1 Samuel 2
2
Hannah’s Prayer
1And Hannah prayed and said,
# For ver. 1-10, see Luke 1:46-53 “My heart exults in the Lord;
# ver. 10; Ps. 75:10; 89:17, 24; 92:10; 112:9; 148:14 my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because #Ps. 9:14; 13:5; 20:5; 35:9I rejoice in your salvation.
2 #
Ex. 15:11; Ps. 86:8; 89:6, 8 “There is none holy like the Lord:
for there is none besides you;
there is #Deut. 32:30, 31no 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 #
Ps. 37:15; 46:9; 76:3 The 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.
#
Ps. 113:9; Isa. 54:1 The barren has borne seven,
#
Jer. 15:9
but she who has many children is forlorn.
6 #
Deut. 32:39
The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7 # [Job 1:21] The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
#
Job 5:11; Ps. 75:7 he brings low and he exalts.
8 #
Ps. 113:7, 8; [Dan. 4:17; Luke 1:52] He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
#
Job 36:7 to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
# [Job 38:4-6; Ps. 24:2; 102:25; 104:5] For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world.
9 #
Ps. 121:3; Prov. 3:26; [Ps. 91:11] “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 #
Ps. 2:9 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
# ch. 7:10; Ps. 18:13; [2 Sam. 22:14] against them he will thunder in heaven.
#
Ps. 96:10, 13; 98:9 The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
# ver. 1; [Ps. 89:24] and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
11Then Elkanah went home #ch. 1:19 to Ramah. #ver. 18; ch. 3:1And the boy#2:11 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 #See ch. 1:16 worthless men. #Judg. 2:10They 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, #Lev. 3:5, 16; 7:23, 25, 31before 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 #[Gen. 6:11] in the sight of the Lord, #[Mal. 2:8]for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.
18 # ver. 11; ch. 3:1 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy #Ex. 28:4; 2 Sam. 6:14; 1 Chr. 15:27clothed with a linen ephod. 19And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year #ch. 1:3when 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 #ch. 1:28for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home.
21 #
Gen. 21:1 Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. #ver. 26; ch. 3:19; [Judg. 13:24; Luke 1:80; 2:40]And 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 #Ex. 38:8were 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, #[Josh. 11:20]for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.
26Now the boy Samuel #Luke 2:52continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.
The Lord Rejects Eli’s Household
27And there came #1 Kgs. 13:1 a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, #[Ex. 3–12]‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28#Ex. 28:1; Num. 18:1, 7 Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, #[ch. 14:3; 22:18] to wear an ephod before me? #Lev. 2:3, 10; 6:16; 7:7, 8, 34; 10:14, 15; Num. 5:9, 10; See Num. 18:8-19I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29Why then do you #Deut. 32:15scorn#2:29 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: #Ex. 27:21; 29:9 ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,’ #[Jer. 18:9, 10]but 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, #1 Kgs. 2:27; [ch. 4:11, 18, 20; 22:18, 19]the 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 #ch. 4:11; [Judg. 18:30]; See Ps. 78:59-64 in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, #[Zech. 8:4]and 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#2:33 Septuagint; Hebrew your; twice in this verse eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants#2:33 Hebrew increase of your house shall die by the sword of men.#2:33 Septuagint; Hebrew die as men 34#1 Kgs. 13:3 And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die #ch. 4:11on the same day. 35#1 Kgs. 2:35; 1 Chr. 29:22 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. #ch. 25:28; 1 Kgs. 11:38; [2 Sam. 7:11, 27] And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before #2 Sam. 22:51; Ps. 18:50; [Ps. 89:20]my 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.”’”
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Sh'mu'el Alef (1 Sa) 2
2
1Then Hannah prayed; she said:
“My heart exults in Adonai!
My dignity has been restored by Adonai!
I can gloat over my enemies,
because of my joy at your saving me.
2“No one is as holy as Adonai,
because there is none to compare with you,
no rock like our God.
3“Stop your proud boasting!
Don’t let arrogance come from your mouth!
For Adonai is a God of knowledge,
and he appraises actions.
4The bows of the mighty are broken,
while the feeble are armed with strength.
