1 Samuel 2
English Standard Version
Hannah's Prayer
2 And Hannah prayed and said,
(A)“My heart exults in the Lord;
(B)my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because (C)I rejoice in your salvation.
2 (D)“There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is (E)no rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 (F)The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
(G)The barren has borne seven,
(H)but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 (I)The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 (J)The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
(K)he brings low and he exalts.
8 (L)He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
(M)to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
(N)For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
and on them he has set the world.
9 (O)“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 (P)The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
(Q)against them he will thunder in heaven.
(R)The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
(S)and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
11 Then Elkanah went home (T)to Ramah. (U)And the boy[a] was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.
Eli's Worthless Sons
12 Now the sons of Eli were (V)worthless men. (W)They did not know the Lord. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Moreover, (X)before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great (Y)in the sight of the Lord, (Z)for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.
18 (AA)Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy (AB)clothed with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year (AC)when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman (AD)for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.
21 (AE)Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. (AF)And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.
Eli Rebukes His Sons
22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who (AG)were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, (AH)for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.
26 Now the boy Samuel (AI)continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.
The Lord Rejects Eli's Household
27 And there came (AJ)a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, (AK)‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 (AL)Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, (AM)to wear an ephod before me? (AN)I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29 Why then do you (AO)scorn[b] my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: (AP)‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ (AQ)but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, (AR)the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 Then (AS)in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, (AT)and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his[c] eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants[d] of your house shall die by the sword of men.[e] 34 (AU)And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die (AV)on the same day. 35 (AW)And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. (AX)And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before (AY)my anointed forever. 36 And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests' places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 2:11 Hebrew na‘ar can be rendered boy (2:11, 18, 21, 26; 3:1, 8), servant (2:13, 15), or young man (2:17), depending on the context
- 1 Samuel 2:29 Hebrew kick at
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Septuagint; Hebrew your; twice in this verse
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Hebrew increase
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Septuagint; Hebrew die as men
1 Samuel 2
Common English Bible
Hannah’s song
2 Then Hannah prayed:
My heart rejoices in the Lord.
My strength[a] rises up in the Lord!
My mouth mocks my enemies
because I rejoice in your deliverance.
2 No one is holy like the Lord—
no, no one except you!
There is no rock like our God!
3 Don’t go on and on, talking so proudly,
spouting arrogance from your mouth,
because the Lord is the God who knows,
and he weighs every act.
4 The bows of mighty warriors are shattered,
but those who were stumbling now dress themselves in power!
5 Those who were filled full now sell themselves for bread,
but the ones who were starving are now fat from food!
The woman who was barren has birthed seven children,
but the mother with many sons has lost them all!
6 The Lord!
He brings death, gives life,
takes down to the grave,[b] and raises up!
7 The Lord!
He makes poor, gives wealth,
brings low, but also lifts up high!
8 God raises the poor from the dust,
lifts up the needy from the garbage pile.
God sits them with officials,
gives them the seat of honor!
The pillars of the earth belong to the Lord;
he set the world on top of them!
9 God guards the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked die in darkness
because no one succeeds by strength alone.
10 The Lord!
His enemies are terrified!
God thunders against them from heaven!
The Lord!
He judges the far corners of the earth!
May God give strength to his king
and raise high the strength of his anointed one.
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served the Lord under Eli the priest.
Corruption of Eli’s sons
12 Now Eli’s sons were despicable men who didn’t know the Lord. 13 This was how the priest was supposed to act with the people: Whenever anyone made a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling, the priest’s assistant would come with a three-pronged fork in hand. 14 He would thrust it into the cauldron or the pot.[c] Whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. This is how it was done for all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.
15 But with Eli’s sons,[d] even before the fat was burned, the priest’s assistant would come and say to the person offering the sacrifice, “Give the priest some meat to roast. He won’t accept boiled meat from you.”[e] 16 If anyone said, “Let the fat be burned off first, as usual, then take whatever you like for yourself,” the assistant would reply, “No, hand it over now. If not, I’ll take it by force.” 17 The sin of these priestly assistants was very serious in the Lord’s sight because they were disrespecting the Lord’s own offering.
18 Now Samuel was serving the Lord. He was a young boy, clothed in a linen priestly vest.[f] 19 His mother would make a small robe for him and take it to him every year when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife: “May the Lord replace[g] the child of this woman that you gave back to the Lord.” Then they would return home. 21 The Lord paid attention to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the Lord’s service.
22 Eli was very old, but he heard everything his sons were doing to the Israelites, and how they had sex with the women who served at the meeting tent’s entrance. 23 Eli said to his sons, “Why are you doing these terrible things that I’m hearing about from everybody? 24 No, my sons. Don’t do this.[h] The report I hear spreading among God’s people isn’t good. 25 If someone sins against someone else, God can intercede; but if someone sins against the Lord, who will intercede then?” But they wouldn’t obey their father because the Lord wanted to kill them. 26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel kept growing up and was more and more liked by both the Lord and the people.
27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said, “This is what the Lord says: I revealed myself very clearly to your father’s household when they were slaves[i] in Egypt to the house of Pharaoh. 28 I chose your father from all of Israel’s tribes to be my priest, to go up onto my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest[j] in my presence. I also gave all of the Israelites’ food offerings to your father’s household. 29 Why then do you kick my sacrifices and my offerings—the very ones I commanded for my dwelling place? Why do you respect your sons more than me, getting fat off the best parts of every offering from my people Israel? 30 Because of all that, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: I had promised that your household and your father’s household would serve me forever. But now—this is what the Lord declares: I’ll do no such thing! No. I honor those who honor me, and whoever despises me will be cursed. 31 The days are coming soon when I will eliminate both your children[k] and the children of your father’s household. There won’t be an old person left in your family tree. 32 You’ll see trouble in my dwelling place, though all will go well for Israel.[l] But there will never be an old person in your family tree. 33 One of your descendants whom I don’t eliminate from serving at my altar will cry his[m] eyes out and be full of grief. Any descendants in your household will die by the sword.[n] 34 And what happens to your two sons Hophni and Phinehas will be a sign for you: they will both die on the same day. 35 Then I will establish for myself a trustworthy priest who will act in accordance with my thoughts and desires. I will build a trustworthy household for him, and he will serve before my anointed one forever. 36 Anyone left from your household will come and beg him for a bit of silver or a loaf of bread, saying: ‘Please appoint me to some priestly duty so I can have a scrap of bread to eat.’”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 2:1 Or my horn; also in 2:10
- 1 Samuel 2:6 Heb Sheol
- 1 Samuel 2:14 Cf DSS (4QSama); Heb has four different words for pots.
- 1 Samuel 2:15 MT lacks with Eli’s sons.
- 1 Samuel 2:15 LXX; MT adds only raw.
- 1 Samuel 2:18 Heb ephod
- 1 Samuel 2:20 DSS (4QSama); MT give
- 1 Samuel 2:24 LXX, DSS (4QSama); MT lacks Don’t do this.
- 1 Samuel 2:27 DSS (4QSama), LXX; MT lacks slaves.
- 1 Samuel 2:28 Heb ephod
- 1 Samuel 2:31 LXX; MT arm or power
- 1 Samuel 2:32 Heb uncertain; LXX and DSS (4QSama) omit 2:31b-32a.
- 1 Samuel 2:33 DSS (4QSama), LXX; MT your
- 1 Samuel 2:33 LXX, DSS (4QSama); MT die by men or die as men
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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