1 Samuel 2

Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving

1Then Hannah 1prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; 2My 3horn is exalted in the Lord, My mouth 4speaks boldly against my enemies, Because 5I rejoice in Your salvation.26There is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, 7there is no one besides You, 8Nor is there any rock like our God.39Boast no more so very proudly, 10Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; 11For the Lord is a God of knowledge, 12And with Him actions are weighed.413The bows of the mighty are shattered, 14But the feeble gird on strength.5Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, But those who were hungry cease to hunger. 15Even the barren gives birth to seven, But 16she who has many children languishes.617The Lord kills and makes alive; 18He brings down to 19Sheol and raises up.720The Lord makes poor and rich; 21He brings low, He also exalts.822He raises the poor from the dust, 23He lifts the needy from the ash heap 24To make them sit with nobles, And inherit a seat of honor; 25For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He set the world on them.926He keeps the feet of His godly ones, 27But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; 28For not by might shall a man prevail.1029Those who contend with the Lord will be shattered; 30Against them He will thunder in the heavens, 31The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; 32And He will give strength to His king, 33And will exalt the 34horn of His anointed.”

11Then Elkanah went to his home at 35Ramah. 36But the boy ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.

The Sin of Eli’s Sons

12Now the sons of Eli were 3738worthless men; they did not know the Lord 1339and 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. 14Then 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. 15Also, before 40they 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.” 16If the man said to him, “They must surely 41burn the fat 42first, and then take as much as 43you desire,” then he would say, “No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force.” 17Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for the men 44despised the offering of the Lord.

Samuel before the Lord as a Boy

18Now 45Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy 4647wearing a linen ephod. 19And his mother would make him a little 48robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer 49the yearly sacrifice. 20Then Eli would 50bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you 51children from this woman in place of 52the one she 53dedicated to the Lord.” And they went to their own 54home.

2155The Lord visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And 56the boy Samuel grew before the Lord.

Eli Rebukes His Sons

22Now Eli was very old; and he heard 57all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with 58the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 23He said to them, “Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people? 24No, my sons; for the report is not good 59which I hear 60the Lord’s people circulating. 25If one man sins against another, 61God will mediate for him; but 62if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the 63Lord desired to put them to death.

26Now the boy 64Samuel 65was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.

27Then 66a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘67Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? 2868Did 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 69give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? 29Why do you 70kick at My sacrifice and at My offering 71which I have commanded in My 72dwelling, and 73honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the 74choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘75I 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 76those who honor Me I will honor, and those 77who despise Me will be lightly esteemed. 31Behold, 78the days are coming when I will break your 79strength and the 80strength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32You will see 81the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all the good that 82I do for Israel; and an 83old man will not be in your house forever. 33Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar 84so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the increase of your house will die 85in the prime of life. 34This will be 86the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: 87on the same day both of them will die. 35But 88I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and 89I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before 90My anointed always. 36Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a 91piece of silver or a loaf of bread and say, “Please 92assign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”