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Hanna en Elkana

In Ramataïm-Zofim, in de bergen van de stam van Efraïm, woonde een man die Elkana heette. Hij was de zoon van Jerocham, die een zoon was van Elihu, die een zoon was van Tochu, die een zoon was van Zuf, uit Efrat. Elkana had twee vrouwen: Hanna en Peninna. Peninna had kinderen, maar Hanna niet. Elk jaar reisde Elkana naar Silo[a] om daar de Heer van de hemelse legers te aanbidden en Hem offers brengen. Hofni en Pinehas, de zonen van Eli, waren daar priester.

Als Elkana zijn offer had gebracht, gaf hij aan zijn vrouw Peninna en aan al haar zonen en dochters ieder een deel van de maaltijd die werd klaargemaakt van het offer. Maar aan Hanna gaf hij altijd twee keer zo veel. Want hij hield het meest van Hanna, ook al had de Heer haar geen kinderen gegeven. Maar zijn andere vrouw was vreselijk jaloers. Om Hanna verdrietig te maken, pestte Peninna haar ermee dat ze geen kinderen had gekregen. Elk jaar als ze naar het heiligdom van de Heer reisden, was Peninna zó gemeen tegen haar, dat Hanna van verdriet niets wilde eten. Dan zei haar man Elkana tegen haar: "Hanna, waarom huil je en wil je niet eten? Waarom ben je zo verdrietig? Ben ik je niet méér waard dan tien zonen?"

Op een keer, nadat ze in Silo gegeten en gedronken hadden, stond Hanna op. De priester Eli zat op een stoel bij de ingang van de tent van de Heer.[b] 10 Vreselijk bedroefd bad zij huilend tot de Heer. 11 Ze beloofde de Heer: "Heer van de hemelse legers, als U echt ziet hoe vreselijk verdrietig ik ben, en als U echt om mij geeft en mij niet bent vergeten, geef mij dan een zoon! Dan zal ik hem voor zijn hele leven aan U geven. Hij zal nooit zijn haar knippen."[c] 12 Omdat ze lang bij de Heer bleef bidden, ging Eli op haar letten. 13 Doordat Hanna zachtjes in zichzelf praatte, zag hij wel haar lippen bewegen, maar hoorde hij haar niet. Daarom dacht Eli dat ze dronken was.[d] 14 Hij zei tegen haar: "Hoe durf je hier te komen als je dronken bent? Zorg er maar voor dat je eerst nuchter wordt!" 15 Maar Hanna antwoordde: "Nee, mijn heer, ik ben niet dronken, maar heel erg verdrietig. Ik heb mijn hart uitgestort bij de Heer. 16 Denk alstublieft niet dat ik een slechte vrouw ben. Maar ik heb zo lang gebeden omdat ik zo vreselijk verdrietig ben." 17 Toen antwoordde Eli: "Ga dan in vrede naar huis. De God van Israël zal je geven wat je van Hem hebt gevraagd." 18 Hanna bedankte hem en vertrok. Ze at weer en keek niet meer verdrietig.

19 De volgende ochtend stonden ze vroeg op om de Heer te gaan aanbidden in het heiligdom. Daarna gingen ze terug naar hun huis in Rama. Op een dag zorgde de Heer ervoor dat Hanna in verwachting raakte van Elkana. 20 Ze kreeg een zoon en ze noemde hem Samuel (= 'God heeft gehoord'). "Want," zei ze, "ik heb de Heer om hem gevraagd."

Samuel

21 Dat jaar ging Elkana weer met zijn hele gezin naar Silo, om zoals elk jaar het vlees-offer en het belofte-offer aan de Heer te offeren. 22 Maar dit keer ging Hanna niet mee. Ze zei tegen haar man: "Als de jongen geen borstvoeding meer nodig heeft, zal ik hem meenemen. Dan zal ik hem naar de Heer brengen. Dan zal hij daar voor altijd blijven." 23 Haar man Elkana antwoordde: "Doe wat je wil. Blijf thuis totdat hij geen borstvoeding meer nodig heeft. De Heer heeft gedaan wat Hij heeft beloofd." Hanna bleef dus thuis om haar zoon te voeden.

24 Toen hij geen borstvoeding meer nodig had, nam ze hem mee naar Silo. Ook bracht ze drie stieren, een efa (22 liter) meel en een kruik wijn mee. Zo bracht ze hem naar het heiligdom van de Heer in Silo. Hij was nog maar een klein jongetje. 25 Nadat ze één van de stieren hadden geofferd, brachten ze het jongetje naar Eli. 26 Hanna zei: "Mijn heer, ik ben die vrouw die hier bij u stond om tot de Heer te bidden. 27 Om deze jongen heb ik gebeden. En de Heer heeft mij gegeven waar ik Hem om had gevraagd. 28 Daarom geef ik hem voor de rest van zijn leven aan de Heer. Zolang hij leeft, is hij van de Heer." En hij aanbad daar de Heer.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuël 1:3 Silo was de plaats waar Jozua de tent van ontmoeting (de tent waarin God bij de Israëlieten woonde en zijn volk 'ontmoette') had laten neerzetten. Lees Jozua 18:1.
  2. 1 Samuël 1:9 De 'tent van de Heer' was het heiligdom van God. Hij werd ook de 'tent van ontmoeting' genoemd. Vóór de ingang van de tent stond een altaar waarop de offers voor de Heer moesten worden gebracht. De tent met alles wat erbij hoorde wordt beschreven in Exodus 25 tot en met 27.
  3. 1 Samuël 1:11 Hanna had het hier over de 'naziréeër-belofte,' zoals die beschreven wordt in Numeri 6:1-5.
  4. 1 Samuël 1:13 In die tijd was het gewoon om hardop te bidden. Daarom vond Eli het vreemd dat ze alleen haar lippen bewoog.

