⁶ Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.^{(A) 7} This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.^{(B) 8} Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?^(C)”