1 Samuel 1:9-18
Holman Christian Standard Bible
9 Hannah got up after they ate and drank at Shiloh.[a] Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s tabernacle.(A) 10 Deeply hurt, Hannah prayed to the Lord and wept with many tears.(B) 11 Making a vow,(C) she pleaded, “Lord of Hosts, if You will take notice of Your servant’s affliction,(D) remember and not forget me, and give Your servant a son,[b] I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and his hair will never be cut.”[c](E)
12 While she continued praying in the Lord’s presence, Eli watched her lips. 13 Hannah was praying silently,[d](F) and though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and scolded her, “How long are you going to be drunk?(G) 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.(H) 16 Don’t think of me as a wicked woman;(I) I’ve been praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment.”(J)
17 Eli responded, “Go in peace,(K) and may the God of Israel grant the petition you’ve requested from Him.”(L)
18 “May your servant find favor with you,”(M) she replied. Then Hannah went on her way; she ate and no longer looked despondent.[e](N)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Samuel 1:9 LXX adds and presented herself before the Lord
- 1 Samuel 1:11 Lit a seed of men
- 1 Samuel 1:11 Lit and no razor will go up on his head
- 1 Samuel 1:13 Lit praying to her heart
- 1 Samuel 1:18 Lit and her face was not to her again
1 Samuel 1:9-18
New Living Translation
Hannah’s Prayer for a Son
9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle.[a] 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.[b]”
12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”
15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”
17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
