1 Samuel 2

Hannah's Triumphant Prayer

 ¹ Hannah prayed: ^(A)
    My heart rejoices in the LORD; ^(B)
    my horn is lifted up by the LORD.
   My mouth boasts over my enemies,
    because I rejoice in Your salvation. ^(C)

    ² There is no one holy like the LORD. ^(D)
    There is no one besides You! ^(E)
    And there is no rock like our God. ^(F) 3 Do not boast so proudly,
    or let arrogant [words] come out of your mouth,
    for the LORD is a God of knowledge,
    and actions are weighed by Him. ^(G)

    ⁴ The bows of the warriors are broken, ^(H)
    but the feeble are clothed with strength. ^(I)

    ⁵ Those who are full hire themselves out for food,
    but those who are starving [hunger] no more.
    The barren woman gives birth to seven, ^(J)
    but the woman with many sons pines away. ^(K)

    ⁶ The LORD brings death and gives life; ^(L) 
   He sends [some] to Sheol, and He raises [others] up. ^(M)

    ⁷ The LORD brings poverty and gives wealth; ^(N)
    He humbles and He exalts. ^(O)

    ⁸ He raises the poor from the dust ^(P)
    and lifts the needy from the garbage pile. ^(Q)
    He seats them with noblemen ^(R)
    and gives them a throne of honor. ^[a] 
   For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; ^(S)
    He has set the world on them. ^(T)

    ⁹ He guards the steps ^[b] of His faithful ones, ^(U) 
   but the wicked are silenced in darkness, ^(V)
    for a man does not prevail by [his own] strength. ^(W)

    ¹⁰ Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered; ^(X) [c] 
   He will thunder in the heavens against them. ^(Y)
    The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. ^(Z)
    He will give power to His king;
    He will lift up the horn of His anointed. ^(AA)

    ¹¹ Elkanah went home to Ramah, ^(AB) but the boy served the LORD in the presence of Eli the priest. ^(AC)

   

Eli's Family Judged

 ¹² Eli's sons were wicked men; ^(AD) they had no regard for the LORD ^(AE) 13 or for the priests' share [of the sacrifices] from the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling ¹⁴ and plunge it into the container or kettle or caldron or cooking pot. ^(AF) The priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is the way they treated all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh. ¹⁵ Even before the fat was burned, ^(AG) the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest [some] meat to roast, because he won't accept boiled meat from you—only raw." ¹⁶ If that man said to him, "The fat must be burned first; then you can take whatever you want for yourself," ^(AH) the servant would reply, "No, I insist that you hand it over right now. If you don't, I'll take it by force!" ¹⁷ So the servants' sin was very severe in the presence of the LORD, because they treated the LORD's offering with contempt. ^(AI)

    ¹⁸ The boy Samuel served in the LORD's presence ^(AJ) and wore a linen ephod. ^(AK)19 Each year his mother made him a little robe ^(AL) and took it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. ^(AM) 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife: ^(AN) "May the LORD give you children by this woman in place of the one she ^[d]has given to the LORD." ^(AO) Then they would go home.

    ²¹ The LORD paid attention to Hannah's [need], ^(AP) and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD. ^(AQ)

    ²² Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel ^(AR) and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ^(AS) 23 He said to them, "Why are you doing these things? I have heard about your evil actions from all these people. ²⁴ No, my sons, the report I hear from the LORD's people is not good. ²⁵ 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?" ^(AT) But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to kill them. ^(AU) 26 By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men. ^(AV)

    ²⁷ A man of God came to Eli and said to him, ^(AW) "This is what the LORD says: 'Didn't I reveal Myself to your ancestral house when it was in Egypt and belonged to Pharaoh's palace? ^(AX) 28 I selected your house ^[e] from the tribes of Israel to be priests, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. ^(AY) I also gave your house all the Israelite fire offerings. ²⁹ Why, then, do all of you despise My sacrifices and offerings that I require at the place of worship?^(AZ) You have honored your sons more than Me, ^(BA) by making yourselves fat with the best part of all of the offerings of My people Israel.'

    ³⁰ "Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says:

    'Although I said

    your family and your ancestral house

    would walk before Me forever, ^(BB)

    the LORD now says, "No longer!"

    I will honor those who honor Me, ^(BC)

    but those who despise Me will be disgraced. ^(BD)

    ³¹ " 'Look, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestral family, so that none in your family will reach old age. ^(BE) 32 You will see distress [in the] place of worship, ^(BF) in spite of all that is good in Israel, and no one in your family will ever again reach old age. ^(BG) 33 Any man from your [family] I do not cut off from My altar will bring grief ^[f] and sadness to you. All your descendents will die violently. ^[g] [h] 34 This will be the sign that will come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: ^(BH) both of them will die on the same day. ^(BI)

    ³⁵ " 'Then I will raise up a faithful priest ^(BJ) for Myself. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. I will establish a lasting dynasty for him, ^(BK) and he will walk before My anointed one for all time. ^(BL) 36 Anyone who is left in your family will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread. He will say: Please appoint me to some priestly office so I can have a piece of bread to eat.' "