1.Samuel 2 | New International Reader’s Version

Hannah’s prayer

1 Then 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. 5 Those 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. 7 The LORD makes people poor. He also makes people rich. He brings people down. He also lifts people up. 8 He raises poor people up from the rubbish heap. He lifts needy people out of the ashes. He lets them sit with princes. He gives them places of honour. ‘The foundations of the earth belong to the LORD. On them he has set the world. 9 He 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. 10 Those 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 honour to his anointed one.’ 11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. But the boy Samuel served the LORD under the direction of Eli the priest.

Eli’s evil sons

12 Eli’s sons were good for nothing. They didn’t honour the LORD. 13 When 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. 14 He 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. 15 Even 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.’ 16 Sometimes 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.’ 17 That sin of Eli’s sons was very great in the LORD’s sight. That’s because they were not treating his offering with respect. 18 But the boy Samuel served the LORD. He wore a sacred linen apron. 19 Each 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. 20 Eli 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. 21 The 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. 22 Eli 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. 23 So Eli said to his sons, ‘Why are you doing these things? All the people are telling me about the evil things you are doing. 24 No, my sons. The report I hear isn’t good. And it’s spreading among the LORD’s people. 25 If 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. 26 The boy Samuel continued to grow stronger. He also became more and more pleasing to the LORD and to people.

Prophecy against Eli’s family

27 A 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. 28 At 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. 29 Why 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 honour 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 for ever.” But now the LORD announces, “I will not let that happen! I will honour those who honour me. But I will turn away from those who look down on me. 31 The 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. 32 You 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. 33 I 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. 35 I 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. 36 Everyone 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.’ ” ’

English Standard Version

Hannah’s Prayer

1 And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. 2 “There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. 3 Talk 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 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength. 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. 6 The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. 8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world. 9 “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 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” 11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah. And the boy* was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.

Eli’s Worthless Sons

12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. 13 The 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, 14 and 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. 15 Moreover, before 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.” 16 And 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.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt. 18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy clothed with a linen ephod. 19 And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you children by this woman for the petition she asked of the Lord.” So then they would return to their home. 21 Indeed the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord.

Eli Rebukes His Sons

22 Now 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 were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If 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, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death. 26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.

The Lord Rejects Eli’s Household

27 And there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh? 28 Did I choose 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? I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29 Why then do you scorn* 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?’ 30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out 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 shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, 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. 32 Then in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his* eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants* of your house shall die by the sword of men.* 34 And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day. 35 And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed forever. 36 And 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.”’”

1.Samuel 2 | New International Reader’s Version English Standard Version