1 Samuel 1

1 And there was a certain man, of Ramathaim-zuphi, of the hill country of Ephraim, —whose name, was 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, had two wives, the name of the one, Hannah, and, the name of the other, Peninnah, —and Peninnah had children, but, Hannah, had 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 So then that man went up, out of his city, from time to time, to worship and to sacrifice unto Yahweh of hosts, in Shiloh, —and, there, were the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests unto Yahweh.

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, when the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he used to give, to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions;

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

5 and, unto Hannah, used he to give one portion, —howbeit, Hannah, he loved, although, Yahweh, had restrained her from having children.

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 used even to cause her great vexation, for the sake of provoking her, —because Yahweh had restrained her from having children.

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, thus, used she to do, year by year, whenever she went up to the house of Yahweh, thus, used she to vex her, —and she wept, and would 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 So Elkanah her husband said to her—Hannah! wherefore shouldst thou weep? and wherefore wilt thou not eat? and wherefore should thy heart be sad? Am, I, not better to thee, 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 rose up, after she had eaten in Shiloh, and after she had drunk, —and, Eli the priest, was sitting upon his chair, by the door-post of the temple of Yahweh;

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 being in bitterness of soul, prayed unto Yahweh, and, wept sore.

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

11 And she vowed a vow, and said—Yahweh of hosts! If thou wilt, look, upon the humiliation of thy handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thy handmaid, but wilt give unto thy handmaid a man-child, then will I give him unto Yahweh, all the days of his life, and no, razor, shall come upon 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 so it was, as she continued praying before Yahweh, that Eli was watching her mouth.

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

13 But as for, Hannah, she, was speaking in her heart, only her lips, were moving, but, her voice, could not be heard, —so Eli thought she had been 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 said unto her, How long, wilt thou be, drunken? Put away thy wine from thee.

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 responded and said—Nay! my lord; A woman depressed in spirit, am I: neither wine nor strong drink, have I drunk, —but I poured out my soul, before Yahweh.

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 count thy handmaid for an abandoned woman, —for, out of the abundance of my grief and my vexation, have I spoken, hitherto.

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 Then responded Eli, and said—Go and prosper! And the, God of Israel, grant thy petition which thou hast 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 said: Let thy serving-woman find favour, in thine eyes. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and, her countenance, was sad no longer.

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 rose up early in the morning, and worshipped before Yahweh, and returned, and entered their own house, in Ramah, —and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and Yahweh remembered 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 so it was, when the days had come round during which Hannah was with child, that she bare a son, —and called his name Samuel ["Heard of God"], Because, of Yahweh, I asked him.

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, and all his house, went up, to offer unto Yahweh the yearly sacrifice, and [each] his own 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 But, Hannah, went not up, —for she said to her husband—[Not] till the boy is weaned, then will I take him, and he shall appear before Yahweh, and abide there evermore.

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 Elkanah her husband said to her—Do what is good in thine own eyes, tarry until thou have weaned him, only may Yahweh establish his word! So the woman tarried, and nursed her son, until she 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 Then took she him up with her, when she had weaned him, with a bullock of three years old, and one ephah of meal, and a skin of wine, and took him to the house of Yahweh, at Shiloh, —the boy yet being young.

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 So they slew the bullock, —and took the boy in, unto 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 said—Pardon, my lord! By the life of thy soul, my lord, —I, am the woman who was standing near thee here, praying unto Yahweh:

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 For this boy, I prayed, —And Yahweh hath given 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 Hence, I also, have loaned him unto Yahweh, all the days that he liveth. He, is lent unto Yahweh. And he bowed down there, unto Yahweh.

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