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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. 1 Samuel 2:1 Lit. horn; i.e. a symbol of strength and well-being
  2. 1 Samuel 2:1 The Heb. lacks to speak
  3. 1 Samuel 2:2 So 4QSama LXX; MT lacks Indeed
  4. 1 Samuel 2:4 Lit. are shattering; 4QSama reads warriors shatter
  5. 1 Samuel 2:4 Lit. stumble gird on
  6. 1 Samuel 2:5 Lit. cease
  7. 1 Samuel 2:5 The Heb. lacks children
  8. 1 Samuel 2:6 Lit. Sheol; i.e. the realm of the dead
  9. 1 Samuel 2:9 Lit. feet; cf. 4QSama
  10. 1 Samuel 2:9 Or are destroyed
  11. 1 Samuel 2:9 So 4QSama LXX; MT lacks this line
  12. 1 Samuel 2:9 So 4QSama LXX; MT lacks this line
  13. 1 Samuel 2:10 So 4QSama LXX; MT lacks his enemies
  14. 1 Samuel 2:10 So 4QSama; MT lacks this line; LXX reads The Lord is holy
  15. 1 Samuel 2:10 So MT; or He thundered; 4QSama reads And he thundered
  16. 1 Samuel 2:13 Lit. lad
  17. 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.
  18. 1 Samuel 2:14 So 4QSama; MT reads the pan, kettle, caldron, or pot; LXX reads the caldron, kettle, or pot
  19. 1 Samuel 2:14 So 4QSama; MT LXX read the priest took for himself
  20. 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
  21. 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT; 4QSama reads Let the priest LXX reads Let him
  22. 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT; 4QSama LXX read everything
  23. 1 Samuel 2:16 Lit. Rather
  24. 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT LXX; 4QSama now, or
  25. 1 Samuel 2:16 So MT LXX; 4QSama reads now, or I’ll take the ram by force to give him the meat
  26. 1 Samuel 2:17 So MT; 4QSama LXX read because they
  27. 1 Samuel 2:18 The ephod was a type of vest normally worn by the Levite priests.
  28. 1 Samuel 2:20 So MT; 4QSama reads wife, saying
  29. 1 Samuel 2:20 So MT; 4QSama read Lord repay you by giving
  30. 1 Samuel 2:20 Lit. seed
  31. 1 Samuel 2:20 So LXX and DSS; MT, he dedicated or asked
  32. 1 Samuel 2:20 So MT; 4QSama LXX read his
  33. 1 Samuel 2:20 Lit. place
  34. 1 Samuel 2:21 So MT; 4QSama LXX read Lord visited
  35. 1 Samuel 2:21 So MT; 4QSama LXX read she bore more children—
  36. 1 Samuel 2:21 So MT LXX; 4QSama reads grow there
  37. 1 Samuel 2:21 The Heb. lacks constantly
  38. 1 Samuel 2:22 So MT LXX; 4QSama reads was 98 years
  39. 1 Samuel 2:22 So MT; 4QSama LXX read heard what
  40. 1 Samuel 2:22 So 4QSama; MT reads sons would do
  41. 1 Samuel 2:22 So 4QSama LXX; MT reads to all of Israel
  42. 1 Samuel 2:22 Lit. who had assembled in order
  43. 1 Samuel 2:23 Lit. them
  44. 1 Samuel 2:23 So MT; 4QSama LXX read from the Lord’s
  45. 1 Samuel 2:25 So MT; 4QSama LXX read sins gravely
  46. 1 Samuel 2:25 Or a judge
  47. 1 Samuel 2:25 So MT; 4QSama reads another, he will appeal to the Lord
  48. 1 Samuel 2:25 So MT LXX; 4QSama lacks the advice of
  49. 1 Samuel 2:27 So MT; 4QSama LXX read Eli and said
  50. 1 Samuel 2:27 So LXX and DSS; the Heb. lacks slaves
  51. 1 Samuel 2:27 So MT; 4QSama LXX read Pharaoh, I did indeed
  52. 1 Samuel 2:27 The Heb. lacks Aaron
  53. 1 Samuel 2:28 So MT; 4QSama LXX read chosen your father’s house
  54. 1 Samuel 2:28 So MT; 4QSama LXX read wear
  55. 1 Samuel 2:29 Lit. do you (pl.) tread down; 4QSama LXX read do you (sing) look down on
  56. 1 Samuel 2:29 The Heb. lacks my
  57. 1 Samuel 2:29 So MT; 4QSama reads yourself
  58. 1 Samuel 2:29 So MT; 4QSama LXX read Israel in my presence
  59. 1 Samuel 2:30 So MT LXX; 4QSama reads seek
  60. 1 Samuel 2:31 So MT; 4QSama LXX read away your strength and the strength of your father’s house
  61. 1 Samuel 2:31 Lit. arm
  62. 1 Samuel 2:31 Lit. arm
  63. 1 Samuel 2:32 Or you are to look with envy on all that happens good with Israel, and
  64. 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
  65. 1 Samuel 2:33 The Heb. lacks from weeping
  66. 1 Samuel 2:33 Lit. your
  67. 1 Samuel 2:33 Lit. by the sword; so with LXX and DSS; MT die like men
  68. 1 Samuel 2:35 Or an enduring; MT word translated faithful here is translated enduring later in this verse.
  69. 1 Samuel 2:35 Or faithful; MT word translated enduring here is translated faithful earlier in this verse.
  70. 1 Samuel 2:36 Lit. a payment of silver
  71. 1 Samuel 2:36 So MT; 4QSama LXX read bread, saying
Close LEB

