Samuel Given to the Lord

21 The man Elkanah and all his house (A)went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord (B)and dwell there forever.” 23 (C)Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; (D)only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 And when she had weaned him, (E)she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull,[a] an ephah[b] of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to (F)the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! (G)As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, (H)and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”

(I)And he worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah's Prayer

And Hannah prayed and said,

(J)“My heart exults in the Lord;
    (K)my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
    because (L)I rejoice in your salvation.

(M)“There is none holy like the Lord:
    for there is none besides you;
    there is (N)no rock like our God.
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.
(O)The bows of the mighty are broken,
    but the feeble bind on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
    but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
(P)The barren has borne seven,
    (Q)but she who has many children is forlorn.
(R)The Lord kills and brings to life;
    he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
(S)The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
    (T)he brings low and he exalts.
(U)He raises up the poor from the dust;
    he lifts the needy from the ash heap
(V)to make them sit with princes
    and inherit a seat of honor.
(W)For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
    and on them he has set the world.

(X)“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.
10 (Y)The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
    (Z)against them he will thunder in heaven.
(AA)The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
    he will give strength to his king
    (AB)and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

11 Then Elkanah went home (AC)to Ramah. (AD)And the boy[c] was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.

Eli's Worthless Sons

12 Now the sons of Eli were (AE)worthless men. (AF)They did not know the Lord. 13 The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 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. 15 Moreover, (AG)before 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.” 16 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.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great (AH)in the sight of the Lord, (AI)for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 1:24 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text three bulls
  2. 1 Samuel 1:24 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
  3. 1 Samuel 2:11 Hebrew na‘ar can be rendered boy (2:11, 18, 21, 26; 3:1, 8), servant (2:13, 15), or young man (2:17), depending on the context

Hannah Dedicates Samuel

21 When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual(A) sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow,(B) 22 Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present(C) him before the Lord, and he will live there always.”[a]

23 “Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good(D) his[b] word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned(E) him.

24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull,[c](F) an ephah[d] of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. 25 When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. 27 I prayed(G) for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life(H) he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah’s Prayer

Then Hannah prayed and said:(I)

“My heart rejoices(J) in the Lord;
    in the Lord my horn[e](K) is lifted high.
My mouth boasts(L) over my enemies,(M)
    for I delight in your deliverance.

“There is no one holy(N) like(O) the Lord;
    there is no one besides you;
    there is no Rock(P) like our God.

“Do not keep talking so proudly
    or let your mouth speak such arrogance,(Q)
for the Lord is a God who knows,(R)
    and by him deeds(S) are weighed.(T)

“The bows of the warriors are broken,(U)
    but those who stumbled are armed with strength.(V)
Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
    but those who were hungry(W) are hungry no more.
She who was barren(X) has borne seven children,
    but she who has had many sons pines away.

“The Lord brings death and makes alive;(Y)
    he brings down to the grave and raises up.(Z)
The Lord sends poverty and wealth;(AA)
    he humbles and he exalts.(AB)
He raises(AC) the poor(AD) from the dust(AE)
    and lifts the needy(AF) from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
    and has them inherit a throne of honor.(AG)

“For the foundations(AH) of the earth are the Lord’s;
    on them he has set the world.
He will guard the feet(AI) of his faithful servants,(AJ)
    but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.(AK)

“It is not by strength(AL) that one prevails;
10     those who oppose the Lord will be broken.(AM)
The Most High will thunder(AN) from heaven;
    the Lord will judge(AO) the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength(AP) to his king
    and exalt the horn(AQ) of his anointed.”

11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah,(AR) but the boy ministered(AS) before the Lord under Eli the priest.

Eli’s Wicked Sons

12 Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard(AT) for the Lord. 13 Now it was the practice(AU) of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat(AV) was being boiled 14 and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. 15 But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

16 If the person said to him, “Let the fat(AW) be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”

17 This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they[f] were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.(AX)

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 1:22 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls always. I have dedicated him as a Nazirite—all the days of his life.”
  2. 1 Samuel 1:23 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac your
  3. 1 Samuel 1:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text with three bulls
  4. 1 Samuel 1:24 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
  5. 1 Samuel 2:1 Horn here symbolizes strength; also in verse 10.
  6. 1 Samuel 2:17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text people