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1 Samuel 2

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1 καὶ εἶπεν ἐστερεώθη ἡ καρδία μου ἐν κυρίῳ ὑψώθη κέρας μου ἐν θεῷ μου ἐπλατύνθη ἐπὶ ἐχθροὺς τὸ στόμα μου εὐφράνθην ἐν σωτηρίᾳ σου 2 ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἅγιος ὡς κύριος καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιος ὡς ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἅγιος πλὴν σοῦ 3 μὴ καυχᾶσθε καὶ μὴ λαλεῖτε ὑψηλά μὴ ἐξελθάτω μεγαλορρημοσύνη ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν ὅτι θεὸς γνώσεων κύριος καὶ θεὸς ἑτοιμάζων ἐπιτηδεύματα αὐτοῦ 4 τόξον δυνατῶν ἠσθένησεν καὶ ἀσθενοῦντες περιεζώσαντο δύναμιν 5 πλήρεις ἄρτων ἠλαττώθησαν καὶ οἱ πεινῶντες παρῆκαν γῆν ὅτι στεῖρα ἔτεκεν ἑπτά καὶ ἡ πολλὴ ἐν τέκνοις ἠσθένησεν 6 κύριος θανατοῖ καὶ ζωογονεῖ κατάγει εἰς ᾅδου καὶ ἀνάγει 7 κύριος πτωχίζει καὶ πλουτίζει ταπεινοῖ καὶ ἀνυψοῖ 8 ἀνιστᾷ ἀπὸ γῆς πένητα καὶ ἀπὸ κοπρίας ἐγείρει πτωχὸν καθίσαι μετὰ δυναστῶν λαῶν καὶ θρόνον δόξης κατακληρονομῶν αὐτοῖς 9 διδοὺς εὐχὴν τῷ εὐχομένῳ καὶ εὐλόγησεν ἔτη δικαίου ὅτι οὐκ ἐν ἰσχύι δυνατὸς ἀνήρ 10 κύριος ἀσθενῆ ποιήσει ἀντίδικον αὐτοῦ κύριος ἅγιος μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ φρόνιμος ἐν τῇ φρονήσει αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ δυνατὸς ἐν τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ πλούσιος ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτοῦ ἀλ{L'} ἢ ἐν τούτῳ καυχάσθω ὁ καυχώμενος συνίειν καὶ γινώσκειν τὸν κύριον καὶ ποιεῖν κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐν μέσῳ τῆς γῆς κύριος ἀνέβη εἰς οὐρανοὺς καὶ ἐβρόντησεν αὐτὸς κρινεῖ ἄκρα γῆς καὶ δίδωσιν ἰσχὺν τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἡμῶν καὶ ὑψώσει κέρας χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ 11 καὶ κατέλιπον αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ ἐνώπιον κυρίου καὶ ἀπῆλθον εἰς Αρμαθαιμ καὶ τὸ παιδάριον ἦν λειτουργῶν τῷ προσώπῳ κυρίου ἐνώπιον Ηλι τοῦ ἱερέως

1 My heart thrills with joy in the Lord; pride in the God I worship lifts high my head; now can I flout my enemies, happy in thy gift of redress! 2 Who so holy as the Lord? None, there is none else; there is no stronghold can compare with our God. 3 Boast no more, boast no more; those lips must talk in another strain; the Lord is God all-knowing, and overrules the devices of men. 4 See how he breaks the great warrior’s bow, girds the feeble with strength; 5 how the rich, for very need, must work as hirelings, while the hungry eat to their heart’s content! See how at last the barren womb bears many, and the fruitful mother is left to languish! 6 Lord of death and life, he brings men to the grave and back from the grave; 7 Lord of poverty and of wealth, he alone humbles, alone exalts, 8 raising up the poor man out of the dust, the beggar from his dung-hill, to sit among princes and reach the honours of a throne. It is the Lord that poised the round world on its foundations, and holds them in his keeping; 9 safely his friends journey, dumb sit his enemies in the darkness; there is no protection for man in man’s strength. 10 The Lord will strike terror into his adversaries; hark, how his thunders roll above them in heaven! The Lord will sit in judgement on the remotest people of earth, the Lord will grant dominion and a sceptre of majesty to the king he has anointed. 11 And so Elcana went back to his home at Ramatha, while Samuel remained to minister, at the bidding of the priest Heli, in the Lord’s presence.

