1Sa 2, 1Sa 26 | 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 26

David Spares Saul Again

1 ^beThen the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” 2 So Saul arose and went down to ^bfthe wilderness of Ziph with ^bgthree thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3 And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, 4 David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come. 5 Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with ^bhAbner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within ^bithe encampment, while the army was encamped around him.

6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother ^bjAbishai the son of Zeruiah, ^bk“Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within ^blthe encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground ^bmat his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. 8 Then Abishai said to David, ^bn“God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.” 9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand ^boagainst the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?” 10 And David said, ^bp“As the Lord lives, ^bqthe Lord will strike him, or ^brhis day will come to die, ^bsor he will go down into battle and perish. 11 ^btThe Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. But take now the spear that is ^buat his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” 12 So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because ^bva deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.

13 Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them. 14 And David called to the army, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?” 15 And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord. 16 This thing that you have done is not good. ^bwAs the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was ^bxat his head.”

17 Saul recognized David’s voice and said, ^by“Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.” 18 And he said, ^bz“Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands? 19 Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the Lord, ^cafor they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in ^cbthe heritage of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ 20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to seek ^cca single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

21 Then Saul said, ^cd“I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake.” 22 And David answered and said, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and take it. 23 ^ceThe Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. 24 Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.” 25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will ^cfsucceed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.