are to give it to me now, or I will take it by force.

17 And the sin of the young men is very great [in] the presence of Jehovah, for the men have despised the offering of Jehovah.

And the sin of these young men was very great before the Lord; for they gave no honour to the Lord's offerings.

18 And Samuel is ministering [in] the presence of Jehovah, a youth girt [with] an ephod of linen;

But Samuel did the work of the Lord's house, while he was a child, dressed in a linen ephod.

19 and a small upper coat doth his mother make to him, and she hath 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 made him a little robe and took it to him every year when she came with her husband for the year's offering.

20 And Eli blessed Elkanah, and his wife, and said, 'Jehovah doth appoint for thee seed of this woman, for the petition which she asked for Jehovah;' and they have gone to their place.

And every year Eli gave Elkanah and his wife a blessing, saying, May the Lord give you offspring by this woman in exchange for the child you have given to the Lord. And they went back to their house.

21 When Jehovah hath looked after Hannah, then she conceiveth and beareth three sons and two daughters; and the youth Samuel groweth up with Jehovah.

And the Lord had mercy on Hannah and she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the young Samuel became older before the Lord.

22 And Eli [is] very old, and hath 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 had news from time to time of what his sons were doing to all Israel.

23 and he saith to them, 'Why do ye 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 such things? for from all this people I get accounts of your evil ways.

24 Nay, my sons; for the report which I am hearing is not good causing the people of Jehovah to transgress. —

No, my sons, the account which is given me, which the Lord's people are sending about, is not good.

25 If a man sin against a man, then hath God judged him; but if against Jehovah a man sin, who doth pray for him?' and they hearken not to the voice of their father, though Jehovah hath delighted to put them to death.

If one man does wrong to another, God will be his judge: but if a man's sin is against the Lord, who will take up his cause? But they gave no attention to the voice of their father, for it was the Lord's purpose to send destruction on them.

26 And the youth Samuel is going on and growing up, and [is] good both with Jehovah, and also with men.

And the young Samuel, becoming older, had the approval of the Lord and of men.

27 And there cometh a man of God unto Eli, and saith unto him, 'Thus said Jehovah, Was I really revealed unto the house of thy father in their being in Egypt, before Pharaoh's house,

And a man of God came to Eli and said to him, The Lord says, Did I let myself be seen by your father's people when they were in Egypt, servants in Pharaoh's house?

28 even to choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to Me for a priest, to go up on Mine altar, to make a perfume, to bear an ephod before Me, and I give to the house of thy father all the fire-offerings of the sons of Israel?

Did I take him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest and to go up to my altar to make the smoke of the offerings go up and to take up the ephod? Did I give to your father's family all the offerings made by fire by the children of Israel?

29 Why do ye kick at My sacrifice, and at Mine offering which I commanded [in] My habitation, and dost honour thy sons above Me, to make yourselves fat from the first part of every offering of Israel, of My people?

Why then are you looking with envy on my offerings of meat and of meal which were ordered by my word, honouring your sons before me, and making yourselves fat with all the best of the offerings of Israel, my people?

30 'Therefore — the affirmation of Jehovah, God of Israel — I certainly said, Thy house and the house of thy father, do walk up and down before Me to the age; and now — the affirmation of Jehovah — Far be it from Me! for he who is honouring Me, I honour, and those despising Me, are lightly esteemed.

For this reason the Lord God of Israel has said, Truly I did say that your family and your father's people would have their place before me for ever: but now the Lord says, Let it not be so; I will give honour to those by whom I am honoured, and those who have no respect for me will be of small value in my eyes.

31 'Lo, days [are] coming, and I have cut off thine arm, and the arm of the house of thy father, that an old man is not in thy house;

See, the days are coming when your arm and the arm of your father's people will be cut off;

32 and thou hast beheld an adversary [in My] habitation, in all that He doth good with Israel, and there is not an old man in thy house all the days.

And never again will there be an old man in your family.

33 'And the man I cut not off of thine from Mine altar, [is] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy soul; and all the increase of thy house do die men;

But one man of your family will not be cut off by my hand, and his eyes will be made dark, and grief will be in his heart: and all the offspring of your family will come to their end by the sword of men.

34 and this [is] to thee the sign that cometh unto thy two sons, unto Hophni and Phinehas — in one day they die both of them;

And this will be the sign to you, which will come on Hophni and Phinehas, your sons; death will overtake them on the same day.

35 and I have raised up for Me a stedfast priest; as in My heart and in My soul he doth do; and I have built for him a stedfast house, and he hath walked up and down before Mine anointed all the days;

And I will make a true priest for myself, one who will do what is in my heart and in my mind: and I will make for him a family which will not come to an end; and his place will be before my holy one for ever.

36 and it hath been, every one who is left in thy house doth come in to bow himself to him, for a wage of silver, and a cake of bread, and hath said, Admit me, I pray thee, unto one of the priest's offices, to eat a morsel of bread.'

Then it will be that the rest of your family, anyone who has not been cut off, will go down on his knees to him for a bit of silver or a bit of bread, and say, Be pleased to put me into one of the priest's places so that I may have a little food.