1 Samuel 1
1
The Birth of Samuel
1Now there was a certain man of Ramatha´im–zo´phim, of mount E´phra-im, and his name was Elka´nah, the son of Jero´ham, the son of Eli´hu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Eph´rathite: 2and he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Penin´nah: and Penin´nah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phin´ehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. 4And when the time was that Elka´nah offered, he gave to Penin´nah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: 5but unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb. 6And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb. 7And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. 8Then said Elka´nah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?
9So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the Lord. 10And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the Lord, and wept sore. 11#Num 6.5. And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
12And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli marked her mouth. 13Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. 14And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. 15And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 16Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Be´li-al: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. 17Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. 18And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.
19And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elka´nah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her. 20Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord.
21And the man Elka´nah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. 22But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide for ever. 23And Elka´nah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the Lord establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him. 24And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the Lord in Shiloh: and the child was young. 25And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. 26And she said, O my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the Lord. 27For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him: 28therefore also I have lent him to the Lord; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the Lord. And he worshipped the Lord there.
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.
1 Samuel 1
1
Elkanah’s Family Worships at Shiloh
1There was a man named Elkanah from the Zuph family who lived in Ramah in the hill country of Ephraim. Elkanah was the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph from the tribe of Ephraim.
2Elkanah had two wives. One wife was named Hannah and the other wife was named Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.
3Every year Elkanah left his town of Ramah and went up to Shiloh. He worshiped the Lord All-Powerful at Shiloh and offered sacrifices to the Lord there. Shiloh was where Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, served as priests of the Lord. 4Whenever Elkanah offered his sacrifices, he always gave one share of the food to his wife Peninnah and a share of the food to each of Peninnah’s children. 5Elkanah always gave an equal share#1:5 equal share Or “double share.” of the food to Hannah. He did this because he loved her very much, even though the Lord had not let Hannah have any children.
Peninnah Upsets Hannah
6Peninnah always upset Hannah and made her feel bad because the Lord had not made her able to have children. 7This happened every year when their family went to the Lord’s house at Shiloh. Peninnah would upset Hannah so much that she would begin to cry and would not eat anything. One year when this happened, 8her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why won’t you eat? Why are you so sad? You have me. Isn’t that better than having even ten sons?”
Hannah’s Prayer
9After eating and drinking, Hannah quietly got up and went to pray to the Lord.#1:9 went to pray to the Lord This is from the ancient Greek version. Eli the priest was sitting on a chair near the door of the Lord’s Holy Building.#1:9 Holy Building This could mean the Holy Tent at Shiloh where people went to worship the Lord or a larger area where they put the Holy Tent. 10Hannah was so sad that she cried the whole time she was praying to the Lord. 11She made a special promise to God and said, “Lord All-Powerful, you can see how sad I am. Remember me. Don’t forget me. If you will give me a son, I will give him to you. He will be yours his whole life, and as a Nazirite, he will not drink wine or strong drink,#1:11 he … strong drink This is found in the ancient Greek version and a Hebrew scroll from Qumran but not in the standard Hebrew text. and no one will ever cut his hair.”
12Hannah prayed to the Lord a long time. Eli was watching her mouth while she was praying. 13Hannah was praying in her heart. Her lips were moving, but since she did not say the words out loud, Eli thought she was drunk. 14He said to her, “You have had too much to drink. It is time to put away the wine.”
15Hannah answered, “Sir, I have not drunk any wine or beer. I am deeply troubled, and I was telling the Lord about all my problems. 16Don’t think I am a bad woman. I have been praying so long because I have so many troubles and am very sad.”
17Eli answered, “Go in peace. May the God of Israel give you what you asked for.”
18Hannah said, “May you be happy with me.” Then she left and ate something. She was not sad anymore.
19Early the next morning Elkanah’s family got up. They worshiped the Lord and then went back home to Ramah.
Samuel’s Birth
Elkanah had sexual relations with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered Hannah. 20By that time the following year, Hannah had become pregnant and had a son. She named him Samuel.#1:20 Samuel This name means “His name is El (God).” But in Hebrew it is like “heard by God.” She said, “His name is Samuel because I asked the Lord for him.”
21Elkanah went to Shiloh to offer the sacrifice for that year and the gift he had promised to the Lord. He took his family with him. 22But Hannah did not go. She told Elkanah, “When the boy is old enough to eat solid food, I will take him to Shiloh. Then I will give him to the Lord. He will become a Nazirite.#1:22 He will become a Nazirite This is found in the ancient Greek version and a Hebrew scroll from Qumran but not in the standard Hebrew text. He will stay there at Shiloh.”
23Hannah’s husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what you think is best. You may stay home until the boy is old enough to eat solid food. May the Lord do what you#1:23 you This is from the ancient Greek version and a Hebrew scroll from Qumran. The standard Hebrew text has “he.” have said.” So Hannah stayed at home to nurse her son until he was old enough to eat solid food.
Hannah Takes Samuel to Eli at Shiloh
24When the boy was old enough to eat solid food, Hannah took him to the Lord’s house at Shiloh. She also took a bull that was three years old, 20 pounds#1:24 20 pounds Literally, “an ephah” (22 l). of flour, and a bottle of wine.
25They went before the Lord. Elkanah killed the bull as a sacrifice to the Lord as he usually did.#1:25 They went … he usually did This is found in the ancient Greek version and a Hebrew scroll from Qumran but not in the standard Hebrew text. Then Hannah gave the boy to Eli. 26She said to him, “Pardon me, sir. I am the same woman who stood near you praying to the Lord. I promise that I am telling the truth. 27I prayed for this child, and the Lord answered my prayer. He gave me this child. 28And now I give this child to the Lord. He will serve#1:28 serve Or “belong to.” the Lord all his life.”
Then Hannah left the boy there#1:28 left the boy there This is found in a Hebrew scroll from Qumran but not in the standard Hebrew text. and worshiped the Lord.
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