1 Samuel 1

1 And there is a certain man of Ramathaim-Zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name [is] Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, an Ephraimite,

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.

2 and he has two wives, the name of the first [is] Hannah, and the name of the second Peninnah, and Peninnah has children, and Hannah has no children.

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.

3 And that man has gone up out of his city from time to time, to bow himself, and to sacrifice, before YHWH of Hosts, in Shiloh, and there [are] two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests of YHWH.

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.

4 And the day comes, and Elkanah sacrifices, and he has given portions to his wife Peninnah, and to all her sons and her daughters,

And the day came, and Helkana sacrificed, and gave portions to his wife Phennana and her children.

5 and he gives a certain portion to Hannah—double, for he has loved Hannah, and YHWH has shut her womb;

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.

6 and her rival has also provoked her greatly, so as to make her tremble, for YHWH has shut up her womb.

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.

7 And so is done year by year, from the time of her going up into the house of YHWH, so she provokes her, and she weeps, and does not eat.

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.

8 And her husband Elkanah says to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart afflicted? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

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 thee that thou weepest? and why dost thou not eat? and why does thy heart smite thee? [am] I not better to thee than ten children?

9 And Hannah rises after eating in Shiloh, and after drinking, and Eli the priest is sitting on the throne by the doorpost of the temple of YHWH.

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.

10 And she is bitter in soul, and prays to YHWH, and weeps greatly,

And she [was] very much grieved in spirit, and prayed to the Lord, and wept abundantly.

11 and vows a vow, and says, “YHWH of Hosts, if You certainly look on the affliction of Your handmaid, and have remembered me, and do not forget Your handmaid, and have given to Your handmaid seed of men—then I have given him to YHWH all [the] days of his life, and a razor does not go up on his head.”

And she vowed a vow to the Lord, saying, O Lord God of Sabaoth, if thou welt indeed look upon the humiliation of thine handmaid, and remember me, and give to thine handmaid a man-child, then will I indeed dedicate him to thee till the day of his death; and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and no razor shall come upon his head.

12 And it has been, when she multiplied praying before YHWH, that Eli is watching her mouth,

And it came to pass, while she was long praying before the Lord, that Heli the priest marked her mouth.

13 and Hannah, she is speaking over her heart—only her lips are moving, and her voice is not heard, and Eli reckons her to be drunken.

And she was speaking in her heart, and her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: and Heli accounted her a drunken woman.

14 And Eli says to her, “Until when are you drunken? Turn aside your wine from you.”

And the servant of Heli said to her, How long wilt thou be drunken? take away thy wine from thee, and go out from the presence of the Lord.

15 And Hannah answers and says, “No, my lord, I [am] a woman sharply pained in spirit, and I have not drunk wine and strong drink, and I pour out my soul before YHWH;

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.

16 do not put your handmaid before a daughter of worthlessness, for from the abundance of my meditation, and of my provocation, I have spoken until now.”

Count not thy handmaid for a pestilent woman, for by reason of the abundance of my importunity I have continued [my prayer] until now.

17 And Eli answers and says, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel gives your petition which you have asked of Him.”

And Heli answered and said to her, Go in peace: the God of Israel give thee all thy petition, which thou hast asked of him.

18 And she says, “Let your handmaid find grace in your eyes”; and the woman goes on her way, and eats, and her face has not been [downcast] for herself anymore.

And she said, Thine handmaid has found favour in thine 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.

19 And they rise early in the morning, and bow themselves before YHWH, and turn back, and come to their house in Ramah, and Elkanah knows his wife Hannah, and YHWH remembers her;

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.

20 and it comes to pass, at the revolution of the days, that Hannah conceives, and bears a son, and calls his name Samuel, for, “I have asked for him from YHWH.”

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.

21 And the man Elkanah goes up, and all his house, to sacrifice to YHWH the sacrifice of the days, and his vow.

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.

22 And Hannah has not gone up, for she said to her husband, “Until the youth is weaned—then I have brought him in, and he has appeared before the face of YHWH, and dwelt there for all time.”

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.

23 And her husband Elkanah says to her, “Do that which is good in your eyes; abide until your weaning him; only, let YHWH establish His word”; and the woman abides and suckles her son until she has weaned him,

And Helkana her husband said to her, Do that which is good in thine eyes, abide still until thou shalt have weaned him; but may the Lord establish that which comes out of thy mouth: and the woman tarried, and suckled her son until she had weaned him.

24 and she causes him to go up with her when she has weaned him, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and she brings him into the house of YHWH at Shiloh, and the youth [is but] a youth.

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.

25 And they slaughter the bullock, and bring in the youth to Eli,

And they brought him before the Lord; and his father slew his offering which he offered from year to year to the Lord; and he brought near the child, and slew the calf; and Anna the mother of the child brought him to Heli.

26 and she says, “O my lord, your soul lives! My lord, I [am] the woman who stood with you in this [place], to pray to YHWH;

And she said, I pray thee, my lord, as thy soul liveth, I [am] the woman that stood in thy presence with thee while praying to the Lord.

27 I prayed for this youth, and YHWH gives to me my petition which I asked of Him;

For this child I prayed; and the Lord has given me my request that I asked of him.

28 and I also have called him to YHWH, all the days that he has lived—he is called to YHWH”; and he bows himself there before YHWH.

And I lend him to the Lord all his days that he lives, a loan to the Lord: and she said,