2 Hannah prayed and she said,
‘I am very happy when I think about what the Lord has done.
The Lord has made me very strong.
I can laugh at my enemies because you, Lord , have saved me.
That makes me very happy.
2 Nobody else is holy like the Lord .
There is no other God except you, our God.
You are the only Rock where we can be safe. [ a ]
3 Do not boast or speak proud words!
The Lord is a God who knows everything.
He judges everything that people do.
4 The weapons of brave soldiers may break.
But weak people who fall become strong again.
5 People who had plenty of food to eat have to work for it now.
But the people who were hungry have enough food now.
Women who could not have any children have now given birth to seven children.
But those who had many children are now alone.
6 The Lord gives both life and death.
He sends some people to their graves,
and he raises other people up.
7 The Lord makes some people poor
and he makes other people rich.
He causes some people to be important
and he puts other people low down.
8 He raises up weak people from the ground.
He lifts poor people up out of the dirt.
He makes them become friends of princes.
He puts them in places of honour.
The deep places of the earth belong to the Lord .
He built the world on a strong foundation.
9 He takes care of his faithful people.
But he puts wicked people in a dark place where they can do nothing.
It is not a person's own strength that makes him great.
10 The Lord will destroy his enemies.
He will shout against them from heaven like loud thunder.
The Lord will judge everyone on earth.
He will make his king strong.
He will give power to the king that he has chosen to rule.’
11 Then Elkanah went back to his home at Ramah with his family. But the young boy, Samuel, stayed in Shiloh. He served the Lord there, while Eli the priest took care of him.
12 Eli's sons were wicked men. They did not respect the Lord . 13 They did not do what the priests should do.
People brought sacrifices to offer to the Lord at Shiloh. When the meat was still boiling in a pot, a servant of the priest would come. He would bring a fork that had three points. 14 He then pushed the fork into the pot. The priest took for himself any meat that came out on the fork. The priests did that to all the Israelites when they came to Shiloh to offer sacrifices. 15 Their servant would even come before the fat was removed from the meat to be burned as a sacrifice. He would say to the person who had brought the sacrifice, ‘Give me some of the meat for the priest to bake. He will not accept meat that has already boiled. He will only accept meat that is fresh.’
16 Sometimes, the person said, ‘We must burn the fat first. Then you can take any meat that you want.’ The servant would reply, ‘No. Give the meat to me now, or I will take it from you anyway.’
17 The Lord knew what Eli's sons were doing. They did not respect the sacrifices that people were offering to the Lord . The Lord saw that their sin was very bad.
18 But Samuel served the Lord faithfully, as a young boy. He wore a linen ephod. 19 Every year, Samuel's mother made a little coat for him. She took it to him when she went to Shiloh. She and her husband went there every year to offer their sacrifice to God. 20 Each year, Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife. He said, ‘I pray that the Lord will give you more children to take the place of Samuel. Hannah has given her son to serve the Lord , so may she give birth to other children too.’
Then they would return to their own home. 21 The Lord blessed Hannah. She gave birth to three more sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel continued to grow as he served at the Lord 's house in Shiloh.
22 Eli was very old now. He heard about everything that his sons were doing to all the Israelites. He knew that his sons had sex with some of the women helpers. Those women worked at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 23 Eli said to his sons, ‘People have told me about all the evil things that you do. 24 No, my sons, you should not do these terrible things. The Lord 's people all complain about you. 25 If you do something bad to another person, God can speak on your behalf. But if you do something bad against the Lord , nobody can speak on your behalf.’
Eli's sons did not listen to their father. The Lord had already decided to kill them.
26 The young boy Samuel continued to grow. The Lord was pleased with him, and so were the people.
27 A servant of God came and he spoke to Eli. [ b ] This is what he said:
‘The Lord says, “A long time ago, when your ancestors were in Egypt, I showed myself to them. At that time they were slaves of Egypt's king. 28 I chose your ancestor, Aaron, out of all the tribes of Israel. I chose him and his descendants to be my priests. I chose them to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense and to wear the special ephod. [ c ] I also gave them authority to eat part of the sacrifices and burnt offerings that the Israelites offered to me. 29 But you and your sons do not respect the sacrifices that I have commanded people to offer in my house. Eli, you give more honour to your sons than you give to me. Your family eat all the best parts of the offerings that the Israelites bring to me. You have all become fat!”
30 Because of what you have done, the Lord , Israel's God, says this to you: “I promised your family and your ancestors that they would serve me as priests for ever.” But now the Lord says, “That will never happen! I will give honour to people who respect me. But I will curse people who insult me. 31 So you and your family will soon come to an end. No one in your family will live to become old men. 32 You will see how trouble comes to my home here. Good things will happen to the Israelite people, but there will never be an old man in your family. 33 One of your descendants may continue to serve me as a priest. But he will be very sad and his eyes will become weak. Anyone who is born in your family will die when they are young.
