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
International Standard Version
Hannah’s Thanksgiving Psalm
2 Then Hannah prayed:
“My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength[a] is increased by the Lord.
I will open my mouth to speak[b] against my enemies,
because I rejoice in your deliverance.
2 Indeed,[c] there is no one holy like the Lord,
indeed, there is no one besides you,
there is no rock like our God.
3 Don’t continue to talk proudly,
and don’t speak arrogantly,
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of warriors are shattered,[d]
but those who stumble are equipped with[e] strength.
5 Those who had an abundance of bread
now hire themselves out,
and those who were hungry
hunger no more.[f]
While the barren woman gives birth to seven children,[g]
she who had many children languishes.
6 The Lord kills and gives life,
he brings people down to where the dead are[h]
and he raises them up.
7 The Lord makes people poor
and he makes people rich,
he brings them low,
and he also exalts them.
8 He raises the poor up from the dust,
he lifts up the needy from the trash heap
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
Indeed the pillars of the earth belong to the Lord,
and he has set the world on them.
9 He guards the steps[i] of his faithful ones,
while the wicked are made silent[j] in darkness.
He grants the request of the one who prays.[k]
He blesses the year of the righteous.[l]
Indeed it’s not by strength that a person prevails.
10 The Lord will shatter his enemies[m]
—those who contend against him.
Who is holy?[n]
The one who will thunder[o] against them in the heavens.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth,
he will give strength to his king,
and he will increase the strength of His anointed one.”
11 Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah, while the boy was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.
Eli’s Wicked Sons
12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men who did not know the Lord. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that whenever a person offered a sacrifice, a servant[p] of the priest would come with a three pronged fork in his hand while the meat was boiling, and[q] 14 he would stick it into the boiler or pot,[r] and take everything[s] the fork brought up—that is, the priest would take it for himself. This is what they were supposed to do with all the Israelis who came there to Shiloh. 15 But even before they burned the fat, the servant of the priest would come and say to the person offering the sacrifice, “Give me meat to roast for the priest. He won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16 If the man told him[t], “They must surely[u] burn up the fat first, and then take for yourself whatever[v] you desire,” the servant would say, “No,[w] give it now, and if you don’t,[x] I’ll take it by force!”[y] 17 By doing this, the sin of the young men was very serious in the Lord’s sight because the men[z] despised the Lord’s offering.
Samuel at Shiloh
18 Now Samuel was ministering in the Lord’s presence, as a boy wearing a linen ephod.[aa] 19 His mother would make a small robe for him, and she would bring it each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say,[ab] “May the Lord give[ac] you descendants[ad] from this woman in place of the one she dedicated[ae] to the Lord.” Then they would return to their[af] home.[ag]
21 The Lord took note of Hannah,[ah] and she became pregnant and gave birth to[ai] three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel continued to grow,[aj] and the Lord was constantly[ak] with him.
Judgment against Eli’s Sons
22 Now Eli was very[al] old, and he had heard everything that[am] his sons were doing[an] to the Israelis,[ao] and how they lay with the women who were serving regularly[ap] at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 23 “Why are you doing these things that I’m hearing about?” he asked his sons,[aq] “These reports about your evil deeds are coming from all these[ar] people! 24 No, my sons, I’m not hearing good news being circulated by the Lord’s people. 25 If a person sins[as] against another, God[at] will mediate for him,[au] but if a person sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?”
But they would not follow the advice of[av] their father; for the Lord wanted to put them to death. 26 But the boy Samuel continued to grow both physically and in favor with the Lord and the people.
27 A man of God came to Eli, saying to him,[aw] “This is what the Lord says: ‘When they were in Egypt and slaves[ax] to the house of Pharaoh, did I not reveal[ay] to the family of your ancestor Aaron[az] 28 that I had chosen him[ba] out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer up burnt offerings on my altar, burn incense, and carry[bb] the ephod in my presence? And did I not give to your ancestors’ family all the Israeli fire-offerings? 29 Why, then, do all of you show contempt for[bc] my sacrifice and offering that I’ve commanded for my[bd] dwelling? And you honor your sons more than me in order to fatten yourselves[be] from the best of all the offerings of my people Israel.’[bf]
30 “Therefore, the Lord God of Israel has declared, ‘I did, in fact, say[bg] that your family and your ancestor’s family would walk before me forever,’ but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from me! The one who honors me I’ll honor, and the one who despises me is to be treated with contempt. 31 The time is coming when I’ll cut away[bh] at your family[bi] and your ancestor’s family[bj] until there are no old men left in your family. 32 Distress will settle down to live in your household, and despite all the good that I do for Israel,[bk] there will never be an old man in your family forever, and you will never again have an old man in my house.[bl] 33 Any of you whom I don’t eliminate from serving at my altar will grow tired from weeping,[bm] and their[bn] souls will grieve. All the increase of your family will die by violence.[bo] 34 Here’s a sign for you—your two sons Hophni and Phineas will both die on the same day! 35 And I’ll raise up for myself a faithful[bp] priest who will do according to what is in my heart and according to my desire. I’ll build for him an enduring[bq] house and he will walk before my anointed one forever. 36 Anyone who remains in your family will come and prostrate themselves before him for a small wage[br] or a loaf of bread and will say,[bs] “Please put me in one of the priest’s offices so I can eat a piece of bread.”’”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 2:1 Lit. horn; i.e. a symbol of strength and well-being
- 1 Samuel 2:1 The Heb. lacks to speak
- 1 Samuel 2:2 So 4QSama LXX; MT lacks Indeed
- 1 Samuel 2:4 Lit. are shattering; 4QSama reads warriors shatter
- 1 Samuel 2:4 Lit. stumble gird on
- 1 Samuel 2:5 Lit. cease
- 1 Samuel 2:5 The Heb. lacks children
- 1 Samuel 2:6 Lit. Sheol; i.e. the realm of the dead
- 1 Samuel 2:9 Lit. feet; cf. 4QSama
- 1 Samuel 2:9 Or are destroyed
- 1 Samuel 2:9 So 4QSama LXX; MT lacks this line
- 1 Samuel 2:9 So 4QSama LXX; MT lacks this line
- 1 Samuel 2:10 So 4QSama LXX; MT lacks his enemies
- 1 Samuel 2:10 So 4QSama; MT lacks this line; LXX reads The Lord is holy
- 1 Samuel 2:10 So MT; or He thundered; 4QSama reads And he thundered
- 1 Samuel 2:13 Lit. lad
- 1 Samuel 2:13 So 4QSama; 4QSama reads and take; MT LXX read when anyone offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant came while the meat was boiling with a three-pronged fork in his hand.
