Daily Text and Bible Reading: Thursday, March 26 [Press play below]

1.1 Now there was a man of Ramathaim-zophim of the mountainous region of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
1.2 He had two wives; one was named Hannah, and the other was named Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
1.3 That man went up from his city year after year to worship and to sacrifice to Jehovah of armies in Shiloh. That is where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, served as priests to Jehovah.
1.4 One day when Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he gave portions to his wife Peninnah as well as to all her sons and her daughters,
1.5 but to Hannah he gave a special portion, because Hannah was the one he loved; but Jehovah had not given her children.
1.6 Moreover, her rival wife taunted her relentlessly in order to upset her because Jehovah had not given her children.
1.7 That is what she would do year after year; whenever Hannah went up to the house of Jehovah, her rival would taunt her so much that she would weep and not eat.
1.8 But her husband Elkanah said to her: “Hannah, why do you weep, and why do you not eat, and why are you so sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
1.9 Then Hannah got up after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. At the time, Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of Jehovah.
1.10 Hannah was extremely bitter, and she began to pray to Jehovah and to weep uncontrollably.
1.11 And she made this vow: “O Jehovah of armies, if you look upon the affliction of your servant and remember me and you do not forget your servant and give to your servant a male child, I will give him to Jehovah all the days of his life, and no razor will touch his head.”
1.12 While she prayed for a long time before Jehovah, Eli was watching her mouth.
1.13 Hannah was speaking in her heart, only her lips were trembling, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.
1.14 Eli said to her: “How long will you stay drunk? Stop drinking your wine.”
1.15 At this Hannah answered: “No, my lord! I am a woman under great stress; I have not drunk wine or anything alcoholic, but I am pouring out my soul before Jehovah.
1.16 Do not take your servant for a worthless woman, for I have been speaking until now out of my great anguish and distress.”
1.17 Then Eli answered: “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of him.”
1.18 To this she said: “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” And the woman went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer downcast.
1.19 Then they got up early in the morning and bowed before Jehovah, after which they returned to their house in Ramah. Elkanah had sexual relations with his wife Hannah, and Jehovah gave attention to her.
1.20 Within a year Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son and named him Samuel, because, as she said, “it is from Jehovah that I have asked him.”
1.21 In time Elkanah went up with all his household to offer the yearly sacrifice to Jehovah and to present his vow offering.
1.22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband: “As soon as the boy is weaned, I will bring him; then he will appear before Jehovah and remain there from then on.”
1.23 Elkanah her husband then said to her: “Do what you think is best. Stay at home until you wean him. May Jehovah carry out what you have said.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she weaned him.
1.24 As soon as she had weaned him, she took him up to Shiloh, along with a three year old bull, one ephah of flour, and a large jar of wine, and she came to the house of Jehovah in Shiloh and brought the young boy with her.
1.25 Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eli.
1.26 With that she said: “Pardon me, my lord! As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing with you in this place to pray to Jehovah.
1.27 It was for this boy that I prayed, and Jehovah granted my petition that I asked of him.
1.28 I, in turn, now lend him to Jehovah. For all his days, he is lent to Jehovah.” And he bowed down there to Jehovah.

2.1 Then Hannah said in prayer: “My heart rejoices in Jehovah; My horn is exalted by Jehovah. My mouth is opened wide against my enemies, For I rejoice in your acts of salvation.
2.2 There is no one holy like Jehovah, There is no one but you, And there is no rock like our God.
2.3 Do not keep speaking with haughtiness; Let nothing arrogant come from your mouth, For Jehovah is a God of knowledge, And by him deeds are rightly evaluated.
2.4 The bows of mighty men are shattered, But those who are stumbling are given strength.
2.5 The well-fed must hire themselves out for bread, But the hungry hunger no more. The barren has given birth to seven, But she who had many sons has become desolate.
2.6 Jehovah kills, and he preserves life; He brings down to the Grave, and he raises up.
2.7 Jehovah impoverishes, and he enriches; He abases, and he exalts.
2.8 He raises the lowly one from the dust; He lifts up the poor from the ash heap, To make them sit with princes, Giving them a seat of honor. To Jehovah belong earth’s supports, And he places the productive land upon them.
2.9 He guards the steps of his loyal ones, But the wicked will be silenced in darkness, For not by power does a man prevail.
2.10 Jehovah will shatter those fighting against him; He will thunder against them from the heavens. Jehovah will judge to the ends of the earth, He will give power to his king And exalt the horn of his anointed one.”
2.11 Then Elkanah went to his house in Ramah, but the boy became a minister of Jehovah before Eli the priest.
2.12 Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for Jehovah.
2.13 This is what they did with the due right of the priests from the people: Whenever any man was offering a sacrifice, an attendant of the priest came with a three-pronged fork in his hand when the meat was boiling,
2.14 and he would thrust it into the basin, the two-handled cooking pot, the cauldron, or the one-handled cooking pot. Whatever the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. That is what they would do in Shiloh to all the Israelites coming there.
2.15 Also, even before the man sacrificing could make the fat smoke, an attendant of the priest would come and say to him: “Give the priest meat to roast. He will not take boiled meat from you, only raw meat.”
2.16 When the man would say to him: “Let them first be sure to make the fat smoke, then take for yourself whatever you desire,” he would say: “No, give it to me now; if not, I will take it by force!”
2.17 Thus the sin of the attendants came to be very great before Jehovah, for the men treated the offering of Jehovah with disrespect.
2.18 Now Samuel was ministering before Jehovah, wearing a linen ephod, though he was just a boy.
2.19 Also, his mother would make for him a little sleeveless coat, and she brought it up to him year after year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
2.20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife and said: “May Jehovah grant you a child from this wife in place of the one who was lent to Jehovah.” And they went back home.
2.21 Jehovah turned his attention to Hannah, so that she could conceive; and she gave birth to three more sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel continued growing up before Jehovah.
2.22 Now Eli was very old, but he had heard about everything that his sons were doing to all Israel and how they would lie down with the women who served at the entrance of the tent of meeting.
2.23 He used to say to them: “Why do you keep doing things like these? For the things I am hearing about you from all the people are bad.
2.24 No, my sons, the report that I hear circulating among the people of Jehovah is not good.
2.25 If a man should sin against another man, someone may appeal to Jehovah for him; but if a man should sin against Jehovah, who can pray for him?” But they refused to listen to their father, for Jehovah had determined to put them to death.
2.26 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel kept growing in stature and in favor both with Jehovah and with the people.
2.27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him: “This is what Jehovah says: ‘Did I not plainly reveal myself to your father’s house while they were in Egypt as slaves to the house of Pharaoh?
2.28 And he was chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to serve as my priest and to go up on my altar to make sacrifices, to offer incense, and to bear an ephod before me; and I gave to the house of your forefather all the offerings made by fire of the Israelites.
2.29 Why do you men scorn my sacrifice and my offering that I have commanded in my place of dwelling? Why do you keep honoring your sons more than me by fattening yourselves from the best portions of every offering of my people Israel?
2.30 “‘That is why the word of Jehovah the God of Israel is: “I did indeed say that your house and the house of your forefather would always walk before me.” But now Jehovah declares: “It is unthinkable, on my part, because those honoring me I will honor, but those despising me will be treated with contempt.”
2.31 Look! Days are coming when I will cut off your strength and that of your father’s house, so that no man in your house will live to old age.
2.32 And you will look upon a rival in my dwelling amid all the good that is done to Israel, and never again will there be an old man in your house.
2.33 The man of yours whom I do not cut off from serving at my altar will cause your eyes to fail and will bring you grief, but the greater number of your house will die by the sword of men.
2.34 And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be the sign for you: On one day both of them will die.
2.35 Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will act in harmony with what is my heart’s desire; and I will build for him a lasting house, and he will walk before my anointed one always.
2.36 Anyone who remains in your house will come and bow down to him for the payment of money and a loaf of bread, and will say: “Assign me, please, to one of the priestly offices to eat a piece of bread.”’”