1 Samuel 2:12–4:22

Eli’s Sons Misuse Their Sacred Office

2:12 The sons of Eli were wicked men.25 They did not recognize the Lord’s authority.26 2:13 Now the priests would always treat the people in the following way:27 Whenever anyone was making a sacrifice, while the meat was boiling, the priest’s attendant would come with a three-pronged fork28 in his hand. 2:14 He would jab it into the basin, kettle, caldron, or pot, and everything that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they used to do to all the Israelites29 when they came there to Shiloh.

2:15 Even before they burned the fat, the priest’s attendant would come and say to the person who was making the sacrifice, “Hand over some meat for the priest to roast! He won’t take boiled meat from you, but only raw.”30 2:16 If the individual said to him, “First let the fat be burned away, and then take for yourself whatever you wish,” he would say, “No!31 Hand it over right now! If you don’t, I will take it forcibly!”

2:17 The sin of these young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they32 treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.

2:18 Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord. The boy was dressed in a linen ephod. 2:19 His mother used to make him a small robe and bring it up to him at regular intervals when she would go up with her husband to make the annual sacrifice. 2:20 Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife saying, “May the Lord raise up for you descendants33 from this woman to replace the one that she34 dedicated to the Lord.” Then they would go to their35 home. 2:21 So the Lord graciously attended to Hannah, and she was able to conceive and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up at the Lord’s sanctuary.36

2:22 Now Eli was very old when he heard about everything that his sons used to do to all the people of Israel37 and how they used to have sex with38 the women who were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 2:23 He said to them, “Why do you behave in this way? For I hear about these evil things from all these39 people. 2:24 This ought not to be,40 my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the Lord’s people is not good. 2:25 If a man sins against a man, one may appeal to God on his behalf. But if a man sins against the Lord, who then will intercede for him?” But Eli’s sons41 would not listen to their father, for the Lord had decided42 to kill them.

2:26 Now the boy Samuel was growing up and finding favor both with the Lord and with people.

The Lord Judges the House of Eli

2:27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not plainly43 reveal myself to your ancestor’s44 house when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh? 2:28 I chose your ancestor45 from all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifice on my altar, to burn incense, and to bear the ephod before me. I gave to your ancestor’s house all the fire offerings made by the Israelites. 2:29 Why are you46 scorning my sacrifice and my offering that I commanded for my dwelling place?47 You have honored your sons more than you have me by having made yourselves fat from the best parts of all the offerings of my people Israel.’

2:30 Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I really did say48 that your house and your ancestor’s house would serve49 me forever.’ But now the Lord says, ‘May it never be!50 For I will honor those who honor me, but those who despise me will be cursed! 2:31 In fact, days are coming when I will remove your strength51 and the strength52 of your father’s house. There will not be an old man in your house! 2:32 You will see trouble in my dwelling place!53 Israel will experience blessings,54 but there will not be an old man in your55 house for all time.56 2:33 Any one of you that I do not cut off from my altar, I will cause your57 eyes to fail58 and will cause you grief.59 All of those born to your family60 will die in the prime of life.61 2:34 This will be a confirming sign for you that will be fulfilled through your two sons,62 Hophni and Phinehas: in a single day they both will die! 2:35 Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest. He will do what is in my heart and soul. I will build for him a secure dynasty63 and he will serve my chosen one for all time.64 2:36 Everyone who remains in your house will come to bow before him for a little money65 and for a scrap of bread. Each will say, ‘Assign me to a priestly task so I can eat a scrap of bread.’ ”

The Call of Samuel

3:1 Now the boy Samuel continued serving the Lord under Eli’s supervision.1 Word from the Lord was rare in those days; revelatory visions were infrequent.

3:2 Eli’s eyes had begun to fail, so that he was unable to see well. At that time he was lying down in his place, 3:3 and the lamp of God had not yet been extinguished. Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord as well; the ark of God was also there. 3:4 The Lord called to Samuel, and he replied, “Here I am!” 3:5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli2 said, “I didn’t call you. Go back and lie down.” So he went back and lay down. 3:6 The Lord again called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli3 said, “I didn’t call you, my son. Go back and lie down.”

3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord; the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 3:8 Then the Lord called Samuel a third time. So he got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me!” Eli then realized that it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 3:9 So Eli said to Samuel, “Go back and lie down. When he calls you, say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” So Samuel went back and lay down in his place.

3:10 Then the Lord came and stood nearby, calling as he had previously done, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel replied, “Speak, for your servant is listening!” 3:11 The Lord said to Samuel, “Look! I am about to do something in Israel;4 when anyone hears about it, both of his ears will tingle. 3:12 On that day I will carry out5 against Eli everything that I spoke about his house—from start to finish! 3:13 You6 should tell him that I am about to judge his house forever because of7 the sin that he knew about. For his sons were cursing God,8 and he did not rebuke them. 3:14 Therefore I swore an oath to the house of Eli, ‘The sin of the house of Eli can never be forgiven by sacrifice or by grain offering.’ ”

3:15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. 3:16 However, Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son!” He replied, “Here I am.” 3:17 Eli9 said, “What message did he speak to you? Don’t conceal it from me. God will judge you severely10 if you conceal from me anything that he said to you!”

3:18 So Samuel told him everything. He did not hold back anything from him. Eli11 said, “The Lord will do what he pleases.”12 3:19 Samuel continued to grow, and the Lord was with him. None of his prophecies fell to the ground unfulfilled.13 3:20 All Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba realized that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 3:21 Then the Lord again appeared in Shiloh, for it was in Shiloh that the Lord had revealed himself to Samuel14 through the word of the Lord.15 4:1 Samuel revealed the word of the Lord1 to all Israel.

The Ark of the Covenant is Lost to the Philistines

Then the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines.2 They camped at Ebenezer,3 and the Philistines camped at Aphek. 4:2 The Philistines arranged their forces to fight4 Israel. As the battle spread out,5 Israel was defeated by6 the Philistines, who7 killed about four thousand men in the battle line in the field.

4:3 When the army8 came back to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why did the Lord let us be defeated today by9 the Philistines? Let’s take with us the ark of the covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. When it is with us, it will save us10 from the hand of our enemies.

4:4 So the army11 sent to Shiloh, and they took from there the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts who sits between the cherubim. Now the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 4:5 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord arrived at the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly12 that the ground shook.

4:6 When the Philistines heard the sound of the shout, they said, “What is this loud shout in the camp of the Hebrews?” Then they realized that the ark of the Lord had arrived at the camp. 4:7 The Philistines were scared because they thought that gods had come to the camp.13 They said, “Too bad for14 us! We’ve never seen anything like this! 4:8 Too bad for us! Who can deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all sorts of plagues in the desert! 4:9 Be strong and act like men, you Philistines, or else you will wind up serving the Hebrews the way they have served you! Act like men and fight!”

4:10 So the Philistines fought. Israel was defeated; they all ran home.15 The slaughter was very great; thirty thousand foot soldiers fell in battle. 4:11 The ark of God was taken, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phineas, were killed.

Eli Dies

4:12 On that day16 a Benjaminite ran from the battle lines and came to Shiloh. His clothes were torn and dirt was on his head. 4:13 When he arrived in Shiloh, Eli was sitting in his chair watching by the side of17 the road, for he was very worried18 about the ark of God. As the man entered the city to give his report,19 the whole city cried out.

4:14 When Eli heard the outcry,20 he said, “What is this commotion?”21 The man quickly came and told Eli. 4:15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old and his eyes looked straight ahead;22 he was unable to see.

4:16 The man said to Eli, “I am the one who came from the battle lines! Just today I fled from the battle lines!” Eli23 asked, “How did things go, my son?” 4:17 The messenger replied, “…

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25	tn Heb “sons of worthlessness.”
26	tn Heb “they did not know the Lord.” The verb here has the semantic nuance “recognize the authority of.” Eli’s sons obviously knew who the Lord was; they served in his sanctuary. But they did not recognize his moral authority.
27	tn Heb “the habit of the priests with the people [was this].”
28	sn The Hebrew word occurs only twice in the OT, here and again in v. 14. Its exact meaning is not entirely clear, although from the context it appears to be a sacrificial tool used for retrieving things from boiling water.
29	tn Heb “to all Israel.”
30	tn Heb “living.”
31	tc The translation follows the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss (“no”) rather than the Kethib and MT, which read “to him.”
32	tc Heb “the men,” which is absent from one medieval Hebrew ms, a Qumran ms, and the LXX.
33	tn Heb “seed.”
34	tn The MT has a masculine verb here, but in light of the context the reference must be to Hannah. It is possible that the text of the MT is incorrect here (cf. the ancient versions), in which case the text should be changed to read either a passive participle or better, the third feminine singular of the verb. If the MT is correct here, perhaps the masculine is to be understood in a nonspecific and impersonal way, allowing for a feminine antecedent. In any case, the syntax of the MT is unusual here.
35	tn Heb “his.”
36	tn Heb “with the Lord.” Cf. NAB, TEV “in the service of the Lord”; NIV, NRSV, NLT “in the presence of the Lord”; CEV “at the Lord’s house in Shiloh.”
37	tn Heb “to all Israel.”
38	tn Heb “lie with.”
39	tc For “these” the LXX has “of the Lord” (κυρίου, kuriou), perhaps through the influence of the final phrase of v. 24 (“the people of the Lord”). Somewhat less likely is the view that the MT reading is due to a distorted dittography of the first word of v. 24. The Vulgate lacks the word.
40	tn Heb “no.”
41	tn Heb “they”; the referent (Eli’s sons) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
42	tn Heb “desired.”
43	tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
44	tn Heb “to your father’s” (also in vv. 28, 30).
45	tn Heb “him”; the referent (Eli’s ancestor, i.e., Aaron) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
46	tc The MT has a plural “you” here, but the LXX and a Qumran ms have the singular. The singular may be the correct reading; the verb “you have honored” later in the verse is singular even in the MT. However, it is more probable that the Lord here refers to Eli and his sons. Note the plural in the second half of the verse (“you have made yourselves fat”).
47	tn Heb “which I commanded, dwelling place.” The noun is functioning as an adverbial accusative in relation to the verb. Since God’s dwelling place/sanctuary is in view, the pronoun “my” is supplied in the translation.
48	tn The infinitive absolute appears before the finite verb for emphasis.
49	tn Heb “walk about before.”
50	tn Heb “may it be far removed from me.”
51	tn Heb “chop off your arm.” The arm here symbolizes strength and activity.
52	tn Heb “arm.”
53	tn Heb “you will see [the] trouble of [the] dwelling place.” Since God’s dwelling place/sanctuary is in view, the pronoun is supplied in the translation (see v. 29).
54	tn Heb “in all which he does good with Israel.”
55	tc The LXX and a Qumran manuscript have the first person pronoun “my” here.
56	tn Heb “all the days.”
57	tc The LXX, a Qumran ms, and a few old Latin mss have the third person pronominal suffix “his” here.
58	tn Heb “to cause your eyes to fail.” Elsewhere this verb, when used of eyes, refers to bloodshot eyes resulting from weeping, prolonged staring, or illness (see Lev 26:16; Pss 69:3; 119:82; Lam 2:11; 4:17).
59	tn Heb “and to cause your soul grief.”
60	tn Heb “and all the increase of your house.”
61	tc The text is difficult. The MT literally says “they will die [as] men.” Apparently the meaning is that they will be cut off in the prime of their life without reaching old age. The LXX and a Qumran ms, however, have the additional word “sword” (“they will die by the sword of men”). This is an easier reading (cf. NAB, NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT), but that fact is not in favor of its originality.
62	tn Heb “and this to you [is] the sign which will come to both of your sons.”
63	tn Heb “house.”
64	tn Heb “and he will walk about before my anointed one all the days.”
65	tn Heb “a piece of silver” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).
1	tn Heb “before Eli.”
2	tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3	tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4	tn The Hebrew text adds “so that” here, formally connecting this clause with the next.
5	tn Or “fulfill.”
6	tc The MT has וְהִגַּדְתִּי לוֹ (véhiggadti lo). The verb is Hiphil perfect 1st person common singular, and apparently the conjunction should be understood as vav consecutive (“I will say to him”). But the future reference makes more sense if Samuel is the subject. This would require dropping the final י (yod) and reading the 2nd person masculine singular וְהִגַּדְתָּ (véhiggadta). Although there is no external evidence to support it, this reading has been adopted in the present translation. The alternative is to understand the MT to mean “I said to him,” but for this we would expect the preterite with vav consecutive.
7	tn The translation understands the preposition to have a causal sense. However, the preposition could also be understood as the beth pretii, indicating in a broad sense the price attached to this action. So GKC 380 §119.p.
8	tc The translation follows the LXX θεόν (theon, “God”) rather than the MT לָהֶם (lahem, “to them”). The MT seems to mean “they were bringing a curse on themselves” (cf. ASV, NASB). But this meaning is problematic in part because the verb qll means “to curse,” not “to bring a curse on,” and in part because it takes an accusative object rather than the equivalent of a dative. This is one of the so-called tiqqune sopherim, or “emendations of the scribes.” Why would the ancient copyists alter the original statement about Eli’s sons cursing God to the less objectionable statement that they brought a curse on themselves? Some argue that the scribes were concerned that such a direct and blasphemous affront against God could occur without an immediate response of judgment from God. Therefore they changed the text by deleting two letters א and י (alef and yod) from the word for “God,” with the result that the text then read “to them.” If this ancient scribal claim is accepted as accurate, it implies that the MT here is secondary. The present translation follows the LXX (κακολογοῦντες θεόν, kakologountes theon) and a few mss of the Old Latin in reading “God” rather than the MT “to them.” Cf. also NAB, NRSV, NLT.
9	tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10	tn Heb “So God will do to you and thus he will add.” The verbal forms in this pronouncement are imperfects, not jussives, but the statement has the force of a curse or warning. One could translate, “May God do to you and thus may he add.”
11	tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12	tn Heb “what is good in his eyes.”
13	tn Heb “and he did not cause to fall from all his words to the ground.”
14	tc The LXX has a lengthy addition here: “And Samuel was acknowledged to be a prophet of the Lord in all Israel, from one end to the other. Eli was very old and, as for his sons, their way kept getting worse and worse before the Lord.” The Hebraic nature of the Greek syntax used here suggests that the LXX translator was accurately rendering a Hebrew variant and not simply expanding the text on his own initiative.
15	tn The chapter division at this point is inappropriate. 1 Sam 4:1a is best understood as the conclusion to chap. 3 rather than the beginning of chap. 4.
1	tn Heb “and the word of Samuel was.” The present translation understands Samuel to be the speaker of the divine word (“Samuel” is a subjective genitive in this case), although the statement could mean that he was the recipient of the divine word (“Samuel” is an objective genitive in this case) who in turn reported it to Israel.
2	tn Heb “and Israel went out to meet the Philistines for battle.”
3	tn Heb “the stone, the help.” The second noun is in apposition to the first one and apparently is the name by which the stone was known. Contrast the expression used in 5:1 and 7:12, where the first word lacks the definite article, unlike 4:1.
4	tn Heb “to meet.”
5	tn The MT has וַתִּטֹּשׁ (vattittosh), from the root נטשׁ (ntsh). This verb normally means “to leave,” “to forsake,” or “to permit,” but such an idea does not fit this context very well. Many scholars have suspected that the text originally read either וַתֵּט (vattet, “and it spread out”), from the root נטה (nth), or וַתִּקֶשׁ (vattiqesh, “and it grew fierce”), from the root קשׂה (qsh). The former suggestion is apparently supported by the LXX ἔκλινεν (eklinen, “it inclined”) and is adopted in the translation.
6	tn Heb “before.”
7	tn Heb “the Philistines, and they killed.” The pronoun “they” has been translated as a relative pronoun (“who”) to make it clear to the English reader that the Philistines were the ones who did the killing.
8	tn Or “people.”
9	tn Heb “before.”
10	tn Heb “and it will come in our midst and it will save.” After the cohortative (see “let’s take”), the prefixed verbal forms with the prefixed conjunction indicate purpose or result. The translation understands the ark to be the subject of the third masculine singular verbs, although it is possible to understand the Lord as the subject. In the latter case, one should translate, “when he is with us, he will save us.”
11	tn Or “people.”
12	tn Heb “shouted [with] a great shout.”
13	tn The Hebrew text has a direct quote, “because they said, ‘Gods have come to the camp.’ ” Even though the verb translated “have come” is singular, the following subject should be taken as plural (“gods”), as v. 8 indicates. Some emend the verb to a plural form.
14	tn Traditionally “woe to.” They thought disaster was imminent.
15	tn Heb “and they fled, each to his tents.”
16	tn Or perhaps, “the same day.” On this use of the demonstrative pronoun see Joüon 2:532 §143.f.
17	tc Read with many medieval Hebrew mss, the Qere, and much versional evidence יַד (yad, “hand”) rather than MT יַךְ (yakh).
18	tn Heb “his heart was trembling.”
19	tn Heb “and the man came to report in the city.”
20	tn Heb “the sound of the cry.”
21	tn Heb “the sound of this commotion.”
22	tn Heb “were set” or “were fixed,” i.e., without vision.
23	tn Heb “he”; the referent (Eli) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

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