1. Then Hannah prayed:My heart rejoices in the Lord. My strength rises up in the Lord!My mouth mocks my enemiesbecause 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 darknessbecause 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 kingand 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."