---
title: "1 Samuel 2 – Catholic Bible (CPDV) & Latin Vulgate · Bless"
url: https://blessbible.app/bible/1-samuel/2/
description: "The canticle of Anna. The wickedness of the sons of Heli: for which they are… 1 Samuel 2 in the Catholic Public Domain Version, with the Latin Vulgate."
---

# 1 Samuel 2

1 Samuel 2 is chapter 2 of 31 in the First Book of Samuel. Here are all 36 verses in the Catholic Public Domain Version, with the Latin of the Clementine Vulgate beside them.

> The canticle of Anna. The wickedness of the sons of Heli: for which they are not duly corrected by their father. A prophecy against the house of Heli.
>
> — Bp. Richard Challoner, chapter summary

## 1 Samuel 2 (Catholic Public Domain Version)

1. “My heart exults in the Lord, and my horn is exalted in my God. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies. For I have rejoiced in your salvation.
2. Nothing is holy as the Lord is holy. For there is no other beside you. And nothing is strong as our God is strong.
3. Do not continue speaking of great things, boasting. Let what is old depart from your mouth. For the Lord is the God of knowledge, and thoughts are prepared for him.
4. The bow of the powerful has been overwhelmed, and the weak have been girded with strength.
5. Those who before were filled, have hired themselves out for bread. And the starving have been filled, so that the barren have given birth to many. But she who had borne many sons has become unable.
6. The Lord brings death, and he gives life. He leads away to death, and he brings back again.
7. The Lord impoverishes, and he enriches. He humbles, and he lifts up.
8. He raises up the indigent from the dust, and he lifts up the poor from filth, so that they may sit with princes, and take hold of a throne of glory. For the hinges of the earth belong to the Lord, and he has placed the globe upon them.
9. He will preserve the feet of his holy ones, and the impious will be silenced in darkness. For no man will prevail by his own strength.
10. The adversaries of the Lord will dread him. And over them, he will thunder in the heavens. The Lord will judge the parts of the earth, and he will give dominion to his king, and he will lift up the horn of his Christ.”
11. And Elkanah went away to Ramah, to his house. But the boy was a minister in the sight of the Lord, before the face of Eli, the priest.
12. But the sons of Eli were sons of Belial, not knowing the Lord,
13. nor the priestly office for the people. And so, no matter who had immolated a victim, the servant of the priest would arrive, while the flesh was still cooking, and he would take a three-pronged hook in his hand,
14. and put it into the vessel, or into the cauldron, or into the cooking pot, or into the pan, and all that the hook lifted up, the priest took for himself. So they did to all of Israel who arrived at Shiloh.
15. In addition, before they burned the fat, the servant of the priest would arrive, and he would say to the one who was immolating: “Give me the flesh, so that I may boil it for the priest. For I will not accept cooked meat from you, but raw.”
16. And the one who was immolating would say to him, “First, allow the fat to be burned today, according to custom, and then take for yourself whatever your soul desires.” But in response, he would say to him: “By no means. For you will give it to me now, otherwise I will take it by force.”
17. Therefore, the sin of the servants was exceedingly great before the Lord. For they drew men away from the sacrifice of the Lord.
18. But Samuel was ministering before the face of the Lord; he was a youth girded with a linen ephod.
19. And his mother fashioned a little tunic for him, which she brought to him on the appointed days, ascending with her husband, so that he might immolate the solemn sacrifice.
20. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife. And he said to him, “May the Lord repay to you offspring from this woman, on behalf of the loan that you offered to the Lord.” And they went away to their own place.
21. Then the Lord visited Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the youth Samuel was magnified with the Lord.
22. Now Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons were doing to all of Israel, and how they were sleeping with the women who were waiting at the door of the tabernacle.
23. And he said to them: “Why are you doing these kinds of things, very wicked things, that I have heard from all the people?
24. My sons, do not be willing. For it is no good report that I am hearing, so that you would cause the people of the Lord to transgress.
25. If a man has sinned against a man, God may be able to be appeased over him. But if a man has sinned against the Lord, who will pray for him?” But they did not listen to the voice of their father, that the Lord was willing to kill them.
26. But the youth Samuel advanced, and grew up, and he was pleasing to the Lord, as well as to men.
27. Then a man of God went to Eli, and he said to him: “Thus says the Lord: Was I not revealed openly to the house of your father, when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharaoh?
28. And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel for myself as priest, so that he might ascend to my altar, and burn incense to me, and wear the ephod before me. And I gave to the house of your father all the sacrifices of the sons of Israel.
29. Why have you kicked away my victims and my gifts, which I instructed to be offered in the temple? And why have you given more honor to your sons than to me, so that you eat the first-fruits of every sacrifice of my people Israel?
30. Because of this, the Lord God of Israel says: I have spoken clearly, so that your house, and the house of your father, may minister in my sight, even forever. But now the Lord says: May this be far from me. Instead, whoever will have glorified me, I will glorify him. But whoever despises me, they will be despised.
31. Behold the days are arriving, when I will cut off your arm, and the arm of the house of your father, so that there will not be an old man in your house.
32. And you will see your rival in the temple, amid all the prosperity of Israel. And there will not be an old man in your house for all days.
33. Yet truly, I will not entirely take away a man of you from my altar, but such that your eyes may fail, and your soul may melt away, and a great part of your house may die out, as it pertains to the state of men.
34. But this will be a sign to you, which will happen to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on one day they both will die.
35. And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will act in accord with my heart and my soul. And I will build a faithful house for him. And he will walk before my Christ for all days.
36. Then this will be in the future, that whoever will have remained of your house, he will approach so that he may pray on his behalf. And he will offer a coin of silver, and a twist of bread. And he will say: ‘Permit me, I beg you, one part of the priestly office, so that I may eat a mouthful of bread.’”

