Kings I 2
1 My heart is established in the Lord, my horn is exalted in my God; my mouth is enlarged over my enemies, I have rejoiced in your salvation.
Hannah prayed, “I'm so happy in the Lord! He has empowered me! Now I have plenty to say in answer to those who hate me. I celebrate your salvation!
2 For there is none holy as the Lord, and there is none righteous as our God; there is none holy besides you.
There's no one holy like the Lord—no one apart from you, no Rock like our God!
3 Boast not, and utter not high things; let not high-sounding words come out of your mouth, for the Lord [is] a God of knowledge, and God prepares his own designs.
Don't speak so conceitedly! Don't talk so arrogantly! For the Lord is a God who knows everything—doesn't he judge what you do?
4 The bow of the mighty has waxed feeble, and the weak have girded themselves with strength.
The weapons of the powerful are shattered, while those who stumble along are made strong.
5 They that were full of bread are brought low; and the hungry have forsaken the land; for the barren has born seven, and she that abounded in children has waxed feeble.
Those who used to have plenty of food now have to work to earn a crust, while those who used to be hungry now have become fat. The woman who was childless now has seven children, while the woman with many children fades away.
The Lord kills and he revives; he sends some down to the grave, but he raises others up. (Sheol h7585)
7 The Lord makes poor, and makes rich; he brings low, and lifts up.
The Lord makes some poor, but others rich; he brings some down, but he lifts others up.
8 He lifts up the poor from the earth, and raises the needy from the dunghill; to seat him with the princes of the people, and causing them to inherit the throne of glory:
He helps the poor up from the dust; he raises the lowborn from the trash pile and seats them with the upper class in places of honor. For the foundations of the earth belong to the Lord, and he has placed the world on them.
9 granting his petition to him that prays; and he blesses the years of the righteous, for by strength can’t man prevail.
He will take care of those who trust him, but the wicked vanish into the darkness, for people don't succeed through their own strength.
10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
The Lord crushes his enemies, he thunders against them from heaven. He rules the whole earth; he strengthens his king, and gives power to the one he has anointed.”
11 and departed to Armathaim: and the child ministered in the presence of the Lord before Heli the priest.
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah while the boy stayed with Eli the priest serving the Lord.
12 And the sons of Heli the priest [were] evil sons, not knowing the Lord.
Eli's sons were worthless men who didn't have any time for the Lord
13 And the priest's claim from every one of the people that sacrificed [was this: ] the servant of the priest came when the flesh was in seething, and a flesh-hook of three teeth [was] in his hand.
or their role as priests to the people. They would send one of their servants over with a fork when anyone came to offer a sacrifice.
14 And he struck it into the great caldron, or into the brazen vessel, or into the pot, and whatever came up with the flesh-hook, the priest took for himself: so they did to all Israel that came to sacrifice to the Lord in Selom.
The servant would stick the fork into the pot while the meat from the sacrifice was being boiled, and would take whatever meat came up on the fork to Eli's sons. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.
15 And before the fat was burnt for a sweet savor, the servant of the priest would come, and say to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest, and I will by no means take of you sodden flesh out of the caldron.
In fact even before the fat of the sacrifice was burned up the servant would come and would demand from the man sacrificing, “Give me meat to roast for the priest. He doesn't want boiled meat from you—he wants it raw.”
16 And [if] the man that sacrificed said, First let the fat be burned, as it is fit, and take for yourself of all things which your soul desires: then he would say, Nay, for you shall give it me now; and if not I will take it by force.
The man might answer, “Let me first burn up all the fat, and then you can have as much as you want.” But the priest's servant would reply, “No, you must give it to me now. If you don't, I'll take it by force.”
17 So the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for they set at nothing the offering of the Lord.
The sins of these young men were extremely serious from the Lord's perspective because they were treating with contempt the Lord's offerings.
18 And Samuel ministered before the Lord, a child girded with a linen ephod.
But Samuel served before the Lord—a boy dressed as a priest, wearing a linen ephod.
