Parallel Bible results for "1 samuel 2"

1 Samuel 2

Common English Bible CEB

1 Then Hannah prayed: My heart rejoices in the LORD. My strength rises up in the LORD! My mouth mocks my enemies because I rejoice in your deliverance.

2 No one is holy like the LORD— no, no one except you! There is no rock like our God!

3 Don't go on and on, talking so proudly, spouting arrogance from your mouth, because the LORD is the God who knows, and he weighs every act.

4 The bows of mighty warriors are shattered, but those who were stumbling now dress themselves in power!

5 Those who were filled full now sell themselves for bread, but the ones who were starving are now fat from food! The woman who was barren has birthed seven children, but the mother with many sons has lost them all!

6 The LORD! He brings death, gives life, takes down to the grave, and raises up!

7 The LORD! He makes poor, gives wealth, brings low, but also lifts up high!

8 God raises the poor from the dust, lifts up the needy from the garbage pile. God sits them with officials, gives them the seat of honor! The pillars of the earth belong to the LORD; he set the world on top of them!

9 God guards the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked die in darkness because no one succeeds by strength alone.

10 The LORD! His enemies are terrified! God thunders against them from heaven! The LORD! He judges the far corners of the earth! May God give strength to his king and raise high the strength of his anointed one.

11 Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy served the LORD under Eli the priest.

12 Now Eli's sons were despicable men who didn't know the LORD.

13 This was how the priest was supposed to act with the people: Whenever anyone made a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling, the priest's assistant would come with a three-pronged fork in hand.

14 He would thrust it into the cauldron or the pot. Whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. This is how it was done for all the Israelites who came to Shiloh.

15 But with Eli's sons, even before the fat was burned, the priest's assistant would come and say to the person offering the sacrifice, "Give the priest some meat to roast. He won't accept boiled meat from you."

16 If anyone said, "Let the fat be burned off first, as usual, then take whatever you like for yourself," the assistant would reply, "No, hand it over now. If not, I'll take it by force."

17 The sin of these priestly assistants was very serious in the LORD's sight because they were disrespecting the Lord's own offering.

18 Now Samuel was serving the LORD. He was a young boy, clothed in a linen priestly vest.

19 His mother would make a small robe for him and take it to him every year when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.

20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife: "May the LORD replace the child of this woman that you gave back to the LORD." Then they would return home.

21 The LORD paid attention to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the LORD's service.

22 Eli was very old, but he heard everything his sons were doing to the Israelites, and how they had sex with the women who served at the meeting tent's entrance.

23 Eli said to his sons, "Why are you doing these terrible things that I'm hearing about from everybody?

24 No, my sons. Don't do this. The report I hear spreading among God's people isn't good.

25 If someone sins against someone else, God can intercede; but if someone sins against the LORD, who will intercede then?" But they wouldn't obey their father because the LORD wanted to kill them.

26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel kept growing up and was more and more liked by both the LORD and the people.

27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said, "This is what the LORD says: I revealed myself very clearly to your father's household when they were slaves in Egypt to the house of Pharaoh.

28 I chose your father from all of Israel's tribes to be my priest, to go up onto my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest in my presence. I also gave all of the Israelites' food offerings to your father's household.

29 Why then do you kick my sacrifices and my offerings—the very ones I commanded for my dwelling place? Why do you respect your sons more than me, getting fat off the best parts of every offering from my people Israel?

30 Because of all that, this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: I had promised that your household and your father's household would serve me forever. But now—this is what the LORD declares: I'll do no such thing! No. I honor those who honor me, and whoever despises me will be cursed.

31 The days are coming soon when I will eliminate both your children and the children of your father's household. There won't be an old person left in your family tree.

32 You'll see trouble in my dwelling place, though all will go well for Israel. But there will never be an old person in your family tree.

33 One of your descendants whom I don't eliminate from serving at my altar will cry his eyes out and be full of grief. Any descendants in your household will die by the sword.

34 And what happens to your two sons Hophni and Phinehas will be a sign for you: they will both die on the same day.

35 Then I will establish for myself a trustworthy priest who will act in accordance with my thoughts and desires. I will build a trustworthy household for him, and he will serve before my anointed one forever.

36 Anyone left from your household will come and beg him for a bit of silver or a loaf of bread, saying: ‘Please appoint me to some priestly duty so I can have a scrap of bread to eat.'"

