1 Samuel 2
2
Hannah's Prayer
1 #
Lk 1.46–55
Hannah prayed:
“The LORD has filled my heart with joy;
how happy I am because of what he has done!
I laugh at my enemies;
how joyful I am because God has helped me!
2“No one is holy like the LORD;
there is none like him,
no protector like our God.
3Stop your loud boasting;
silence your proud words.
For the LORD is a God who knows,
and he judges all that people do.
4The bows of strong soldiers are broken,
but the weak grow strong.
5The people who once were well fed
now hire themselves out to get food,
but the hungry are hungry no more.
The childless wife has borne seven children,
but the mother of many is left with none.
6The LORD kills and restores to life;
he sends people to the world of the dead
and brings them back again.
7He makes some poor and others rich;
he humbles some and makes others great.
8He lifts the poor from the dust
and raises the needy from their misery.
He makes them companions of princes
and puts them in places of honour.
The foundations of the earth belong to the LORD;
on them he has built the world.
9“He protects the lives of his faithful people,
but the wicked disappear in darkness;
a man does not triumph by his own strength.
10The LORD's enemies will be destroyed;
he will thunder against them from heaven.
The LORD will judge the whole world;
he will give power to his king,
he will make his chosen king victorious.”
11Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel stayed in Shiloh and served the LORD under the priest Eli.
The Sons of Eli
12The sons of Eli were scoundrels. They paid no attention to the LORD 13or to the regulations concerning what the priests could demand from the people. Instead, when anyone was offering a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fork. While the meat was still cooking, 14he would stick the fork into the cooking pot, and whatever the fork brought out belonged to the priest. All the Israelites who came to Shiloh to offer sacrifices were treated like this. 15In addition, even before the fat was taken off and burnt, the priest's servant would come and say to the one offering the sacrifice, “Give me some meat for the priest to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, only raw meat.”
16If the person answered, “Let us do what is right and burn the fat first; then take what you want,” the priest's servant would say, “No! Give it to me now! If you don't, I will have to take it by force!”
17This sin of the sons of Eli was extremely serious in the LORD's sight, because they treated the offerings to the LORD with such disrespect.
Samuel at Shiloh
18In the meantime the boy Samuel continued to serve the LORD, wearing a sacred linen apron. 19Each year his mother would make a little robe and take it to him when she accompanied her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say to Elkanah, “May the LORD give you other children by this woman to take the place of the one you dedicated to him.”
After that they would go back home.
21The LORD did bless Hannah, and she had three more sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up in the service of the LORD.
Eli and his Sons
22Eli was now very old. He kept hearing about everything his sons were doing to the Israelites and that they were even sleeping with the women who worked at the entrance to the Tent of the LORD's presence. 23So he said to them, “Why are you doing these things? Everybody tells me about the evil you are doing. 24Stop it, my sons! This is an awful thing the people of the LORD are talking about! 25If anyone sins against someone else, God can defend him; but who can defend someone who sins against the LORD?”
But they would not listen to their father, for the LORD had decided to kill them.
26 #
Lk 2.52
The boy Samuel continued to grow and to gain favour both with the LORD and with people.
The Prophecy against Eli's Family
27A prophet came to Eli with this message from the LORD: “When your ancestor Aaron and his family were slaves of the king of Egypt, I revealed myself to Aaron. 28#Ex 28.1–4; Lev 7.35–36From all the tribes of Israel I chose his family to be my priests, to serve at the altar, to burn the incense, and to wear the ephod#2.28 ephod: See Word List. to consult me. And I gave them the right to keep a share of the sacrifices burnt on the altar. 29Why, then, do you look with greed#2.29 One ancient translation look with greed; Hebrew unclear. at the sacrifices and offerings which I require from my people? Why, Eli, do you honour your sons more than me by letting them fatten themselves on the best parts of all the sacrifices my people offer to me? 30I, the LORD God of Israel, promised in the past that your family and your clan would serve me as priests for all time. But now I say that I won't have it any longer! Instead, I will honour those who honour me, and I will treat with contempt those who despise me. 31Listen, the time is coming when I will kill all the young men in your family and your clan, so that no man in your family will live to be old. 32You will be troubled and look with envy#2.32 Probable text look with envy; Hebrew unclear. on all the blessings I will give to the other people of Israel, but no one in your family will ever again live to old age. 33Yet I will keep one of your descendants alive, and he will serve me as priest. But he#2.33 One ancient translation he; Hebrew you. will become blind and lose all hope, and all your other descendants will die a violent death. 34#1 Sam 4.11When your two sons Hophni and Phinehas both die on the same day, this will show you that everything I have said will come true. 35I will choose a priest who will be faithful to me and do everything I want him to. I will give him descendants, who will always serve in the presence of my chosen king. 36Any of your descendants who survive will have to go to that priest and ask him for money and food, and beg to be allowed to help the priests, in order to have something to eat.”
