| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1At 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. | 1Then Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the LORD! The LORD has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me. |
| 2There is no one holy like the LORD. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God. | 2No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. |
| 3Do 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. | 3“Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions. |
| 4The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength. | 4The bow of the mighty is now broken, and those who stumbled are now strong. |
| 5The 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. | 5Those who were well fed are now starving, and those who were starving are now full. The childless woman now has seven children, and the woman with many children wastes away. |
| 6The LORD brings death and gives life; He brings down to Sheol and raises up. | 6The LORD gives both death and life; he brings some down to the grave but raises others up. |
| 7The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts. | 7The LORD makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up. |
| 8He 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. | 8He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the LORD’s, and he has set the world in order. |
| 9He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail. | 9“He will protect his faithful ones, but the wicked will disappear in darkness. No one will succeed by strength alone. |
| 10Those 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.” | 10Those who fight against the LORD will be shattered. He thunders against them from heaven; the LORD judges throughout the earth. He gives power to his king; he increases the strength of his anointed one.” |
| 11Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest. | 11Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the LORD by assisting Eli the priest. Eli’s Wicked Sons |
| 12Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD | 12Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the LORD |
| 13or 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 | 13or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling, |
| 14and 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. | 14the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli’s sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way. |
| 15Even 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 boiled meat from you, but only raw.” | 15Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal’s fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting. |
| 16And if any man said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you may take whatever you want,” the servant would reply, “No, you must give it to me right now. If you refuse, I will take it by force!” | 16The man offering the sacrifice might reply, “Take as much as you want, but the fat must be burned first.” Then the servant would demand, “No, give it to me now, or I’ll take it by force.” |
| 17Thus the sin of these young men was severe in the sight of the LORD, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt. | 17So the sin of these young men was very serious in the LORD’s sight, for they treated the LORD’s offerings with contempt. |
| 18Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod. | 18But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the LORD. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest. |
| 19Each 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. | 19Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice. |
| 20And 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. | 20Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the LORD give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the LORD. ” |
| 21So 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. | 21And the LORD blessed Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD. |
| 22Now 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. | 22Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle. |
| 23“Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people. | 23Eli said to them, “I have been hearing reports from all the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning? |
| 24No, my sons; it is not a good report I hear circulating among the LORD’s people. | 24You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the LORD’s people are not good. |
| 25If 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. | 25If someone sins against another person, God can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede?” But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father, for the LORD was already planning to put them to death. |
| 26And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man. | 26Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with the LORD and with the people. A Warning for Eli’s Family |
| 27Then 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? | 27One day a man of God came to Eli and gave him this message from the LORD: “I revealed myself to your ancestors when they were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. |
| 28And 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. | 28I chose your ancestor Aaron from among all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest as he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests. |
| 29Why 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.’ | 29So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel! |
| 30Therefore, 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. | 30“Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me. |
| 31Behold, 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. | 31The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age. |
| 32You 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. | 32You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel. But no members of your family will ever live out their days. |
| 33And 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 by the sword of men. | 33The few not cut off from serving at my altar will survive, but only so their eyes can go blind and their hearts break, and their children will die a violent death. |
| 34And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day. | 34And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day! |
| 35Then 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. | 35“Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I desire. I will establish his family, and they will be priests to my anointed kings forever. |
| 36And 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 can eat a piece of bread.” ’ ” | 36Then all of your surviving family will bow before him, begging for money and food. ‘Please,’ they will say, ‘give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.’” |
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