The Message Bible MSG

1 Hannah prayed: I'm bursting with God-news! I'm walking on air. I'm laughing at my rivals. I'm dancing my salvation.

2 Nothing and no one is holy like God, no rock mountain like our God.

3 Don't dare talk pretentiously - not a word of boasting, ever! For God knows what's going on. He takes the measure of everything that happens.

4 The weapons of the strong are smashed to pieces, while the weak are infused with fresh strength.

5 The well-fed are out begging in the streets for crusts, while the hungry are getting second helpings. The barren woman has a houseful of children, while the mother of many is bereft.

6 God brings death and God brings life, brings down to the grave and raises up.

7 God brings poverty and God brings wealth; he lowers, he also lifts up.

8 He puts poor people on their feet again; he rekindles burned-out lives with fresh hope, Restoring dignity and respect to their lives - a place in the sun! For the very structures of earth are God's; he has laid out his operations on a firm foundation.

9 He protectively cares for his faithful friends, step by step, but leaves the wicked to stumble in the dark. No one makes it in this life by sheer muscle!

10 God's enemies will be blasted out of the sky, crashed in a heap and burned. God will set things right all over the earth, he'll give strength to his king, he'll set his anointed on top of the world!

11 Elkanah went home to Ramah. The boy stayed and served God in the company of Eli the priest. Samuel Serves God

12 Eli's own sons were a bad lot. They didn't know God and could not have cared less

13 about the customs of priests among the people. Ordinarily, when someone offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant was supposed to come up and, while the meat was boiling,

14 stab a three-pronged fork into the cooking pot. The priest then got whatever came up on the fork. But this is how Eli's sons treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh to offer sacrifices to God.

15 Before they had even burned the fat to God, the priest's servant would interrupt whoever was sacrificing and say, "Hand over some of that meat for the priest to roast. He doesn't like boiled meat; he likes his rare."

16 If the man objected, "First let the fat be burned - God's portion! - then take all you want," the servant would demand, "No, I want it now. If you won't give it, I'll take it."

17 It was a horrible sin these young servants were committing - and right in the presence of God! - desecrating the holy offerings to God.

18 In the midst of all this, Samuel, a boy dressed in a priestly linen tunic, served God.

19 Additionally, every year his mother would make him a little robe cut to his size and bring it to him when she and her husband came for the annual sacrifice.

20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "God give you children to replace this child you have dedicated to God." Then they would go home.

21 God was most especially kind to Hannah. She had three more sons and two daughters! The boy Samuel stayed at the sanctuary and grew up with God. A Hard Life with Many Tears

22 By this time Eli was very old. He kept getting reports on how his sons were ripping off the people and sleeping with the women who helped out at the sanctuary.

23 Eli took them to task: "What's going on here? Why are you doing these things? I hear story after story of your corrupt and evil carrying on.

24 Oh, my sons, this is not right! These are terrible reports I'm getting, stories spreading right and left among God's people!

25 If you sin against another person, there's help - God's help. But if you sin against God, who is around to help?"

26 But the boy Samuel was very much alive, growing up, blessed by God and popular with the people.

27 A holy man came to Eli and said: "This is God's message: I revealed myself openly to your ancestors when they were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt.

28 Out of all the tribes of Israel, I chose your family to be my priests: to preside at the altar, to burn incense, to wear the priestly robes in my presence. I put your ancestral family in charge of all the sacrificial offerings of Israel.

29 So why do you now treat as mere loot these very sacrificial offerings that I commanded for my worship? Why do you treat your sons better than me, turning them loose to get fat on these offerings, and ignoring me?

30 Therefore - this is God's word, the God of Israel speaking - I once said that you and your ancestral family would be my priests indefinitely, but now - God's word, remember! - there is no way this can continue. I honor those who honor me; those who scorn me I demean.

31 "Be well warned: It won't be long before I wipe out both your family and your future family. No one in your family will make it to old age!

32 You'll see good things that I'm doing in Israel, but you'll see it and weep, for no one in your family will live to enjoy it.

33 I will leave one person to serve at my altar, but it will be a hard life, with many tears. Everyone else in your family will die before their time.

34 What happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be the proof: Both will die the same day.

35 Then I'll establish for myself a true priest. He'll do what I want him to do, be what I want him to be. I'll make his position secure and he'll do his work freely in the service of my anointed one.

36 Survivors from your family will come to him begging for handouts, saying, 'Please, give me some priest work, just enough to put some food on the table.'" "Speak, God. I'm Ready to Listen"