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The Prayer of Hannah

Hannah prayed, saying:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
    my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth is bold against my enemies,
    because I rejoice in Your salvation.

“There is none holy as the Lord,
    for there is none besides You,
    and there is no rock like our God.

“Do not multiply proud speech,
    nor let arrogance come out of your mouth,
for the Lord is the God of knowledge,
    and by Him actions are examined.

“The bows of the mighty are broken,
    but those who stumbled are girded with strength.
Those that were full have hired out themselves for bread,
    and those that were hungry ceased to hunger.
Even the barren has borne seven,
    and she that has many children wastes away.

“The Lord kills and makes alive;
    He brings down to the grave and brings up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
    He brings low and lifts up.
He raises up the poor out of the dust
    and lifts up the oppressed from the dunghill
to make them sit with princes
    and inherit a throne of glory.

“For the pillars of the earth belong to the Lord,
    and He has set the world upon them.
He will guard the feet of His saints,
    but the wicked will be silent in darkness.

“For by strength shall no man prevail.
10     The adversaries of the Lord will be broken to pieces;
He will thunder against them out of heaven.
    The Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength to His king
    and exalt the horn of His anointed.”

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Hannah’s Prayer

Then Hannah prayed and said:(A)

“My heart rejoices(B) in the Lord;
    in the Lord my horn[a](C) is lifted high.
My mouth boasts(D) over my enemies,(E)
    for I delight in your deliverance.

“There is no one holy(F) like(G) the Lord;
    there is no one besides you;
    there is no Rock(H) like our God.

“Do not keep talking so proudly
    or let your mouth speak such arrogance,(I)
for the Lord is a God who knows,(J)
    and by him deeds(K) are weighed.(L)

“The bows of the warriors are broken,(M)
    but those who stumbled are armed with strength.(N)
Those who were full hire themselves out for food,
    but those who were hungry(O) are hungry no more.
She who was barren(P) has borne seven children,
    but she who has had many sons pines away.

“The Lord brings death and makes alive;(Q)
    he brings down to the grave and raises up.(R)
The Lord sends poverty and wealth;(S)
    he humbles and he exalts.(T)
He raises(U) the poor(V) from the dust(W)
    and lifts the needy(X) from the ash heap;
he seats them with princes
    and has them inherit a throne of honor.(Y)

“For the foundations(Z) of the earth are the Lord’s;
    on them he has set the world.
He will guard the feet(AA) of his faithful servants,(AB)
    but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness.(AC)

“It is not by strength(AD) that one prevails;
10     those who oppose the Lord will be broken.(AE)
The Most High will thunder(AF) from heaven;
    the Lord will judge(AG) the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength(AH) to his king
    and exalt the horn(AI) of his anointed.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 2:1 Horn here symbolizes strength; also in verse 10.