1 Samuel 1:1-8

Evangelical Heritage Version

The Birth of Samuel

1 There was a man from Ramathaim of the Zuphites in the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Elkanah. He was the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² He had two wives. One was named Hannah, and the other was named Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³ Every year this man went up from his city to worship and to offer sacrifices to the Lord of Armies^[a] at Shiloh. Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were serving there as priests of the Lord.

⁴ On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he gave portions of food to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters, ⁵ but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved Hannah, but the Lord had kept her from having children.^[b]

⁶ Hannah’s rival kept taunting her to make her miserable, because the Lord had kept Hannah from having children. ⁷ Year after year, when Hannah went up to the Lord’s house, her rival taunted her, so Hannah would weep and would not eat. ⁸ Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why is your heart so sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”