Elkanah and His Wives

1 Now there was a certain man from ^(A)Ramathaim-zophim from the ^(B)hill country of Ephraim, and his name was ^(C)Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² Now he had ^(D)two wives: the name of one was ^(E)Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³ Now that man would go up from his city ^(F)yearly ^(G)to worship and to sacrifice to ^[a]Yahweh of hosts in ^(H)Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to Yahweh there. ⁴ And the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, and he ^(I)would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters; ⁵ but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, ^(J)but Yahweh had closed her womb. ⁶ Her rival, however, ^(K)would provoke her bitterly to irritate her because Yahweh had closed her womb. ⁷ And so it would happen year after year, as often as she went up to the house of Yahweh, she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat. ⁸ Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? ^(L)Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

⁹ Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of ^(M)the temple of Yahweh. ¹⁰ And she, bitter of soul, prayed to Yahweh and wept despondently. ¹¹ And she ^(N)made a vow and said, “O Yahweh of hosts, if You will indeed ^(O)look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a seed amongst men, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and ^(P)a razor shall never come on his head.”

¹² Now it happened, as she multiplied her praying before Yahweh, that Eli was watching her mouth. ¹³ As for Hannah, ^(Q)she was speaking in her heart; only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴ Then Eli said to her, “^(R)How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.” ¹⁵ But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman ^[b]oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I ^(S)have poured out my soul before Yahweh. ¹⁶ Do not ^[c]consider your maidservant as a vile woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great complaint and ^[d]provocation.” ¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, “^(T)Go in peace; and may the God of Israel ^(U)grant your petition that you have asked of Him.” ¹⁸ And she said, “^(V)Let your servant-woman find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and ^(W)her face was no longer sad.

The Birth of Samuel

¹⁹ Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before Yahweh and turned back and came to their house in ^(X)Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and ^(Y)Yahweh remembered her. ²⁰ Now it happened ^[e]in due time that Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “^(Z)Because I have asked him of Yahweh.”

²¹ Then the man Elkanah ^(AA)went up with all his household to offer to Yahweh the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow. ²² But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the young boy is weaned; then I will ^(AB)bring him, that he may appear before Yahweh and ^(AC)stay there forever.” ^23 (AD)And Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what is good in your eyes. Remain until you have weaned him; only ^(AE)may Yahweh establish His word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. ²⁴ Now when she had weaned him, ^(AF)she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull and one ^[f]ephah of flour and a jug of wine and brought him to ^(AG)the house of Yahweh in Shiloh, although the boy was young. ²⁵ Then ^(AH)they slaughtered the bull and ^(AI)brought the young boy to Eli. ²⁶ And she said, “Oh, my lord! ^(AJ)As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to Yahweh. ^27 (AK)For this young boy I prayed, and Yahweh has given me my petition which I asked of Him. ^28 (AL)So I have also ^[g]dedicated him to Yahweh; as long as he lives, he is ^[h]dedicated to Yahweh.” So ^(AM)he worshiped Yahweh there.