Study Desk

Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own.

And she made this vow: "O Lord of Heaven's Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord , his hair will never be cut."

Don't think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow."

and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, "I asked the Lord for him."

"Whatever you think is best," Elkanah agreed. "Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise." So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.

When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine.

Then Hannah prayed: "My heart rejoices in the Lord ! The Lord has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me.

"Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don't speak with such arrogance! For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions.

He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the Lord 's, and he has set the world in order.

Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord

or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli's sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling,

Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal's fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting.

So the sin of these young men was very serious in the Lord 's sight, for they treated the Lord 's offerings with contempt.

Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice.

Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

If someone sins against another person, God can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the Lord , who can intercede?" But Eli's sons wouldn't listen to their father, for the Lord was already planning to put them to death.

So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!

Then all of your surviving family will bow before him, begging for money and food. ‘Please,' they will say, ‘give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.'"

Eli was waiting beside the road to hear the news of the battle, for his heart trembled for the safety of the Ark of God. When the messenger arrived and told what had happened, an outcry resounded throughout the town.

When the messenger mentioned what had happened to the Ark of God, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and overweight. He had been Israel's judge for forty years.