Add parallel Print Page Options

Elkanah and His Wives

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. 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.

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. 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; but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, (J)but Yahweh had closed her womb. Her rival, however, (K)would provoke her bitterly to irritate her because Yahweh had closed her womb. 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. 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?”

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.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 1:3 The personal covenant name of God, a form of I AM WHO I AM, cf. Ex 3:14-15
  2. 1 Samuel 1:15 Lit severe
  3. 1 Samuel 1:16 Lit give
  4. 1 Samuel 1:16 Lit my provocation
  5. 1 Samuel 1:20 Lit at the circuit of the days
  6. 1 Samuel 1:24 An ephah was approx. 21 qt. or 23 l
  7. 1 Samuel 1:28 Lit lent; Heb sounds like root for Samuel
  8. 1 Samuel 1:28 Lit lent; Heb sounds like root for Samuel

Hannah’s Vow

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. He had two wives,(D) the first named Hannah(E) and the second Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless. This man would go up from his town every year(F) to worship and to sacrifice(G) to the Lord of Armies at Shiloh,(H) where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were the Lord’s priests.

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. But he gave a double[b] portion(J) to Hannah, for he loved her even though the Lord had kept her from conceiving. Her rival would taunt her severely just to provoke her, because the Lord had kept Hannah from conceiving. Year after year, when she went up to the Lord’s house,(K) her rival taunted her in this way. Hannah would weep and would not eat. “Hannah, why are you crying?” her husband, Elkanah, would ask. “Why won’t you eat? Why are you troubled? Am I not better to you than ten sons?” (L)

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

12 While she continued praying in the Lord’s presence, Eli watched her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying silently,(R) and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to 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 request you’ve made of 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.[e](Z)

Samuel’s Birth and Dedication

19 The next morning Elkanah and Hannah got up early to 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,[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(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,(AF) and stay here until you’ve weaned him. May the Lord confirm your[h] 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,[i] half a bushel[j] of flour, and a clay jar of wine.(AH) Though the boy was still young,[k] 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 surely 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[l] worshiped the Lord there.[m]

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 Or from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from
  2. 1:5 Or gave only one; Hb obscure
  3. 1:9 LXX adds and presented herself before the Lord
  4. 1:11 Lit and no razor will go up on his head
  5. 1:18 Lit and her face was not to her again
  6. 1:20 Lit In the turning of the days
  7. 1:20 In Hb, the name Samuel sounds like the phrase “requested from God.”
  8. 1:23 DSS, LXX, Syr; MT reads his
  9. 1:24 DSS, LXX, Syr; MT reads Shiloh with three bulls
  10. 1:24 Lit bull and an ephah
  11. 1:24 Lit And the youth was a youth
  12. 1:28 DSS read she; some Hb mss, Syr, Vg read they
  13. 1:28 LXX reads Then she left him there before the Lord