Holman Christian Standard Bible | New Living Translation |
1Hannah prayed: My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is lifted up by the LORD. My mouth boasts over my enemies, because 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. 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 arrogant words come out of your mouth, for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and actions are weighed by Him. | 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 warriors are broken, but the feeble are clothed with strength. | 4The bow of the mighty is now broken, and those who stumbled are now strong. |
5Those who are full hire themselves out for food, but those who are starving hunger no more. The woman who is childless gives birth to seven, but the woman with 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 sends some to Sheol, and He raises others up. | 6The LORD gives both death and life; he brings some down to the grave but raises others up. |
7The LORD brings poverty and gives 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 garbage pile. He seats them with noblemen and gives them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's; He has set the world on them. | 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 a man does not prevail by his own strength. | 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 in the heavens against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. He will give power to His king; He will lift up 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.” |
11Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served the LORD in the presence of 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 |
12Eli's sons 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 priests' share of the sacrifices from the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant 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 container or kettle or cauldron or cooking pot. The priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is the way they treated all the Israelites who came there 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 priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast, because he won't accept boiled meat from you--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. |
16If that man said to him, "The fat must be burned first; then you can take whatever you want for yourself," the servant would reply, "No, I insist that you hand it over right now. If you don't, I'll 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.” |
17So the servants' sin was very severe in the presence of the LORD, because they treated 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. |
18The boy Samuel served in the LORD's presence and wore 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 made him a little robe and took 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. |
20Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife: "May the LORD give you children by this woman in place of the one she has given 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. ” |
21The LORD paid attention to Hannah's need, 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. 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. |
23He said to them, "Why are you doing these things? I have heard about your evil actions 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, the report I hear from the LORD's people is not good. | 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 kill them. | 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. |
26By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the LORD and with men. | 26Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with the LORD and with the people. A Warning for Eli’s Family |
27A man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Didn't I reveal Myself to your ancestral house when it was in Egypt and belonged to Pharaoh's palace? | 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. |
28Out of all the tribes of Israel, I selected your house to be priests, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave your house all the Israelite fire offerings. | 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 all of you despise My sacrifices and offerings that I require at the place of worship? You have honored your sons more than Me, by making yourselves fat with the best part of all of 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! |
30"Therefore, this is the declaration of the LORD, the God of Israel: 'Although I said your family and your ancestral house would walk before Me forever, the LORD now says, "No longer!" I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disgraced. | 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. |
31" 'Look, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestral family, so that none in your family will reach old age. | 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 the place of worship, in spite of all that is good in Israel, and no one in your family 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. |
33Any man from your family I do not cut off from My altar will bring grief and sadness to you. All your descendants will die violently. | 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. |
34This will be the sign that will come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: both of them will 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! |
35" 'Then I will raise up a faithful priest for Myself. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. I will establish a lasting dynasty for him, 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. |
36Anyone who is left in your family will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread. He will say: Please appoint me to some priestly office so I can have a piece of bread to eat.'" | 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.’” |
Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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