## 1 Samuel 2 in Latin (Clementine Vulgate, 1592)

1. Exultavit cor meum in Domino, et exaltatum est cornu meum in Deo meo; dilatatum est os meum super inimicos meos: quia lætata sum in salutari tuo.
2. Non est sanctus, ut est Dominus, neque enim est alius extra te, et non est fortis sicut Deus noster.
3. Nolite multiplicare loqui sublimia gloriantes; recedant vetera de ore vestro: quia Deus scientiarum Dominus est, et ipsi præparantur cogitationes.
4. Arcus fortium superatus est, et infirmi accincti sunt robore.
5. Repleti prius, pro panibus se locaverunt: et famelici saturati sunt, donec sterilis peperit plurimos: et quæ multos habebat filios, infirmata est.
6. Dominus mortificat et vivificat; deducit ad inferos et reducit.
7. Dominus pauperem facit et ditat, humiliat et sublevat.
8. Suscitat de pulvere egenum, et de stercore elevat pauperem: ut sedeat cum principibus, et solium gloriæ teneat. Domini enim sunt cardines terræ, et posuit super eos orbem.
9. Pedes sanctorum suorum servabit, et impii in tenebris conticescent: quia non in fortitudine sua roborabitur vir.
10. Dominum formidabunt adversarii ejus: et super ipsos in cælis tonabit. Dominus judicabit fines terræ, et dabit imperium regi suo, et sublimabit cornu christi sui.
11. Et abiit Elcana Ramatha, in domum suam: puer autem erat minister in conspectu Domini ante faciem Heli sacerdotis.
12. Porro filii Heli, filii Belial, nescientes Dominum,
13. neque officium sacerdotum ad populum: sed quicumque immolasset victimam, veniebat puer sacerdotis, dum coquerentur carnes, et habebat fuscinulam tridentem in manu sua,
14. et mittebat eam in lebetem, vel in caldariam, aut in ollam, sive in cacabum: et omne quod levabat fuscinula, tollebat sacerdos sibi: sic faciebant universo Israëli venientium in Silo.
15. Etiam antequam adolerent adipem, veniebat puer sacerdotis, et dicebat immolanti: Da mihi carnem, ut coquam sacerdoti: non enim accipiam a te carnem coctam, sed crudam.
16. Dicebatque illi immolans: Incendatur primum juxta morem hodie adeps, et tolle tibi quantumcumque desiderat anima tua. Qui respondens aiebat ei: Nequaquam: nunc enim dabis, alioquin tollam vi.
17. Erat ergo peccatum puerorum grande nimis coram Domino: quia retrahebant homines a sacrificio Domini.
18. Samuel autem ministrabat ante faciem Domini, puer accinctus ephod lineo.
19. Et tunicam parvam faciebat ei mater sua, quam afferebat statutis diebus, ascendens cum viro suo, ut immolaret hostiam solemnem.
20. Et benedixit Heli Elcanæ et uxori ejus: dixitque ei: Reddat tibi Dominus semen de muliere hac, pro fœnore quod commodasti Domino. Et abierunt in locum suum.
21. Visitavit ergo Dominus Annam, et concepit, et peperit tres filios, et duas filias: et magnificatus est puer Samuel apud Dominum.
22. Heli autem erat senex valde, et audivit omnia quæ faciebant filii sui universo Israëli, et quomodo dormiebant cum mulieribus quæ observabant ad ostium tabernaculi:
23. et dixit eis: Quare facitis res hujuscemodi quas ego audio, res pessimas, ab omni populo?
24. Nolite, filii mei: non enim est bona fama quam ego audio, ut transgredi faciatis populum Domini.
25. Si peccaverit vir in virum, placari ei potest Deus: si autem in Dominum peccaverit vir, quis orabit pro eo? Et non audierunt vocem patris sui: quia voluit Dominus occidere eos.
26. Puer autem Samuel proficiebat atque crescebat, et placebat tam Domino quam hominibus.
27. Venit autem vir Dei ad Heli, et ait ad eum: Hæc dicit Dominus: Numquid non aperte revelatus sum domui patris tui, cum essent in Ægypto in domo Pharaonis?
28. Et elegi eum ex omnibus tribubus Israël mihi in sacerdotem, ut ascenderet ad altare meum, et adoleret mihi incensum, et portaret ephod coram me: et dedi domui patris tui omnia de sacrificiis filiorum Israël.
29. Quare calce abjecistis victimam meam, et munera mea quæ præcepi ut offerrentur in templo: et magis honorasti filios tuos quam me, ut comederetis primitias omnis sacrificii Israël populi mei?
30. Propterea ait Dominus Deus Israël: Loquens locutus sum, ut domus tua, et domus patris tui, ministraret in conspectu meo usque in sempiternum. Nunc autem dicit Dominus: Absit hoc a me: sed quicumque glorificaverit me, glorificabo eum: qui autem contemnunt me, erunt ignobiles.
31. Ecce dies veniunt, et præcidam brachium tuum, et brachium domus patris tui, ut non sit senex in domo tua.
32. Et videbis æmulum tuum in templo, in universis prosperis Israël: et non erit senex in domo tua omnibus diebus.
33. Verumtamen non auferam penitus virum ex te ab altari meo: sed ut deficiant oculi tui, et tabescat anima tua: et pars magna domus tuæ morietur cum ad virilem ætatem venerit.
34. Hoc autem erit tibi signum, quod venturum est duobus filiis tuis, Ophni et Phinees: in die uno morientur ambo.
35. Et suscitabo mihi sacerdotem fidelem, qui juxta cor meum et animam meam faciet: et ædificabo ei domum fidelem, et ambulabit coram christo meo cunctis diebus.
36. Futurum est autem, ut quicumque remanserit in domo tua, veniat ut oretur pro eo, et offerat nummum argenteum, et tortam panis, dicatque: Dimitte me, obsecro, ad unam partem sacerdotalem, ut comedam buccellam panis.

