1 T hen Hannah prayed and said, “My heart is happy in the Lord. My strength is honored in the Lord. My mouth speaks with strength against those who hate me, because I have joy in Your saving power.

Hannah prayed, and said, My heart exults and triumphs in the Lord; my horn (my strength) is lifted up in the Lord. My mouth is no longer silent, for it is opened wide over my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.

2 T here is no one holy like the Lord. For sure, there is no one other than You. There is no rock like our God.

There is none holy like the Lord, there is none besides You; there is no Rock like our God.

3 S peak no more in your pride. Do not let proud talk come out of your mouth. For the Lord is a God Who knows. Actions are weighed by Him.

Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance go forth from your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.

4 T he bows of the powerful are broken. But the weak are dressed in strength.

The bows of the mighty are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with strength.

5 T hose who were full go out to work for bread. But those who were hungry are filled. She who could not give birth has given birth to seven. But she who has many children has become weak.

Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children languishes and is forlorn.

6 T he Lord kills and brings to life. He brings down to the grave, and He raises up.

The Lord slays and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.

7 T he Lord makes poor and makes rich. He brings low and He lifts up.

The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and He lifts up.

8 H e lifts the poor from the dust. He lifts those in need from the ashes. He makes them sit with rulers and receive a seat of honor. For what holds the earth belongs to the Lord. He has set the world in its place.

He raises up the poor out of the dust and lifts up the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with nobles and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and He has set the world upon them.

9 H e watches over the steps of His good people. But the sinful ones will be made quiet in darkness. For a man will not win by strength.

He will guard the feet of His godly ones, but the wicked shall be silenced and perish in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

10 T hose who fight with the Lord will be broken to pieces. He will thunder in heaven against them. The Lord will decide about all people to the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king. He will give power to His chosen one.”

The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them will He thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge to the ends of the earth; and He will give strength to His king (King) and exalt the power of His anointed (Anointed His Christ).

11 E lkanah went home to Ramah. But the boy served the Lord with Eli the religious leader. Eli’s Sons

Elkanah and his wife Hannah returned to Ramah to his house. But the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.

12 T he sons of Eli were men of no worth. They did not know the Lord.

The sons of Eli were base and worthless; they did not know or regard the Lord.

13 T his is the way the religious leaders acted toward the people. When any man brought an animal to give to the Lord, the religious leader’s servant would come with a meat-hook in his hand, while the meat was hot.

And the custom of the priests with the people was this: when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came while the flesh was boiling with a fleshhook of three prongs in his hand;

14 T hen he would put it in the pot. The religious leader would take for himself all that the meat-hook brought up. They did this to all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh.

And he thrust it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh with all the Israelites who came there.

15 A nd before they burned the fat, the religious leader’s servant would come and say to the man who brought the gift in worship, “Give meat for the religious leader to make ready. For he will not take boiled meat from you, but only meat that has just been killed.”

Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant came and said to the man who sacrificed, Give the priest meat to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but raw.

16 B ut if the man says to him, “Let them burn the fat first, then take as much as you want,” then the religious leader’s servant would say, “No, give it to me now; and if not, I will take it from you against your will.”

And if the man said to him, Let them burn the fat first, and then you may take as much as you want, the priest’s servant would say, No! Give it to me now or I will take it by force.

17 S o the sin of the young men was very bad before the Lord. For the men hated the gift of the Lord. Samuel Serves the Lord at Shiloh

So the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for they despised the offering of the Lord.

18 N ow Samuel was serving the Lord, even as a boy, wearing a linen vest.

But Samuel ministered before the Lord, a child girded with a linen ephod.

19 E ach year his mother would make him a little coat. She would bring it to him when she came with her husband to bring the gift in worship each year.

Moreover, his mother made him a little robe and brought it to him from year to year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.

20 T hen Eli would pray that good would come to Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children from this woman in place of the one she gave to the Lord.” Then they would return to their home.

And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, May the Lord give you children by this woman for the gift she asked for and gave to the Lord. Then they would go to their own home.

21 A nd the Lord visited Hannah. She gave birth to three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up to serve the Lord. The Future of Eli’s Sons

And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she bore three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.

22 N ow Eli was very old. He heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the door of the meeting tent.

Now Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel and how they lay with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

23 A nd he said to them, “Why do you do such things, the sinful things I hear from all these people?

And he said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people.

24 N o, my sons, the news is not good which I hear from the Lord’s people.

No, my sons; it is no good report which I hear the Lord’s people spreading abroad.

25 I f one man sins against another, God will help make peace for him. But if a man sins against the Lord, who can make peace for him?” Yet they would not listen to what their father said, for it was the Lord’s will to kill them.

If one man wrongs another, God will mediate for him; but if a man wrongs the Lord, who shall intercede for him? Yet they did not listen to their father, for it was the Lord’s will to slay them.

26 N ow the boy Samuel grew and was in favor both with the Lord and with men.

Now the boy Samuel grew and was in favor both with the Lord and with men.

27 T hen a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says. ‘Did I not let Myself be known to those of your father’s family when they were in Egypt being made to work for Pharaoh’s house?

A man of God came to Eli and said to him, Thus has the Lord said: I plainly revealed Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house.

28 D id I not choose them from all the families of Israel to be My religious leaders, to go up to My altar, to burn special perfume, and to wear a linen vest before Me? Did I not give all the gifts made by fire of the people of Israel to the family of your father?

Moreover, I selected him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer on My altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me. And I gave to the house of your father all the offerings of the Israelites made by fire.

29 W hy do you show no respect to My gifts which I have asked for, and honor your sons more than Me? You make yourselves fat with the best part of every gift given in worship by My people Israel.’

Why then do you kick My sacrifice and My offering which I commanded, and honor your sons above Me by fattening yourselves upon the choicest part of every offering of My people Israel?

30 S o the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I did promise that those of your family and the family of your father should walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says, ‘May this be far from Me. For I will honor those who honor Me. And those who hate Me will not be honored.

Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, I did promise that your house and that of your father should go in and out before Me forever. But now the Lord says, Be it far from Me. For those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.

31 S ee, the days are coming when I will break your strength and the strength of your father’s family. So there will not be an old man in your family.

Behold, the time is coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your own father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in your house.

32 Y ou will see the trouble of My family, even in all the good I do for Israel. And an old man will not be in your family forever.

And you shall behold the distress of My house, even in all the prosperity which God will give Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.

33 B ut I will not destroy every man of yours from My altar. Some will be left to cry and be filled with sorrow. But all the children of your family will die in their best years.

Yet I will not cut off from My altar every man of yours; some shall survive to weep and mourn, but all the increase of your house shall die in their best years.

34 T his will be the special thing that you will see. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will both die on the same day.

And what befalls your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be a sign to you—in one day they both shall die.

35 I will raise up for Myself a faithful religious leader who will act by what is in My heart and mind. I will build him a family to last. And he will walk before My chosen one forever.

And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest (Priest), who shall do according to what is in My heart and mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed (Anointed) forever.

36 E veryone who is left in your family will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and say, “I beg you, put me in one of the religious leader’s places so that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”

Everyone who is left in your house shall come crouching to him for a piece of silver and a bit of bread and say, Put me, I pray you, into a priest’s office so I may have a piece of bread.