1 Samuel 2:6-8

2:6 The Lord both kills and gives life;

he brings down to the grave ¹  and raises up.

2:7 The Lord impoverishes and makes wealthy;

he humbles and he exalts.

2:8 He lifts the weak ²  from the dust;

he raises ³  the poor from the ash heap

to seat them with princes

and to bestow on them an honored position. ⁴ 

The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord,

and he has placed the world on them.

1 Samuel 2:36

2:36 Everyone who remains in your house will come to bow before him for a little money ⁵  and for a scrap of bread. Each will say, ‘Assign me to a priestly task so I can eat a scrap of bread.’”

1 Samuel 2:1

Hannah Exalts the Lord in Prayer

2:1 Hannah prayed, ⁶ 

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;

my horn ⁷  is exalted high because of the Lord.

I loudly denounce ⁸  my enemies,

for I am happy that you delivered me. ⁹ 

1 Samuel 14:26

14:26 When the army entered the forest, they saw ¹⁰  the honey flowing, but no one ate any of it, ¹¹  for the army was afraid of the oath.

Psalms 109:9-12

109:9 May his children ¹²  be fatherless,

and his wife a widow!

109:10 May his children ¹³  roam around begging,

asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home! ¹⁴ 

109:11 May the creditor seize ¹⁵  all he owns!

May strangers loot his property! ¹⁶ 

109:12 May no one show him kindness! ¹⁷ 

May no one have compassion ¹⁸  on his fatherless children!

¹ tn Heb “Sheol”; NAB “the nether world”; CEV “the world of the dead.”

² tn Or “lowly”; Heb “insignificant.”

³ tn The imperfect verbal form, which is parallel to the participle in the preceding line, is best understood here as indicating what typically happens.

⁴ tn Heb “a seat of honor.”

³ tn Heb “a piece of silver” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV).

⁴ tn Heb “prayed and said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.

⁵ sn Horns of animals have always functioned as both offensive and defensive weapons for them. As a figure of speech the horn is therefore often used in the Bible as a symbol of human strength (see also in v. 10). The allusion in v. 1 to the horn being lifted high suggests a picture of an animal elevating its head in a display of strength or virility.

⁶ tn Heb “my mouth opens wide against.”

⁷ tn Heb “for I rejoice in your deliverance.”

⁵ tn Heb “and the army entered the forest, and look!”

⁶ tn Heb “and there was no one putting his hand to his mouth.”

⁶ tn Or “sons.”

⁷ tn Or “sons.”

⁸ tn Heb “and roaming, may his children roam and beg, and seek from their ruins.” Some, following the LXX, emend the term וְדָרְשׁוּ (vÿdoreshu, “and seek”) to יְגֹרְשׁוּ (yÿgoreshu; a Pual jussive, “may they be driven away” [see Job 30:5; cf. NIV, NRSV]), but דָּרַשׁ (darash) nicely parallels שִׁאֵלוּ (shi’elu, “and beg”) in the preceding line.

⁸ tn Heb “lay snares for” (see Ps 38:12).

⁹ tn Heb “the product of his labor.”

⁹ tn Heb “may there not be for him one who extends loyal love.”

¹⁰ tn Perhaps this refers to being generous (see Ps 37:21).