1 Samuel 2
2
Hannah’s Prayer
1Then Hannah prayed. She said,
“The Lord has filled my heart with joy.
He has made me strong.
I can laugh at my enemies.
I’m so glad he saved me.
2“There isn’t anyone holy like the Lord.
There isn’t anyone except him.
There isn’t any Rock like our God.
3“Don’t keep talking so proudly.
Don’t let your mouth say such proud things.
The Lord is a God who knows everything.
He judges everything people do.
4“The bows of great heroes are broken.
But those who trip and fall are made strong.
5Those who used to be full have to work for food.
But those who used to be hungry aren’t hungry anymore.
The woman who couldn’t have children has seven of them now.
But the woman who has had many children is sad now because hers have died.
6“The Lord causes people to die. He also gives people life.
He brings people down to the grave. He also brings people up from death.
7The Lord makes people poor. He also makes people rich.
He brings people down. He also lifts people up.
8He raises poor people up from the trash pile.
He lifts needy people out of the ashes.
He lets them sit with princes.
He gives them places of honor.
“The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord.
On them he has set the world.
9He guards the paths of his faithful servants.
But evil people will lie silent in their dark graves.
“People don’t win just because they are strong.
10Those who oppose the Lord will be totally destroyed.
The Most High God will thunder from heaven.
The Lord will judge the earth from one end to the other.
“He will give power to his king.
He will give honor to his anointed one.”
11Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. But the boy Samuel served the Lord under the direction of Eli the priest.
Eli’s Evil Sons
12Eli’s sons were good for nothing. They didn’t honor the Lord. 13When any of the people came to offer a sacrifice, here is what the priests would do. While the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a large fork in his hand. 14He would stick the fork into the pan or pot or small or large kettle. Then the priest would take for himself everything the fork brought up. That’s how Eli’s sons treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15Even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come over. He would speak to the person who was offering the sacrifice. He would say, “Give the priest some meat to cook. He won’t accept boiled meat from you. He’ll only accept raw meat.”
16Sometimes the person would say to him, “Let the fat be burned first. Then take what you want.” But the servant would answer, “No. Hand it over right now. If you don’t, I’ll take it away from you by force.”
17That sin of Eli’s sons was very great in the Lord’s sight. That’s because they were not treating his offering with respect.
18But the boy Samuel served the Lord. He wore a sacred linen apron. 19Each year his mother made him a little robe. She took it to him when she went up to Shiloh with her husband. She did it when her husband went to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife. He would say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman. May they take the place of the boy she prayed for and gave to the Lord.” Then they would go home. 21The Lord was gracious to Hannah. Over a period of years she had three more sons and two daughters. During that whole time the boy Samuel grew up serving the Lord.
22Eli was very old. He kept hearing about everything his sons were doing to all the Israelites. He also heard how his sons were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23So Eli said to his sons, “Why are you doing these things? All the people are telling me about the evil things you are doing. 24No, my sons. The report I hear isn’t good. And it’s spreading among the Lord’s people. 25If a person sins against someone else, God can help that sinner. But if anyone sins against the Lord, who can help them?” In spite of what their father Eli said, his sons didn’t pay any attention to his warning. That’s because the Lord had already decided to put them to death.
26The boy Samuel continued to grow stronger. He also became more and more pleasing to the Lord and to people.
Prophecy Against Eli’s Family
27A man of God came to Eli. He told him, “The Lord says, ‘I made myself clearly known to your relatives who lived long ago. I did it when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh’s rule. 28At that time, I chose Aaron from your family line to be my priest. I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel. I told him to go up to my altar. I told him to burn incense. I chose him to wear a linen apron when he served me. I also gave his family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. 29Why don’t you treat my sacrifices and offerings with respect? I require them to be brought to the house where I live. Why do you honor your sons more than me? Why do you fatten yourselves on the best parts of every offering that is made by my people Israel?’
30“The Lord is the God of Israel. He announced, ‘I promised that members of your family line would serve me as priests forever.’ But now the Lord announces, ‘I will not let that happen! I will honor those who honor me. But I will turn away from those who look down on me. 31The time is coming when I will cut your life short. I will also cut short the lives of those in your family line of priests. No one in your family line will grow old. 32You will see nothing but trouble in the house where I live. Good things will still happen to Israel. But no one in your family line will ever grow old. 33I will prevent the members of your family from serving me at my altar. I will destroy the eyesight of all of you I allow to live. I will also cause you to lose your strength. And everyone in your family line will die while they are still young.
34“ ‘Something is going to happen to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. When it does, it will show you that what I am saying is true. They will both die on the same day. 35I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will do what my heart and mind want him to do. I will make his family line of priests very secure. They will always serve as priests to my anointed king. 36Everyone left in your family line will come and bow down to him. They will beg him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread. They will say, “Please give me a place to serve among the priests. Then I can have food to eat.” ’ ”
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1 Samuel 2: NIrV
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
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1 Samuel 2
2
Hannah Gives Thanks
1Hannah said,
“My heart is happy in the Lord.
I feel very strong#2:1 I feel very strong Literally, “In the Lord my horn is lifted high.” The horn is a symbol of strength. in my God.
I laugh at my enemies.#2:1 I laugh at my enemies Literally, “My mouth is wide open over my enemies.”
I am very happy in my victory.
2There is no holy God like the Lord.