The Family of Elkanah

Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the (A)mountains of Ephraim, and his name was (B)Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of [a]Elihu, the son of [b]Tohu, the son of Zuph, (C)an Ephraimite. And he had (D)two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. This man went up from his city (E)yearly (F)to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in (G)Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an (H)offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, (I)although the Lord had closed her womb. And her rival also (J)provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.

Hannah’s Vow

Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not (K)better to you than ten sons?”

So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of (L)the [c]tabernacle of the Lord. 10 (M)And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and [d]wept in anguish. 11 Then she (N)made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed (O)look on the affliction of Your maidservant and (P)remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and (Q)no razor shall come upon his head.”

12 And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14 So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!”

15 But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have (R)poured out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not consider your maidservant a (S)wicked[e] woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

17 Then Eli answered and said, (T)“Go in peace, and (U)the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”

18 And she said, (V)“Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman (W)went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

Samuel Is Born and Dedicated

19 Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah (X)knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord (Y)remembered her. 20 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name [f]Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.”

21 Now the man Elkanah and all his house (Z)went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will (AA)take him, that he may appear before the Lord and (AB)remain there (AC)forever.”

23 So (AD)Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lord [g]establish [h]His word.” Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

24 Now when she had weaned him, she (AE)took him up with her, with [i]three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to (AF)the house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered a bull, and (AG)brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “O my lord! (AH)As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. 27 (AI)For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be [j]lent to the Lord.” So they (AJ)worshiped the Lord there.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 1:1 Eliel, 1 Chr. 6:34
  2. 1 Samuel 1:1 Toah, 1 Chr. 6:34
  3. 1 Samuel 1:9 palace or temple, Heb. heykal
  4. 1 Samuel 1:10 Lit. wept greatly
  5. 1 Samuel 1:16 Lit. daughter of Belial
  6. 1 Samuel 1:20 Lit. Heard by God
  7. 1 Samuel 1:23 confirm
  8. 1 Samuel 1:23 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; DSS, LXX, Syr. your
  9. 1 Samuel 1:24 DSS, LXX, Syr. a three-year-old bull
  10. 1 Samuel 1:28 granted

The Birth of Samuel

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. He had two wives;(F) one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

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. 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) But to Hannah he gave a double portion(M) because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.(N) Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.(O) 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) 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)

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.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 1:1 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 6:26-27,33-35; or from Ramathaim Zuphim.
  2. 1 Samuel 1:20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for heard by God.
  3. 1 Samuel 1:22 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls always. I have dedicated him as a Nazirite—all the days of his life.”
  4. 1 Samuel 1:23 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac your
  5. 1 Samuel 1:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text with three bulls
  6. 1 Samuel 1:24 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms

The Birth of Samuel

There was a certain man of (A)Ramathaim-zophim of (B)the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, (C)an Ephrathite. He had two wives. The name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Now this man used to go up (D)year by year from his city (E)to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts (F)at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, (G)he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.[a] And her rival used to provoke her grievously to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. So it went on year by year. As often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. And Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? (H)Am I not more to you than ten sons?”

After they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh, Hannah rose. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of (I)the temple of the Lord. 10 She was (J)deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 11 And she (K)vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed (L)look on the affliction of your servant and (M)remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, (N)and no razor shall touch his head.”

12 As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. 14 And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.” 15 But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but (O)I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not regard your servant as (P)a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation.” 17 Then Eli answered, (Q)“Go in peace, and the God of Israel (R)grant your petition that you have made to him.” 18 And she said, (S)“Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman (T)went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

19 They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at (U)Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord (V)remembered her. 20 And in due time Hannah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Samuel, for she said, “I have asked for him from the Lord.”[b]

Samuel Given to the Lord

21 The man Elkanah and all his house (W)went up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, so that he may appear in the presence of the Lord (X)and dwell there forever.” 23 (Y)Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him; (Z)only, may the Lord establish his word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 24 And when she had weaned him, (AA)she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull,[c] an ephah[d] of flour, and a skin of wine, and she brought him to (AB)the house of the Lord at Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “Oh, my lord! (AC)As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the Lord. 27 For this child I prayed, (AD)and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. 28 Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.”

(AE)And he worshiped the Lord there.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 1:5 Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. Septuagint And, although he loved Hannah, he would give Hannah only one portion, because the Lord had closed her womb
  2. 1 Samuel 1:20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for heard of God
  3. 1 Samuel 1:24 Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint, Syriac; Masoretic Text three bulls
  4. 1 Samuel 1:24 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters