1 Samuel 2
1 Hannah prayed, and said: "My heart exults in the LORD. My horn is exalted in my God. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice 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 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.
There's no one holy like the Lord—no one apart from you, no Rock like our God!
3 "Do not keep speaking proudly. Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth, for the LORD is a God of knowledge. By him actions are weighed.
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 bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.
The weapons of the powerful are shattered, while those who stumble along are made strong.
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 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, he also lifts up.
The Lord makes some poor, but others rich; he brings some down, but he lifts others 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 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 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 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 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 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 Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. The child served the LORD before Eli the cohen.
Then Elkanah went home to Ramah while the boy stayed with Eli the priest serving the Lord.
12 Now the sons of Eli were base men; they did not know the LORD.
Eli's sons were worthless men who didn't have any time for 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;
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 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.
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 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 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 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."
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 The sin of the young men was very great before the LORD; for they despised 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 But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, clothed with a linen ephod.
But Samuel served before the Lord—a boy dressed as a priest, wearing 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.
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 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.
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 The LORD visited Hannah, and she bore more children, three sons and two daughters. 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 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).
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 do such things as these that I hear being said of you from the mouth of 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 No, my sons, do not do this. For it is not a good report that I hear the people of the LORD spreading.
No, my sons, the report I hear about you from the Lord's people isn't good.
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 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 The child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with the LORD, and also with men.
The boy Samuel grew physically, and also grew in the approval of both the Lord and the people.
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.
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 him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my cohen, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me. And I gave to the house of your father all the offerings by fire of the children of Israel as 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 Why do you look down on my sacrifice and on my offering, which I have commanded for my dwelling place, and honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel my people?'
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 "'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.
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 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.
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 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."'"
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.’”
