1 Samuel 1

1 `A man was of `Ramathym of Sophym, of the hil of Effraym, and his name was Elchana, the sone of Jeroboam, sone of Elyud, sone of Thau, sone of Suph, of Effraym.

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 Helchana hadde twei wyues; the name `to oon was Anna, and the `name of the secounde was Fenenna; and sones weren to Feuenna; forsothe fre children `weren not to Anna.

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 thilke man styede fro his citee in daies ordeyned, to worschipe and offre sacrifice to the Lord of oostis in Silo. Forsothe twei sones of Heli weren there, Ophym and Fynees, preestis of the Lord.

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 Therfor the dai cam, and Helcana offride, and yaf partis to Fenenna, his wijf, and to alle hise sones and douytris;

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

5 forsothe he yaf soreufuly o part to Anna, for he louyde Anna; forsothe the Lord hadde closid hir wombe.

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 hir enemy turmentide `hir, and angwischide greetly, in so myche that sche vpbreidide, that the Lord hadde closid hir wombe.

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 sche dide `bi alle yeeris, whanne `in tyme comynge ayen, thei stieden in to the hows of the Lord; and so sche terride Anna. Forsothe Anna wepte, and took not mete.

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 Therfor Helcana, hir hosebonde, seide to hir, Anna, whi wepist thou, and whi etist thou not, and whi is thin herte turmentid? Whether Y am not betere to thee than ben ten sones?

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?

9 `Sotheli Anna roos, aftir that sche hadde ete and drunke in Silo. `And the while Hely was on his greet seete, bifor the postis of the `hows of the Lord,

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 whanne Anna was in bittere soule, sche preyede the Lord, and wepte largeli;

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

11 and made a vow, and seide, Lord God of oostis, if thou biholdist, and seest the turment of thi seruauntesse, and hast mynde of me, and foryetis not thin handmayde, and yyuest to thi seruauntesse `a male kynde, Y schal yyue hym to the Lord in alle daies of his lijf, and a rasour schal not stie on his heed.

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.

12 Forsothe it was doon, whanne sche multipliede preieris bifor the Lord, that Ely aspiede hir mouth.

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

13 Forsothe Anna spak in hir herte, and oneli hir lippis weren mouyd, and outerly hir vois was not herd. Therfor Hely gesside hir drunkun,

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 he seide to hyr, Hou longe schalt thou be drunkun? Difye thou a litil the wyn, `bi which thou art moist.

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.

15 Anna answeride, and seide, Nay, my lord, for Y am `a wretchid womman greetli; Y `drank not wyn `and al thing that may make drunkun, but Y schedde out my soule in the `siyt of the Lord;

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 gesse thou not thin handmaide as oon of the douytris of Belyal, for of the multitude of my sorewe and morenyng Y spak `til in to present tyme.

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

17 Thanne Hely seide to hir, Go thou in pees, and God of Israel yyue to thee the axyng which thou preiedist hym.

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.

18 And sche seide, `Y wolde that thin hondmayde fynde grace in thin iyen. And the womman yede in to hir weie, and eet; and hir cheris weren no more chaungid dyuersly.

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.

19 And `thei ryseden eerly, and worschipiden bifore the Lord; and thei turneden ayen, and camen in to hir hows in Ramatha. Forsothe Helchana knew fleischli Anna, his wijf; and the Lord thouyte on hir.

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 was doon after the cumpas of daies, Anna conseyuede, and childide a sone, and sche clepide his name Samuel; for sche hadde axid hym of the Lord.

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 Forsothe hir hosebonde Helcana stiede, and al his hows, to offre a solempne sacrifice, and his avow to the Lord.

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 Anna stiede not, for sche hadde seid to hir hosebonde, Y schal not go, til the yonge child be wenyd, and til Y lede hym, and he appere bifor the `siyt of the Lord, and dwelle there contynueli.

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 Helcana, hir hosebonde, seide to hir, Do thou that that semeth good to thee, and dwelle thou til thou wene hym; and Y biseche, that the Lord fille his word. Therfor the womman dwellide, and yaf mylk to hir sone, til sche remouyde hym fro mylk.

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.

24 And sche brouyte hym with hir, aftir that sche hadde wened hym, with thre caluys, and thre buyschelis of mele, and amfore, `ether a pot, of wyn; and sche brouyte hym to the hows of the Lord in Silo. Forsothe the child was yit ful yonge.

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 thei sacrifieden a calf, and thei offriden the child to Hely.

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.

26 And Anna seide, My lord, Y biseche, that is, that this child be thi `disciple and seruaunt, thi soule lyueth; Y am that womman, that stood bifor thee here, and preiede the Lord;

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.

27 for this child Y preiede, and the Lord yaf to me myn axyng which Y axide hym;

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

28 therfor Y haue youe hym to the Lord `in alle daies, in whiche he is youun to the Lord. And thei worschypiden there the Lord.

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