CHAPTER 2
At that time Hannah
prayed:
“My heart
rejoices
in the LORD
in whom
my horn
is exalted.
My mouth
speaks boldly
against
my enemies,
for
I rejoice
in Your salvation.
There is no one
holy
like the LORD.
Indeed,
there is no one
besides You!
And there is no
rock
like our God.
Do not
boast
so proudly,
or let arrogance
come
from your mouth,
for
the LORD
is a God
who knows,
and by Him
actions
are weighed.
The well-fed
hire themselves out
for food,
but the starving
hunger no more.
The barren woman
gives birth to
seven,
but she who has many
sons
pines away.
He raises
the poor
from the dust
and lifts
the needy
from the ash heap.
He seats them
among
princes
and bestows on them
a throne
of honor.
For
the foundations
of the earth
are the LORD’s,
and upon them
He has set
the world.
He guards
the steps
of His faithful ones,
but the wicked
perish
in darkness;
for
by his own strength
shall no
man
prevail.
Those who oppose
the LORD
will be shattered.
He will thunder
from heaven
against them.
The LORD
will judge
the ends
of the earth
and will give
power
to His king.
He will exalt
the horn
of His anointed.”
Then Elkanah
went
home
to Ramah,
but the boy
began ministering
to
the LORD
before
Eli
the priest.
or for the custom
of the priests
with
the people.
When any
man
offered
a sacrifice,
the servant
of the priest
would come
with a three-pronged
meat fork
while the meat
was boiling
and plunge it
into the pan
or
kettle
or
cauldron
or
cooking pot.
And the priest
would claim
for himself
whatever
the meat fork
brought up.
This is how
they treated
all
the Israelites
who came
to Shiloh.
Even
before
the fat
was burned,
the servant
of the priest
would come
and say
to the man
who was sacrificing,
“Give
the priest
some meat
to roast,
because he will not
accept
from
you
boiled
meat,
but only
raw."
And if any man
said
to him,
“The fat
must be burned
first;
then you can take
whatever
you
want,”
the servant would reply,
“No,
for
you must give it to me
right now.
If you refuse,
I will take
it by force!”
Thus the sin
of these young men
was
severe
in the sight
of the LORD,
for
they
were treating the LORD’s
offering
with contempt.
Each year
his mother
would make
him
a little
robe
and bring it
to him
when she went
with
her husband
to offer
the annual
sacrifice.
And Eli
would bless
Elkanah
and his wife,
saying,
“May the LORD
give
you
children
by
this
woman
in place of
the one
she dedicated to
the LORD.”
Then they would go
home.
So
the LORD
attended to
Hannah,
and she conceived
and gave birth to
three
sons
and two
daughters.
Meanwhile, the boy
Samuel
grew up
in the presence of
the LORD.
Now Eli
was very
old,
and he heard
about everything
his sons
were doing
to all
Israel
and how
they were sleeping with
the women
who served
at the entrance
to the Tent
of Meeting.
“Why
are you doing
these
things?”
Eli said to his sons.
“I
hear
about
your wicked
deeds
from
all
these
people.
If
a man
sins
against another man,
God
can intercede for him,
but if
a man
sins
against the LORD,
who
can intercede
for him?”
But they would not
listen
to their father,
since
the LORD
intended
to put them to death.
Then a man
of God
came
to
Eli
and told
him,
“This is what
the LORD
says:
‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself
to
your father's
house
when they were
in Egypt
under Pharaoh's
house?
And out of all
the tribes
of Israel
I selected
your father
to be My priest,
to offer sacrifices
on
My altar,
to burn
incense,
and to wear
an ephod
in My presence.
I also gave
to the house
of your father
all
the offerings
of the Israelites made by fire.
Why, then,
do you kick at
My sacrifice
and offering
that
I have prescribed
for My dwelling place?
You have honored
your sons
more than Me
by fattening yourselves
with the best
of all
the offerings
of My people
Israel.’
Therefore,
the LORD,
the God
of Israel,
declares:
‘I did indeed
say
that your house
and the house
of your father
would walk
before Me
forever.
But now
the LORD
declares:
Far be it
from Me!
For
I will honor
those who honor Me,
but those who despise Me
will be disdained.
Behold,
the days
are coming
when I will cut off
your strength
and the strength
of your father's
house,
so that no older man
will be left
in your house.
You will see
distress
in My dwelling place.
Despite all
that
is good
in Israel,
no one
in your house
will ever again
reach
old age.
And every one
of you
that I do not
cut off
from
My altar,
your eyes
will fail
and your heart
will grieve.
All
your descendants
will die
in the prime of life.
And this
sign
shall come
to you
concerning
your two
sons
Hophni
and Phinehas:
They will both
die
on the same
day.
Then I will raise up
for Myself
a faithful
priest.
He will do
whatever
is in My heart
and mind.
And I will build
for him
an enduring
house,
and he will walk
before
My anointed one
for all time.
And
everyone
left
in your house
will come
and bow down
to him
for a piece
of silver
or a morsel
of bread,
pleading,
“Please
appoint me
to
some
priestly office,
so that I may eat
a piece
of bread.”’”