1 Samuel 2
2
Hannah’s Song of Thanksgiving
1Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart rejoices and triumphs in the Lord;
My horn (strength) is lifted up in the Lord,
My mouth has opened wide [to speak boldly] against my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
2“There is no one holy like the Lord,
There is no one besides You,
There is no Rock like our God.
3“Do not go on boasting so very proudly,
Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
For the Lord is a God of knowledge,
And by Him actions are weighed (examined).
4“The bows of the mighty are #2:4 Or filled with terror.broken,
But those who have stumbled equip themselves with strength.
5“Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease [to hunger].
Even the barren [woman] gives birth to seven,
But she who has many children withers away.
6“The Lord puts to death and makes alive;
He brings down to Sheol (the grave) and raises up [from the grave].
7“The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
He brings low and He lifts up.
8“He raises up the poor from the dust,
He lifts up the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor and glory;
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
And He set the land on them.
9“He guards the feet of His godly (faithful) ones,
But the wicked ones are silenced and perish in darkness;
For a man shall not prevail by might.
10“The adversaries of the Lord will be broken to pieces;
He will thunder against them in the heavens,
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
And He will give strength to His #2:10 This would first apply to Saul, whom Samuel would anoint as king of Israel (10:1), and then to David (16:13) and other earthly kings. Ultimately it can be applied to Christ, who will rule over Israel and the world.king,
And will exalt the horn (strength) of His anointed.” [Luke 1:46]
11Elkanah [and his wife Hannah] returned to Ramah to his house. But the child [Samuel] served the Lord #2:11 Lit in the presence of.under the guidance of Eli the priest.
The Sin of Eli’s Sons
12The sons of Eli [Hophni and Phinehas] were #2:12 Lit sons of Belial.worthless (dishonorable, unprincipled) men; they did not know [nor respect] the Lord 13and the custom of the priests with [the sacrifices of] the people. When any man was offering a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged [meat] fork in his hand; 14then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; everything that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did in Shiloh to all [the sacrifices of] the #2:14 In general, sons of Israel or Israel or Israelites refers to all the people (males and females) of the various tribes descended from the twelve sons (Gen 35:23-26) of Jacob (later renamed Israel by God). In verses concerning things such as warfare or circumcision sons of Israel or Israel or Israelites usually refers only to the males. Tribes of ancient people were identified by the name of their founding ancestor. Therefore, this same general rule applies when referring to individual tribal groups, e.g. sons of Reuben, Reuben, Reubenites and so throughout.Israelites who came there. 15Also, before they burned (offered) the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat to roast, since he will not accept boiled meat from you, only raw.” 16If the man said to him, “#2:16 The Law of Moses required all the fat to be burned on the altar as an offering to God (Lev 3:16), so the worshiper would be reluctant to agree to the priest’s demand.Certainly they are to burn (offer) the fat first, and then you may take as much as #2:16 Lit your soul wants.you want,” then the priest’s servant would say, “No! You shall give it to me now or I will take it by force.” 17So the sin of the [two] young men [Hophni and Phinehas] was very great before the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord disrespectfully.
Samuel before the Lord as a Boy
18Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a child dressed in a linen ephod [a sacred item of priestly clothing]. 19Moreover, his mother would make him a little robe and would bring it up to him each year when she came 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 in place of the one she asked for which was dedicated to the Lord.” Then they would return to their own home.
21And [the time came when] the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew before the Lord.
Eli Rebukes His Sons
22Now Eli was very old; and he heard about everything that his sons were doing to all [the people of] Israel, and how they were lying with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting (tabernacle). 23Eli said to them, “Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people? 24No, my sons; for the report that I keep hearing from the passers-by among the Lord’s people is not good. 25If one man does wrong and sins against another, God will intercede (arbitrate) for him; but if a man does wrong to the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, #2:25 Sometimes, when a person has deliberately and repeatedly violated God’s law, God may allow him to be even more determined to continue his sinful ways.for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.
26But the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.
27Then a man of God (prophet) came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Did I not plainly reveal Myself to the house of your father (ancestor) when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? 28Moreover, #2:28 From the tribe of Levi God designated Aaron and his descendants to serve as priests.I selected him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me. And [from then on] I gave to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel. 29Why then do you kick at (despise) My sacrifice and My offering which I commanded in My dwelling place, and honor your sons more than Me, by fattening yourselves with the choicest part of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and that of [Aaron] your father would walk [in priestly service] before Me forever.’ But now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be insignificant and contemptible. 31Behold, the time is 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. 32You will look at the distress of My #2:32 Lit dwelling.house (the tabernacle), in spite of all the good which God will do for Israel, and there will never again be an old man in your house. 33Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar; your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul will grieve, and all those born in your house will die as men [in the prime of life]. [1 Sam 22:17-20] 34This will be the sign to you which shall come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on the same day both of them shall die. [1 Sam 4:17, 18] 35But I will raise up for Myself a #2:35 This person is not identified by name, but most scholars consider this prophecy fulfilled by Zadok, a priest during the reign of King David, who became high priest under Solomon. His descendants continued in service to God for many generations.faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him a permanent and enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed #2:35 Lit all the days.forever. [1 Sam 2:10] 36And it will happen that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and say, “Please assign me to one of the priest’s offices so I may eat a piece of bread.” ’ ”
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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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