19 And his mother made him a little doublet, and brought it to him from year to year, in her going up in company with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
Every year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
20 And Heli blessed Helcana and his wife, saying The Lord recompense to you seed of this woman, in return for the loan which you have lent to the Lord: and the man returned to his place.
Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to replace the one she prayed for and dedicated to the Lord.” Then they would return home.
21 And the Lord visited Anna, and she bore yet three sons, and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.
The Lord blessed Hannah with three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
22 And Heli [was] very old, and he heard what his sons did to the children of Israel.
Eli was very old, however he had heard about all the things his sons were doing to the people of Israel, and how they were seducing the women who were serving at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
23 And he said to them, Why do you according to this thing, which I hear from the mouth of all the people of the Lord?
He asked them, “Why are you doing all this? I keep on hearing from everyone about your evil actions.
24 Nay [my] sons, for the report which I hear [is] not good; do not so, for the reports which I hear [are] not good, so that the people do not serve God.
No, my sons, the report I hear about you from the Lord's people isn't good.
25 If a man should at all sin against another, then shall they pray for him to the Lord; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him? But they listened not to the voice of their father, because the Lord would by all means destroy them.
If a man sins against someone, God can intercede for him; but if a man sin against the Lord, who is going to intercede for him?” But they didn't pay attention to what their father said, for the Lord was planning to put them to death.
26 And the child Samuel advanced, and was in favor with God and with men.
The boy Samuel grew physically, and also grew in the approval of both the Lord and the people.
27 And a man of God came to Heli, and said, Thus says the Lord, I plainly revealed myself to the house of your father, when they were servants in Egypt to the house of Pharao.
A man of God came to Eli and told him, “This is what the Lord says: Didn't I very clearly reveal myself to your forefather's family when they were ruled by Pharaoh in Egypt?
28 And I chose the house of your father out of all the tribes of Israel to minister to me in the priest's office, to go up to my altar, and 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 for food.
I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel as my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave to your forefather's family all the Israelites' offerings made with fire.
29 And therefore have you looked upon my incense-offering and my meat-offering with a shameless eye, and have honored your sons above me, so that they should bless themselves with the first fruits of every sacrifice of Israel before me?
So why have you treated with contempt my sacrifices and offerings that I have ordered for my place of worship? You honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves with the best parts of all the offerings from my people Israel.
30 Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel, I said, Your house and the house of your father shall pass before me for ever: but now the Lord says, That be far from me; for I will only honor them that honor me, and he that sets me at nothing shall be despised.
Consequently, this is the declaration of the Lord: I made a definite promise that your family and your father's family would always serve me as priests. But now the Lord declares: Not anymore! Instead I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me I will treat with contempt.
31 Behold, the days come when I will destroy your seed and the seed of your father's house.
The time is coming when I will bring your family and your father's family to an end. No one will live to an old age.
32 And you shall not have an old man in my house for ever.
You will see tragedy in the place of worship. While Israel will prosper, no one in your family will ever again reach old age.
33 And [if] I do not destroy a man of your from my altar, [it shall be] that his eyes may fail and his soul may perish; and every one that remains in your house shall fall by the sword of men.
Anyone of your family not cut off from serving at my altar will make your eyes weep and cause you grief. All your descendants will die when full of life.
34 And this which shall come upon your two sons Ophni and Phinees shall be a sign to you; in one day they shall both die.
Here is a sign for you that this will happen regarding your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: both will die on the same day.
35 And I will raise up to myself a faithful priest, who shall do all that is in my heart and in my soul; and I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before my Christ for ever.
I will choose for myself a trustworthy priest who will do what I really want, what I have in mind. I will make sure he and his descendants are trustworthy and they will always serve my anointed one.
36 And it shall come to pass that he that survives in your house, shall come to do obeisance before him for a little piece of silver, saying, Put me into one of your priest's offices to eat bread.
Every one of your descendants who is left will come and bow down to him, asking for money and food, saying, ‘Please give me work as a priest so that I can have food to eat.’”
