1 Samuel 1:9-4:11

Holman Christian Standard Bible

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

¹² While she continued praying in the Lord’s presence, Eli watched her lips. ¹³ Hannah was praying silently,^[d](F) 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?^(G) 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.^{(H) 16} Don’t think of me as a wicked woman;^(I) I’ve been praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment.”^(J)

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

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

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.^(O) Then Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her.^{(P) 20} After some time,^[f] Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,^[g] because she said, “I requested him from the Lord.”

²¹ When Elkanah and all his household went up to make the annual sacrifice^(Q) 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^(R) and to stay there permanently.”^(S)

²³ Her husband Elkanah replied, “Do what you think is best,^[h](T) and stay here until you’ve weaned him. May the Lord confirm your^[i] word.”^(U) 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,^[j] half a bushel^[k] of flour, and a jar of wine.^(V) Though the boy was still young,^[l] she took him to the Lord’s house at Shiloh.^{(W) 25} Then they slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eli.

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

Hannah’s Triumphant Prayer

2 Hannah prayed:^(AB)

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

Eli’s Family Judged

¹² Eli’s sons were wicked men;^(BE) they had no regard for the Lord^{(BF) 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.^(BG) 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,^(BH) 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,”^(BI) 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.^(BJ)

¹⁸ The boy Samuel served in the Lord’s presence^(BK) and wore a linen ephod.^{(BL) 19} Each year his mother made him a little robe^(BM) and took it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.^{(BN) 20} Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife:^(BO) “May the Lord give you children by this woman in place of the one she^[r] has given to the Lord.”^(BP) Then they would go home.

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

²² Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel^(BS) and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^{(BT) 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?”^(BU) But they would not listen to their father, since the Lord intended to kill them.^{(BV) 26} By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.^(BW)

²⁷ A man of God came to Eli and said to him,^(BX) “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?^{(BY) 28} Out of all the tribes of Israel, I selected your house^[s] to be priests, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence.^(BZ) 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?^(CA) You have honored your sons more than Me,^(CB) 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.^{(CF) 32} You will see distress in the place of worship,^(CG) in spite of all that is good in Israel, and no one in your family will ever again reach old age.^{(CH) 33} Any man from your family I do not cut off from My altar will bring grief^[t] and sadness to you. All your descendants will die violently.^{[u][v] 34} This will be the sign that will come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas:^(CI) both of them will die on the same day.^(CJ)

³⁵ “‘Then I will raise up a faithful priest^(CK) for Myself. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. I will establish a lasting dynasty for him,^(CL) and he will walk before My anointed one for all time.^{(CM) 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.’”

Samuel’s Call

3 The boy Samuel served the Lord in Eli’s presence.^(CN) In those days the word of the Lord was rare and prophetic visions were not widespread.^(CO)

² One day Eli, whose eyesight was failing,^(CP) was lying in his room. ³ Before the lamp of God had gone out,^(CQ) Samuel was lying down in the tabernacle of the Lord, where the ark of God was located.

⁴ Then the Lord called Samuel,^[w] and he answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“I didn’t call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

⁶ Once again the Lord called, “Samuel!”

Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“I didn’t call, my son,” he replied. “Go back and lie down.”

⁷ Now Samuel had not yet experienced the Lord, because the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. ⁸ Once again, for the third time, the Lord called Samuel. He got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy. ⁹ He told Samuel, “Go and lie down. If He calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

¹⁰ The Lord came, stood there, and called as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”

Samuel responded, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”

¹¹ The Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do something in Israel that everyone who hears about it will shudder.^{(CR) 12} On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I said about his family, from beginning to end.^{(CS) 13} I told him that I am going to judge his family forever because of the iniquity he knows about: his sons are defiling the sanctuary,^[x] and he has not stopped them.^{(CT) 14} Therefore, I have sworn to Eli’s family: The iniquity of Eli’s family will never be wiped out by either sacrifice or offering.”^(CU)

¹⁵ Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the Lord’s house. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, ¹⁶ but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

“Here I am,” answered Samuel.

¹⁷ “What was the message He gave you?” Eli asked. “Don’t hide it from me. May God punish you and do so severely if you hide anything from me that He told you.”^{(CV) 18} So Samuel told him everything and did not hide anything from him. Eli responded, “He is the Lord. He will do what He thinks is good.”^[y](CW)

¹⁹ Samuel grew,^(CX) and the Lord was with him,^(CY) and He fulfilled everything Samuel prophesied.^{[z](CZ) 20} All Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a confirmed prophet of the Lord.^{(DA) 21} The Lord continued to appear in Shiloh, because there He revealed Himself to Samuel by His word.^(DB) 4 ¹ And Samuel’s words came to all Israel.

The Ark Captured by the Philistines

Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and^[aa] camped at Ebenezer^(DC) while the Philistines camped at Aphek.^{(DD) 2} The Philistines lined up in battle formation against Israel, and as the battle intensified, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about 4,000 men on the battlefield.

³ When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord let us be defeated today by the Philistines?^(DE) Let’s bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh. Then it^[ab] will go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”^{(DF) 4} So the people sent men to Shiloh to bring back the ark of the covenant of the Lord of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim.^(DG) Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. ⁵ When the ark of the covenant of the Lord entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a loud shout that the ground shook.^(DH)

⁶ The Philistines heard the sound of the war cry and asked, “What’s this loud shout in the Hebrews’ camp?” When the Philistines discovered that the ark of the Lord had entered the camp, ⁷ they panicked. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, nothing like this has happened before.^{[ac] 8} Woe to us, who will rescue us from the hand of these magnificent gods? These are the gods that slaughtered the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. ⁹ Show some courage and be men, Philistines!^(DI) Otherwise, you’ll serve the Hebrews just as they served you.^(DJ) Now be men and fight!”

¹⁰ So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated,^(DK) and each man fled to his tent.^(DL) The slaughter was severe—30,000 of the Israelite foot soldiers fell. ¹¹ The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.^(DM)