Chana prayed and said: "My heart exults in Adonoy, my horn is exalted in Adonoy, my mouth is enlarged over my enemies; for I rejoice in Your salvation.

For there is none holy like Adonoy, for there is none beside You; and there is no stronghold like our God.

Do not abound in speaking so very proudly, let not harshness come from your mouth; for a God of knowledge is Adonoy, and by Him all actions are counted.

The bows of the mighty are broken, and [they that had been] stumbling were girded with strength.

The sated have hired themselves out for bread, and the hungry have ceased; until the barren has born seven, and she with many children was bereaved.

Adonoy kills and gives life; He casts down to the grave and brings up.

Adonoy makes poor and makes rich; He makes low and also lifts up.

He raises up the poor from the dirt, from the dung heaps He lifts up the destitute, to seat them with the nobles and apportions them the seat of honor. For the foundations of earth are Adonoy's, and He set the world upon them.

He guards the steps of his pious ones, and the wicked are stilled in the darkness; for not by strength does man prevail.

Adonoy, may His adversaries be broken; let Him thunder against them from heaven. May Adonoy judge the ends of the world, and give power to His king, and raise the pride of His anointed one."

Elkonoh went to Romoh to his home; and the youth served Adonoy in the presence of Eili the kohein.

The sons of Eili were wicked, they did not know Adonoy.

The custom of the kohanim with the people was that when any person would offer a sacrifice, the kohein-youth would come while the meat was cooking with the three-pronged fork in his hand.

He would thrust it into the cauldron, pot, pan or bowl; [and] everything that the fork would bring up, the kohein would take for himself. This is what they would do to all Yisroel who would come there to Shiloh.

Even before they would burn the fat, the youth-kohein would come and say to the man who was offering the sacrifice, "Give meat for roasting for the kohein, for he will not take cooked meat from you, but only raw."

And if the man would say to him, "Let them first burn the fat and then take whatever your soul desires," then he would say, "No! Give it now, or else I will take it by force."

The sinfulness of the youths was very great before Adonoy, for the men had disgraced Adonoy's offering.

But Shmuel served before Adonoy, a lad girded with a linen robe.

His mother would make for him a small robe and bring it up to him once a year, when she came up with her husband to sacrifice the festival's offering.

Eili would then bless Elkonoh and his wife and say, "May Adonoy give you offspring from this woman," because of the request that he had made of Adonoy. They would then return to his dwelling.

For Adonoy remembered Chana, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the youth Shmuel grew up with Adonoy.

Eili was very old and he heard all that his sons would do to all of Yisroel, and that they would lie with the women who assembled at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting.

And he said to them, "Why do you do such things, for I hear of your evil deeds from all these people?

No, my sons, for it is not good the report that I hear being passed on by Adonoy's people.

If man sins against man, a judge tries him; but if a man sins against Adonoy, who can speak in his defense?" But they would not listen to their father's voice, for it was Adonoy's will to kill them.

But the youth Shmuel continued to grow and was in favor both with Adonoy and also with people.

Then a man of God came to Eili and said to him, "Thus said Adonoy, 'Have I not repeatedly revealed Myself to your ancestor's family when they were in Egypt, [enslaved] to the house of Pharaoh?

And chose him of all the tribes of Yisroel to be a kohein to Me, to offer up [sacrifices] on My altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me; and I did give your ancestor's family all the fire-offerings of the Bnei Yisroel.

Why do you scorn My sacrifice and My meal-offering which I have commanded you [to bring in My] Sanctuary? But you honor your sons more than Me, to feed yourselves from the choice parts of all the offerings of Yisroel, My people?'

Therefore,' says Adonoy, God of Yisroel, 'I had indeed decreed that your family and your father's family would serve before Me forever.' 'But now,' says Adonoy, 'Far be it from Me [to do so]; for I honor those who honor Me, and those who dishonor Me will be cursed.

Behold, days are coming when I shall cut off your arm and the arm of your father's family, from there being an elder in your family.

And you will see a rival [in My] Sanctuary throughout all the good that He will bring upon Yisroel; but there will be no elder in your family for all time.

Yet I will not cut [one last man] from My altar, to pine your eyes and sadden your soul, and all those raised in your house will die as [young] men.

This is the sign for you, that which will happen to your two sons, Chofni and Pinchas: they will both die on the same day.

And I will appoint for Myself a faithful kohein, [one] who will do as is in My heart and in My desire; I will build for him an everlasting house, and he will serve before My anointed one all the days.

And everyone that will remain of your family will come to bow down to him for a silver coin or a loaf of bread, and will say, "Please let me be included among one of the priestly divisions, that I may eat a morsel of bread."'"