撒母耳记上 1
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
以利加拿攜二妻到示羅獻祭
1 在以法蓮山地的拉瑪．瑣非，有一個以法蓮人名叫以利加拿，是耶羅罕的兒子、以利戶的孫子、託戶的曾孫、蘇弗的玄孫。 2 他有兩個妻子，一個名叫哈拿，另一個名叫毘尼拿。毘尼拿有孩子，哈拿卻沒有孩子。 3 這人每年都從他的本城上示羅去敬拜，獻祭給萬軍之耶和華。在示羅有以利的兩個兒子，何弗尼和非尼哈，作耶和華的祭司。 4 以利加拿在獻祭的那天，就把祭肉分給妻子毘尼拿和她所有的兒女。 5 但他只分給哈拿一分；他雖然愛哈拿（《馬索拉文本》意思不明確，“但他只分給哈拿一分；他雖然愛哈拿”或譯：“但他分給哈拿雙分，因為他愛哈拿”），耶和華卻使哈拿不能懷孕。 6 因為耶和華使哈拿不能懷孕，她的對頭就盡力刺激她，使她苦惱。 7 年年都是這樣；每逢她上耶和華殿的時候，毘尼拿總是刺激哈拿，使她哭泣，吃不下飯。 8 她的丈夫以利加拿對她說：“哈拿，你為甚麼哭泣？為甚麼不吃飯，為甚麼心裡難過呢？你有我不是比有十個兒子更好嗎？”
哈拿求子
9 哈拿在示羅吃喝完了，就起來。（那時以利祭司在耶和華殿的門柱旁邊，坐在椅子上。） 10 她心裡愁苦，就向耶和華禱告，流淚痛哭， 11 並且許願，說：“萬軍之耶和華啊，你若是看顧使女的困苦，記念我，不忘記你的使女，賜給使女一個兒子，我就必把他一生獻給耶和華，不剃他的頭。”
12 哈拿向耶和華禱告了很久，以利一直在注視她的嘴。 13 原來哈拿是在心中訴說，只見她的嘴唇在動，卻聽不見她的聲音，因此以利以為她是個喝醉了的女人。 14 以利就對她說：“你要醉到幾時呢？快快醒過來吧！” 15 哈拿回答：“我主啊，不是的。我是個心靈愁苦的婦人，淡酒烈酒都沒有喝，只不過在耶和華面前傾吐我的心意。 16 不要把你的使女看作不檢點的女子，我因為極度愁苦和激動，才一直傾訴到現在。” 17 以利回答：“平平安安回去吧！願以色列的 神把你向他所求的賜給你。” 18 哈拿說：“願你的婢女在你眼前蒙恩！”於是這婦人回去，並且吃飯，臉上再沒有愁容。
撒母耳出生
19 第二天，他們清早起來，在耶和華面前敬拜，然後回到他們的家鄉拉瑪，回到自己的家裡去。以利加拿和妻子哈拿同房；耶和華顧念哈拿， 20 她就懷孕；時候到了，就生了一個兒子，哈拿給他起名叫撒母耳，因為她說：“他是我從耶和華那裡求來的。”
撒母耳被獻
21 以利加拿和他全家都上示羅去，向耶和華獻年祭和還所許的願； 22 哈拿卻沒有上去，因為她對丈夫說：“等孩子斷了奶，我才帶他去朝見耶和華。他要永遠住在那裡。” 23 她丈夫以利加拿對她說：“你看怎樣好，就怎樣作吧。你可以留在這裡，等到你給孩子斷了奶，但願耶和華實現他的話。”於是哈拿留在家裡乳養孩子，直到給他斷了奶。 24 她給孩子斷了奶之後，就帶他一同上去，又帶了一頭三歲的公牛（按照《馬索拉文本》，“一頭三歲的公牛”應作“三頭公牛”；現參照《七十士譯本》翻譯）、十公斤麵和一皮袋酒。她把孩子帶到示羅耶和華的殿那裡；那時孩子還很小。 25 他們宰了公牛以後，就帶孩子到以利那裡， 26 婦人說：“我主啊，我敢指著我主的性命起誓，我就是從前在這裡站在你旁邊，向耶和華禱告的那個婦人。 27 那時我祈求為要得這孩子，耶和華已經把我向他所求的賜給我了， 28 所以我現在把他獻給耶和華，他的一生是屬於耶和華的。”於是他就在那裡敬拜耶和華。
1 Samuel 1
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
I. The Last Judges, Eli and Samuel
Chapter 1
Elkanah and His Family at Shiloh. 1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim. His name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.(A) 2 He had two wives, one named Hannah, the other Peninnah; Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 Each year this man went up from his city to worship and offer sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were ministering as priests of the Lord.(B) 4 When the day came for Elkanah to offer sacrifice, he used to give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters, 5 but he would give a double portion to Hannah because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.(C) 6 Her rival,[a] to upset her, would torment her constantly, since the Lord had closed her womb.(D) 7 Year after year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, Peninnah would provoke her, and Hannah would weep and refuse to eat.[b] 8 Elkanah, her husband, would say to her: “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why are you not eating? Why are you so miserable? Am I not better for you than ten sons?”(E)
Hannah’s Prayer. 9 Hannah rose after one such meal at Shiloh, and presented herself before the Lord; at the time Eli the priest was sitting on a chair near the doorpost of the Lord’s temple. 10 In her bitterness she prayed to the Lord, weeping freely, 11 and made this vow: “O Lord of hosts, if you look with pity on the hardship of your servant, if you remember me and do not forget me, if you give your handmaid a male child, I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life. No razor shall ever touch his head.”[c](F) 12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli watched her mouth, 13 for Hannah was praying silently; though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli, thinking she was drunk, 14 said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Sober up from your wine!” 15 “No, my lord!” Hannah answered. “I am an unhappy woman. I have had neither wine nor liquor; I was only pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Do not think your servant a worthless woman; my prayer has been prompted by my deep sorrow and misery.” 17 Eli said, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have requested.” 18 She replied, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes,” and left. She went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and no longer appeared downhearted. 19 Early the next morning they worshiped before the Lord, and then returned to their home in Ramah. When they returned Elkanah had intercourse with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.
Hannah Bears a Son. 20 She conceived and, at the end of her pregnancy, bore a son whom she named Samuel.[d] “Because I asked the Lord for him.” 21 The next time her husband Elkanah was going up with the rest of his household to offer the customary sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vows, 22 Hannah did not go, explaining to her husband, “Once the child is weaned, I will take him to appear before the Lord and leave him there forever.”[e] 23 Her husband Elkanah answered her: “Do what you think best; wait until you have weaned him. Only may the Lord fulfill his word!” And so she remained at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.(G)
Hannah Presents Samuel to the Lord. 24 Once he was weaned, she brought him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah[f] of flour, and a skin of wine, and presented him at the house of the Lord in Shiloh. 25 After they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the child to Eli. 26 Then Hannah spoke up: “Excuse me, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here near you, praying to the Lord. 27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted my request. 28 Now I, in turn, give him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord.” Then they worshiped there before the Lord.
Footnotes
- 1:6 Her rival: Hebrew sara, “rival wife, co-wife”; in the Talmud, a technical term for a second or co-wife.
- 1:7 In biblical narrative, the social status gained by producing children, especially males, often set woman against woman; cf. e.g., Gn 16, 21, 30. Peninnah’s provocations may be the arrogant boasting mentioned in 2:3.
- 1:11 No razor…: the Septuagint adds “he shall drink neither wine nor liquor.” This addition is a further suggestion that Samuel is dedicated to God under a nazirite vow (Nm 6:4–5); see note on v. 22.
- 1:20 Samuel: Hannah’s explanation associates her son’s name with the narrative’s wordplay on the Hebrew verbs s’l (“ask,” vv. 17, 27), his’il (“hand over, dedicate,” v. 28), sa’ul (“dedicated,” v. 28), and the noun se’elah (“request,” vv. 17, 27). The name, however, is related to the Hebrew root s’l only through assonance. It means “his name is El/God,” not “the one requested of or dedicated (sa’ul) to God” (v. 28), which is the meaning of the name Saul. The author may have lifted the s’l wordplay from a narrative about Saul to portray Samuel as God’s gracious answer to Hannah’s request.
- 1:22 Leave him there forever: a Qumran manuscript adds “I will give him as a nazirite forever”; it interprets v. 11 to mean that Hannah dedicates Samuel under a nazirite vow (cf. Nm 6:4–5).
- 1:24 Ephah: see note on Is 5:10.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
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