1

Exultavit cor meum in Domino,
et exaltatum est cornu meum in Deo meo;
dilatatum est os meum super inimicos meos:
quia lætata sum in salutari tuo. 2
Non est sanctus, ut est Dominus,
neque enim est alius extra te,
et non est fortis sicut Deus noster. 3
Nolite multiplicare loqui sublimia gloriantes;
recedant vetera de ore vestro:
quia Deus scientiarum Dominus est,
et ipsi præparantur cogitationes. 4
Arcus fortium superatus est,
et infirmi accincti sunt robore. 5
Repleti prius, pro panibus se locaverunt:
et famelici saturati sunt,
donec sterilis peperit plurimos:
et quæ multos habebat filios, infirmata est. 6
Dominus mortificat et vivificat;
deducit ad inferos et reducit. 7
Dominus pauperem facit et ditat,
humiliat et sublevat. 8
Suscitat de pulvere egenum,
et de stercore elevat pauperem:
ut sedeat cum principibus,
et solium gloriæ teneat.
Domini enim sunt cardines terræ,
et posuit super eos orbem. 9
Pedes sanctorum suorum servabit,
et impii in tenebris conticescent:
quia non in fortitudine sua roborabitur vir. 10
Dominum formidabunt adversarii ejus:
et super ipsos in cælis tonabit.
Dominus judicabit fines terræ,
et dabit imperium regi suo,
et sublimabit cornu christi sui. 11 Et abiit Elcana Ramatha, in domum suam: puer autem erat minister in conspectu Domini ante faciem Heli sacerdotis.

12 καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Ηλι τοῦ ἱερέως υἱοὶ λοιμοὶ οὐκ εἰδότες τὸν κύριον 13 καὶ τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ ἱερέως παρὰ τοῦ λαοῦ παντὸς τοῦ θύοντος καὶ ἤρχετο τὸ παιδάριον τοῦ ἱερέως ὡς ἂν ἡψήθη τὸ κρέας καὶ κρεάγρα τριόδους ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ 14 καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν λέβητα τὸν μέγαν ἢ εἰς τὸ χαλκίον ἢ εἰς τὴν κύθραν πᾶν ὃ ἐὰν ἀνέβη ἐν τῇ κρεάγρᾳ ἐλάμβανεν ἑαυτῷ ὁ ἱερεύς κατὰ τάδε ἐποίουν παντὶ Ισραηλ τοῖς ἐρχομένοις θῦσαι κυρίῳ ἐν Σηλωμ 15 καὶ πρὶν θυμιαθῆναι τὸ στέαρ ἤρχετο τὸ παιδάριον τοῦ ἱερέως καὶ ἔλεγεν τῷ ἀνδρὶ τῷ θύοντι δὸς κρέας ὀπτῆσαι τῷ ἱερεῖ καὶ οὐ μὴ λάβω παρὰ σοῦ ἑφθὸν ἐκ τοῦ λέβητος 16 καὶ ἔλεγεν ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ θύων θυμιαθήτω πρῶτον ὡς καθήκει τὸ στέαρ καὶ λαβὲ σεαυτῷ ἐκ πάντων ὧν ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡ ψυχή σου καὶ εἶπεν οὐχί ὅτι νῦν δώσεις καὶ ἐὰν μή λήμψομαι κραταιῶς 17 καὶ ἦν ἡ ἁμαρτία τῶν παιδαρίων ἐνώπιον κυρίου μεγάλη σφόδρα ὅτι ἠθέτουν τὴν θυσίαν κυρίου

12 This Heli had two sons that were men of little worth, recked nothing of the Lord’s honour 13 or the duty of his priests to the people. When a man was sacrificing some victim, the priest’s servant used to come up, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, while the meat was still cooking; 14 and this he thrust into pot or pan, great or small, carrying off all that came up with it for the priest’s eating; not an Israelite came to Silo but went away so treated. 15 The priest’s servant, too, would come up before the fat was offered, and bid the worshipper give him some meat to cook for the priest; he would take it raw, not stewed already. 16 In vain the worshipper protested, It is the custom for the fat to be burned at once; that done, thou shalt take meat to thy heart’s content. No, give it me now, the servant would answer, or I will take it by force. 17 This was heinous sin the young men committed under the Lord’s eye; must they turn away men’s hearts from honouring him with sacrifice?