34 This will show you that what I have said is true: Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will both die on the same day.
35 I will choose another priest to serve me. He will be faithful. He will do everything that I want him to do. I will give him a strong family and he will serve my chosen king for ever. 36 Everyone in your family who continues to live will have to bend down low to this priest. They will ask him for a few coins and a piece of bread. ‘Please let me help the priests so that I can have something to eat,’ they will say.” ’
2 Hannah said,
“My heart is happy in the Lord .
I feel very strong [ a ] in my God.
I laugh at my enemies. [ b ]
I am very happy in my victory.
2 There is no holy God like the Lord .
There is no God but you.
There is no Rock like our God.
3 Don’t continue bragging.
Don’t speak proud words,
because the Lord God knows everything.
He leads and judges people.
4 The bows of strong soldiers break,
and weak people become strong.
5 People who had plenty of food in the past
must now work to get food.
But those who were hungry in the past
now grow fat on food.
The woman who was not able to have children
now has seven children.
But the woman who had many children
is sad because her children are gone.
6 The Lord causes people to die,
and he causes them to live.
He sends people down to the grave,
and he can raise them up to live again.
7 The Lord makes some poor,
and he makes others rich.
He humbles some people,
and he honors others.
8 He raises the poor from the dust,
and he takes away their sadness. [ c ]
He makes them important
and seats them with princes and at the places for honored guests.
The Lord made the whole world,
and the whole world belongs to him. [ d ]
9 He protects his holy people.
He keeps them from stumbling.
But evil people will be destroyed.
They will fall in the darkness.
Their power won’t help them win.
10 The Lord destroys his enemies.
God Most High will thunder in heaven against people.
The Lord will judge even the lands that are far away.
He will give power to his king.
He will make his chosen king [ e ] strong.”
11 Elkanah and his family went home to Ramah, but the boy stayed in Shiloh and served the Lord under Eli the priest.
12 Eli’s sons were evil men who did not care about the Lord . 13 They did not care about how priests were supposed to treat people. Whenever someone brings a sacrifice, priests are supposed to put the meat in a pot of boiling water. Then their servant is supposed to get the three-pronged fork 14 and use it to get some meat out of the pot or kettle. The priest is supposed to take whatever his helper removes from the pot with the special fork. This is what the priests should have done for the Israelites who came to offer sacrifices at Shiloh. 15 But that is not what the sons of Eli did. Even before the fat was burned on the altar, their servant would go to the people offering sacrifices and say, “Give the priest some meat to roast. The priest won’t accept boiled meat from you.”
16 Maybe the man offering the sacrifice would say, “Burn the fat [ f ] first, and then you can take whatever you want.” But the servant would answer: “No, give me the meat now. If you don’t give it to me, I’ll take it from you!”
17 In this way Hophni and Phinehas showed that they did not respect the offerings made to the Lord . This was a terrible sin against the Lord .
18 But Samuel served the Lord . He was a helper who wore the linen ephod. 19 Every year Samuel’s mother made a robe for Samuel. She took the little robe to Samuel when she went up to Shiloh with her husband for the sacrifice every year.
20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife. He would say, “May the Lord give you more children through Hannah who will take the place of the boy she prayed for and gave to the Lord .”
Elkanah and Hannah went home. 21 The Lord was kind to Hannah, and she had three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up at the holy place near the Lord .
22 Eli was very old. He heard about the bad things his sons were doing to the Israelites at Shiloh and how his sons were having sexual relations with the women who served at the door of the Meeting Tent.
23 Eli said to his sons, “The people here told me about the evil things you have done. Why are you doing such things? 24 Sons, stop that! The Lord ’s people are saying bad things about you. 25 If you sin against other people, God might protect you. But who can help you if you sin against the Lord ?”
Eli’s sons refused to listen to him, so the Lord decided to kill them.
26 The boy Samuel kept growing. He was pleasing to the Lord and to the people.
27 A man of God came to Eli and said, “The Lord says, ‘I appeared to your ancestors [ g ] when they were slaves of Pharaoh. 28 From all the tribes of Israel, I chose your tribe to be my priests. I chose them to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and wear the ephod. I also let your tribe have the meat from the sacrifices that the Israelites give to me. 29 So why don’t you respect these gifts and sacrifices? You honor your sons more than me. You become fat eating the best parts of the meat that the Israelites bring to me.’
