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 Samuel 2:1 Literally “my mouth is broad”
- 1 Samuel 2:3 Literally “proud, proud”
- 1 Samuel 2:3 So Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib); the reading tradition (Qere) reads “and by him deeds are weighed”
- 1 Samuel 2:6 “Sheol” is a Hebrew term for the place where the dead reside, i.e., the underworld.
- 1 Samuel 2:9 Or “loyal”
- 1 Samuel 2:9 Or “will be silenced”
- 1 Samuel 2:10 Singular verb supported by Syriac, Targums, Septuagint, and Old Latin versions.
- 1 Samuel 2:10 The Masoretic Hebrew text (Kethib) has the singular “adversary”; the reading tradition (Qere) reads the plural
- 1 Samuel 2:11 Literally “in the face of”
- 1 Samuel 2:12 Literally “sons of Belial”
- 1 Samuel 2:12 Or “acknowledge”
- 1 Samuel 2:13 Literally “was sacrificing a sacrifice” and so throughout 1 & 2 Samuel
- 1 Samuel 2:15 Literally “caused to go up in smoke”
- 1 Samuel 2:15 Literally “with the life”
- 1 Samuel 2:16 Literally “as the day”
- 1 Samuel 2:16 Literally “as your soul”
- 1 Samuel 2:16 According to the reading tradition (Qere)
- 1 Samuel 2:19 Literally “from days to days”
- 1 Samuel 2:19 Literally “the sacrifice of days”
- 1 Samuel 2:22 Or “meeting”
- 1 Samuel 2:25 Literally “listen to the voice of”
- 1 Samuel 2:26 Literally “was going and being great and good”
- 1 Samuel 2:27 Or “father,” meaning Aaron
- 1 Samuel 2:28 Or “father”
- 1 Samuel 2:28 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- 1 Samuel 2:30 Literally “the declaration of”
- 1 Samuel 2:30 Or “father”
- 1 Samuel 2:30 Literally “the declaration of”
- 1 Samuel 2:31 Literally “arm,” figurative of “strength” in the context of “descendants”
- 1 Samuel 2:31 Literally “arm,” figurative of “strength” in the context of “descendants”
- 1 Samuel 2:31 Or “father”
- 1 Samuel 2:31 Literally “from being old in your house”
- 1 Samuel 2:32 Literally “all the days”
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Understanding the beth preposition as a beth essentiae
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Literally “all the abundance of your house”
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Or “in their prime”; some Greek and other manuscripts supply “sword” (“will die by the sword of men”)
- 1 Samuel 2:35 Or “faithful”
- 1 Samuel 2:35 Hebrew “faithful” or “reliable”
- 1 Samuel 2:35 Literally “all the days”
- 1 Samuel 2:36 Literally “to”
- 1 Samuel 2:36 Literally “priesthoods”
1 Samuel 2
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Hannah’s Triumphant Prayer
2 Hannah prayed:(A)
My heart rejoices in the Lord;(B)
my horn is lifted up by the Lord.
My mouth boasts over my enemies,
because I rejoice in Your salvation.(C)
2 There is no one holy like the Lord.(D)
There is no one besides You!(E)
And there is no rock like our God.(F)
3 Do not boast so proudly,
or let arrogant words come out of your mouth,
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and actions are weighed by Him.(G)
4 The bows of the warriors are broken,(H)
but the feeble are clothed with strength.(I)
5 Those who are full hire themselves out for food,
but those who are starving hunger no more.
The woman who is childless gives birth to seven,(J)
but the woman with many sons pines away.(K)
6 The Lord brings death and gives life;(L)
He sends some to Sheol, and He raises others up.(M)
7 The Lord brings poverty and gives wealth;(N)
He humbles and He exalts.(O)
8 He raises the poor from the dust(P)
and lifts the needy from the garbage pile.(Q)
He seats them with noblemen(R)
and gives them a throne of honor.[a]
For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s;(S)
He has set the world on them.(T)
9 He guards the steps[b] of His faithful ones,(U)
but the wicked perish in darkness,(V)
for a man does not prevail by his own strength.(W)
10 Those who oppose the Lord will be shattered;[c](X)
He will thunder in the heavens against them.(Y)
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.(Z)
He will give power to His king;
He will lift up the horn of His anointed.(AA)
11 Elkanah went home to Ramah,(AB) but the boy served the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.(AC)
Eli’s Family Judged
12 Eli’s sons were wicked men;(AD) they had no regard for the Lord(AE) 13 or for the priests’ share of the sacrifices from the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling 14 and plunge it into the container or kettle or cauldron or cooking pot.(AF) The priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is the way they treated all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh. 15 Even before the fat was burned,(AG) the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he won’t accept boiled meat from you—only raw.” 16 If that man said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you can take whatever you want for yourself,”(AH) the servant would reply, “No, I insist that you hand it over right now. If you don’t, I’ll take it by force!” 17 So the servants’ sin was very severe in the presence of the Lord, because they treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.(AI)
18 The boy Samuel served in the Lord’s presence(AJ) and wore a linen ephod.(AK) 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe(AL) and took it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.(AM) 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife:(AN) “May the Lord give you children by this woman in place of the one she[d] has given to the Lord.”(AO) Then they would go home.
21 The Lord paid attention to Hannah’s need,(AP) and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.(AQ)
22 Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel(AR) and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.(AS) 23 He said to them, “Why are you doing these things? I have heard about your evil actions from all these people. 24 No, my sons, the report I hear from the Lord’s people is not good. 25 If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him, but if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?”(AT) But they would not listen to their father, since the Lord intended to kill them.(AU) 26 By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.(AV)
27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him,(AW) “This is what the Lord says: ‘Didn’t I reveal Myself to your ancestral house when it was in Egypt and belonged to Pharaoh’s palace?(AX) 28 Out of all the tribes of Israel, I selected your house[e] to be priests, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence.(AY) I also gave your house all the Israelite fire offerings. 29 Why, then, do all of you despise My sacrifices and offerings that I require at the place of worship?(AZ) You have honored your sons more than Me,(BA) by making yourselves fat with the best part of all of the offerings of My people Israel.’
30 “Therefore, this is the declaration of the Lord, the God of Israel:
‘Although I said
your family and your ancestral house
would walk before Me forever,(BB)
the Lord now says, “No longer!”
I will honor those who honor Me,(BC)
but those who despise Me will be disgraced.(BD)
31 “‘Look, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestral family, so that none in your family will reach old age.(BE) 32 You will see distress in the place of worship,(BF) in spite of all that is good in Israel, and no one in your family will ever again reach old age.(BG) 33 Any man from your family I do not cut off from My altar will bring grief[f] and sadness to you. All your descendants will die violently.[g][h] 34 This will be the sign that will come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas:(BH) both of them will die on the same day.(BI)
35 “‘Then I will raise up a faithful priest(BJ) for Myself. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. I will establish a lasting dynasty for him,(BK) and he will walk before My anointed one for all time.(BL) 36 Anyone who is left in your family will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread. He will say: Please appoint me to some priestly office so I can have a piece of bread to eat.’”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 2:8 DSS, LXX add He gives the vow of the one who makes a vow and He blesses the years of the just
- 1 Samuel 2:9 Lit feet
- 1 Samuel 2:10 DSS, LXX read The Lord shatters those who dispute with Him
- 1 Samuel 2:20 DSS; MT reads he
- 1 Samuel 2:28 Lit selected him
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Lit grief to your eyes
- 1 Samuel 2:33 DSS, LXX read die by the sword of men
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Lit die men
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