There is no God but you.
There is no Rock like our God.
3Don’t continue bragging.
Don’t speak proud words,
because the Lord God knows everything.
He leads and judges people.
4The bows of strong soldiers break,
and weak people become strong.
5People who had plenty of food in the past
must now work to get food.
But those who were hungry in the past
now grow fat on food.
The woman who was not able to have children
now has seven children.
But the woman who had many children
is sad because her children are gone.
6The Lord causes people to die,
and he causes them to live.
He sends people down to the grave,
and he can raise them up to live again.
7The Lord makes some poor,
and he makes others rich.
He humbles some people,
and he honors others.
8He raises the poor from the dust,
and he takes away their sadness.#2:8 he … sadness Literally, “he picks up the poor from the ashes.”
He makes them important
and seats them with princes and at the places for honored guests.
The Lord made the whole world,
and the whole world belongs to him.#2:8 The Lord made … to him Literally, “The whole world, even to its foundations, belongs to the Lord. He set the world on those pillars.”
9He protects his holy people.
He keeps them from stumbling.
But evil people will be destroyed.
They will fall in the darkness.
Their power won’t help them win.
10The Lord destroys his enemies.
God Most High will thunder in heaven against people.
The Lord will judge even the lands that are far away.
He will give power to his king.
He will make his chosen king#2:10 chosen king Literally, “anointed one.” strong.”
11Elkanah and his family went home to Ramah, but the boy stayed in Shiloh and served the Lord under Eli the priest.
Eli’s Evil Sons
12Eli’s sons were evil men who did not care about the Lord. 13They did not care about how priests were supposed to treat people. Whenever someone brings a sacrifice, priests are supposed to put the meat in a pot of boiling water. Then their servant is supposed to get the three-pronged fork 14and use it to get some meat out of the pot or kettle. The priest is supposed to take whatever his helper removes from the pot with the special fork. This is what the priests should have done for the Israelites who came to offer sacrifices at Shiloh. 15But that is not what the sons of Eli did. Even before the fat was burned on the altar, their servant would go to the people offering sacrifices and say, “Give the priest some meat to roast. The priest won’t accept boiled meat from you.”
16Maybe the man offering the sacrifice would say, “Burn the fat#2:16 Burn the fat The fat was the part of the animal that belonged only to God. It was supposed to be burned first as an offering to him. first, and then you can take whatever you want.” But the servant would answer: “No, give me the meat now. If you don’t give it to me, I’ll take it from you!”
17In this way Hophni and Phinehas showed that they did not respect the offerings made to the Lord. This was a terrible sin against the Lord.
18But Samuel served the Lord. He was a helper who wore the linen ephod. 19Every year Samuel’s mother made a robe for Samuel. She took the little robe to Samuel when she went up to Shiloh with her husband for the sacrifice every year.
20Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife. He would say, “May the Lord give you more children through Hannah who will take the place of the boy she prayed for and gave to the Lord.”
Elkanah and Hannah went home. 21The Lord was kind to Hannah, and she had three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up at the holy place near the Lord.
Eli Fails to Control His Evil Sons
22Eli was very old. He heard about the bad things his sons were doing to the Israelites at Shiloh and how his sons were having sexual relations with the women who served at the door of the Meeting Tent.
23Eli said to his sons, “The people here told me about the evil things you have done. Why are you doing such things? 24Sons, stop that! The Lord’s people are saying bad things about you. 25If you sin against other people, God might protect you. But who can help you if you sin against the Lord?”
Eli’s sons refused to listen to him, so the Lord decided to kill them.
26The boy Samuel kept growing. He was pleasing to the Lord and to the people.
The Terrible Prophecy About Eli’s Family
27A man of God came to Eli and said, “The Lord says, ‘I appeared to your ancestors#2:27 ancestors Literally, “father’s house.” See “ancestor” in the Word List. when they were slaves of Pharaoh. 28From all the tribes of Israel, I chose your tribe to be my priests. I chose them to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and wear the ephod. I also let your tribe have the meat from the sacrifices that the Israelites give to me. 29So why don’t you respect these gifts and sacrifices? You honor your sons more than me. You become fat eating the best parts of the meat that the Israelites bring to me.’
30“The Lord, the God of Israel, promised that your father’s family would serve him forever. But now the Lord says, ‘That will never be! I will honor people who honor me, but bad things will happen to those who refuse to respect me. 31The time is coming when I will destroy all your descendants. No one in your family will live to be an old man. 32Good things will happen to Israel, but you will see bad things happening at home.#2:32 but you … at home These words are not in the ancient Greek version or the Hebrew scrolls from Qumran. No one in your family will live to be an old man. 33There is only one man I will save to serve as priest at my altar. He will live until his eyes wear out and his strength is gone. But all of your descendants will die by the sword.#2:33 by the sword This is found in the ancient Greek version and a Hebrew scroll from Qumran. The standard Hebrew text has “like men.” 34I will give you a sign to show that these things will come true. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will die on the same day. 35I will choose a priest I can trust. This priest will listen to me and do what I want. I will make his family strong, and he will always serve before my chosen king.#2:35 chosen king Literally, “anointed one.” 36Then whoever is left in your family will come and bow down before this priest and beg for a little money or a piece of bread. They will say, “Please give me a job as priest so that I can have some food to eat.”’”
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