Old/New Testament

A Barren Woman’s Petition is Granted

1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim—his name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² He had two wives: the name of the one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah was childless.

³ Now this man used to go up from his town every year to worship and to sacrifice to Adonai-Tzva’ot in Shiloh.^[a] (The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were kohanim of Adonai there.) ⁴ Then on the designated day Elkanah would sacrifice and give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters, ⁵ but to Hannah he would give only one portion—even though he loved Hannah—for Adonai had closed her womb. ⁶ Her rival would taunt her bitterly to provoke her, because Adonai had closed her womb. ⁷ So it was year after year, whenever she went up to the House of Adonai, that she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat.

⁸ Then her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why won’t you eat? Why is your heart so sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

⁹ After eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah got up. Now Eli the kohen was sitting on his seat by the doorpost of the Temple of Adonai. ¹⁰ While her soul was bitter, she prayed to Adonai and wept. ¹¹ So she made a vow and said, “Adonai-Tzva’ot, if You will indeed look upon the affliction of Your handmaid, remember me and not forget Your handmaid, but grant Your handmaid a son, then I will give him to Adonai all the days of his life and no razor will ever touch his head.”

¹² It came to pass, as she prayed long before Adonai, that Eli was watching her mouth. ¹³ Now Hannah was praying in her heart—only her lips were moving, but her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴ Then Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Get rid of your wine!”

¹⁵ But in response Hannah said, “No, my lord, I am a woman with an oppressed spirit! I haven’t been drinking wine or beer. Instead I’ve been pouring out my soul before Adonai. ¹⁶ Don’t consider your handmaid a wicked woman. For out of my great anguish and grief I’ve been praying until now.”

¹⁷ Then Eli responded, “Go in shalom, and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you asked of Him.”^[b]

¹⁸ “May your maidservant find favor in your eyes,” she said. So the woman went her way; she ate, and her countenance was no longer dejected.

¹⁹ They rose up early in the morning and worshipped before Adonai, then went back to their home to Ramah. Then Elkanah was intimate with his wife Hannah, and Adonai remembered her. ²⁰ So it came to pass at the turn of the year that Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She called his name Samuel, “because I have asked Adonai for him.”

²¹ When the man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer the annual sacrifice to Adonai and to fulfill his vow offering, ²² Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “When the child is weaned, I will bring him, so he may appear before Adonai and stay there forever.”

²³ So her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what seems best to you. Stay until you have weaned him—only may Adonai establish His word.” So the woman stayed home and nursed her son until she weaned him. ²⁴ When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with three bulls, one ephah of flour and a jar of wine, and brought him to the House of Adonai in Shiloh, while the child was still young.

²⁵ After they slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. ²⁶ “It’s me, my lord!” she said. “As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman that stood by you here, praying to Adonai. ²⁷ For this boy I prayed, and Adonai has granted me my petition that I asked of Him. ²⁸ So I in turn dedicate him to Adonai—as long as he lives he is dedicated to Adonai.” Then he bowed in worship there before Adonai.

Hannah’s Prayer of Exultation

Eli’s Sons Sin Against Adonai

¹¹ Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, while the boy served Adonai before Eli the kohen.

¹² Now Eli’s sons were worthless men^[e]; they did not acknowledge Adonai. ¹³ Now this was the custom of the kohanim with the people: whenever any man offered a sacrifice, the kohen’s servant would come along, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, ¹⁴ and he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up, the kohen would take for himself. This is how they dealt with all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh. ¹⁵ Even before they burned the fat, the kohen’s servant would come and say to the one offering sacrifice, “Give the kohen meat for roasting, since he will not accept boiled meat from you—only raw.”

¹⁶ If the man said to him, “Let them first burn the fat up as smoke, and then take as much as you desire,” he would reply, “No! But you must give it now—otherwise, I will take it by force.” ¹⁷ Thus the sin of the young men was very great before Adonai, for the men despised the offering of Adonai.

¹⁸ But Samuel was ministering before Adonai, as a boy girded with a linen ephod. ¹⁹ Moreover, his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. ²⁰ Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May Adonai give you offspring from this woman instead of the one she requested from Adonai.” Then they would return to their place. ²¹ So Adonai visited Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the child Samuel grew before Adonai.

²² Now Eli had grown very old. He heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how they slept with the women who served at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting. ²³ So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear evil reports from all these people concerning you. ²⁴ No, my sons! For this is not a good report that I hear Adonai’s people spreading around. ²⁵ If a man sins against another, God may pardon him; but if a man sins against Adonai, who will intercede for him?” But they did not listen to the voice of their father, because Adonai desired to put them to death. ²⁶ Meanwhile, the child Samuel kept growing and increasing in favor both with Adonai and also with men.^[f]

²⁷ Now there came a man of God to Eli and said to him, “Thus says Adonai: Did I not reveal Myself clearly to the house of your father when they were in Egypt belonging to Pharaoh’s palace? ²⁸ Also did I not choose them from all the tribes of Israel to be My kohanim, to officiate at My altar, to burn incense and to wear an ephod before Me? Did I not give to the house of your father all the fire offerings of Bnei-Yisrael? ²⁹ Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My dwelling, and honor your sons above Me, by fattening yourselves with the choicest of every offering of Israel My people? ³⁰ Therefore Adonai God of Israel declares, I indeed said that your house and your father’s house should walk before Me forever. But now declares Adonai, far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained. ³¹ Behold, the days are coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in your household will reach old age. ³² Moreover, you will behold the distress of My dwelling, despite all that is good that has been done to Israel. So no one in your household will reach old age, forever. ³³ Any man of yours that I did not cut off from My altar would make your eyes weep and your soul grieve. So all the increase of your household will die as young men. ³⁴ Now this will be the sign to you that will come on your two sons—Hophni and Phinehas—on the same day both of them will die.