1 Samuel 2
Lexham English Bible

2 Then Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in Yahweh, my strength is exalted in Yahweh; I grin[a] over my enemies, for I rejoice over your salvation.
2 There is no one holy like Yahweh, for there is no one besides you,
    and there is no rock like our God.
3 Do not increase speaking very proud[b] words!
    Let no arrogance go forth from your mouth,
    for Yahweh is a God of knowledge
    whose deeds are not weighed.[c]
4 The bows of mighty warriors are shattered,
    but those who stumble gird themselves with strength.
5 Those who were full must hire themselves out for bread,
    but those who are hungry will become fat.
As for the infertile, she will bear seven,
    but she who has many sons withers away.
6 Yahweh kills and restores alive,
    he brings down to Sheol[d] and raises up.
7 Yahweh makes poor and makes rich;
    he brings low and also exalts.
8 He raises up the poor from the dust.
    From the ash heap he lifts up the needy,
to cause them to sit with noble people
    and to cause them to inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth belong to Yahweh
    and he has set the inhabited world on them.
9 He will guard the feet of his faithful[e] ones,
    but the wicked will be destroyed[f] in the darkness,
    because a man will not prevail by his might.
10 Yahweh will shatter[g] his adversaries;[h]
    he will thunder against them in the heavens.
    Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth.
He will give strength to his king
    and will exalt the might of his anointed one.

11 Then Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house. Now the boy was serving Yahweh in the presence of[i] Eli the priest.

The Family of Eli the Priest

12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless scoundrels;[j] they did not know[k] Yahweh. 13 And the custom of the priests with the people was this: When any man brought a sacrifice,[l] as the meat was boiling, the servant of the priest would take a three-pronged meat fork in his hand 14 and would thrust it into the pan or into the kettle or into the cauldron or into the cooking pot. All that the meat fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they used to do to all of the Israelites who came there at Shiloh. 15 Also, before they offered up[m] the fat as a burnt offering, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but only raw.”[n] 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat completely first,[o] then take for yourself as you[p] desire,” then he would say to him, “No![q] Give it now! If not, I will take it by force!” 17 So the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of Yahweh, because the men treated the offering of Yahweh with contempt.

Samuel’s Life in the Tabernacle

18 Now Samuel was serving before Yahweh, as a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 His mother used to make for him a small robe and take it to him year by year[r] whenever she came up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.[s] 20 And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and he said, “May Yahweh give you an offspring from this woman in place of the petitioned one that she requested from Yahweh.” Then they went to their home. 21 Yahweh took note of Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters, while the young man Samuel grew up with Yahweh.

Eli Rebukes His Evil Sons

22 Now Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel and that they were having sexual relations with the women who were serving at the entrance of the tent of assembly.[t] 23 And he asked them, “Why are you doing all these things that I am hearing, namely, your evil dealings with all these people? 24 No, my sons, the report is not good that I am hearing the people of Yahweh spreading. 25 If a man sins against a man, then God can intercede for him. But if a man sins against Yahweh, who can intercede for him?” But they did not obey[u] their father, because Yahweh wanted to kill them. 26 But the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor[v] with Yahweh and with the people.

