8
He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, And He has set the world upon them.
9
He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail.
10
The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed."
11
Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.
12
Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the Lord.
13
And the priests' custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling.
14
Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
15
Also, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, "Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw."
16
And if the man said to him, "They should really burn the fat first; then you may take as much as your heart desires," he would then answer him, "No, but you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force."
17
Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.
18
But Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod.