1 Samuel 2
2
Hannah’s Prayer of Exultation
1Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in Adonai, my horn is lifted high in Adonai. I smile wide over my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation.
2There is none holy as Adonai, for there is none besides You, nor is there any rock like our God.
3Boast no more so proudly— insolence comes out of your mouth. For Adonai is the all-knowing God, and by Him deeds are weighed.
4The bows of the mighty are broken, but the stumbling are girded with strength.
5Those full hire themselves for bread, but those starving hunger no more. Even the barren gives birth to seven, but she with many sons languishes.
6Adonai causes death and makes alive, He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7Adonai makes poor and makes rich, He brings low and also lifts up.
8He raises the helpless from the dust. He lifts the needy from the dunghill, to make them sit with nobles, granting them a seat of honor. For the earth’s pillars are Adonai’s, and He has set the world on them.
9He guards the steps of His godly ones, but the wicked are silenced in darkness. For one does not prevail by might.
10Those who oppose Adonai will be shattered. He thunders against them in heaven. He judges the ends of the earth. He gives strength to His king, exalting the horn of His anointed one.”
Eli’s Sons Sin Against Adonai
11Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, while the boy served Adonai before Eli the kohen.
12Now Eli’s sons were worthless men; they did not acknowledge Adonai.
13Now this was the custom of the kohanim with the people: whenever any man offered a sacrifice, the kohen’s servant would come along, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand,
14and he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up, the kohen would take for himself. This is how they dealt with all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh.
15Even before they burned the fat, the kohen’s servant would come and say to the one offering sacrifice, “Give the kohen meat for roasting, since he will not accept boiled meat from you—only raw.”
16If the man said to him, “Let them first burn the fat up as smoke, and then take as much as you desire,” he would reply, “No! But you must give it now—otherwise, I will take it by force.”
17Thus the sin of the young men was very great before Adonai, for the men despised the offering of Adonai.
18But Samuel was ministering before Adonai, as a boy girded with a linen ephod.
19Moreover, his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
20Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Adonai give you offspring from this woman instead of the one she requested from Adonai.” Then they would return to their place.
21So Adonai visited Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the child Samuel grew before Adonai.
22Now Eli had grown very old. He heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how they slept with the women who served at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting.
23So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear evil reports from all these people concerning you.
24No, my sons! For this is not a good report that I hear Adonai’s people spreading around.
25If a man sins against another, God may pardon him; but if a man sins against Adonai, who will intercede for him?” But they did not listen to the voice of their father, because Adonai desired to put them to death.
26Meanwhile, the child Samuel kept growing and increasing in favor both with Adonai and also with men.
27Now there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says Adonai: Did I not reveal Myself clearly to the house of your father when they were in Egypt belonging to Pharaoh’s palace?
28Also did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My kohanim, to officiate at My altar, to burn incense and to wear an ephod before Me? Did I not give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of Bnei-Yisrael?
29Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by fattening yourselves with the choicest of every offering of Israel My people?
30Therefore Adonai God of Israel declares, I indeed said that your house and your father’s house should walk before Me forever. But now declares Adonai, far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.
31Behold, the days are coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in your household will reach old age.
32Moreover, you will behold the distress of My dwelling, despite all that is good that has been done to Israel. So no one in your household will reach old age, forever.
33Any man of yours that I did not cut off from My altar would make your eyes weep and your soul grieve. So all the increase of your household will die as young men.
34Now this will be the sign to you that will come on your two sons—Hophni and Phinehas—on the same day both of them will die.
35“Yet I will raise up for Myself a faithful kohen who will do according to what is in My heart and My mind. Then I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed one all the time.
36Anyone left in your household will come and bow low to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and will say: ‘Please, assign me to one of the priestly offices so that I may eat a morsel of bread.’”
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1 Samuel 2: TLV
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
1 Samuel 2
2
Hannah’s Prayer of Praise
1Then Hannah prayed:
“My heart rejoices in the Lord!
The Lord has made me strong.#2:1 Hebrew has exalted my horn.
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
I rejoice because you rescued me.
2No one is holy like the Lord!
There is no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.
3“Stop acting so proud and haughty!
Don’t speak with such arrogance!
For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done;
he will judge your actions.
4The bow of the mighty is now broken,
and those who stumbled are now strong.
5Those who were well fed are now starving,
and those who were starving are now full.
The childless woman now has seven children,
and the woman with many children wastes away.
6The Lord gives both death and life;
he brings some down to the grave#2:6 Hebrew to Sheol. but raises others up.
7The Lord makes some poor and others rich;
he brings some down and lifts others up.
8He lifts the poor from the dust
and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets them among princes,
placing them in seats of honor.
For all the earth is the Lord’s,
and he has set the world in order.
9“He will protect his faithful ones,
but the wicked will disappear in darkness.
No one will succeed by strength alone.
10Those who fight against the Lord will be shattered.
He thunders against them from heaven;
the Lord judges throughout the earth.
He gives power to his king;
he increases the strength#2:10 Hebrew he exalts the horn. of his anointed one.”
11Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the Lord by assisting Eli the priest.
Eli’s Wicked Sons
12Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord 13or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling, 14the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli’s sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way. 15Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal’s fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting.
16The man offering the sacrifice might reply, “Take as much as you want, but the fat must be burned first.” Then the servant would demand, “No, give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.” 17So the sin of these young men was very serious in the Lord’s sight, for they treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt.
18But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest.#2:18 Hebrew He wore a linen ephod. 19Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. 20Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the Lord.#2:20 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version; Masoretic Text reads this one he requested of the Lord.” 21And the Lord blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
22Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle.#2:22 Hebrew Tent of Meeting. Some manuscripts lack this entire sentence. 23Eli said to them, “I have been hearing reports from all the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning? 24You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the Lord’s people are not good. 25If someone sins against another person, God#2:25 Or the judges. can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede?” But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for the Lord was already planning to put them to death.
26Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with the Lord and with the people.
A Warning for Eli’s Family
27One day a man of God came to Eli and gave him this message from the Lord: “I revealed myself#2:27 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads Did I reveal myself. to your ancestors when they were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. 28I chose your ancestor Aaron#2:28a Hebrew your father. from among all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest#2:28b Hebrew an ephod. as he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests. 29So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!
30“Therefore, the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi#2:30 Hebrew that your house and your father’s house. would always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me. 31The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age. 32You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel. But no members of your family will ever live out their days. 33The few not cut off from serving at my altar will survive, but only so their eyes can go blind and their hearts break, and their children will die a violent death.#2:33 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version, which read die by the sword; Masoretic Text reads die like mortals. 34And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day!
35“Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I desire. I will establish his family, and they will be priests to my anointed kings forever. 36Then all of your surviving family will bow before him, begging for money and food. ‘Please,’ they will say, ‘give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.’”
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
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