Hannah’s Prayer of Thanksgiving
(Luke 1:46–56)

1And Hannah prayed, and said, Mine heart reioyceth in the Lorde, mine horne is exalted in the Lorde: my mouth is enlarged ouer mine enemies, because I reioyce in thy saluation.

2There is none holy as the Lord: yea, there is none besides thee, & there is no god like our God.

3Speake no more presumptuously: let not arrogancie come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him enterprises are established.

4The bow and the mightie men are broken, and the weake haue girded themselues with strength.

5They that were full, are hired foorth for bread, and the hungrie are no more hired, so that the barren hath borne seuen: and shee that had many children, is feeble.

6The Lord killeth and maketh aliue: bringeth downe to the graue and raiseth vp.

7The Lord maketh poore and maketh rich: bringeth lowe, and exalteth.

8He raiseth vp ye poore out of the dust, and lifteth vp the begger fro the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherite the seate of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lordes, and he hath set the world vpon them.

9Hee will keepe the feete of his Saintes, and the wicked shall keepe silence in darkenes: for in his owne might shall no man be strong.

10The Lordes aduersaries shall be destroyed, and out of heauen shall he thunder vpon them: the Lord shall iudge the endes of the worlde, and shall giue power vnto his King, and exalt the horne of his Anoynted.

11And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house, and the childe did minister vnto the Lord before Eli the Priest.

Eli’s Wicked Sons

12Now the sonnes of Eli were wicked men, and knewe not the Lord. 13For the Priestes custome towarde the people was this: when any man offered sacrifice, the Priestes boy came, while the flesh was seething, and a fleshhooke with three teeth, in his hand, 14And thrust it into the kettle, or into the caldron, or into the panne, or into the potte: all that the fleshhooke brought vp, the Priest tooke for himselfe: thus they did vnto all the Israelites, that came thither to Shiloh. 15Yea, before they burnt the fat, the priests boy came and saide to the man that offered, Giue me flesh to rost for the priest: for he wil not haue sodden flesh of thee, but rawe. 16And if any man saide vnto him, Let them burne the fatte according to the custome, then take as much as thine heart desireth: then hee would answere, No, but thou shalt giue it nowe: and if thou wilt not, I will take it by force. 17Therefore the sinne of the yong men was very great before the Lorde: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.

18Now Samuel being a yong childe ministred before the Lord, girded with a linen Ephod. 19And his mother made him a litle coat, and brought it to him from yeere to yeere, when she came vp with her husband, to offer the yerely sacrifice. 20And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord giue thee seede of this woman, for the petition that she asked of the Lord: and they departed vnto their place.

21And the Lorde visited Hannah, so that she conceiued, & bare three sonnes, & two daughters; the childe Samuel grewe before the Lord.

22So Eli was very olde, and heard all that his sonnes did vnto all Israel, and howe they laye with the women that assembled at the doore of the tabernacle of the Congregation. 23And hee saide vnto them, Why doe ye such things? For of all this people I heare euill reportes of you. 24Do no more, my sonnes, for it is no good report that I heare, which is, that ye make the Lords people to trespasse. 25If one man sinne against another, the Iudge shal iudge it: but if a man sinne against the Lord, who will pleade for him? Notwithstanding they obeyed not the voyce of their father, because the Lord would slay them.

26(Nowe the childe Samuel profited and grewe, and was in fauour both with the Lord and also with men)

A Prophecy against the House of Eli

27And there came a man of God vnto Eli, and said vnto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did not I plainely appeare vnto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaohs house? 28And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my Priest, to offer vpon mine altar, and to burne incense, and to weare an Ephod before me, and I gaue vnto the house of thy father all the offrings made by fire of the children of Israel. 29Wherefore haue you kicked against my sacrifice and mine offering, which I commaunded in my Tabernacle, and honourest thy children aboue mee, to make your selues fatte of the first fruites of all the offerings of Israel my people? 30Wherefore the Lorde God of Israel saith, I saide, that thine house and the house of thy father should walke before mee for euer: but nowe the Lord saith, It shall not be so: for them that honour me, I will honour, and they that despise me, shall be despised. 31Beholde, the dayes come, that I will cut off thine arme, and the arme of thy fathers house, that there shal not be an olde man in thine house. 32And thou shalt see thine enemie in the habitation of the Lord in all thinges wherewith God shall blesse Israel, and there shall not be an olde man in thine house for euer. 33Neuerthelesse, I will not destroy euery one of thine fro mine altar, to make thine eyes to faile, and to make thine heart sorowfull: and all ye multitude of thine house shall die when they be men. 34And this shalbe a signe vnto thee, that shal come vpon thy two sonnes Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall die both. 35And I will stirre me vp a faithfull Priest, that shall do according to mine heart and according to my minde: & I wil build him a sure house, & he shall walke before mine Anointed for euer. 36And all that are left in thine house, shall come and bowe downe to him for a piece of siluer and a morsell of bread, and shall say, Appoint me, I pray thee, to one of the priestes offices, that I may eate a morsell of bread.