12 Porro filii Heli, filii Belial, nescientes Dominum, 13 neque officium sacerdotum ad populum: sed quicumque immolasset victimam, veniebat puer sacerdotis, dum coquerentur carnes, et habebat fuscinulam tridentem in manu sua, 14 et mittebat eam in lebetem, vel in caldariam, aut in ollam, sive in cacabum: et omne quod levabat fuscinula, tollebat sacerdos sibi: sic faciebant universo Israëli venientium in Silo. 15 Etiam antequam adolerent adipem, veniebat puer sacerdotis, et dicebat immolanti: Da mihi carnem, ut coquam sacerdoti: non enim accipiam a te carnem coctam, sed crudam. 16 Dicebatque illi immolans: Incendatur primum juxta morem hodie adeps, et tolle tibi quantumcumque desiderat anima tua. Qui respondens aiebat ei: Nequaquam: nunc enim dabis, alioquin tollam vi. 17 Erat ergo peccatum puerorum grande nimis coram Domino: quia retrahebant homines a sacrificio Domini.

18 καὶ Σαμουηλ ἦν λειτουργῶν ἐνώπιον κυρίου παιδάριον περιεζωσμένον εφουδ βαρ 19 καὶ διπλοΐδα μικρὰν ἐποίησεν αὐτῷ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνέφερεν αὐτῷ ἐξ ἡμερῶν εἰς ἡμέρας ἐν τῷ ἀναβαίνειν αὐτὴν μετὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς θῦσαι τὴν θυσίαν τῶν ἡμερῶν 20 καὶ εὐλόγησεν Ηλι τὸν Ελκανα καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ λέγων ἀποτείσαι σοι κύριος σπέρμα ἐκ τῆς γυναικὸς ταύτης ἀντὶ τοῦ χρέους οὗ ἔχρησας τῷ κυρίῳ καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ 21 καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο κύριος τὴν Ανναν καὶ ἔτεκεν ἔτι τρεῖς υἱοὺς καὶ δύο θυγατέρας καὶ ἐμεγαλύνθη τὸ παιδάριον Σαμουηλ ἐνώπιον κυρίου

18 Meanwhile, Samuel had begun to minister in the Lord’s presence, girded, though still a boy, with the linen mantle. 19 Every year, his mother made him a little tunic, and brought it with her when she came up with her husband on feast-days for the yearly sacrifice. 20 And Heli gave a blessing to Elcana and his wife, May the Lord grant thee children by this woman, in return for what thou hast lent him! When they had gone home, 21 the Lord shewed mercy to Anna, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And evermore, boy though he was, Samuel rose higher in the Lord’s favour.

18 Samuel autem ministrabat ante faciem Domini, puer accinctus ephod lineo. 19 Et tunicam parvam faciebat ei mater sua, quam afferebat statutis diebus, ascendens cum viro suo, ut immolaret hostiam solemnem. 20 Et benedixit Heli Elcanæ et uxori ejus: dixitque ei: Reddat tibi Dominus semen de muliere hac, pro fœnore quod commodasti Domino. Et abierunt in locum suum. 21 Visitavit ergo Dominus Annam, et concepit, et peperit tres filios, et duas filias: et magnificatus est puer Samuel apud Dominum.

22 καὶ Ηλι πρεσβύτης σφόδρα καὶ ἤκουσεν ἃ ἐποίουν οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ισραηλ 23 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ἵνα τί ποιεῖτε κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ὃ ἐγὼ ἀκούω ἐκ στόματος παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ κυρίου 24 μή τέκνα ὅτι οὐκ ἀγαθὴ ἡ ἀκοή ἣν ἐγὼ ἀκούω μὴ ποιεῖτε οὕτως ὅτι οὐκ ἀγαθαὶ αἱ ἀκοαί ἃς ἐγὼ ἀκούω τοῦ μὴ δουλεύειν λαὸν θεῷ 25 ἐὰν ἁμαρτάνων ἁμάρτῃ ἀνὴρ εἰς ἄνδρα καὶ προσεύξονται ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πρὸς κύριον καὶ ἐὰν τῷ κυρίῳ ἁμάρτῃ τίς προσεύξεται ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἤκουον τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῶν ὅτι βουλόμενος ἐβούλετο κύριος διαφθεῖραι αὐτούς 26 καὶ τὸ παιδάριον Σαμουηλ ἐπορεύετο καὶ ἐμεγαλύνετο καὶ ἀγαθὸν καὶ μετὰ κυρίου καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων

22 Heli was now a man of great age, but tales reached him of the exactions his sons made from the Israelites; how they mated, too, with the women that kept watch at the tabernacle door. 23 What wickedness is this of yours, he said to them, that brings me the complaints of a whole people! 24 Amend your ways; it is ill hearing, that you should lead the Lord’s people into transgression. 25 If man does wrong to man, God’s justice may yet be satisfied; if man sins against the Lord, who shall plead his cause for him? But they paid no heed to their father’s warning; the Lord was resolved to make an end of them. 26 And Samuel’s boyhood went on; still as he grew he advanced in favour both with God and with men.

