Hannah's Prayer
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And Hannah prayed and said, 1"My heart exults in the LORD; 2my strengtha is exalted in the LORD. My mouth derides my enemies, because 3I rejoice in your salvation.
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Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
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Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. 7The barren has borne seven, 8but she who has many children is forlorn.
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12He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap 13to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. 14For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and on them he has set the world.
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15"He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.
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16The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; 17against them he will thunder in heaven. 18The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king 19and exalt the powerb of his anointed."
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Then Elkanah went home 20to Ramah. 21And the boy ministered to the LORD in the presence of Eli the priest.
Eli's Worthless Sons
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The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servantc would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand,
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and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
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Moreover, 24before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw."
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And if the man said to him, "Let them burn the fat first, and then take as much as you wish," he would say, "No, you must give it now, and if not, I will take it by force."
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Thus the sin of the young men was very great 25in the sight of the LORD, 26for the men treated the offering of the LORD with contempt.
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And his mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year 29when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
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Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, "May the LORD give you children by this woman 30for the petition she asked of the LORD." So then they would return to their home.
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31Indeed the LORD visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. 32And the young man Samuel grew in the presence of the LORD.
Eli Rebukes His Sons
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Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who 33were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting.
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And he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people.
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No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the LORD spreading abroad.
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If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?" But they would not listen to the voice of their father, 34for it was the will of the LORD to put them to death.
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Now the young man Samuel 35continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the LORD and also with man.
The Lord Rejects Eli's Household
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And there came 36a man of God to Eli and said to him, "Thus the LORD has said, 37'Did I indeed reveal myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt subject to the house of Pharaoh?
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38Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, 39to wear an ephod before me? 40I gave to the house of your father all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel.
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Why then do you 41scornd my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?'
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Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: 42'I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,'43but now the LORD declares: 'Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
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Behold, 44the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house.
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Then 45in distress you will look with envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, 46and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.
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The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep hise eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendantsf of your house shall die by the sword of men.g
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47And this that shall come upon your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die 48on the same day.
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49And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. 50And I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before 51my anointed forever.
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And everyone who is left in your house shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, "Please put me in one of the priests' places, that I may eat a morsel of bread."'"
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)