- 1 Samuel 2:14 So 4QSama; MT reads the pan, kettle, caldron, or pot; LXX reads the caldron, kettle, or pot
- 1 Samuel 2:14 So 4QSama; MT LXX read the priest took for himself
- 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT; 4QSama reads man answered and told the priest’s servant; LXX reads man who was making the sacrifice told him
- 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT; 4QSama reads Let the priest LXX reads Let him
- 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT; 4QSama LXX read everything
- 1 Samuel 2:16 Lit. Rather
- 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT LXX; 4QSama now, or
- 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT LXX; 4QSama reads now, or I’ll take the ram by force to give him the meat
- 1 Samuel 2:17 So MT; 4QSama LXX read because they
- 1 Samuel 2:18 The ephod was a type of vest normally worn by the Levite priests.
- 1 Samuel 2:20 So MT; 4QSama reads wife, saying
- 1 Samuel 2:20 So MT; 4QSama read Lord repay you by giving
- 1 Samuel 2:20 Lit. seed
- 1 Samuel 2:20 So LXX and DSS; MT, he dedicated or asked
- 1 Samuel 2:20 So MT; 4QSama LXX read his
- 1 Samuel 2:20 Lit. place
- 1 Samuel 2:21 So MT; 4QSama LXX read Lord visited
- 1 Samuel 2:21 So MT; 4QSama LXX read she bore more children—
- 1 Samuel 2:21 So MT LXX; 4QSama reads grow there
- 1 Samuel 2:21 The Heb. lacks constantly
- 1 Samuel 2:22 So MT LXX; 4QSama reads was 98 years
- 1 Samuel 2:22 So MT; 4QSama LXX read heard what
- 1 Samuel 2:22 So 4QSama; MT reads sons would do
- 1 Samuel 2:22 So 4QSama LXX; MT reads to all of Israel
- 1 Samuel 2:22 Lit. who had assembled in order
- 1 Samuel 2:23 Lit. them
- 1 Samuel 2:23 So MT; 4QSama LXX read from the Lord’s
- 1 Samuel 2:25 So MT; 4QSama LXX read sins gravely
- 1 Samuel 2:25 Or a judge
- 1 Samuel 2:25 So MT; 4QSama reads another, he will appeal to the Lord
- 1 Samuel 2:25 So MT LXX; 4QSama lacks the advice of
- 1 Samuel 2:27 So MT; 4QSama LXX read Eli and said
- 1 Samuel 2:27 So LXX and DSS; the Heb. lacks slaves
- 1 Samuel 2:27 So MT; 4QSama LXX read Pharaoh, I did indeed
- 1 Samuel 2:27 The Heb. lacks Aaron
- 1 Samuel 2:28 So MT; 4QSama LXX read chosen your father’s house
- 1 Samuel 2:28 So MT; 4QSama LXX read wear
- 1 Samuel 2:29 Lit. do you (pl.) tread down; 4QSama LXX read do you (sing) look down on
- 1 Samuel 2:29 The Heb. lacks my
- 1 Samuel 2:29 So MT; 4QSama reads yourself
- 1 Samuel 2:29 So MT; 4QSama LXX read Israel in my presence
- 1 Samuel 2:30 So MT LXX; 4QSama reads seek
- 1 Samuel 2:31 So MT; 4QSama LXX read away your strength and the strength of your father’s house
- 1 Samuel 2:31 Lit. arm
- 1 Samuel 2:31 Lit. arm
- 1 Samuel 2:32 Or you are to look with envy on all that happens good with Israel, and
- 1 Samuel 2:32 So 4QSama LXX; MT reads left in my dwelling. You will look in distress at all the prosperity given to Israel, while there never again will be an old man in your house
- 1 Samuel 2:33 The Heb. lacks from weeping
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Lit. your
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Lit. by the sword; so with LXX and DSS; MT die like men
- 1 Samuel 2:35 Or an enduring; MT word translated faithful here is translated enduring later in this verse.
- 1 Samuel 2:35 Or faithful; MT word translated enduring here is translated faithful earlier in this verse.
- 1 Samuel 2:36 Lit. a payment of silver
- 1 Samuel 2:36 So MT; 4QSama LXX read bread, saying
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