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1 Samuel 2: GNBDK
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Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
1 Kings 2
2
1My heart hath rejoiced in the Lord, and my horn is exalted in my God: my mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I have joyed in thy salvation.
2There is none holy as the Lord is: for there is no other beside thee, and there is none strong like our God.
3Do not multiply to speak lofty things, boasting: let old matters depart from your mouth. For the Lord is a God of all knowledge, and to him are thoughts prepared.
4The bow of the mighty is overcome: and the weak are girt with strength.
5They that were full before have hired out themselves for bread: and the hungry are filled; so that the barren hath borne many: and she that had many children is weakened.
6The Lord killeth and maketh alive: he bringeth down to hell and bringeth back again.
7The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich: he humbleth and he exalteth.
8He raiseth up the needy from the dust, and lifteth up the poor from the dunghill: that he may sit with princes, and hold the throne of glory. For the poles of the earth are the Lord's, and upon them he hath set the world.
9He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness: because no man shall prevail by his own strength.
10The adversaries of the Lord shall fear him: and upon them shall he thunder in the heavens. The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth: and he shall give empire to his king, and shall exalt the horn of his Christ.
11And Elcana went to Ramatha, to his house: but the child ministered in the sight of the Lord before the face of Heli the priest.
12Now the sons of Heli were children of Belial, not knowing the Lord,
13Nor the office of the priests to the people: but whosoever had offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest came, while the flesh was in boiling, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
14And thrust it into the kettle, or into the caldron, or into the pot, or into the pan: and all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took to himself. Thus did they to all Israel that came to Silo.
15Also before they burnt the fat, the servant of the priest came, and said to the man that sacrificed: Give me flesh to boil for the priest: for I will not take of thee sodden flesh, but raw.
16And he that sacrificed said to him: Let the fat first be burnt to-day according to the custom, and then take as much as thy soul desireth. But he answered and said to him: Not so; but thou shalt give it me now, or else I will take it by force.
17Wherefore the sin of the young men was exceeding great before the Lord: because they withdrew men from the sacrifice of the Lord.
18But Samuel ministered before the face of the Lord: being a child girded with a linen ephod.
19And his mother made him a little coat, which she brought to him on the appointed days, when she went up with her husband, to offer the solemn sacrifice.
20And Heli blessed Elcana and his wife. And he said to him: The Lord give thee seed of this woman, for the loan thou hast lent to the Lord. And they went to their own home.
21And the Lord visited Anna, and she conceived, and bore three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel became great before the Lord.
22Now Heli was very old, and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel: and how they lay with the women that waited at the door of the tabernacle.
23And he said to them: Why do ye these kinds of things, which I hear, very wicked things, from all the people?
24Do not so, my sons: for it is no good report that I hear, that you make the people of the Lord to transgress.
25If one man shall sin against another, God may be appeased in his behalf: but if a man shall sin against the Lord, who shall pray for him? And they hearkened not to the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them.
26But the child Samuel advanced, and grew on, and pleased both the Lord and men.
27And there came a man of God to Heli, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Did I not plainly appear to thy father's house, when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharao?
28And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, and burn incense to me, and to wear the ephod before me: and I gave to thy father's house of all the sacrifices of the children of Israel.
29Why have you kicked away my victims, and my gifts which I commanded to be offered in the temple: and thou hast rather honoured thy sons than me, to eat the first-fruits of every sacrifice of my people Israel?
30Wherefore thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father should minister in my sight, for ever. But now saith the Lord: Far be this from me. But whosoever shall glorify me, him will I glorify; but they that despise me, shall be despised.
31Behold, the days come: and I will cut off thy arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house.
32And thou shalt see thy rival in the temple, in all the prosperity of Israel, and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever.
33However I will not altogether take away a man of thee from my altar: but that thy eyes may faint and thy soul be spent. And a great part of thy house shall die when they come to man's estate.
34And this shall be a sign to thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, Ophni and Phinees: In one day they shall both of them die.
35And I will raise me up a faithful priest, who shall do according to my heart, and my soul; and I will build him a faithful house; and he shall walk all days before my anointed.
36And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall remain in thy house shall come that he may be prayed for; and shall offer a piece of silver, and a roll of bread; and shall say: Put me, I beseech thee, to somewhat of the priestly office, that I may eat a morsel of bread.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.