1Sa 2 | LSB | STEP | Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in Yahweh; My horn is exalted in Yahweh; My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I am glad in Your salvation.

1 Samuel 2

Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving

1 Then Hannah prayed and said,

“My heart exults in Yahweh;
My ^{▼▼A symbol of strength and power}horn is exalted in Yahweh;
My mouth ^{▼▼Lit is enlarged}speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because I am glad in Your salvation.
2 “There is no one holy like Yahweh;
Indeed, there is no one besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.
3 “Do not multiply speaking so very proudly;
Let arrogance not come out of your mouth;
For Yahweh is a God of knowledge,
And with Him actions are weighed.
4 “The bows of the mighty are shattered,
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.
Even the barren gives birth to seven,
But she who has many children languishes.
6 “Yahweh puts to death and makes alive;
He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 “Yahweh makes poor and rich;
He brings low; He also exalts.
8 “He raises the poor from the dust;
He exalts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of glory;
For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh’s,
And He set the world on them.
9 “He keeps the feet of His holy ones,
But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness,
For not by power shall a man prevail.
10 “Those who contend with Yahweh will be dismayed;
Against them He will thunder in the heavens;
Yahweh will render justice to the ends of the earth,
And He will give strength to His king,
And He will exalt the ^{▼▼A symbol of strength and power}horn of His anointed.”
11 Then Elkanah went to his home at Ramah. But the young boy ministered to Yahweh before Eli the priest.

The Sin of Eli’s Sons

12 Now the sons of Eli were ^{▼▼Lit sons of Belial, cf. 2 Cor 6:15}vile men; they did not know Yahweh. 13 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 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 ^{▼▼Lit like the day}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 spurned the offering of Yahweh.

Samuel Before Yahweh as a Boy

18 Now Samuel was ministering before Yahweh, as a ^{▼▼Or young man, cf. 2:17}young boy girded with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Yahweh establish for you a seed from this woman in place of ^{▼▼Lit the one asked for which was lent; Heb sounds like root for Samuel}the one she dedicated to Yahweh.” And they went to their own ^{▼▼Lit place}home.

21 Yahweh indeed visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the young boy Samuel grew before Yahweh.

Eli Hears About His Sons’ Evils

22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with 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 which I hear the people of Yahweh ^{▼▼Or making Yahweh’s people transgress}passing about. 25 If one man sins against another, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against Yahweh, who can pray for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for Yahweh desired to put them to death.

26 Now the young boy Samuel ^{▼▼Lit was going on both great and good}was growing in stature and in favor both with Yahweh and with men.

Eli Honors His Sons Above Yahweh

27 Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt, enslaved to Pharaoh’s house? 28 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 give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? 29 Why do you kick at My sacrifice and at My offering which I have commanded in My habitation, and honor your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the ^{▼▼Or first}choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30 Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, declares, ‘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 those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be cursed. 31 Behold, the days are coming, and I will break your ^{▼▼Or arm}strength and the ^{▼▼Or arm}strength of your father’s house so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 And you will look upon the distress of My habitation, in spite of all the good that ^{▼▼Lit He does}I do for Israel; and an 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 ^{▼▼Lit to waste away your eyes and to grieve your soul}so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the increase of your house will be put to death ^{▼▼Lit as men}in the prime of life. 34 Now this will be the sign to you which will come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on the same day both of them will be put to death. 35 But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him a faithful house, and he will walk before 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 ^{▼▼Or payment}piece of silver or a loaf of bread and say, “Please ^{▼▼Lit attach}assign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.” ’ ”