22 Heli autem erat senex valde, et audivit omnia quæ faciebant filii sui universo Israëli, et quomodo dormiebant cum mulieribus quæ observabant ad ostium tabernaculi: 23 et dixit eis: Quare facitis res hujuscemodi quas ego audio, res pessimas, ab omni populo? 24 Nolite, filii mei: non enim est bona fama quam ego audio, ut transgredi faciatis populum Domini. 25 Si peccaverit vir in virum, placari ei potest Deus: si autem in Dominum peccaverit vir, quis orabit pro eo? Et non audierunt vocem patris sui: quia voluit Dominus occidere eos. 26 Puer autem Samuel proficiebat atque crescebat, et placebat tam Domino quam hominibus.

27 καὶ ἦλθεν ἄνθρωπος θεοῦ πρὸς Ηλι καὶ εἶπεν τάδε λέγει κύριος ἀποκαλυφθεὶς ἀπεκαλύφθην πρὸς οἶκον πατρός σου ὄντων αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ δούλων τῷ οἴκῳ Φαραω 28 καὶ ἐξελεξάμην τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός σου ἐκ πάντων τῶν σκήπτρων Ισραηλ ἐμοὶ ἱερατεύειν καὶ ἀναβαίνειν ἐπὶ θυσιαστήριόν μου καὶ θυμιᾶν θυμίαμα καὶ αἴρειν εφουδ καὶ ἔδωκα τῷ οἴκῳ τοῦ πατρός σου τὰ πάντα τοῦ πυρὸς υἱῶν Ισραηλ εἰς βρῶσιν 29 καὶ ἵνα τί ἐπέβλεψας ἐπὶ τὸ θυμίαμά μου καὶ εἰς τὴν θυσίαν μου ἀναιδεῖ ὀφθαλμῷ καὶ ἐδόξασας τοὺς υἱούς σου ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ ἐνευλογεῖσθαι ἀπαρχῆς πάσης θυσίας Ισραηλ ἔμπροσθέν μου 30 διὰ τοῦτο τάδε εἶπεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς Ισραηλ εἶπα ὁ οἶκός σου καὶ ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός σου διελεύσεται ἐνώπιόν μου ἕως αἰῶνος καὶ νῦν φησιν κύριος μηδαμῶς ἐμοί ὅτι ἀλ{L'} ἢ τοὺς δοξάζοντάς με δοξάσω καὶ ὁ ἐξουθενῶν με ἀτιμωθήσεται 31 ἰδοὺ ἡμέραι ἔρχονται καὶ ἐξολεθρεύσω τὸ σπέρμα σου καὶ τὸ σπέρμα οἴκου πατρός σου 32 καὶ οὐκ ἔσται σου πρεσβύτης ἐν οἴκῳ μου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας 33 καὶ ἄνδρα οὐκ ἐξολεθρεύσω σοι ἀπὸ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου μου ἐκλιπεῖν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ καταρρεῖν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ πᾶς περισσεύων οἴκου σου πεσοῦνται ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ ἀνδρῶν 34 καὶ τοῦτό σοι τὸ σημεῖον ὃ ἥξει ἐπὶ τοὺς δύο υἱούς σου τούτους Οφνι καὶ Φινεες ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ ἀποθανοῦνται ἀμφότεροι 35 καὶ ἀναστήσω ἐμαυτῷ ἱερέα πιστόν ὃς πάντα τὰ ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου καὶ τὰ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ μου ποιήσει καὶ οἰκοδομήσω αὐτῷ οἶκον πιστόν καὶ διελεύσεται ἐνώπιον χριστοῦ μου πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας 36 καὶ ἔσται ὁ περισσεύων ἐν οἴκῳ σου ἥξει προσκυνεῖν αὐτῷ ὀβολοῦ ἀργυρίου λέγων παράρριψόν με ἐπὶ μίαν τῶν ἱερατειῶν σου φαγεῖν ἄρτον

