1 Samuel 2

1Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart rejoices 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 no one holy like Yahweh; there is no one besides you; there is no rock like our God.

3Do not keep talking so very proudly, or let arrogance come out of your mouths, for Yahweh is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.

4The bows of the mighty are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

5Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry hunger no more. The barren woman has borne seven, but she who has many sons pines away.

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

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

8He raises the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to seat them with princes and give them a throne 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 no one prevails by strength.

10Those who oppose Yahweh 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 high the horn of his anointed.”

11Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served Yahweh in the presence of Eli the priest.

12Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know Yahweh.

13This was the practice of the priests with the people: whenever anyone offered a 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. Whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. This is what they did to all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh.

15Even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast. He will not accept boiled meat from you, only raw.”

16If the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take whatever you want,” he would answer, “No, give it to me now. If you do not, I will take it by force.”

17The sin of the young men was very great in the sight of Yahweh, for the men treated the offering of Yahweh with contempt.

18But Samuel was serving before Yahweh, a boy wearing a linen ephod.

19Each year his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

20Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Yahweh give you children by this woman in place of the one lent to Yahweh.” Then they would go home.

21Yahweh came to Hannah’s aid, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of Yahweh.

22Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

23He said to them, “Why are you doing such things? I hear from all the people about these evil deeds of yours.

24No, my sons! The report I hear Yahweh’s people spreading is not good.

25If one person sins against another, God will mediate for him; but if someone sins against Yahweh, who will intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, because Yahweh intended to put them to death.

26Meanwhile the boy Samuel kept growing, and he grew in favor both with Yahweh and with people.

27A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s house when they were in Egypt, subject to the house of Pharaoh?

28I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before me. And I gave your ancestor’s house all the food offerings of the Israelites.

29Why then do you trample on my sacrifice and my offering, which I commanded for my dwelling place? Why do you honor your sons more than me, by fattening yourselves on the best part of every offering of my people Israel?’

30Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did say that your house and your ancestor’s house would walk before me forever.’ But now Yahweh declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me will be treated with contempt.

31The days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestor’s house, so that no one in your house will live to old age.

32You will see distress in my dwelling place, in spite of all the good that will be done for Israel, and no one in your house will ever live to old age.

33Any of your descendants whom I do not cut off from my altar will be spared only to make your eyes fail and to grieve your soul, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.

34And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be the sign to you: they will both die on the same day.

35I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do what is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a lasting house, and he will walk before my anointed one always.

36Everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and will say, “Please assign me to one of the priestly duties, so that I can have a scrap of bread to eat.”’”