## Bishop Challoner's notes

Bp. Richard Challoner, notes on the Douay-Rheims (1750); they comment on its older wording.
- Verse 1: “My horn” … The horn in the scriptures signifies strength, power, the horn is said to be exalted, when a person receives an increase of strength or glory.
- Verse 25: By this word Heli would have his sons understand, that by their wicked abuse of sacred things, and of the very sacrifices which were appointed to appease the Lord, they deprived themselves of the ordinary means of reconciliation with God; which was by sacrifices. The more, because they were the chief priests whose business it was to intercede for all others, they had no other to offer sacrifices and to make atonement for them. Ibid.
- Verse 25: In consequence of their manifold sacrileges, he would not soften their hearts with his efficacious grace, but was determined to destroy them.
- Verse 32: A priest of another race. This was partly fulfilled, when Abiathar, of the race of Heli, was removed from the priesthood, and Sadoc, who was of another line, was substituted in his place. But it was more fully accomplished in the New Testament, when the priesthood of Aaron gave place to that of Christ.

## Read at Mass (US)

- Tue, Dec 22, 2026: Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent — Responsorial Psalm, 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
- Wed, Dec 22, 2027 (computed): Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent — Responsorial Psalm, 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
- Tue, Jan 11, 2028 (computed): Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time — Responsorial Psalm, 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd
- Fri, Dec 22, 2028 (computed): Friday of the Third Week of Advent — Responsorial Psalm, 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

Citations as published in the USCCB liturgical calendar (principal Mass, first option). Dates after May 31, 2027 are computed by Bless from the US Lectionary cycle — confirm with your parish.

Source: Catholic Public Domain Version (Ronald L. Conte Jr., 2009), public domain; Latin: Clementine Vulgate (1592).