Yahweh Rebukes Eli

27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him: “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to the house of your ancestor[w] when they were in Egypt under the house of Pharaoh? 28 And I chose him from all the tribes of Israel to be a priest to me, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to bear an ephod before me. I gave to the house of your ancestor[x] all the offerings made by fire by the Israelites.[y] 29 Why do you despise my sacrifice and my offering which I commanded for my dwelling place, while you honored your sons more than me by making yourselves fat from the best of all the offerings of my people Israel? 30 Therefore,’ declares[z] Yahweh the God of Israel, ‘though I solemnly said that your house and the house of your ancestor[aa] would walk before me forever, but now,’ declares[ab] Yahweh, ‘far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me, I will treat with contempt! 31 Look, days are coming when I will cut off your strength[ac] and the strength[ad] of the house of your ancestor[ae] so that no one in your house will live to old age.[af] 32 You will look at the distress of my dwelling place, despite all the good caused for Israel, but there will never be an old man in your household forever![ag] 33 The only one I will not cut off from my altar is you.[ah] Rather, to cause your eyes to fail and to cause your soul to grieve, all the members of your household[ai] will die as men.[aj] 34 This is the sign for you that will come regarding your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: they will both die on the same day! 35 But I will raise up for myself a reliable[ak] priest; he will do just according to what is in my heart and in my soul. I will build for him a lasting[al] house and he will walk continually before my anointed one forever.[am] 36 All the remainder of your household will come to bow down before[an] him for a bit of silver or a loaf of bread and will say, “Please assign me to one of the priestly offices[ao] so that I can eat a morsel of bread.”’”

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 2:1 Literally “my mouth is broad”
  2. 1 Samuel 2:3 Literally “proud, proud”
  3. 1 Samuel 2:3 So Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib); the reading tradition (Qere) reads “and by him deeds are weighed”
  4. 1 Samuel 2:6 “Sheol” is a Hebrew term for the place where the dead reside, i.e., the underworld.
  5. 1 Samuel 2:9 Or “loyal”
  6. 1 Samuel 2:9 Or “will be silenced”
  7. 1 Samuel 2:10 Singular verb supported by Syriac, Targums, Septuagint, and Old Latin versions.
  8. 1 Samuel 2:10 The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) has the singular “adversary”; the reading tradition (Qere) reads the plural
  9. 1 Samuel 2:11 Literally “in the face of”
  10. 1 Samuel 2:12 Literally “sons of Belial”
  11. 1 Samuel 2:12 Or “acknowledge”
  12. 1 Samuel 2:13 Literally “was sacrificing a sacrifice” and so throughout 1 & 2 Samuel
  13. 1 Samuel 2:15 Literally “caused to go up in smoke”
  14. 1 Samuel 2:15 Literally “with the life”
  15. 1 Samuel 2:16 Literally “as the day”
  16. 1 Samuel 2:16 Literally “as your soul”
  17. 1 Samuel 2:16 According to the reading tradition (Qere)
  18. 1 Samuel 2:19 Literally “from days to days”
  19. 1 Samuel 2:19 Literally “the sacrifice of days”
  20. 1 Samuel 2:22 Or “meeting”
  21. 1 Samuel 2:25 Literally “listen to the voice of”
  22. 1 Samuel 2:26 Literally “was going and being great and good”
  23. 1 Samuel 2:27 Or “father,” meaning Aaron
  24. 1 Samuel 2:28 Or “father”
  25. 1 Samuel 2:28 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  26. 1 Samuel 2:30 Literally “the declaration of”
  27. 1 Samuel 2:30 Or “father”
  28. 1 Samuel 2:30 Literally “the declaration of”
  29. 1 Samuel 2:31 Literally “arm,” figurative of “strength” in the context of “descendants”
  30. 1 Samuel 2:31 Literally “arm,” figurative of “strength” in the context of “descendants”
  31. 1 Samuel 2:31 Or “father”
  32. 1 Samuel 2:31 Literally “from being old in your house”
  33. 1 Samuel 2:32 Literally “all the days”
  34. 1 Samuel 2:33 Understanding the beth preposition as a beth essentiae
  35. 1 Samuel 2:33 Literally “all the abundance of your house”
  36. 1 Samuel 2:33 Or “in their prime”; some Greek and other manuscripts supply “sword” (“will die by the sword of men”)
  37. 1 Samuel 2:35 Or “faithful”
  38. 1 Samuel 2:35 Hebrew “faithful” or “reliable”
  39. 1 Samuel 2:35 Literally “all the days”
  40. 1 Samuel 2:36 Literally “to”
  41. 1 Samuel 2:36 Literally “priesthoods”
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