 1 Hannah prayed and said, my heart rejoices in the Lord, my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies because I rejoice in your salvation. 2 There is no one holy as the Lord for there is no one beside you. Nor is there any rock like our God. 3 Do not talk so proudly any more. Remove arrogance out of your mouth. For the Lord is a God of knowledge and actions are weighed by Him. 4 The bows of the mighty are broken and those who stumbled are dressed+ with strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread and those who were hungry ceased. So the barren has borne seven and she who had many children has languished. 6 The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol and brings up. 7 The Lord takes away and He gives riches. He brings low and He lifts up high. 8 He raises up the poor out of the dust. He lifts up the needy from the dunghill to set them among princes. He causes them to inherit a throne of honor. For to the Lord are the pillars of the earth. He sets the habitable world on them. 9 He keeps the feet of his saints and the wicked are silenced in darkness. For no one shall prevail by their own strength. 10 The foes of the Lord will be broken to pieces. He thunders in the heavens upon them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth and give strength to His king and exalt the horn of His anointed. 11 Elkanah went to Ramah to his house and the child served the Lord before Eli the priest. 12 The sons of Eli were sons of Belial. They did not know the Lord. 13 The priests' custom with the people was: If any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came while the flesh was boiling, with a flesh hook of three teeth in his hand. 14 he stuck it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the flesh hook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Before they burned the fat, the priest's servant came and said to the man who sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest. For he will not have boiled flesh from you, but raw. 16 If anyone said to him, Let them not fail to burn the fat at once, and then take as your soul desires, then he would answer him, No. But you shall give now. If not, I will take it by force. 17 The sin of the young men was very great before the Lord. For men despised the offering of the Lord. 18 Samuel served before the Lord, a child dressed+ with a linen ephod. 19 His mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife and said, May the Lord give you children by this woman for the loan that is loaned to the Lord. Then they went to their own home. 21 The Lord visited Hannah so that she conceived. She bore three sons and two daughters and the child Samuel grew before the Lord. 22 Eli was very old and heard all that his sons did to all Israel, how they lay with the women who gathered at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 23 He said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings by all the people. 24 No, my sons. It is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord's people to transgress. 25 If one man sins against another, the judge shall judge him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who shall plead for him? But they did not listen to the voice of their father, because the Lord desired to kill them. 26 The child Samuel went on growing both in stature and in good looks, both with the Lord and also with men. 27 There came a man of God to Eli, and said to him, Thus says the Lord: Did I plainly appear to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? 28 Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? And did I give to the house of your father all the offerings made by fire from the children of Israel? 29 Why do you kick at my sacrifice and my offering that I have commanded in my house? Do you honor your sons more than me to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of my people Israel? 30 The Lord God of Israel says, I said indeed, your house and the house of your father should walk before me forever. But now the Lord says, Be it far from me. Those who honor me I will honor, and those who think little of me will be lightly regarded. 31 Behold, the days will come when I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father's house, so that no old man will be in your house. 32 You will see an adversary in my house, in all the good that he does with Israel. There will not be an old man in your house forever. 33 That man of yours whom I will not cut off from my altar, will be left in order to make your eyes fail and to grieve your heart. All the increase of your house will die young. 34 This will be a sign to you that will come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. In one day, both of them will die. 35 I will raise up a faithful priest to myself, one who will do what is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house and he will walk before my anointed forever. 36 Everyone left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a piece of bread. They will say, Please put me into one of the priests' offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.
|