1 Samuel 1-2

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Hannah’s Vow

1 There was a man from Ramathaim-zophim^(A) in^[a] the hill country of Ephraim.^(B) His name was Elkanah^(C) son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² He had two wives,^(D) the first named Hannah^(E) and the second Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless. ³ This man would go up from his town every year^(F) to worship and to sacrifice^(G) to the Lord of Hosts at Shiloh,^(H) where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were the Lord’s priests.

⁴ Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he always gave portions of the meat^(I) to his wife Peninnah and to each of her sons and daughters. ⁵ But he gave a double^[b] portion^(J) to Hannah, for he loved her even though the Lord had kept her from conceiving. ⁶ Her rival would taunt her severely just to provoke her, because the Lord had kept Hannah from conceiving. ⁷ Whenever she went up to the Lord’s house,^(K) her rival taunted her in this way every year. Hannah wept and would not eat. ⁸ “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband Elkanah asked. “Why won’t you eat? Why are you troubled? Am I not better to you than 10 sons?”^(L)

⁹ Hannah got up after they ate and drank at Shiloh.^[c] Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s tabernacle.^{(M) 10} Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept with many tears.^{(N) 11} Making a vow,^(O) she pleaded, “Lord of Hosts, if You will take notice of Your servant’s affliction,^(P) remember and not forget me, and give Your servant a son,^[d] I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut.”^[e](Q)

¹² While she continued praying in the Lord’s presence, Eli watched her lips. ¹³ Hannah was praying silently,^[f](R) and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk ¹⁴ and scolded her, “How long are you going to be drunk?^(S) Get rid of your wine!”

¹⁵ “No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman with a broken heart. I haven’t had any wine or beer; I’ve been pouring out my heart before the Lord.^{(T) 16} Don’t think of me as a wicked woman;^(U) I’ve been praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment.”^(V)

¹⁷ Eli responded, “Go in peace,^(W) and may the God of Israel grant the petition you’ve requested from Him.”^(X)

¹⁸ “May your servant find favor with you,”^(Y) she replied. Then Hannah went on her way; she ate and no longer looked despondent.^[g](Z)

Samuel’s Birth and Dedication

¹⁹ The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to bow in worship before the Lord. Afterward, they returned home to Ramah.^(AA) Then Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.^{(AB) 20} After some time,^[h] Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,^[i] because she said, “I requested him from the Lord.”

²¹ When Elkanah and all his household went up to make the annual sacrifice^(AC) and his vow offering to the Lord, ²² Hannah did not go and explained to her husband, “After the child is weaned, I’ll take him to appear in the Lord’s presence^(AD) and to stay there permanently.”^(AE)

²³ Her husband Elkanah replied, “Do what you think is best,^[j](AF) and stay here until you’ve weaned him. May the Lord confirm your^[k] word.”^(AG) So Hannah stayed there and nursed her son until she weaned him. ²⁴ When she had weaned him, she took him with her to Shiloh, as well as a three-year-old bull,^[l] half a bushel^[m] of flour, and a jar of wine.^(AH) Though the boy was still young,^[n] she took him to the Lord’s house at Shiloh.^{(AI) 25} Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eli.

²⁶ “Please, my lord,” she said, “as sure as you live,^(AJ) my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. ²⁷ I prayed for this boy,^(AK) and since the Lord gave me what I asked Him for,^{(AL) 28} I now give the boy to the Lord. For as long as he lives, he is given to the Lord.”^(AM) Then he^[o] bowed in worship to the Lord there.^[p]

Hannah’s Triumphant Prayer

2 Hannah prayed:^(AN)

¹¹ Elkanah went home to Ramah,^(BO) but the boy served the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.^(BP)

Eli’s Family Judged

¹² Eli’s sons were wicked men;^(BQ) they had no regard for the Lord^{(BR) 13} or for the priests’ share of the sacrifices from the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling ¹⁴ and plunge it into the container or kettle or cauldron or cooking pot.^(BS) The priest would claim for himself whatever the meat fork brought up. This is the way they treated all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh. ¹⁵ Even before the fat was burned,^(BT) the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast, because he won’t accept boiled meat from you—only raw.” ¹⁶ If that man said to him, “The fat must be burned first; then you can take whatever you want for yourself,”^(BU) the servant would reply, “No, I insist that you hand it over right now. If you don’t, I’ll take it by force!” ¹⁷ So the servants’ sin was very severe in the presence of the Lord, because they treated the Lord’s offering with contempt.^(BV)

¹⁸ The boy Samuel served in the Lord’s presence^(BW) and wore a linen ephod.^{(BX) 19} Each year his mother made him a little robe^(BY) and took it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.^{(BZ) 20} Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife:^(CA) “May the Lord give you children by this woman in place of the one she^[t] has given to the Lord.”^(CB) Then they would go home.

²¹ The Lord paid attention to Hannah’s need,^(CC) and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.^(CD)

²² Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel^(CE) and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^{(CF) 23} He said to them, “Why are you doing these things? I have heard about your evil actions from all these people. ²⁴ No, my sons, the report I hear from the Lord’s people is not good. ²⁵ If a man sins against another man, God can intercede for him, but if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?”^(CG) But they would not listen to their father, since the Lord intended to kill them.^{(CH) 26} By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.^(CI)

²⁷ A man of God came to Eli and said to him,^(CJ) “This is what the Lord says: ‘Didn’t I reveal Myself to your ancestral house when it was in Egypt and belonged to Pharaoh’s palace?^{(CK) 28} Out of all the tribes of Israel, I selected your house^[u] to be priests, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence.^(CL) I also gave your house all the Israelite fire offerings. ²⁹ Why, then, do all of you despise My sacrifices and offerings that I require at the place of worship?^(CM) You have honored your sons more than Me,^(CN) by making yourselves fat with the best part of all of the offerings of My people Israel.’

³⁰ “Therefore, this is the declaration of the Lord, the God of Israel:

³¹ “‘Look, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestral family, so that none in your family will reach old age.^{(CR) 32} You will see distress in the place of worship,^(CS) in spite of all that is good in Israel, and no one in your family will ever again reach old age.^{(CT) 33} Any man from your family I do not cut off from My altar will bring grief^[v] and sadness to you. All your descendants will die violently.^{[w][x] 34} This will be the sign that will come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas:^(CU) both of them will die on the same day.^(CV)

³⁵ “‘Then I will raise up a faithful priest^(CW) for Myself. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. I will establish a lasting dynasty for him,^(CX) and he will walk before My anointed one for all time.^{(CY) 36} Anyone who is left in your family will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread. He will say: Please appoint me to some priestly office so I can have a piece of bread to eat.’”