Chapter 1

¹Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite: ²and he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ³This man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of Armies in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to Yahweh, were there. ⁴When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: ⁵but to Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but Yahweh had shut up her womb. ⁶Her rival provoked her sore, to make her fret, because Yahweh had shut up her womb. ⁷as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of Yahweh, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. ⁸Elkanah her husband said to her, Hannah, why weep you? and why don’t you eat? and why is your heart grieved? am I not better to you than ten sons? ⁹So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his seat by the doorpost of the temple of Yahweh. ¹⁰She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to Yahweh, and wept sore. ¹¹She vowed a vow, and said, Yahweh of Armies, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your handmaid, and remember me, and not forget your handmaid, but will give to your handmaid a boy, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come on his head. ¹²It happened, as she continued praying before Yahweh, that Eli marked her mouth. ¹³Now Hannah, she spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. ¹⁴Eli said to her, How long will you be drunken? put away your wine from you. ¹⁵Hannah answered, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I poured out my soul before Yahweh. ¹⁶Don’t count your handmaid for a wicked woman; for out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation have I spoken hitherto. ¹⁷Then Eli answered, Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of him. ¹⁸She said, Let your handmaid find favor in your sight. So the woman went her way, and ate; and her facial expression wasn’t sad any more. ¹⁹They rose up in the morning early, and worshiped before Yahweh, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and Yahweh remembered her. ²⁰It happened, when the time was come about, that Hannah conceived, and bore a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of Yahweh. ²¹The man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer to Yahweh the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. ²²But Hannah didn’t go up; for she said to her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned; and then I will bring him, that he may appear before Yahweh, and there abide forever. ²³Elkanah her husband said to her, Do what seems you good; wait until you have weaned him; only Yahweh establish his word. So the woman waited and nursed her son, until she weaned him. ²⁴When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, and one ephah of meal, and a bottle of wine, and brought him to the house of Yahweh in Shiloh: and the child was young. ²⁵They killed the bull, and brought the child to Eli. ²⁶She said, Oh, my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to Yahweh. ²⁷For this child I prayed; and Yahweh has given me my petition which I asked of him: ²⁸therefore also I have granted him to Yahweh; as long as he lives he is granted to Yahweh. He worshiped Yahweh there.