< Kings I 1 >

1 There was a man of Armathaim Sipha, of mount Ephraim, and his name [was] Helkana, a son of Jeremeel the son of Elias the son of Thoke, in Nasib Ephraim.
There was a certain man of Ramathaim of the Zuphites, 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 And he [had] two wives; the name of the one [was] Anna, and the name of the second Phennana. And Phennana had children, but Anna had no child.
He had two wives; the name of the first was Hannah, and the name of the second was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
3 And the man went up from year to year from his city, from Armathaim, to worship and sacrifice to the Lord God of Sabaoth at Selom: and [there were] Heli and his two sons Ophni and Phinees, the priests of the Lord.
This man went from his city year after year to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of hosts in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to Yahweh, were there.
4 And the day came, and Helkana sacrificed, and gave portions to his wife Phennana and her children.
When the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice each year, he always gave portions of the meat to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters.
5 And to Anna he gave a prime portion, because she had no child, only Helkana loved Anna more than the other; but the Lord [had] closed her womb.
But to Hannah he always gave a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although Yahweh had closed her womb.
6 For the Lord gave her no child in her affliction, and according to the despondency of her affliction; and she was dispirited on this account, that the Lord shut up her womb so as not to give her a child.
Her rival provoked her severely in order to irritate her, because Yahweh had closed her womb.
7 So she did year by year, in going up to the house of the Lord; and she was dispirited, and wept, and did not eat.
So year after year, when she went up to the house of Yahweh with her family, her rival always provoked her. Therefore she used to weep and eat nothing.
8 And Helkana her husband said to her, Anna: and she said to him, Here [am] I, my lord: and he said to her, What ails you that you weep? and why do you not eat? and why does your heart strike you? [am] I not better to you than ten children?
Elkanah her husband always said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”
9 And Anna rose up after they had eaten in Selom, and stood before the Lord: and Heli the priest [was] on a seat by the threshold of the temple of the Lord.
On one of these occasions, Hannah rose up after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting upon his seat by the doorway to the temple of Yahweh.
10 And she [was] very much grieved in spirit, and prayed to the Lord, and wept abundantly.
She was deeply distressed; she prayed to Yahweh and wept bitterly.
11 And she vowed a vow to the Lord, saying, O Lord God of Sabaoth, if you welt indeed look upon the humiliation of your handmaid, and remember me, and give to your handmaid a boy, then will I indeed dedicate him to you till the day of his death; and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and no razor shall come upon his head.
She made a vow and said, “Yahweh of hosts, if you will look on the affliction of your servant and call me to mind, and do not forget your servant, but give your servant a son, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and no razor will ever touch his head.”
12 And it came to pass, while she was long praying before the Lord, that Heli the priest marked her mouth.
As she continued praying before Yahweh, Eli watched her mouth.
13 And she was speaking in her heart, and her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: and Heli accounted her a drunken woman.
Hannah spoke in her heart. Her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk.
14 And the servant of Heli said to her, How long will you be drunken? take away your wine from you, and go out from the presence of the Lord.
Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Get rid of your wine.”
15 And Anna answered and said, Nay, my lord, [I live] in a hard day, and I have not drunk wine or strong drink, and I pour out my soul before the Lord.
Hannah answered, “No, my master, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before Yahweh.
16 Count not your handmaid for a pestilent woman, for by reason of the abundance of my importunity I have continued [my prayer] until now.
Do not consider your servant to be a shameless woman; I have been speaking out of the abundance of my great concern and provocation.”
17 And Heli answered and said to her, Go in peace: the God of Israel give you all your petition, which you have asked of him.
Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace; may the God of Israel grant the request that you have asked him for.”
18 And she said, Your handmaid has found favour in your eyes: and the woman went her way, and entered into her lodging, and ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was no more sad.
She said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate; her face was no longer sad.
19 And they rise early in the morning, and worship the Lord, and they go their way: and Helkana went into his house at Armathaim, and knew his wife Anna; and the Lord remembered her, and she conceived.
They rose early in the morning and worshiped before Yahweh, and then they returned again to their house in Ramah. Elkanah slept with Hannah his wife, and Yahweh called her to mind.
20 And it came to pass when the time was come, that she brought forth a son, and called his name Samuel, and said, Because I asked him of the Lord God of Sabaoth.
When the time came, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She called his name Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from Yahweh.”
21 And the man Helkana and all his house went up to offer in Selom the yearly sacrifice, and his vows, and all the tithes of his land.
Once again, Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to Yahweh the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow.
22 But Anna did not go up with him, for she said to her husband, [I will not go up] until the child goes up, when I have weaned him, and he shall be presented before the Lord, and he shall abide there continually.
But Hannah did not go; she had said to her husband, “I will not go until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, so that he may appear before Yahweh and live there forever.”
23 And Helkana her husband said to her, Do that which is good in your eyes, abide still until you shall have weaned him; but may the Lord establish that which comes out of your mouth: and the woman tarried, and suckled her son until she had weaned him.
Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems good to you. Wait until you have weaned him; only, may Yahweh confirm his word.” So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him.
24 And she went up with him to Selom with a calf of three years old, and loaves, and an ephah of fine flour, and a bottle of wine: and she entered into the house of the Lord in Selom, and the child with them.
When she had weaned him, she took him with her, along with a three-year-old bull, one ephah of meal, and a bottle of wine, and brought him to the house of Yahweh in Shiloh. Now the child was still young.
25 And they brought him before the Lord; and his father killed his offering which he offered from year to year to the Lord; and he brought near the child, and killed the calf; and Anna the mother of the child brought him to Heli.
They killed the bull, and they brought the child to Eli.
26 And she said, I pray you, my lord, as your soul lives, I [am] the woman that stood in your presence with you while praying to the Lord.
She said, “Oh, my master! As you live, my master, I am the woman who stood here next to you praying to Yahweh.
27 For this child I prayed; and the Lord has given me my request that I asked of him.
For this child I prayed and Yahweh has given me my petition which I asked of him.
28 And I lend him to the Lord all his days that he lives, a loan to the Lord: and she said,
I have given him to Yahweh, as long as he lives he is lent to Yahweh.” Then he worshiped Yahweh there.

< Kings I 1 >