The Birth of Samuel

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim,^(A) a Zuphite^[a](B) from the hill country^(C) of Ephraim,^(D) whose name was Elkanah^(E) son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² He had two wives;^(F) one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

³ Year after year^(G) this man went up from his town to worship^(H) and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh,^(I) where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli,^(J) were priests of the Lord. ⁴ Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice,^(K) he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.^{(L) 5} But to Hannah he gave a double portion^(M) because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.^{(N) 6} Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.^{(O) 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.^{(P) 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?^(Q)”

⁹ Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house.^{(R) 10} In her deep anguish^(S) Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. ¹¹ And she made a vow,^(T) saying, “Lord Almighty^(U), if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember^(V) me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life,^(W) and no razor^(X) will ever be used on his head.”

¹² As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. ¹³ Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk ¹⁴ and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

¹⁵ “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled.^(Y) I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring^(Z) out my soul to the Lord. ¹⁶ Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”^(AA)

¹⁷ Eli answered, “Go in peace,^(AB) and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.^(AC)”

¹⁸ She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.^(AD)” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.^(AE)

¹⁹ Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah.^(AF) Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered^(AG) her. ²⁰ So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son.^(AH) She named^(AI) him Samuel,^[b](AJ) saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

Hannah Dedicates Samuel

²¹ When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual^(AK) sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow,^{(AL) 22} Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present^(AM) him before the Lord, and he will live there always.”^[c]

²³ “Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good^(AN) his^[d] word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned^(AO) him.

²⁴ After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull,^[e](AP) an ephah^[f] of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. ²⁵ When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, ²⁶ and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. ²⁷ I prayed^(AQ) for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. ²⁸ So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life^(AR) he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah’s Prayer

2 Then Hannah prayed and said:^(A)

¹¹ Then Elkanah went home to Ramah,^(AJ) but the boy ministered^(AK) before the Lord under Eli the priest.

Eli’s Wicked Sons

¹² Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard^(AL) for the Lord. ¹³ Now it was the practice^(AM) of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat^(AN) was being boiled ¹⁴ and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. ¹⁵ But even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

¹⁶ If the person said to him, “Let the fat^(AO) be burned first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”

¹⁷ This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they^[b] were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.^(AP)

¹⁸ But Samuel was ministering^(AQ) before the Lord—a boy wearing a linen ephod.^{(AR) 19} Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual^(AS) sacrifice. ²⁰ Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed^(AT) for and gave to^[c] the Lord.” Then they would go home. ²¹ And the Lord was gracious to Hannah;^(AU) she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew^(AV) up in the presence of the Lord.

²² Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything^(AW) his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women^(AX) who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ²³ So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. ²⁴ No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good. ²⁵ If one person sins against another, God^[d] may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will^(AY) intercede^(AZ) for them?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.

²⁶ And the boy Samuel continued to grow^(BA) in stature and in favor with the Lord and with people.^(BB)

Prophecy Against the House of Eli

²⁷ Now a man of God^(BC) came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? ²⁸ I chose^(BD) your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense,^(BE) and to wear an ephod^(BF) in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings^(BG) presented by the Israelites. ²⁹ Why do you^[e] scorn my sacrifice and offering^(BH) that I prescribed for my dwelling?^(BI) Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’

³⁰ “Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.^(BJ)’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor,^(BK) but those who despise^(BL) me will be disdained.^{(BM) 31} The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age,^{(BN) 32} and you will see distress^(BO) in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age.^{(BP) 33} Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants^(BQ) will die in the prime of life.

³⁴ “‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign^(BR) to you—they will both die^(BS) on the same day.^{(BT) 35} I will raise up for myself a faithful priest,^(BU) who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed^(BV) one always. ³⁶ Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread and plead,^(BW) “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.^(BX)”’”

Psalm 66

For the director of music. A song. A psalm.

11 ¹ Follow my example,^(A) as I follow the example of Christ.^(B)

On Covering the Head in Worship

² I praise you^(C) for remembering me in everything^(D) and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you.^{(E) 3} But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ,^(F) and the head of the woman is man,^[a](G) and the head of Christ is God.^{(H) 4} Every man who prays or prophesies^(I) with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵ But every woman who prays or prophesies^(J) with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.^{(K) 6} For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

⁷ A man ought not to cover his head,^[b] since he is the image^(L) and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. ⁸ For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;^{(M) 9} neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.^{(N) 10} It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own^[c] head, because of the angels. ¹¹ Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹² For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.^(O)

¹³ Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴ Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵ but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶ If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.^(P)

Correcting an Abuse of the Lord’s Supper^(Q)

¹⁷ In the following directives I have no praise for you,^(R) for your meetings do more harm than good. ¹⁸ In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions^(S) among you, and to some extent I believe it. ¹⁹ No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval.^{(T) 20} So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, ²¹ for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers.^(U) As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. ²² Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God^(V) by humiliating those who have nothing?^(W) What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you?^(X) Certainly not in this matter!

²³ For I received from the Lord^(Y) what I also passed on to you:^(Z) The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body,^(AA) which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant^(AB) in my blood;^(AC) do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.^(AD)

²⁷ So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.^{(AE) 28} Everyone ought to examine themselves^(AF) before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹ For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ³⁰ That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.^{(AG) 31} But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment.^{(AH) 32} Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined^(AI) so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.^(AJ)

³³ So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. ³⁴ Anyone who is hungry^(AK) should eat something at home,^(AL) so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.

And when I come^(AM) I will give further directions.