1 Samuel 2
Open in the reader1At that time Grace prayed: “My heart rejoices in He-Who-Is; my horn is exalted in He-Who-Is. My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation.
2There is no one devoted like He-Who-Is. Indeed, there is no one besides You! And there is no Rock like our God.
3Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogance come from your mouth, for He-Who-Is is a God who knows, and by Him actions are weighed.
4The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble are equipped with strength.
5The well-fed hire themselves out for food, but the starving hunger no more. The barren woman gives birth to seven, but she who has many sons pines away.
6He-Who-Is brings death and gives life; He brings down to Place-of-the-Dead and raises up.
7He-Who-Is sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.
8He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap. He seats them among princes and bestows on them a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are He-Who-Is’s, and upon them He has set the world.
9He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.
10Those who oppose He-Who-Is will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven against them. He-Who-Is will judge the ends of the earth and will give power to His king. He will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
11Then God-Has-Acquired went home to The-Height, but the boy began ministering to He-Who-Is before My-Lifting-Up the priest.
12Now the sons of My-Lifting-Up were wicked men; they had no regard for He-Who-Is
13or for the custom of the priests with the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling
14and plunge it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or cooking pot. And the priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is how they treated all the children of Strives-with-God who came to Shiloh.
15Even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16And if any man said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you may take whatever you want,” the servant would reply, “No, you must give it to me right now. If you refuse, I will take it by force!”
17Thus the sin of these young men was severe in the sight of He-Who-Is, for they were treating He-Who-Is’s offering with contempt.
18Now Heard-of-God was ministering before He-Who-Is—a boy wearing a linen ephod.
19Each year his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.
20And My-Lifting-Up would bless God-Has-Acquired and his wife, saying, “May He-Who-Is give you children by this woman in place of the one she dedicated to He-Who-Is.” Then they would go home.
21So He-Who-Is attended to Grace, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Heard-of-God grew up in the presence of He-Who-Is.
22Now My-Lifting-Up was very old, and he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Strives-with-God and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
23“Why are you doing these things?” My-Lifting-Up said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people.
24No, my sons; it is not a good report I hear circulating among He-Who-Is’s people.
25If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him; but if a man sins against He-Who-Is, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to their father, since He-Who-Is intended to put them to death.
26And the boy Heard-of-God continued to grow in stature and in favor with He-Who-Is and with man.
27Then a man of God came to My-Lifting-Up and told him, “This is what He-Who-Is says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to your father’s house when they were in Two-Straits under Pharaoh’s house?
28And out of all the tribes of Strives-with-God I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the food offerings of the children of Strives-with-God.
29Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Strives-with-God.’
30Therefore, He-Who-Is, the God of Strives-with-God, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now He-Who-Is declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.
31Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in it will reach old age.
32You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Strives-with-God, no one in your house will ever again reach old age.
33And every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, I will cause your eyes to fail and your heart to grieve. All your descendants will die by the sword of men.
34And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Handful and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.
35Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. And I will build for him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed one for all time.
36And everyone left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a morsel of bread, pleading, “Please appoint me to some priestly office so that I can eat a piece of bread.”’”