1 Samuel 2
New American Standard Bible 1995
Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving
2 Then Hannah (A)prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the Lord;
(B)My [a]horn is exalted in the Lord,
My mouth [b]speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because (C)I rejoice in Your salvation.
2 “(D)There is no one holy like the Lord,
Indeed, (E)there is no one besides You,
(F)Nor is there any rock like our God.
3 “[c]Boast no more so very proudly,
(G)Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
(H)For the Lord is a God of knowledge,
(I)And with Him actions are weighed.
4 “(J)The bows of the mighty are shattered,
(K)But the feeble 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)The Lord kills and makes alive;
(O)He brings down to [d]Sheol and raises up.
7 “(P)The Lord makes poor and rich;
(Q)He brings low, He also exalts.
8 “(R)He raises the poor from the dust,
(S)He lifts the needy from the ash heap
(T)To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;
(U)For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He set the world on them.
9 “(V)He keeps the feet of His godly ones,
(W)But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
(X)For not by might shall a man prevail.
10 “(Y)Those who contend with the Lord will be shattered;
(Z)Against them He will thunder in the heavens,
(AA)The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
(AB)And He will give strength to His king,
(AC)And will exalt the [e]horn of His anointed.”
11 Then Elkanah went to his home at (AD)Ramah. (AE)But the boy ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.
The Sin of Eli’s Sons
12 Now the sons of Eli were [f](AF)worthless men; they did not know the Lord 13 (AG)and the custom of the priests with the people. When any man was offering a sacrifice, the priest’s servant 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 brought up the priest would take for himself. Thus they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Also, before (AH)they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take boiled meat from you, only raw.” 16 If the man said to him, “They must surely [g]burn the fat [h]first, and then take as much as [i]you desire,” then he would say, “No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men (AI)despised the offering of the Lord.
Samuel before the Lord as a Boy
18 Now (AJ)Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy [j](AK)wearing 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 the Lord give you [k]children from this woman in place of [l]the one she (AO)dedicated to the Lord.” And they went to their own [m]home.
21 (AP)The Lord visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And (AQ)the boy Samuel grew before the Lord.
Eli Rebukes His Sons
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 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 [n]the Lord’s people circulating. 25 If one man sins against another, (AU)God will mediate for him; but (AV)if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the (AW)Lord desired to put them to death.
26 Now the boy (AX)Samuel [o]was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.
27 Then (AY)a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘(AZ)Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? 28 (BA)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)dwelling, and (BF)honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the [p]choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord 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 the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for (BH)those who honor Me I will honor, and those (BI)who despise Me will be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, (BJ)the days are coming when I will break your [q]strength and the [r]strength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 You will see (BK)the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all the good that [s]I do for Israel; and an (BL)old man will not be in your house forever. 33 Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar [t]so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the increase of your house will die [u]in the prime of life. 34 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 die. 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 an enduring house, and he will walk before (BQ)My anointed always. 36 Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a [v]piece of silver or a loaf of bread and say, “Please [w]assign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 2:1 I.e. strength
- 1 Samuel 2:1 Lit is enlarged
- 1 Samuel 2:3 Lit Talk much
- 1 Samuel 2:6 I.e. the nether world
- 1 Samuel 2:10 I.e. strength
- 1 Samuel 2:12 Lit sons of Belial
- 1 Samuel 2:16 Lit offer up in smoke
- 1 Samuel 2:16 Lit like the day
- 1 Samuel 2:16 Lit your soul
- 1 Samuel 2:18 Lit girded with
- 1 Samuel 2:20 Lit seed
- 1 Samuel 2:20 Lit the one asked for which was lent
- 1 Samuel 2:20 Lit place
- 1 Samuel 2:24 Or making the Lord’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
New American Standard Bible
Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving
2 Then Hannah (A)prayed and said,
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
(B)My [a]horn is exalted in the Lord,
My mouth [b]speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because (C)I rejoice in Your salvation.
2 (D)There is no one holy like the Lord,
Indeed, (E)there is no one besides You,
(F)Nor is there any rock like our God.
3 Do not go on [c]boasting so very proudly,
(G)Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
(H)For the Lord is a God of knowledge,
(I)And [d]with Him actions are weighed.
4 (J)The bows of the mighty are broken to pieces,
(K)But those who have stumbled strap on strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease to be hungry.
(L)Even the infertile woman gives birth to seven,
But (M)she who has many children languishes.
