Old Testament · History

1 Samuel chapter 1

There was a man from , in the hill country of Ephraim, named Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph—an .He had two wives. One was named , and the other was named . Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.Every year this man would go up from his town to and offer sacrifices to at , where Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, served as priests of Yahweh.Whenever Elkanah offered his sacrifice, he would give to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.But to Hannah he would give a , because he loved her deeply—even though Yahweh had .And her would relentlessly, just to upset her, because Yahweh had kept her from having children.This went on year after year. Every time they went up to , Peninnah would provoke her until she cried and couldn’t eat.Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why won’t you eat? Why are you so upset? Don’t I mean more to you than ?”After they had finished eating and drinking at Shiloh, Hannah got up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of Yahweh’s ., she prayed to Yahweh, .She made a and said, “Yahweh of Armies, if you would only look at how much your is suffering—if you would remember me and not forget me, and give your servant a son—then I will give him to Yahweh for his entire life, and .”As she kept praying before Yahweh, Eli watched her mouth.Hannah was —her lips were moving but her voice couldn’t be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.Eli said to her, “How long are you going to keep this up? !”But Hannah answered, “No, my lord. I’m a woman in deep anguish. I haven’t been drinking wine or —I’ve been before Yahweh.Don’t take your servant for a . I’ve been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.”Eli answered, “Go in . And may the give you what you’ve asked him for.”She said, “May your servant find in your eyes.” Then the woman went on her way, ate something, and .They got up early the next morning, worshiped before Yahweh, and then went back home to Ramah. Elkanah his wife Hannah, and Yahweh her., Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him , saying, “Because I asked Yahweh for him.”When Elkanah and his whole household went up to offer the annual sacrifice to Yahweh and to ,Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Once the boy is , I’ll bring him so he can appear before Yahweh and .”Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what seems best to you. Stay here until you’ve weaned him. May Yahweh .” So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him.When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a , an , and a , and she brought him to Yahweh’s house at Shiloh. The boy was still young.They slaughtered the bull and brought the boy to Eli.Hannah said, “Pardon me, my lord. , my lord, I am the woman who stood here near you, praying to Yahweh.I prayed for this boy, and Yahweh gave me what I him for.So now I’m to Yahweh. For as long as he lives, he is to Yahweh.” And he Yahweh there.