30 “The Lord , the God of Israel, promised that your father’s family would serve him forever. But now the Lord says, ‘That will never be! I will honor people who honor me, but bad things will happen to those who refuse to respect me. 31 The time is coming when I will destroy all your descendants. No one in your family will live to be an old man. 32 Good things will happen to Israel, but you will see bad things happening at home. [ h ] No one in your family will live to be an old man. 33 There is only one man I will save to serve as priest at my altar. He will live until his eyes wear out and his strength is gone. But all of your descendants will die by the sword. [ i ] 34 I will give you a sign to show that these things will come true. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will die on the same day. 35 I will choose a priest I can trust. This priest will listen to me and do what I want. I will make his family strong, and he will always serve before my chosen king. [ j ] 36 Then whoever is left in your family will come and bow down before this priest and beg for a little money or a piece of bread. They will say, “Please give me a job as priest so that I can have some food to eat.”’”
2 And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord , mine horn is exalted in the Lord : my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.
2 There is none holy as the Lord : for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
5 They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.
6 The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
7 The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up.
8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord 's, and he hath set the world upon them.
9 He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
11 And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest.
12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord .
13 And the priest's custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
14 And he struck 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 unto all the Israelites that came thither.
15 Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.
16 And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord : for men abhorred the offering of the Lord .
18 But Samuel ministered before the Lord , being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
19 Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord . And they went unto their own home.
21 And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord .
22 Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
23 And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord 's people to transgress.
25 If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord , who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them.
26 And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord , and also with men.
27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord , Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?
28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?
29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
30 Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.
32 And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.
33 And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.
34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.
35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.
36 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.
2 Then Hannah ( A ) prayed and said,
“My heart rejoices in the Lord ;
( B ) My [ a ] horn is exalted in the Lord ,
My mouth [ b ] speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because ( C ) I rejoice in Your salvation.
2 ( D ) There is no one holy like the Lord ,
Indeed, ( E ) there is no one besides You,
( F ) Nor is there any rock like our God.
3 Do not go on [ c ] boasting so very proudly,
( G ) Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
( H ) For the Lord is a God of knowledge,
( I ) And [ d ] with Him actions are weighed.
4 ( J ) The bows of the mighty are broken to pieces,
( K ) But those who have stumbled strap on strength.
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease to be hungry .
( L ) Even the infertile woman gives birth to seven,
But ( M ) she who has many children languishes.
6 ( N ) The Lord puts to death and makes alive;
( O ) He brings down to [ e ] Sheol and brings up.
7 ( P ) The Lord makes poor and rich;
( Q ) He humbles, He also exalts.
8 ( R ) He raises the poor from the dust,
( S ) He lifts the needy from the garbage heap
( T ) To seat them with nobles,
And He gives them a seat of honor as an inheritance;
( U ) For the pillars of the earth are the Lord ’ s ,
And He set the world on them.
9 ( V ) He watches over the feet of His godly ones,
( W ) But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
( X ) For not by might shall a person prevail.
10 ( Y ) Those who contend with the Lord will be terrified;
( Z ) Against them He will thunder in the heavens,
( AA ) The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
( AB ) And He will give strength to His king,
( AC ) And will exalt the [ f ] horn of His anointed.”
11 Then Elkanah went to his home at ( AD ) Ramah. ( AE ) But the boy continued to attend to the service of the Lord before Eli the priest.
12 Now the sons of Eli were [ g ] ( AF ) useless men; they did not know the Lord . 13 ( AG ) And this was the custom of the priests with the people: when anyone was offering a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come while the meat was cooking, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 14 And he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; everything that the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. They did so in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Also, before ( AH ) they [ h ] burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take cooked meat from you, only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “They must [ i ] burn the fat [ j ] first, then take as much as [ k ] you desire,” then he would say, “No, but you must give it to me now; and if not, I am taking it by force!” 17 And so the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord , for the men ( AI ) treated the offering of the Lord disrespectfully.
18 Now ( AJ ) Samuel was ministering before the Lord , as a boy ( AK ) wearing a linen ephod. 19 And his mother would make for him a little ( AL ) robe and bring it up to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer ( AM ) the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would ( AN ) bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord give you [ l ] children from this woman in place of the [ m ] one she ( AO ) requested of the Lord .” And they went to their own [ n ] home.
21 [ o ] ( AP ) The Lord indeed visited Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And ( AQ ) the boy Samuel grew up [ p ] before the Lord .
22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard about ( AR ) everything that his sons were doing to all Israel, and that they slept with ( AS ) the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why are you doing such things as these, the evil things that I hear from all these people? 24 No, my sons; for the report is not good ( AT ) which I hear the Lord ’ s people circulating. 25 If one person sins against another, ( AU ) God will mediate for him; but ( AV ) if a person sins against the Lord , who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the ( AW ) Lord desired to put them to death.