5The well-fed hire themselves for bread,
while those who were hungry hunger no more.
The barren woman has borne seven,
while the mother of many wastes away.
6“Adonai kills and makes alive;
he brings down to the grave, and he brings up.
7Adonai makes poor, and he makes rich;
he humbles, and he exalts.
8He raises the poor from the dust,
lifts up the needy from the trash pile;
he gives them a place with leaders
and assigns them seats of honor.
“For the earth’s pillars belong to Adonai;
on them he has placed the world.
9He will guard the steps of his faithful,
but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.
For it is not by strength that a person prevails —
10those who fight Adonai will be shattered;
he will thunder against them in heaven —
Adonai will judge the ends of the earth.
He will strengthen his king
and enhance the power of his anointed.”
11Elkanah went home to Ramah, while the child began ministering to Adonai under the direction of ‘Eli the cohen.
12‘Eli’s sons were scoundrels who had no regard for Adonai. 13The rule these cohanim followed in dealing with the people was that when anyone offered a sacrifice, the cohen’s servant would come, while the meat was stewing, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14He would stick it in the pan, kettle, caldron or pot; and the cohen would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they dealt with all the people of Isra’el who came there to Shiloh. 15The cohen’s servant would actually come before the fat had burned to smoke and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the cohen meat he can roast; because he doesn’t want your meat stewed, but raw.” 16If the man answered, “First let the fat burn to smoke, then take as much as you want,” he would say, “No, give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.” 17The sin of these young men was very serious in Adonai’s view, because they treated offerings made to Adonai with contempt.
18But Sh’mu’el ministered in the presence of Adonai, wearing a linen ritual vest even though he was only a child. 19Each year his mother would make him a little coat and bring it when she came up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20‘Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Adonai give you children from this woman because of the boy you have loaned to Adonai”; then they would go home. 21So Adonai took notice of Hannah, and she conceived and bore three more sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Sh’mu’el grew in the presence of Adonai.
22When ‘Eli was very old, he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Isra’el, and that they were having sex with the women doing service at the door of the tent of meeting. 23He asked them, “Why are you doing things like this? I am hearing bad reports about you from all these people. 24No, my sons, I don’t hear Adonai’s people spreading a single good report! 25If a person commits a sin against another person, the judges can mediate between them. But if a person commits a sin against Adonai, who can intercede for him?” However, they wouldn’t pay attention to what their father said, because Adonai had decided to kill them.
26The child Sh’mu’el kept growing and gaining favor both with Adonai and with people.
27A man of God came to ‘Eli and told him, “Here is what Adonai says: ‘Didn’t I reveal myself to your ancestor’s clan when they were in Egypt, serving as slaves in Pharaoh’s household? 28Didn’t I choose him out of all the tribes of Isra’el to be my cohen, go up to my altar, burn incense and wear a ritual vest in my presence? Didn’t I assign to your ancestor’s clan all the offerings of the people of Isra’el made by fire? 29So why are you showing such disrespect for my sacrifices and offerings, which I ordered to be made at my dwelling? Why do you show more honor to your sons than to me, making yourselves fat with the choicest parts of all the offerings of Isra’el my people?’
30“Therefore Adonai the God of Isra’el says, ‘I did indeed say that your family and your father’s family would walk in my presence forever.’ But now Adonai says, ‘Forget it! I respect those who respect me, but those who despise me will meet with contempt. 31The day is coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s family, so that no one in your family will live to old age. 32At a time when Isra’el is prospering, you will see a rival in my Dwelling; and never will anyone in your family live to old age. 33Still, I won’t cut off every one of your men from my altar; because that would make your eyes grow dim, and you would waste away. Nevertheless, all your descendants will die young. 34Your sign that this will occur will be what happens to your two sons Hofni and Pinchas — they will both die on the same day. 35I will raise up for myself a faithful cohen who will do what I want and what I intend. I will make his family faithful, and he will serve in the presence of my anointed one forever. 36Everyone left in your family will come, prostrate himself before him for a silver coin or a loaf of bread, and say, “Please, won’t you give me some work as a cohen, so I can have a scrap of bread to eat?”’”
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