1Sa 2, 1Sa 18 | ESV | STEP | And Hannah prayed and said , My heart exults in the Lord ; my horn is exalted in the Lord . My mouth derides my enemies , because I rejoice in your salvation .

1 And Hannah prayed and said,

^a“My heart exults in the Lord;
^bmy horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because ^cI rejoice in your salvation.
2 ^d“There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is ^eno rock like our God.
3 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.
4 ^fThe bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble bind on strength.
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
^gThe barren has borne seven,
^hbut she who has many children is forlorn.
6 ⁱThe Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 ^jThe Lord makes poor and makes rich;
^khe brings low and he exalts.
8 ^lHe raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
^mto make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
ⁿFor the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world.
9 ^o“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
for not by might shall a man prevail.
10 ^pThe adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
^qagainst them he will thunder in heaven.
^rThe Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
^sand exalt the horn of his anointed.”
11 Then Elkanah went home ^tto Ramah. ^uAnd the boy ^{▼▼Hebrew na‘ar can be rendered boy (2:11, 18, 21, 26; 3:1, 8), servant (2:13, 15), or young man (2:17), depending on the context} was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.

Eli’s Worthless Sons

12 Now the sons of Eli were ^wworthless men. ^xThey did not know the Lord. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Moreover, ^ybefore the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great ^zin the sight of the Lord, ^aafor the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

18 ^abSamuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy ^acclothed with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year ^adwhen she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman ^aefor the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.

21 ^afIndeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. ^agAnd the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.

Eli Rebukes His Sons

22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who ^ahwere serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, ^aifor it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.

26 Now the boy Samuel ^ajcontinued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.

The Lord Rejects Eli’s Household

27 And there came ^aka man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ^al‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 ^amDid I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, ^anto wear an ephod before me? ^aoI gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29 Why then do you ^apscorn ^{▼▼Hebrew kick at} my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ^ar‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ ^asbut now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, ^atthe days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 Then ^auin distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, ^avand there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew your; twice in this verse} eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants ^{▼▼Hebrew increase} of your house shall die by the sword of men. ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew die as men} 34 ^azAnd this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die ^baon the same day. 35 ^bbAnd I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. ^bcAnd I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before ^bdmy anointed forever. 36 And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, “Please put me in one of the priests’ places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.”’”

1 Samuel 18

David and Jonathan’s Friendship

1 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan ^beloved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day ^bfand would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because ^bghe loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 And David went out ^bhand was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

Saul’s Jealousy of David

6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, ^bithe women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. ^{▼▼Or triangles, or three-stringed instruments} 7 And the women ^bksang to one another as they celebrated,

^bl“Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”
8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but ^bmthe kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on.

10 The next day ^bna harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and ^bohe raved within his house while David was ^bpplaying the lyre, as he did day by day. ^bqSaul had his spear in his hand. 11 And Saul ^brhurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.

12 ^bsSaul was afraid of David because ^btthe Lord was with him ^bubut had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. ^bvAnd he went out and came in before the people. 14 And David ^bwhad success in all his undertakings, ^bxfor the Lord was with him. 15 And when Saul saw that ^byhe had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. 16 ^bzBut all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.

David Marries Michal

17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is ^camy elder daughter Merab. ^cbI will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me ^ccand fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, ^cdbut let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” 18 And David said to Saul, ^ce“Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father’s clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” 19 But at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to ^cfAdriel the ^cgMeholathite for a wife.

20 Now ^chSaul’s daughter Michal ^ciloved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. 21 Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may ^cjbe a snare for him ^ckand that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, ^{▼▼Hebrew by two} ^cm“You shall now be my son-in-law.” 22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king’s son-in-law.’” 23 And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, ^cn“Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?” 24 And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.” 25 Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no ^cobride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, ^cpthat he may be avenged of the king’s enemies.’” ^cqNow Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law. ^crBefore the time had expired, 27 David arose and went, ^csalong with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. ^ctAnd David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. 28 But when Saul saw and knew that ^cuthe Lord was with David, ^cvand that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, 29 Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.

30 ^cwThen the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out ^cxDavid had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.