1 Samuel 2
Legacy Standard Bible
Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving
2 Then Hannah (A)prayed and said,
“My heart exults in Yahweh;
(B)My [a]horn is exalted in Yahweh;
My mouth [b]speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because (C)I am glad in Your salvation.
2 (D)There is no one holy like Yahweh;
Indeed, (E)there is no one besides You,
(F)Nor is there any rock like our God.
3 Do not multiply speaking so very proudly;
(G)Let arrogance not come out of your mouth;
(H)For Yahweh is a God of knowledge,
(I)And with Him actions are weighed.
4 (J)The bows of the mighty are shattered,
(K)But those who stumble gird on strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease to hunger.
(L)Even the barren gives birth to seven,
But (M)she who has many children languishes.
6 (N)Yahweh puts to death and makes alive;
(O)He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 (P)Yahweh makes poor and rich;
(Q)He brings low; He also exalts.
8 (R)He raises the poor from the dust;
(S)He exalts the needy from the ash heap
(T)To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of glory;
(U)For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh’s,
And He set the world on them.
9 (V)He keeps the feet of His holy ones,
(W)But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness,
(X)For not by power shall a man prevail.
10 (Y)Those who contend with Yahweh will be dismayed;
(Z)Against them He will thunder in the heavens;
(AA)Yahweh will render justice to the ends of the earth,
(AB)And He will give strength to His king,
(AC)And He will exalt the [c]horn of His anointed.”
11 Then Elkanah went to his home at (AD)Ramah. (AE)But the young boy ministered to Yahweh before Eli the priest.
The Sin of Eli’s Sons
12 Now the sons of Eli were [d](AF)vile men; they did not know Yahweh. 13 (AG)And this was the legal judgment for the priests with the people: when any man was offering a sacrifice, the priest’s young man would come while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14 Then he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot; all that the fork would bring up the priest would take for himself. Thus they would do in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Also, before (AH)they offered up the fat in smoke, the priest’s young man would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting; he will not take boiled meat from you, only raw.” 16 Then the man would say to him, “They must surely offer up the fat in smoke [e]first, and then take as much as your soul desires,” then he would say, “No, you shall give it now; and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great before Yahweh, for the men (AI)spurned the offering of Yahweh.
Samuel Before Yahweh as a Boy
18 Now (AJ)Samuel was ministering before Yahweh, as a [f]young boy (AK)girded with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother would make him a little (AL)robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer (AM)the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would (AN)bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Yahweh establish for you a seed from this woman in place of [g]the one she (AO)dedicated to Yahweh.” And they went to their own [h]home.
21 (AP)Yahweh indeed visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And (AQ)the young boy Samuel grew before Yahweh.
Eli Hears About His Sons’ Evils
22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard (AR)all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with (AS)the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people? 24 No, my sons; for the report is not good (AT)which I hear the people of Yahweh [i]passing about. 25 If one man sins against another, (AU)God will mediate for him; but (AV)if a man sins against Yahweh, who can pray for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for (AW)Yahweh desired to put them to death.
26 Now the young boy (AX)Samuel [j]was growing in stature and in favor both with Yahweh and with men.
Eli Honors His Sons Above Yahweh
27 Then (AY)a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘(AZ)Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt, enslaved to Pharaoh’s house? 28 (BA)And did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before Me; and did I not (BB)give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? 29 Why do you (BC)kick at My sacrifice and at My offering (BD)which I have commanded in My (BE)habitation, and (BF)honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the [k]choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30 Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, declares, ‘(BG)I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now Yahweh declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for (BH)those who honor Me I will honor, and those (BI)who despise Me will be cursed. 31 Behold, (BJ)the days are coming, and I will break your [l]strength and the [m]strength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 And you will look upon (BK)the distress of My habitation, in spite of all the good that [n]I do for Israel; and an (BL)old man will not be in your house all the days. 33 Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar [o]so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the increase of your house will be put to death [p]in the prime of life. 34 Now this will be (BM)the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: (BN)on the same day both of them will be put to death. 35 But (BO)I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and (BP)I will build him a faithful house, and he will walk before (BQ)My anointed always. 36 And it will be that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a [q]piece of silver or a loaf of bread and say, “Please [r]assign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 2:1 A symbol of strength and power
- 1 Samuel 2:1 Lit is enlarged
- 1 Samuel 2:10 A symbol of strength and power
- 1 Samuel 2:12 Lit sons of Belial, cf. 2 Cor 6:15
- 1 Samuel 2:16 Lit like the day
- 1 Samuel 2:18 Or young man, cf. 2:17
- 1 Samuel 2:20 Lit the one asked for which was lent; Heb sounds like root for Samuel
- 1 Samuel 2:20 Lit place
- 1 Samuel 2:24 Or making Yahweh’s people transgress
- 1 Samuel 2:26 Lit was going on both great and good
- 1 Samuel 2:29 Or first
- 1 Samuel 2:31 Or arm
- 1 Samuel 2:31 Or arm
- 1 Samuel 2:32 Lit He does
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Lit to waste away your eyes and to grieve your soul
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Lit as men
- 1 Samuel 2:36 Or payment
- 1 Samuel 2:36 Lit attach
1 Samuel 2
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 down 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 trash heap.(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 person 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.[d](AA)
11 Elkanah went home to Ramah,(AB) but the boy served the Lord in the presence of the priest Eli.(AC)
Eli’s Family Judged
12 Eli’s sons were wicked men;(AD) they did not respect the Lord(AE) 13 or the priests’ share of the sacrifices from the people. When anyone 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, kettle, 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 one who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he won’t accept boiled meat from you—only raw.” 16 If that person 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 the men treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.(AI)
18 Samuel served in the Lord’s presence(AJ)—this mere boy was dressed in the 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[e] 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 news I hear the Lord’s people spreading is not good. 25 If one person sins against another, God can intercede for him, but if a person 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 people.(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 forefather’s family[f] when they were in Egypt and belonged to Pharaoh’s palace?(AX) 28 Out of all the tribes of Israel, I chose your house[g] to be my priests, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence.(AY) I also gave your forefather’s family all the Israelite food 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: ‘I did say that your family and your forefather’s family would walk before me forever.(BB) But now,’ this is the Lord’s declaration, ‘no longer! For those who honor me I will honor,(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 forefather’s 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[h] and sadness to you. All your descendants will die violently.[i][j] 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
- 2:8 DSS, LXX add He gives the vow of the one who makes a vow and he blesses the years of the just.
- 2:9 Lit feet
- 2:10 DSS, LXX read The Lord shatters those who dispute with him
- 2:10 Or Messiah
- 2:20 DSS; MT reads he
- 2:27 Lit the house of your father
- 2:28 Lit selected him
- 2:33 Lit grief to your eyes
- 2:33 DSS, LXX read die by the sword of men
- 2:33 Lit die men
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