6 (N)The Lord puts to death and makes alive;
(O)He brings down to [e]Sheol and brings up.
7 (P)The Lord makes poor and rich;
(Q)He humbles, He also exalts.
8 (R)He raises the poor from the dust,
(S)He lifts the needy from the garbage heap
(T)To seat them with nobles,
And He gives them a seat of honor as an inheritance;
(U)For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He set the world on them.
9 (V)He watches over the feet of His godly ones,
(W)But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
(X)For not by might shall a person prevail.
10 (Y)Those who contend with the Lord will be terrified;
(Z)Against them He will thunder in the heavens,
(AA)The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
(AB)And He will give strength to His king,
(AC)And will exalt the [f]horn of His anointed.”
11 Then Elkanah went to his home at (AD)Ramah. (AE)But the boy continued to attend to the service of the Lord before Eli the priest.
The Sin of Eli’s Sons
12 Now the sons of Eli were [g](AF)useless men; they did not know the Lord. 13 (AG)And this was the custom of the priests with the people: when anyone was offering a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come while the meat was cooking, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14 And he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; everything that the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. They did so in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Also, before (AH)they [h]burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take cooked meat from you, only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “They must [i]burn the fat [j]first, then take as much as [k]you desire,” then he would say, “No, but you must give it to me now; and if not, I am taking it by force!” 17 And so the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men (AI)treated the offering of the Lord disrespectfully.
Samuel before the Lord as a Boy
18 Now (AJ)Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy (AK)wearing a linen ephod. 19 And his mother would make for him a little (AL)robe and bring it up 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 the Lord give you [l]children from this woman in place of the [m]one she (AO)requested of the Lord.” And they went to their own [n]home.
21 [o](AP)The Lord indeed visited Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And (AQ)the boy Samuel grew up [p]before the Lord.
Eli Rebukes His Sons
22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard about (AR)everything that his sons were doing to all Israel, and that they slept with (AS)the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why are you doing such things as these, 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 Lord’s people circulating. 25 If one person sins against another, (AU)God will mediate for him; but (AV)if a person sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the (AW)Lord desired to put them to death.
26 Now the boy (AX)Samuel was continuing to grow and to be in favor both with the Lord and with people.
27 Then (AY)a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘(AZ)Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? 28 (BA)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 are you [q](BC)showing contempt for My sacrifice and My offering (BD)which I have commanded for My (BE)dwelling, and why are you (BF)honoring your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the [r]choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘(BG)I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father was to walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for (BH)those who honor Me I will honor, and those (BI)who despise Me will be insignificant. 31 Behold, (BJ)the days are coming when I will eliminate your [s]strength and the [t]strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 And you will look at (BK)the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all the good that [u]I do for Israel; and there will never be an (BL)old man in your house. 33 Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar, [v]so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the [w]increase of your house will die [x]in the prime of life. 34 And this will be (BM)the sign to you which will come in regard to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: (BN)on the same day both of them will die. 35 But (BO)I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and My soul; and (BP)I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before (BQ)My anointed always. 36 And everyone who is left in your house will come to bow down to him for a [y]silver coin or a loaf of bread and say, “Please [z]assign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 2:1 I.e., strength
- 1 Samuel 2:1 Lit is enlarged
- 1 Samuel 2:3 Lit talk much
- 1 Samuel 2:3 Or disgraceful actions have no place
- 1 Samuel 2:6 I.e., the netherworld
- 1 Samuel 2:10 I.e., strength
- 1 Samuel 2:12 Lit sons of Belial
- 1 Samuel 2:15 Lit offered up in smoke
- 1 Samuel 2:16 Lit offer up in smoke
- 1 Samuel 2:16 Lit as the day
- 1 Samuel 2:16 Lit your soul desires
- 1 Samuel 2:20 Lit seed
- 1 Samuel 2:20 Lit request
- 1 Samuel 2:20 Lit place
- 1 Samuel 2:21 Or When the Lord visited...then she; DSS And the Lord visited
- 1 Samuel 2:21 Lit with
- 1 Samuel 2:29 Lit giving a kick to
- 1 Samuel 2:29 Or first
- 1 Samuel 2:31 Lit arm
- 1 Samuel 2:31 Lit arm
- 1 Samuel 2:32 Lit He does
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Lit to make your eyes fail and to grieve your soul
- 1 Samuel 2:33 I.e., new children
- 1 Samuel 2:33 Lit as men
- 1 Samuel 2:36 Or payment
- 1 Samuel 2:36 Lit attach
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.