1 Samuel 1
New King James Version
The Family of Elkanah
1 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4 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. 5 But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, (I)although the Lord had closed her womb. 6 And her rival also (J)provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 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
8 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?”
9 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 Samuel 1:1 Eliel, 1 Chr. 6:34
- 1 Samuel 1:1 Toah, 1 Chr. 6:34
- 1 Samuel 1:9 palace or temple, Heb. heykal
- 1 Samuel 1:10 Lit. wept greatly
- 1 Samuel 1:16 Lit. daughter of Belial
- 1 Samuel 1:20 Lit. Heard by God
- 1 Samuel 1:23 confirm
- 1 Samuel 1:23 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; DSS, LXX, Syr. your
- 1 Samuel 1:24 DSS, LXX, Syr. a three-year-old bull
- 1 Samuel 1:28 granted
1 Samuel 1
Living Bible
1 This is the story of Elkanah, a man of the tribe of Ephraim who lived in Ramathaim-zophim, in the hills of Ephraim.
His father’s name was Jeroham,
His grandfather was Elihu,
His great-grandfather was Tohu,
His great-great-grandfather was Zuph.
2 He had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had some children, but Hannah didn’t.
3 Each year Elkanah and his families journeyed to the Tabernacle at Shiloh to worship the Lord of the heavens and to sacrifice to him. (The priests on duty at that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas.) 4 On the day he presented his sacrifice, Elkanah would celebrate the happy occasion by giving presents to Peninnah and her children; 5 but although he loved Hannah very much, he could give her only one present, for the Lord had sealed her womb; so she had no children to give presents to. 6 Peninnah made matters worse by taunting Hannah because of her barrenness. 7 Every year it was the same—Peninnah scoffing and laughing at her as they went to Shiloh, making her cry so much she couldn’t eat.
8 “What’s the matter, Hannah?” Elkanah would exclaim. “Why aren’t you eating? Why make such a fuss over having no children? Isn’t having me better than having ten sons?”
9 One evening after supper, when they were at Shiloh, Hannah went over to the Tabernacle. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance. 10 She was in deep anguish and was crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord.
11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of heaven, if you will look down upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you, and he’ll be yours for his entire lifetime, and his hair shall never be cut.”[a]
12-13 Eli noticed her mouth moving as she was praying silently and, hearing no sound, thought she had been drinking.
14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your bottle.”
15-16 “Oh no, sir!” she replied, “I’m not drunk! But I am very sad and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. Please don’t think that I am just some drunken bum!”
17 “In that case,” Eli said, “cheer up! May the Lord of Israel grant you your petition, whatever it is!”
18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed, and went happily back, and began to take her meals again.
19-20 The entire family was up early the next morning and went to the Tabernacle to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah, and when Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her petition; in the process of time, a baby boy was born to her. She named him Samuel (meaning “asked of God”)[b] because, as she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”
21-22 The next year Elkanah and Peninnah and her children went on the annual trip to the Tabernacle without Hannah, for she told her husband, “Wait until the baby is weaned, and then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there.”
23 “Well, whatever you think best,” Elkanah agreed. “May the Lord’s will be done.”
So she stayed home until the baby was weaned. 24 Then, though he was still so small, they took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh, along with a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice, and a bushel of flour and some wine. 25 After the sacrifice they took the child to Eli.
26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked him. “I am the woman who stood here that time praying to the Lord! 27 I asked him to give me this child, and he has given me my request; 28 and now I am giving him to the Lord for as long as he lives.” So she left him there at the Tabernacle for the Lord to use.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 1:11 and his hair shall never be cut. This was an approved custom for those who were wholly dedicated to God.
- 1 Samuel 1:19 named him Samuel (meaning “asked of God”). This was a play on words. The word Samuel in Hebrew sounds like the word “to ask.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.