1 Samuel 2

1And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart exults in Yahweh; my horn is lifted high in Yahweh. My mouth is opened wide against my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.”

2There is none holy like Yahweh, for there is none besides you, and there is no rock like our God.

3Do not keep speaking so very proudly; do not let arrogance come out of your mouth, for Yahweh is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

4The bows of the mighty are shattered, but those who stumble are girded with strength.

5Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased. Even the barren woman has borne seven, but she who had many sons has withered away.

6Yahweh puts to death and makes alive; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

7Yahweh makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and also lifts up.

8He raises the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to seat them with nobles and make them inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth belong to Yahweh, and on them he has set the world.

9He guards the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked are silenced in darkness, for not by strength does a man prevail.

10Yahweh’s adversaries will be shattered; he will thunder against them from heaven. Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and lift up the horn of his anointed.

11Then Elkanah went to Ramah, to his house; and the boy was ministering to Yahweh before Eli the priest.

12Eli’s sons were worthless men; they did not know Yahweh.

13The custom of the priests with the people was this: whenever any man was sacrificing a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come while the meat was boiling, with the three-pronged fork in his hand.

14and he would thrust it into the basin, or the pot, or the kettle, or the cooking pan; all that the fork brought up, the priest would take with it. Thus they did to all Israel who came there to Shiloh.

15Even before they burned the fat, 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 take boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

16And the man would say to him, “Let them first burn the fat today, and then take for yourself whatever your soul desires.” But he would say to him, “No, you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force.”

17So the sin of the young men was very great before Yahweh, because the men despised Yahweh’s offering.

18Samuel was ministering before Yahweh, a boy clothed with a linen ephod.

19And his mother would make for him a small robe and bring it up to him from year to year, when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

20And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Yahweh give you offspring by this woman in place of the petition that was asked for Yahweh.” Then they would go to his place.

21For Yahweh visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew before Yahweh.

22Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and that they were lying with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

23And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear from all these people about your evil deeds.”

24No, my sons; for the report that I hear is not good. You are making Yahweh’s people transgress.

25If a man sins against another man, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against Yahweh, who will pray for him? But they would not listen to the voice of their father, because Yahweh desired to put them to death.

26The boy Samuel continued to grow, and he was good in the sight of both Yahweh and men.

27And a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: Did I indeed reveal myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt, belonging to Pharaoh's house?”

28And did I not choose him from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? And I gave to your father's house all the food offerings of the sons of Israel.

29Why do you scorn my sacrifice and my offering, which I commanded for the dwelling, and honor your sons above me, fattening yourselves from the first of every offering of Israel, my people?

30Therefore, declares Yahweh, the God of Israel: I indeed said that your house and your father’s house would walk before me forever. But now, declares Yahweh: far be it from me! For those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be lightly esteemed.

31Look, 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.

32You will look on the distress of the dwelling in all the good that he does for Israel, and there will not be an old man in your house all the days.

33But I will not cut off every man of yours from beside my altar, to make your eyes fail and your soul grieve; and all the increase of your house will die by the sword of men.

34And this will be the sign to you that will come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: both of them will die on one day.

35And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and in my soul. And I will build for him a faithful house, and he will walk before my anointed all the days.

36And everyone left in your house will come to bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and will say, ‘Please attach me to one of the priestly offices, so that I may eat a morsel of bread.’