1 Samuel 2

Hannah’s Prayer

1And 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.
3Talk 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.
5Those 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.”
11Then 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

12Now the sons of Eli were wworthless men. xThey did not know the Lord. 13The 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, 14and 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. 15Moreover, 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.” 16And 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.” 17Thus 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. 19And 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. 20Then 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

22Now 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. 23And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25If 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.

26Now 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

27And 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. 29Why 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?’
30Therefore 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. 31Behold, 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. 32Then 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. 33The 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. 36And 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 8

Israel Demands a King

1When Samuel became old, behe made his sons judges over Israel. 2The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3Yet his sons did not walk in his ways bfbut turned aside after gain. bgThey took bribes and perverted justice.

4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at bhRamah 5and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. biNow appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, bjfor they have not rejected you, bkbut they have rejected me from being king over them. 8According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them bland show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

Samuel’s Warning Against Kings

10So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11He said, bmThese will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: bnhe will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some boto plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 bpHe will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men
Septuagint cattle
and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
17He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, brbut the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

The Lord Grants Israel’s Request

19But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 bsthat we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22And the Lord said to Samuel, btObey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”

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