³⁵ “Yet I will raise up for Myself a faithful kohen who will do according to what is in My heart and My mind. Then I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed one all the time. ³⁶ Anyone left in your household will come and bow low to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and will say: ‘Please, assign me to one of the priestly offices so that I may eat a morsel of bread.’”

Calling of Samuel

3 Now the boy Samuel was in the service of Adonai under Eli. In those days the word of Adonai was rare—there were no visions breaking through. ² One day, Eli was lying down in his place—now his eyes had grown dim so that he could not see, ³ and the lamp of God had not yet gone out. Samuel was lying down in Adonai’s Temple, where the ark of God was. ⁴ Then Adonai called, “Samuel!” So he answered, “Here I am.” ⁵ Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”

But he replied, “I didn’t call—go back to sleep.” So he went back and lay down.

⁶ Then Adonai called Samuel yet again. So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”

But he answered, “I didn’t call, my son—go back to sleep.” ⁷ Now Samuel had not experienced Adonai yet, since the word of Adonai had not yet been revealed to him.

⁸ Adonai called Samuel again for the third time. So he got up and went to Eli, and said “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that Adonai was calling the boy.

⁹ So Eli said to Samuel, “Go back to sleep, and if He calls you, say: ‘Speak, Adonai, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back and lay down in his place. ¹⁰ Then Adonai came and stood and called as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”

¹¹ Then Adonai said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone that hears it will tingle. ¹² In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. ¹³ For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity that he knew about, because his sons brought a curse on themselves yet he did not rebuke them. ¹⁴ Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.”

¹⁵ Then Samuel lay down until the morning, when he opened the doors of the House of Adonai. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision. ¹⁶ Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.”

“Here I am,” he replied.

¹⁷ “What is the word that He has spoken to you?” he said. “Please don’t hide it from me. May God do so to you and even more if you hide anything at all from me that He spoke to you.” ¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing. Then Eli said, “He is Adonai. May He do what is good in His eyes.”

¹⁹ So Samuel grew up and Adonai was with him, and let none of his words fall to the ground. ²⁰ Then all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was entrusted as a prophet of Adonai. ²¹ Adonai started to appear once more in Shiloh, for Adonai revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of Adonai.

Not Welcome in the Gerasenes

²⁶ They sailed over to the country of the Gerasenes, which is on the opposite side of the Galilee. ²⁷ A demon-plagued man from the town met Yeshua as He was coming out onto the land. The man hadn’t worn any clothing for a long time and was living not in a house but in the tombs.

²⁸ Seeing Yeshua, he cried out and fell down before Yeshua, and with a loud voice said, “What’s between You and me, Yeshua, Ben El Elyon? I’m begging You, do not torment me!” ²⁹ For Yeshua commanded the defiling spirit to come out of the man. For many times it had seized him so that, even though he was restrained and bound with chains and shackles, he would break the chains and be driven by the demons into the desert.

³⁰ Yeshua questioned him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he said, for many demons had entered him. ³¹ They kept begging Him not to command them to depart into the abyss. ^{[a] 32} Now a large herd of pigs was feeding on the mountain. The demons urged Yeshua to let them enter these pigs, and He gave them permission. ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and entered into the pigs. The herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and was drowned. ³⁴ But when the herdsmen saw what happened, they ran away and reported it in the town and countryside.

³⁵ People went out to see what had happened. They came to Yeshua and found the man from whom the demons had gone—clothed and in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Yeshua. And they were frightened. ³⁶ Now those who had seen it reported how the demon-plagued man had been restored. ³⁷ And all the people from the region surrounding the Gerasenes asked Yeshua to go away from them because they were overcome by great fear. So He got into a boat and returned.

³⁸ The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with Yeshua. But Yeshua sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Return to your home, and describe all that God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole town all that Yeshua had done for him.

Interrupted on the Way to a Miracle

⁴⁰ As Yeshua returned, the crowd welcomed Him, for they were all expecting Him. ⁴¹ And here came a man named Jairus, a leader in the synagogue. Falling at Yeshua’s feet, he begged Him to come to his house, ⁴² because his only daughter, about twelve years old, was dying. But as He made His way, the masses were crushing in upon Him.

⁴³ And there was a woman with a blood flow for twelve years,^[b] who could not be healed by anyone. ⁴⁴ She came up from behind and touched the tzitzit of Yeshua’s garment. Immediately, her blood flow stopped. ⁴⁵ Yeshua said, “Who touched Me?”

When everyone denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding You and pressing in!”

⁴⁶ But Yeshua said, “Someone touched Me, for I recognized power going out from Me.” ⁴⁷ Then seeing that she did not escape notice, the woman came trembling and fell prostrate before Him. In the presence of all the people, she confessed why she had touched Him and how she had been healed immediately. ⁴⁸ He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in shalom.”

⁴⁹ While He was still speaking, someone comes from the house of the synagogue leader, saying, “Your daughter has died. Don’t bother the Teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰ But hearing this, Yeshua replied to him, “Do not fear—just keep trusting, and she shall be restored.”

⁵¹ When Yeshua came into the house, He didn’t let anyone enter with Him except Peter, John, Jacob, and the child’s father and mother. ⁵² And everyone was weeping and lamenting her; but He said, “Don’t weep, for she didn’t die but is sleeping.” ⁵³ But they were ridiculing Him, knowing she had died.

⁵⁴ But Yeshua, took her by the hand and called out, saying, “Child, get up!” ⁵⁵ Her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. Yeshua ordered food to be given to her to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were utterly astonished, but He ordered them to say nothing of what had happened.