1 Samuel 1
1
The Birth of Samuel
1There was a certain man of #[ver. 19] Ramathaim-zophim of #See Josh. 24:33 the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, #[1 Kgs. 11:26]an Ephrathite. 2He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
3Now this man used to go up #ver. 21; Ex. 23:14; Deut. 16:16; [Luke 2:41] year by year from his city #See Deut. 12:5-7 to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts #[Josh. 18:1]at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. 4On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, #Deut. 12:17, 18; 16:11; [Neh. 8:10, 12]he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.#1:5 Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. Septuagint And, although he loved Hannah, he would give Hannah only one portion, because the Lord had closed her womb 6And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. 8And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? #Ruth 4:15Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
9After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of #ch. 3:3the temple of the Lord. 10She was #Job 7:11; 10:1deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11And she #Gen. 28:20; Judg. 11:30 vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed #Gen. 29:32 look on the affliction of your servant and #ver. 19; [Gen. 30:22] remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, #Judg. 13:5; [Num. 6:5]and no razor shall touch his head.”
12As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 15But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but #Job 30:16; Ps. 42:4; Lam. 2:19; [Ps. 62:8]I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16Do not regard your servant as #ch. 2:12; Judg. 19:22a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17Then Eli answered, #ch. 20:42; Judg. 18:6; 2 Kgs. 5:19; Mark 5:34 “Go in peace, and the God of Israel #Ps. 20:4, 5grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18And she said, #Gen. 33:15; Ruth 2:13 “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman #[Eccles. 9:7]went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
19They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at #ch. 2:11; [ver. 1] Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord #ver. 11remembered her. 20And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”#1:20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for heard of God
Samuel Given to the Lord
21The man Elkanah and all his house #ver. 3went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord #ver. 11, 28; [ch. 2:11, 18; 3:1]and dwell there forever.” 23#[Num. 30:7] Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; #2 Sam. 7:25only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24And when she had weaned him, #Deut. 12:5, 6, 11 she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull,#1:24 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text three bulls an ephah#1:24 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to #ver. 3, 9; [Josh. 18:1]the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26And she said, “Oh, my lord! #ch. 17:55; 20:3; 2 Sam. 11:11; 2 Kgs. 2:2, 4, 6; 4:30As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27For this child I prayed, #ver. 17; [Ps. 6:9]and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”
#
Gen. 24:26, 52 And he worshiped the Lord there.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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1 Samuel 1
1
Samuel’s birth
1Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite#1.1 LXX; MT Ramathaim-zophim from the highlands of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah. He was from the tribe of Ephraim, and he was the son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph. 2Elkanah had two wives, one named Hannah and the other named Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah didn’t.
3Every year this man would leave his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of heavenly forces in Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons Hophni and Phinehas were the LORD’s priests. 4Whenever he sacrificed, Elkanah would give parts of the sacrifice to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5But he would give only one part of it to Hannah, though he loved her, because the LORD had kept her from conceiving.#1.5 Heb uncertain; Syr But he would give a double portion to Hannah, because he loved her, though the LORD had kept her from conceiving. 6And because the LORD had kept Hannah from conceiving, her rival would make fun of her mercilessly, just to bother her. 7So that is what took place year after year. Whenever Hannah went to the Lord’s house, Peninnah would make fun of her. Then she would cry and wouldn’t eat anything.
8“Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah would say to her. “Why won’t you eat? Why are you#1.8 Or your heart so sad? Aren’t I worth more to you than ten sons?”
9One time, after eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah got up and presented herself before the LORD.#1.9 LXX; MT lacks presented herself before the LORD. (Now Eli the priest was sitting in the chair by the doorpost of the LORD’s temple.) 10Hannah was very upset and couldn’t stop crying as she prayed to the LORD. 11Then she made this promise: “LORD of heavenly forces, just look at your servant’s pain and remember me! Don’t forget your servant! Give her a boy! Then I’ll give him to the LORD for his entire life. No razor will ever touch his head.”
12As she kept praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth. 13Now Hannah was praying in her heart; her lips were moving, but her voice was silent, so Eli thought she was drunk.
14“How long will you act like a drunk? Sober up!” Eli told her.
15“No sir!” Hannah replied. “I’m just a very sad woman. I haven’t had any wine or beer but have been pouring out my heart to the LORD. 16Don’t think your servant is some good-for-nothing woman. This whole time I’ve been praying out of my great worry and trouble!”
17Eli responded, “Then go in peace. And may the God of Israel give you what you’ve asked from him.”
18“Please think well of me, your servant,” Hannah said. Then the woman went on her way, ate some food, and wasn’t sad any longer.#1.18 LXX; MT lacks sad.
19They got up early the next morning and worshipped the LORD. Then they went back home to Ramah. Elkanah had sex with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her. 20So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, which means “I asked the LORD for him.”#1.20 Samuel means God has heard but here is connected to the Heb verb to ask.
Samuel’s dedication
21When Elkanah and all his household went up to make the annual sacrifice and keep his solemn promise, 22Hannah didn’t go.
“I’ll bring the boy when he is weaned,” she told her husband, “so he can be presented to the LORD and stay there permanently. I will offer him as a nazirite forever.”#1.22 DSS (4QSama); MT lacks I will offer… forever.
23“Do what seems best to you,” said her husband Elkanah. “Stay here until you’ve weaned him. But may the LORD bring to pass what you’ve#1.23 LXX, DSS (4QSama); MT he promised.” So the woman stayed home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
24When he had been weaned and was still very young,#1.24 Or and the boy was a boy; Heb uncertain Hannah took him, along with a three-year-old bull, #1.24 LXX, DSS (4QSama), Syr; MT three bulls an ephah#1.24 An ephah was approximately twenty quarts. of flour, and a jar of wine, and brought him to the LORD’s house at Shiloh. 25They slaughtered the bull, then brought the boy to Eli.
26“Excuse me, sir!” Hannah said. “As surely as you live, sir, I am the woman who stood here next to you, praying to the LORD. 27I prayed for this boy, and the LORD gave me what I asked from him. 28So now I give this boy back to the LORD. As long as he lives, he is given to the LORD.”
Then they worshipped there before the LORD.#1.28 Some Heb manuscripts, Syr, Vulg; MT he(Eli?) worshipped; DSS (4QSama) and she (Hannah) left him there and worshipped the LORD.
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