27 And now a messenger from the Lord came to Heli, and this was the Lord’s warning to him: It was to men of thy clan that I revealed myself openly, when they still dwelt in Egypt as Pharao’s servants; 28 and I chose Levi among all the tribes of Israel to hold the priestly office, mounting up to my altar and burning incense before me, and wearing the sacred mantle in my presence; to this clan of thine I gave a part in every sacrifice Israel should offer. 29 And now you spurn the due ordering of sacrifice and oblation in my sanctuary; the sons of Heli must have a privilege higher than my own; yours must be the first taste of every sacrifice my people Israel bring to me! 30 Listen, then, to the Lord’s decree. My purpose was that thou and thy clan should be my ministers for ever; but now never speak of that (the Lord says); honour is for those that honour me, for those that make light of me, only contempt. 31 Behold, a time is coming when I mean to cripple thee, cripple that clan of thine; no kinsman of thine shall reach old age. 32 Thou shalt see a rival in my sanctuary, and Israel all prosperity; but in thy kindred no old man shall be left living.[1] 33 My altar shall still have descendants of thine to minister at it; but it shall be a sight to make thy eyes fail and thy heart faint, when so many of thy race die in their early manhood.[2] 34 And for a token of this, thy two sons, Ophni and Phinees, are destined to fall, both of them, in a single day. 35 Afterwards, I will find myself a priest that shall be a faithful interpreter of my mind and will; I will endow him, too, with a faithful posterity, to enjoy the favour of the king I have anointed.[3] 36 To him thy descendants, if any such are left, will come cringing for a silver piece and a crust of bread; Only the common portion of a priest, they will say; only a mouthful of bread, and I am content![4]

27 Venit autem vir Dei ad Heli, et ait ad eum: Hæc dicit Dominus: Numquid non aperte revelatus sum domui patris tui, cum essent in Ægypto in domo Pharaonis? 28 Et elegi eum ex omnibus tribubus Israël mihi in sacerdotem, ut ascenderet ad altare meum, et adoleret mihi incensum, et portaret ephod coram me: et dedi domui patris tui omnia de sacrificiis filiorum Israël. 29 Quare calce abjecistis victimam meam, et munera mea quæ præcepi ut offerrentur in templo: et magis honorasti filios tuos quam me, ut comederetis primitias omnis sacrificii Israël populi mei? 30 Propterea ait Dominus Deus Israël: Loquens locutus sum, ut domus tua, et domus patris tui, ministraret in conspectu meo usque in sempiternum. Nunc autem dicit Dominus: Absit hoc a me: sed quicumque glorificaverit me, glorificabo eum: qui autem contemnunt me, erunt ignobiles. 31 Ecce dies veniunt, et præcidam brachium tuum, et brachium domus patris tui, ut non sit senex in domo tua. 32 Et videbis æmulum tuum in templo, in universis prosperis Israël: et non erit senex in domo tua omnibus diebus. 33 Verumtamen non auferam penitus virum ex te ab altari meo: sed ut deficiant oculi tui, et tabescat anima tua: et pars magna domus tuæ morietur cum ad virilem ætatem venerit. 34 Hoc autem erit tibi signum, quod venturum est duobus filiis tuis, Ophni et Phinees: in die uno morientur ambo. 35 Et suscitabo mihi sacerdotem fidelem, qui juxta cor meum et animam meam faciet: et ædificabo ei domum fidelem, et ambulabit coram christo meo cunctis diebus. 36 Futurum est autem, ut quicumque remanserit in domo tua, veniat ut oretur pro eo, et offerat nummum argenteum, et tortam panis, dicatque: Dimitte me, obsecro, ad unam partem sacerdotalem, ut comedam buccellam panis.

[1] The Latin version here is an attempt to render a Hebrew text which offers no plain meaning, and is probably corrupt.

[2] This prophecy perhaps refers to the massacre of the priests by Doeg (chapter 22).

[3] For the literal fulfilment of this prophecy, see III Kg. 2.27.

[4] The sense of the Latin version is obscure; it would most naturally be understood as meaning that Heli’s descendant would come asking to be prayed for, and offering a silver piece and a crust of bread by way of a bribe, to secure his readmission to the priesthood. But the Hebrew text evidently means that he will come asking for money and bread, not offering it.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd