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.

Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in Yahweh. My horn is exalted in Yahweh. My mouth boasts over my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.

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

There is no one holy like Yahweh, for there is none besides 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.

Boast no more so very proudly; let no arrogance come out of your mouth. For Yahweh is a God of knowledge; by him actions are weighed.

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

The bow of the mighty men are broken, but those who stumble put on strength like a belt.

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 have hired themselves out for bread; those who were hungry have stopped being hungry. Even the barren one gives birth to seven, but the woman who has many children languishes.

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

Yahweh kills and brings to life. He brings down to Sheol and raises up. (Sheol h7585)

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

Yahweh makes some people poor and some rich. He humbles, but he also lifts 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.

He raises up the poor out of the dust. He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit the seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh's and he has set the world upon them.

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 guard the feet of his faithful people, but the wicked will be put to silence in darkness, for no one will prevail by strength.

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 oppose Yahweh will be broken to pieces; he will thunder against them from heaven. Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

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. The child served Yahweh in the presence 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 worthless men. They did not know Yahweh.

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,

The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand, while the meat was boiling.

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.

He would stick it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. They did this in Shiloh with all the Israelites that 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;'

Worse, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat to roast for the priest; for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

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.'

If the man said to him, “They must burn the fat first, and then take as much as you want.” Then he would say, “No, you will give it me now; if not, 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.

The sin of these young men was very great before Yahweh, for they despised Yahweh's offering.

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

But Samuel served Yahweh as a child clothed with 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.

His mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

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.

Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Yahweh give you more children by this woman because of the request she made of Yahweh.” Then they would return to their own home.

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.

Yahweh again helped Hannah, and again she became pregnant. She bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the child Samuel grew before Yahweh.

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; he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

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!

He said to them, “Why do you such things? For I hear of your evil actions from all these people.”

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

No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear. You make Yahweh's people disobey.

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 sins against another, God will judge him; but if a man sins against Yahweh, who will speak for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, because Yahweh intended to kill them.

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

The child Samuel grew up, and increased in favor with Yahweh and also with 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,

Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Yahweh says, 'Did I not reveal myself to the house of your ancestor, when they were in Egypt in bondage to 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?

I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, and to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me. I gave to the house of your ancestor all the offerings of the people of Israel made with fire.

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, do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings that I required in the place where I live? Why do you honor your sons above me by making yourselves fat with the best of every offering of my people Israel?'

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 Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'I promised that your house, and the house of your ancestor, should walk before me forever.' But now Yahweh says, 'Far be it from me to do this, for I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be lightly esteemed.

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 I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will no longer be any old man in your house.

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.

You will see distress in the place where I live. Although good will be given to Israel, there will no longer be any old man in your house.

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;

Any one of you that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause your eyes to fail, and I will cause grief for your life. All the men born in your family will die.

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;

This will be the sign for you that will come on your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die 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;

I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who will do what is in my heart and in my soul. I will build him a sure house; and he will walk before my anointed king forever.

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.'

Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him, asking for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and will say, “Please assign me to one of the priests' positions so I can eat a piece of bread.”'”