1. Hannah prayed, saying: “My heart rejoices in the Lord;my horn is exalted in the Lord.My mouth is bold against my enemies,because I rejoice in Your salvation.
2. “There is none holy as the Lord,for there is none besides You,and there is no rock like our God.
3. “Do not multiply proud speech,nor let arrogance come out of your mouth,for the Lord is the God of knowledge,and by Him actions are examined.
4. “The bows of the mighty are broken,but those who stumbled are girded with strength.
5. Those that were full have hired out themselves for bread,and those that were hungry ceased to hunger.Even the barren has borne seven,and she that has many children wastes away.
6. “The Lord kills and makes alive;He brings down to the grave and brings up.
7. The Lord makes poor and makes rich;He brings low and lifts up.
8. He raises up the poor out of the dustand lifts up the oppressed from the dunghillto make them sit with princesand inherit a throne of glory. “For the pillars of the earth belong to the Lord,and He has set the world upon them.
9. He will guard the feet of His saints,but the wicked will be silent in darkness. “For by strength shall no man prevail.
10. The adversaries of the Lord will be broken to pieces;He will thunder against them out of heaven.The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to His kingand exalt the horn of His anointed.”
11. Then Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the boy ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.
12. Now the sons of Eli were corrupt. They did not know the Lord.
13. The priest’s custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant came while the flesh was cooking with a three-pronged fork in his hand.
14. And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or cauldron, or pot, and all that the fork brought up the priest took for himself. This they did in Shiloh to all the children of Israel who came there.
15. Even before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast. For he will not take boiled meat from you, but only raw.”
16. If any man said to him, “Let them first burn the fat and then take as much as you wish,” then he would answer him, “No, but you will give it to me now, and if not, I will take it by force.”