1 Samuel 2

Hannah's Prayer of Thanksgiving

1 At that time Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the LORD in [whom] my horn is exalted. My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation. 2 There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, [there is] no one besides You! And there is no rock like our God. 3 Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogance come from your mouth, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by Him actions are weighed. 4 The bows of the warriors are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength. 5 The well-fed hire themselves out for food, but the starving hunger no more. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but she who has many sons pines away. 6 The LORD brings death and gives life; some He brings down to Sheol, and others He raises up. 7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. 8 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats [them] among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD’s, and upon them He has set the world. 9 He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail. 10 Those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.” 11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.

Eli’s Wicked Sons

12 Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD 13 or for the custom of the priests with the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling 14 and plunge [it] into the pan or kettle or cauldron or cooking pot. And the priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 Even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he will not accept from you boiled meat, but only raw.” 16 And [if] any man said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you can take whatever you want,” the servant would reply, “No, for you must give [it to me] right now. If you refuse, I will take it by force!” 17 Thus the sin of these young men was severe in the sight of the LORD, for they ▼

▼DSS and LXX; MT men

{were treating} the LORD’s offering with contempt. 18 Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD— a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 Each year his mother would make him a little robe and bring [it] to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20 And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the LORD give you children by this woman in place of the one she dedicated to ▼

▼DSS; MT she requested from

the LORD.” Then they would go home. 21 So the LORD attended to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD. 22 Now Eli was very old, and he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 23 “Why are you doing these things?” [Eli] said to [his sons] . “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people. 24 No, my sons; [it is] not a good report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people. 25 If a man sins against another man, God ▼

▼Or the judges

can intercede for him, but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since the LORD intended to put them to death. 26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men.

A Prophecy Against the House of Eli

27 Then a man of God came to Eli and told him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh's house? 28 And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected [your father] to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the offerings of the Israelites {made by fire} . 29 Why, then, do you kick at ▼

▼Or scorn

My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for [My] dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’ 30 Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained. 31 Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that no older man will be left in your house. 32 You will see distress [in My] dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age. 33 And every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, your eyes will fail and your heart will grieve. ▼

▼Hebrew; LXX his eyes will fail and his heart will grieve

All your descendants ▼

▼Or increase

will die in the prime of life. ▼

▼LXX, or die by violence; Hebrew die as mortals

34 And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day. 35 Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. And I will build for him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed one for all time. 36 And everyone left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of bread, pleading, “Please appoint me to some priestly office, so that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”