1Samuel 2:24 - Prayer Tents

1Samuel 2

Hannah’s Prayer

2Hannah prayed: "The LORD has filled my heart with joy; how happy I am because of what he has done! I laugh at my enemies; how joyful I am because God has helped me!H2584H6419H559H3820H5970H3068H7161H7311H3068H6310H7337H341H8055H34442"No one is holy like the LORD; there is none like him, no protector like our God.H6918H3068H1115H6697H4303Stop your loud boasting; silence your proud words. For the LORD is a God who knows, and he judges all that people do.H1696H7235H1364H1364H6277H3318H6310H3068H410H1844H5949H85054The bows of strong soldiers are broken, but the weak grow strong.H7198H1368H2844H3782H247H24285The people who once were well fed now hire themselves out to get food, but the hungry are hungry no more. The childless wife has borne seven children, but the mother of many is left with none.H7649H7936H3899H7457H2308H6135H3205H7651H7227H1121H5356The LORD kills and restores to life; he sends people to the world of the dead and brings them back again.H3068H4191H2421H3381H7585H59277He makes some people poor and others rich; he humbles some and makes others great.H3068H3423H6238H8213H637H73118He lifts the poor from the dust and raises the needy from their misery. He makes them companions of princes and puts them in places of honor. The foundations of the earth belong to the LORD; on them he has built the world.H6965H1800H6083H7311H34H830H3427H5081H5157H3678H3519H4690H776H3068H7896H83989"He protects the lives of his faithful people, but the wicked disappear in darkness; a man does not triumph by his own strength.H8104H7272H2623H7563H1826H2822H3581H376H139610The LORD's enemies will be destroyed; he will thunder against them from heaven. The LORD will judge the whole world; he will give power to his king, he will make his chosen king victorious."H7378H3068H2865H8064H7481H3068H1777H657H776H5414H5797H4428H7311H7161H489911Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel stayed in Shiloh and served the LORD under the priest Eli.H511H3212H7414H1004H5288H1961H8334H3068H6440H5941H3548

The Sons of Eli

12The sons of Eli were scoundrels. They paid no attention to the LORDH1121H5941H1121H1100H3045H306813or to the regulations concerning what the priests could demand from the people. Instead, when someone was offering a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fork. While the meat was still cooking,H3548H4941H5971H376H2076H2077H3548H5288H935H1320H1310H4207H7969H8127H302714he would stick the fork into the cooking pot, and whatever the fork brought out belonged to the priest. All the Israelites who came to Shiloh to offer sacrifices were treated like this.H5221H3595H1731H7037H6517H4207H5927H3548H3947H6213H7887H3478H93515In addition, even before the fat was taken off and burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the one offering the sacrifice, "Give me some meat for the priest to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, only raw meat."H6999H2459H3548H5288H935H559H376H2076H5414H1320H6740H3548H3947H1310H1320H241616If the person answered, "Let us do what is right and burn the fat first; then take what you want," the priest's servant would say, "No! Give it to me now! If you don't, I will have to take it by force!"H376H559H6999H6999H2459H3117H3947H5315H183H559H5414H3947H239417This sin of the sons of Eli was extremely serious in the LORD's sight, because they treated the offerings to the LORD with such disrespect.H2403H5288H3966H1419H6440H3068H582H5006H4503H3068

Samuel at Shiloh

18In the meantime the boy Samuel continued to serve the LORD, wearing a sacred linen apron.H8050H8334H6440H3068H5288H2296H906H64619Each year his mother would make a little robe and take it to him when she accompanied her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.H517H6213H6996H4598H5927H3117H3117H5927H376H2076H3117H207720Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say to Elkanah, "May the LORD give you other children by this woman to take the place of the one you dedicated to him." After that they would go back home.H5941H1288H511H802H559H3068H7760H2233H802H7596H7592H3068H1980H472521The LORD did bless Hannah, and she had three more sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up in the service of the LORD.H3588H3068H6485H2584H2029H3205H7969H1121H8147H1323H5288H8050H1431H5973H3068

Eli and His Sons

22Eli was now very old. He kept hearing about everything his sons were doing to the Israelites and that they were even sleeping with the women who worked at the entrance to the Tent of the LORD's presence.H5941H3966H2204H8085H1121H6213H3478H7901H802H6633H6607H168H415023So he said to them, "Why are you doing these things? Everybody tells me about the evil you are doing.H559H6213H1697H8085H7451H1697H597124Stop it, my sons! This is an awful thing the people of the LORD are talking about!H1121H2896H8052H8085H3068H5971H567425If anyone sins against someone else, God can defend the one who is wrong; but who can defend someone who sins against the LORD?" But they would not listen to their father, for the LORD had decided to kill them.H376H2398H376H430H6419H376H2398H3068H6419H8085H6963H1H3068H2654H419126The boy Samuel continued to grow and to gain favor both with the LORD and with people.H5288H8050H1432H1980H2896H3068H582

The Prophecy against Eli’s Family

27A prophet came to Eli with this message from the LORD: "When your ancestor Aaron and his family were slaves of the king of Egypt, I revealed myself to Aaron.H935H376H430H5941H559H559H3068H1540H1540H1004H1H4714H6547H100428From all the tribes of Israel I chose his family to be my priests, to serve at the altar, to burn the incense, and to wear the ephod to consult me. And I gave them the right to keep a share of the sacrifices burned on the altar.H977H7626H3478H3548H5927H4196H6999H7004H5375H646H6440H5414H1004H1H801H1121H347829Why, then, do you look with greed at the sacrifices and offerings which I require from my people? Why, Eli, do you honor your sons more than me by letting them fatten themselves on the best parts of all the sacrifices my people offer to me?H1163H2077H4503H6680H4583H3513H1121H1254H7225H4503H3478H597130I, the LORD God of Israel, promised in the past that your family and your clan would serve me as priests for all time. But now I say that I won't have it any longer! Instead, I will honor those who honor me, and I will treat with contempt those who despise me.H3068H430H3478H5002H559H559H1004H1004H1H1980H6440H5704H5769H3068H5002H2486H3513H3513H959H704331Listen, the time is coming when I will kill all the young men in your family and your clan, so that no man in your family will live to be old.H3117H935H1438H2220H2220H1H1004H2205H100432You will be troubled and look with envy on all the blessings I will give to the other people of Israel, but no one in your family will ever again live to old age.H5027H6862H4583H3190H3478H2205H1004H311733Yet I will keep one of your descendants alive, and he will serve me as priest. But he will become blind and lose all hope, and all your other descendants will die a violent death.H376H3772H4196H3615H5869H109H5315H4768H1004H4191H58234When your two sons Hophni and Phinehas both die on the same day, this will show you that everything I have said will come true.H226H935H8147H1121H2652H6372H259H3117H4191H814735I will choose a priest who will be faithful to me and do everything I want him to. I will give him descendants, who will always serve in the presence of my chosen king.H6965H539H3548H6213H3824H5315H1129H539H1004H1980H6440H4899H311736Any of your descendants who survive will have to go to that priest and ask him for money and food, and beg to be allowed to help the priests, in order to have something to eat."H3498H1004H935H7812H95H3701H3603H3899H559H5596H259H3550H398H6595H3899