1 Samuel 1:19-2:11

English Standard Version

¹⁹They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at ^(A)Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord ^(B)remembered 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.”^[a]

Samuel Given to the Lord

²¹The man Elkanah and all his house ^(C)went 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 ^(D)and dwell there forever.” ²³^(E)Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; ^(F)only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. ²⁴And when she had weaned him, ^(G)she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull,^[b] an ephah^[c] of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to ^(H)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! ^(I)As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. ²⁷For this child I prayed, ^(J)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.”

^(K)And he worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah's Prayer

2 And Hannah prayed and said,

^(L)“My heart exults in the Lord;
^(M)my horn is exalted in the Lord.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because ^(N)I rejoice in your salvation.

²^(O)“There is none holy like the Lord:
    for there is none besides you;
    there is ^(P)no rock like our God.
³Talk no more so very proudly,
    let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
    and by him actions are weighed.
⁴^(Q)The bows of the mighty are broken,
    but the feeble bind on strength.
⁵Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
    but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger.
^(R)The barren has borne seven,
    ^(S)but she who has many children is forlorn.
⁶^(T)The Lord kills and brings to life;
    he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
⁷^(U)The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
    ^(V)he brings low and he exalts.
⁸^(W)He raises up the poor from the dust;
    he lifts the needy from the ash heap
^(X)to make them sit with princes
    and inherit a seat of honor.
^(Y)For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's,
    and on them he has set the world.

⁹^(Z)“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
    but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness,
    for not by might shall a man prevail.
¹⁰^(AA)The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces;
    ^(AB)against them he will thunder in heaven.
^(AC)The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
    he will give strength to his king
    ^(AD)and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

¹¹Then Elkanah went home ^(AE)to Ramah. ^(AF)And the boy^[d] was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.

Footnotes

1 Samuel 1:20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for heard of God
1 Samuel 1:24 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text three bulls
1 Samuel 1:24 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
1 Samuel 2:11 Hebrew na‘ar can be rendered boy (2:11, 18, 21, 26; 3:1, 8), servant (2:13, 15), or young man (2:17), depending on the context