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The Birth of Samuel
There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
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He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
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Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the class="small-caps" >Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the class="small-caps" >Lord.
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Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.
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But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the class="small-caps" >Lord had closed her womb.
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Because the class="small-caps" >Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.
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This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the class="small-caps" >Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat.
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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?”
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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 class="small-caps" >Lord’s house.
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In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the class="small-caps" >Lord, weeping bitterly.
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And she made a vow, saying, “class="small-caps" >Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the class="small-caps" >Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
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As she kept on praying to the class="small-caps" >Lord, Eli observed her mouth.
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Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk
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“Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the class="small-caps" >Lord.
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Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”
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Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
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She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
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Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the class="small-caps" >Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the class="small-caps" >Lord remembered her.
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So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the class="small-caps" >Lord for him.”
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Hannah Dedicates Samuel
When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the class="small-caps" >Lord and to fulfill his vow,
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Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the class="small-caps" >Lord, and he will live there always.”
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“Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the class="small-caps" >Lord make good his word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
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After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the class="small-caps" >Lord at Shiloh.
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When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli,
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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 class="small-caps" >Lord.