The Lantern

I Samuel2

Then prayed Hannah, and said, My heart hath leaped for joy in Yahweh, My horn is exalted in Yahweh, My mouth is opened wide, o’er my foes, Because I rejoice in thy salvation.

There is none holy like Yahweh, Nay! there, is none, except Thee, Nor, is, there a rock, like our God.

Do not multiply words, so loftily—loftily, Nor let arrogance proceed from your mouth,—For, a GOD of knowledge, is Yahweh, And, for himself, are great doings made firm.

The bow of the mighty, is dismayed,—While, the fainting, are girded with strength;

The sated, have, for bread, taken hire, But, the famished, have left off their toil,—So that, the barren, hath given birth unto seven, While, she that hath many sons, languisheth:

Yahweh, doth kill, and make alive,—Taketh down to hades, and bringeth up:

Yahweh, maketh poor, and enricheth,—Layeth low, yea exalteth;

Raiseth, from the dust, the poor, From the dunghill, uplifteth the needy, To give them a dwelling with nobles, And, a throne of glory, to make them inherit. For, to Yahweh, belong the pillars of the earth, And he setteth thereon the habitable world.

The feet of his loving ones, he doth guard, But, the lawless, in darkness shall be silent,—For, by strength, shall no man prevail.

As for Yahweh,—they shall be shattered who contend with him, Over him, in the heavens will he thunder, Yahweh, will judge the ends of the earth,—That he may give strength to his King, And exalt the horn of his Anointed One.

Then went Elkanah to Ramah, unto his own house,—but, the boy, remained ministering unto Yahweh, before Eli the priest.

Now, the sons of Eli, were abandoned men,—they knew not Yahweh.

And, the custom of the priests with the people, was—when any man offered a sacrifice, then would come the priests young man, as the flesh was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand;

and would strike it into the boiler, or into the trough, or into the kettle, or into the pot, all that the fork would bring up, the priest took for himself. Thus and thus, used they to do unto all Israel, who came thither, in Shiloh.

Also, before any could make perfume with the fat, the priests young man would come in and say to the person who was sacrificing, Come! give flesh for the priest’s roastings,—for he will not take of thee boiled flesh—only raw.

And, if the man said to him, Let them at least, make incense, at once with the fat, then take thou as much as thy soul craveth, Then said he to him, But, at once, shalt thou give it; or else, I will take it by force.

And so it was, that, the sin of the young men, was exceeding great, before Yahweh,—for men scorned the offerings of Yahweh.

But, as for Samuel, he was ministering before Yahweh,—a boy girded with an ephod of linen.

Also, a little robe, used his mother to make for him, and bring it up to him, from year to year,—when she came up with her husband, to offer the sacrifice of the year.

And Eli used to bless Elkanah and his wife, and to say—Yahweh give thee seed of this woman, instead of the loan that hath been lent unto Yahweh. So they went their way to his own place.

And Yahweh visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bare three sons, and two daughters. Thus did the boy Samuel grow up with Yahweh.

Now, Eli, was very old,—but he used to hear all that his sons did unto all Israel, and how they even lay with the women who did service, at the opening of the tent of meeting.

So he said to them, Wherefore should ye do such things as these? for I keep hearing of your wicked doings, from all these people.

Nay, my sons! for it is no good report that I do hear: leading into transgression the people of Yahweh.

If one man sin against another, God will interpose, but, if, against Yahweh, a man sin, who will intercede, for him? But they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, for Yahweh was pleased to put them to death.

But, the boy Samuel, went on growing in stature, and in favour,—both with Yahweh, and also with men.

And there came a man of God, unto Eli,—and said unto him—Thus, saith Yahweh, I, did indeed reveal myself, unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt, as servants unto the house of Pharaoh;

choosing him out of all the tribes of Israel unto myself, to minister as priest, to offer upon mine altar, to perfume with incense to bear an ephod before me,—Therefore gave I unto the house of thy father all the altar-flames of the sons of Israel.

Wherefore have ye been kicking at my sacrifices, and my presents, which I commanded, to serve for a home,—and shouldest have honoured thy sons more than me: fattening yourselves, with the first of every present of Israel, before me?

Hence, the oracle of Yahweh God of Israel, I, said, that, thy house, and the house of thy father, should go to and fro in my presence, unto times age-abiding: But, now, (is the oracle of Yahweh)—Be it far from me! For, them who honour me, will I honour, but, they who despise me, shall be lightly esteemed.

Lo! days are coming, when I will hew off thine arm, and the arm of the house of thy father,—that there shall be no elder in thy house;

But thou shalt descry distress at home, in all that shall gladden Israel,—and there shall not be an elder in thine own house, all the days.

But, any man of thine whom I may not cut off from mine altar, it shall be—to consume his eyes, and grieve his soul; Howbeit, all the multitude of thy house, shall die, by the sword of men.

And, this, for thee is the sign, which shall come upon thy two sons, upon Hophni and Phinehas,—In one day, shall they, both of them, die;

And I will raise me up a faithful priest, According to that which is in my heart and in my soul, will he do; Therefore will I build for him an assured house, and he shall go to and fro in presence of mine Anointed, all the days.

And it shall be, that, any that is left in thy house, shall come bowing down to him for a small coin of silver, and for a cake of bread, and shall say: Appoint me, I pray thee, to one of the priestly offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread.