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 named Elkanah who lived in Ramah [town] in the hilly area where [the tribe of] Ephraim lived. His father was Jeroham, his grandfather was Elihu, and his great-grandfather was Tohu. He belonged to the Zuph clan.
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.
He had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had several children, but Hannah had no children.
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.
Once every year Elkanah went up [with his family] from Ramah to Shiloh [city]. He went there to worship Yahweh, [the commander] of the armies [of angels], and to offer sacrifices to him. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, [helped their father to do the work as] priests of Yahweh there.
4 Therfor the dai cam, and Helcana offride, and yaf partis to Fenenna, his wijf, and to alle hise sones and douytris;
Each time Elkanah offered sacrifices there, he gave some of the meat to Peninnah and some to each of her sons and daughters.
5 forsothe he yaf soreufuly o part to Anna, for he louyde Anna; forsothe the Lord hadde closid hir wombe.
But even though he loved Hannah very much, he gave her only one special amount of meat because Yahweh had not permitted her to give birth to any children.
6 And hir enemy turmentide `hir, and angwischide greetly, in so myche that sche vpbreidide, that the Lord hadde closid hir wombe.
And his other wife, Peninnah, would ridicule Hannah to make her feel miserable, because Yahweh had not allowed her to bear children.
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.
This happened every year. When they went up to the temple of Yahweh [at Shiloh], Peninnah ridiculed Hannah so much that Hannah cried and would 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?
Then Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, (why are you crying?/please quit crying!) [RHQ] (Why are you not eating?/Please eat something!) [RHQ] Why are you so upset/sad? You have me; is that not more important to you than if you had ten sons? (OR, I [love you] more than your sons [would love you], even if you had ten sons.)”
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,
One year, after they had finished eating and drinking at Shiloh, Hannah stood up [to pray]. Eli the priest was nearby, sitting on a chair by the doorway of the sacred tent of Yahweh.
10 whanne Anna was in bittere soule, sche preyede the Lord, and wepte largeli;
Hannah was very distressed, and she cried very sorrowfully as she prayed to Yahweh.
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.
She made a vow saying, “O Almighty Commander of the armies of angels, if you will look at me and see how miserable I am, and think about me and allow me to give birth to a son, then I will dedicate him to you [to serve you] for the rest of his life. And [to show that he is dedicated to you], (no one will ever [be allowed to] cut his hair/his hair will never be cut).”
12 Forsothe it was doon, whanne sche multipliede preieris bifor the Lord, that Ely aspiede hir mouth.
As she was praying like that to Yahweh, Eli the priest saw Hannah’s lips [moving as she was praying].
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,
But Hannah was only praying silently; she was not making any sound. So Eli thought that she was drunk.
14 and he seide to hyr, Hou longe schalt thou be drunkun? Difye thou a litil the wyn, `bi which thou art moist.
He said to her, “How long will you continue to get drunk [RHQ]? (Throw away your wine/Quit drinking wine)!”
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;
Hannah replied, “Sir, I am not drunk! I have not been drinking wine or any other alcoholic drink. I feel very distressed and I have been telling Yahweh about how I feel.
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.
Do not think that I am a worthless/wicked woman! I have been praying like this because I am very distressed [DOU].”
17 Thanne Hely seide to hir, Go thou in pees, and God of Israel yyue to thee the axyng which thou preiedist hym.
Eli replied, “I wish/desire that things will go well for you. I desire that God, the one we Israeli people [worship], will give you what you requested from 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.
She replied, “I want you to think highly/well about me.” Then she returned [to her family] and after she ate something, her face no longer looked 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.
Early the next morning, Elkanah and his family got up and worshiped Yahweh [again], and then they returned to their home at Ramah. Elkanah (slept with/had sex with) Hannah. Then Yahweh answered her prayer,
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 she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, [which sounds like the words in the Hebrew language that mean ‘heard by God’], because she said “Yahweh [heard me when] I requested from him [a son].”
21 Forsothe hir hosebonde Helcana stiede, and al his hows, to offre a solempne sacrifice, and his avow to the Lord.
The following year, Elkanah again went up [to Shiloh] with his family to make the kind of sacrifice he made each year, and also to give a special offering to God that he had promised [to give him previously].
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 Hannah did not go [with them]. She said to her husband, “After I have weaned the baby, I will take him [to Shiloh and present him] to Yahweh, and he will stay there for the rest of his life.”
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.
Elkanah said, “Do what seems the best to you. Stay here until you have weaned him. What I desire is that Yahweh will [enable you to] do what you have promised.” So Hannah stayed at home and nursed her son until she 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.
After she weaned him, even though Samuel was very young, she took him to the temple/house of Yahweh at Shiloh. [To offer as a sacrifice], she took along a three-year-old bull, [a sack containing] (20 pounds/9 kg.) of flour, and a container of wine.
25 And thei sacrifieden a calf, and thei offriden the child to Hely.
After the priest had slaughtered the bull [and offered it to Yahweh on the altar], Hannah and Elkanah brought the boy to Eli.
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;
Then Hannah said to him, “Sir, (Do you remember me?/I solemnly affirm), I am the woman who prayed as I stood here beside you [several years ago].
27 for this child Y preiede, and the Lord yaf to me myn axyng which Y axide hym;
I prayed that Yahweh would enable me to give birth to a child, and this is the child whom I requested Yahweh to give me.
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.
So now I am presenting him to Yahweh. He will belong to Yahweh as long as he lives.” Then Elkanah [and his family] worshiped Yahweh there.