26 Now the boy ( AX ) Samuel was continuing to grow and to be in favor both with the Lord and with people.
27 Then ( AY ) a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘ ( AZ ) Did I not indeed reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in bondage to Pharaoh’s house? 28 ( BA ) Did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My priests, to go up to My altar, to burn incense, to carry an ephod before Me? And did I not ( BB ) give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of the sons of Israel? 29 Why are you [ q ] ( BC ) showing contempt for My sacrifice and My offering ( BD ) which I have commanded for My ( BE ) dwelling, and why are you ( BF ) honoring your sons above Me, by making yourselves fat with the [ r ] choicest of every offering of My people Israel?’ 30 Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘ ( BG ) I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father was to walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for ( BH ) those who honor Me I will honor, and those ( BI ) who despise Me will be insignificant. 31 Behold, ( BJ ) the days are coming when I will eliminate your [ s ] strength and the [ t ] strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 And you will look at ( BK ) the distress of My dwelling, in spite of all the good that [ u ] I do for Israel; and there will never be an ( BL ) old man in your house. 33 Yet I will not cut off every man of yours from My altar, [ v ] so that your eyes will fail from weeping and your soul grieve, and all the [ w ] increase of your house will die [ x ] in the prime of life. 34 And this will be ( BM ) the sign to you which will come in regard to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: ( BN ) on the same day both of them will die. 35 But ( BO ) I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and My soul; and ( BP ) I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before ( BQ ) My anointed always. 36 And everyone who is left in your house will come to bow down to him for a [ y ] silver coin or a loaf of bread and say, “Please [ z ] assign me to one of the priest’s offices so that I may eat a piece of bread.”’”
2 Then Hannah prayed and said: ( A )
“My heart rejoices ( B ) in the Lord ;
in the Lord my horn [ a ] ( C ) is lifted high.
My mouth boasts ( D ) over my enemies, ( E )
for I delight in your deliverance.
2 “There is no one holy ( F ) like ( G ) the Lord ;
there is no one besides you;
there is no Rock ( H ) like our God.
3 “Do not keep talking so proudly
or let your mouth speak such arrogance, ( I )
for the Lord is a God who knows, ( J )
and by him deeds ( K ) are weighed. ( L )
4 “The bows of the warriors are broken, ( M )
but those who stumbled are armed with strength. ( N )
5 Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
but those who were hungry ( O ) are hungry no more.
She who was barren ( P ) has borne seven children,
but she who has had many sons pines away.
6 “The Lord brings death and makes alive; ( Q )
he brings down to the grave and raises up. ( R )
7 The Lord sends poverty and wealth; ( S )
he humbles and he exalts. ( T )
8 He raises ( U ) the poor ( V ) from the dust ( W )
and lifts the needy ( X ) from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
and has them inherit a throne of honor. ( Y )
“For the foundations ( Z ) of the earth are the Lord ’s;
on them he has set the world.
9 He will guard the feet ( AA ) of his faithful servants, ( AB )
but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. ( AC )
“It is not by strength ( AD ) that one prevails;
10 those who oppose the Lord will be broken. ( AE )
The Most High will thunder ( AF ) from heaven;
the Lord will judge ( AG ) the ends of the earth.
11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, ( AJ ) but the boy ministered ( AK ) before the Lord under Eli the priest.
12 Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard ( AL ) for the Lord . 13 Now it was the practice ( AM ) 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 ( AN ) 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 ( AO ) 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 [ b ] were treating the Lord ’s offering with contempt. ( AP )
18 But Samuel was ministering ( AQ ) before the Lord —a boy wearing a linen ephod. ( AR ) 19 Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual ( AS ) sacrifice. 20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed ( AT ) for and gave to [ c ] the Lord .” Then they would go home. 21 And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; ( AU ) she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew ( AV ) up in the presence of the Lord .
22 Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything ( AW ) his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women ( AX ) who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. 24 No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord ’s people is not good. 25 If one person sins against another, God [ d ] may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord , who will ( AY ) intercede ( AZ ) for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord ’s will to put them to death.
26 And the boy Samuel continued to grow ( BA ) in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people. ( BB )
27 Now a man of God ( BC ) came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? 28 I chose ( BD ) your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, ( BE ) and to wear an ephod ( BF ) in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings ( BG ) presented by the Israelites. 29 Why do you [ e ] scorn my sacrifice and offering ( BH ) that I prescribed for my dwelling? ( BI ) Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’
30 “Therefore the Lord , the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever. ( BJ ) ’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, ( BK ) but those who despise ( BL ) me will be disdained. ( BM ) 31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, ( BN ) 32 and you will see distress ( BO ) in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. ( BP ) 33 Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants ( BQ ) will die in the prime of life.
34 “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign ( BR ) to you—they will both die ( BS ) on the same day. ( BT ) 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, ( BU ) who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed ( BV ) one always. 36 Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead, ( BW ) “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat. ( BX ) ”’”
