1 Samuel, Chapter 2:
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Verses from 1 Samuel, Chapter 2 of the book of 1 Samuel in the Bible.
Hannah's prayer
- 1. At that time, Hannah prayed this way: “My heart rejoices in the Lord, for in Him I find strength and deliverance. My mouth exalts itself above my enemies, for I rejoice in your salvation.
- 2. “There is no one holy as the Lord; there is no other God besides you; There is no rock that compares to our God.
- 3. “Do not speak arrogantly, do not let proud words come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a wise God, who judges the actions of men.
- 4. “The bows of warriors are broken, while the weak are strengthened.
- 5. “Those who had a lot now work to support themselves, while the hungry no longer go hungry. She who was barren gave birth to seven children, while she who had many children lost her strength.
- 6. “The Lord gives life and death, he sends them down to the grave and brings them back.
- 7. “The Lord is the one who bestows wealth and poverty; he humbles and exalts.
- 8. “Raise the needy from the dust, lift the poor from the ash heap; they sit with the princes, receiving a place of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's; he established the world upon them.
- 9. “He protects the steps of his faithful, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness, for victory does not depend on human strength.
- 10. “Those who oppose the Lord will be defeated. He will thunder from the heavens against them; the Lord will judge to the ends of the earth. He will give power to his anointed king.”
- 11. Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel continued to serve the Lord under the supervision of the priest Eli.
The wickedness of Eli's sons
- 12. Eli's sons were wicked and did not care about the Lord.
- 13. They treated the Lord's offerings and the priestly service they were supposed to provide to the people with disrespect. Whenever someone offered a sacrifice, the priest's assistant arrived with a three-pronged fork.
- 14. and, while the meat was cooking, he stuck the fork into the pan, dish, cauldron or saucepan, and the priest took the portion that came on the fork for himself. This is what they did with all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.
- 15. Before even burning the fat, the priest's assistant approached the man who was offering the sacrifice and said: “Give a piece of meat to the priest to roast. He will not accept cooked meat, only raw.”
- 16. If the man replied, “Let the fat burn first and then take what you want,” the assistant would insist, “No! Hand over the meat now, otherwise I will take it by force.”
- 17. The sins of these young men were serious in the eyes of the Lord, as they dishonored the Lord's offerings.
- 18. Meanwhile, Samuel, still a child, served the Lord, wearing a linen tunic.
- 19. His mother made him a new coat every year and took it with her when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord.
- 20. Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, saying: “May the Lord give you other children of this woman in place of the son she asked for and dedicated to the Lord.” They would then return home.
- 21. And the Lord was kind to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
- 22. Meanwhile, Eli, now very old, learned about everything his sons did to all the people of Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
- 23. Then Eli asked them, “Why are you doing these things? I have heard from all the Israelites the bad reports that you spread.
- 24. No, my children, what I hear the Lord's people saying about you is not good.
- 25. If a man sins against another man, God can mediate between them. But if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?” However, his sons did not listen to their father's rebuke, as the Lord had already decided to kill them.
- 26. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel continued to grow, receiving approval from both the Lord and the people.
Prophecy against the house of Eli
- 27. A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: 'I revealed myself to your father's family when they were still in Egypt, enslaved by Pharaoh.
- 28. I chose your father from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, burn incense and put on the priestly vest in my presence. And I gave to his father's family all the offerings that the Israelites brought me.
- 29. Why do you mock my offerings and the holy things I have commanded? Why do you honor your children more than me, letting them grow fat on the best part of all the offerings of my people?
- 30. Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares, 'I promised your family and your father's family that they would minister before me forever.' But now the Lord declares: 'Far be it from me! I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be despised.
- 31. The time is coming when I will eliminate the power of your family and your father's family, so that there will never be old people in your family again.
- 32. You will see difficulties in my dwelling, despite all the prosperity of Israel. There will be no more elderly people in your family.
- 33. And any descendant of yours that I do not eliminate from my altar will live to see their eyes consumed with sadness and their heart in anguish. And all their descendants will die when they are still young.
- 34. And this will be a sign for you: your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will die on the same day.
- 35. I will choose a faithful priest, who will act according to my heart and my will. I will build him a lasting house, and he will always minister before my anointed.
- 36. Those who remain of his family will come and prostrate themselves before him, begging for a silver coin and a piece of bread. And they will say, 'Please let me have a priestly position, so that I can have something to eat.'”
