Add parallel Print Page Options

Hannah’s Prayer

Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in the Lord;
    my strength is exalted in my God.[a]
My mouth derides my enemies
    because I rejoice in your victory.(A)

There is no Holy One like the Lord,
    no one besides you;
    there is no Rock like our God.(B)
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.(C)
The bows of the mighty are broken,
    but the feeble gird on strength.(D)
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
    but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven,
    but she who has many children is forlorn.(E)
The Lord kills and brings to life;
    he brings down to Sheol and raises up.(F)
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
    he brings low; he also exalts.(G)
He raises up the poor from the dust;
    he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
    and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
    and on them he has set the world.(H)

He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
    but the wicked will perish in darkness,
    for not by might does one prevail.(I)
10 The Lord! His adversaries will be shattered;
    the Most High[b] will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
    he will give strength to his king
    and exalt the power of his anointed.”(J)

Eli’s Wicked Sons

11 Then they left him there before the Lord and went[c] home to Ramah, while the boy remained to minister to the Lord in the presence of the priest Eli.(K)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2.1 Gk: Heb the Lord
  2. 2.10 Cn: Heb against him he
  3. 2.11 Gk: Heb Then Elkanah went

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.
There is no one holy like Yahweh, for there is no one besides you,
    and there is no rock like our God.
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]
The bows of mighty warriors are shattered,
    but those who stumble gird themselves with strength.
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.
Yahweh kills and restores alive,
    he brings down to Sheol[d] and raises up.
Yahweh makes poor and makes rich;
    he brings low and also exalts.
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.
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.

Read full chapter

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”