שמואל א 1
| ויהי איש אחד מן הרמתים צופים--מהר אפרים ושמו אלקנה בן ירחם בן אליהוא בן תחו בן צוף--אפרתי | 1 |
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.
| ולו שתי נשים--שם אחת חנה ושם השנית פננה ויהי לפננה ילדים ולחנה אין ילדים | 2 |
He had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had several children, but Hannah had no children.
| ועלה האיש ההוא מעירו מימים ימימה להשתחות ולזבח ליהוה צבאות בשלה ושם שני בני עלי חפני ופנחס כהנים ליהוה | 3 |
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.
| ויהי היום ויזבח אלקנה ונתן לפננה אשתו ולכל בניה ובנותיה--מנות | 4 |
Each time Elkanah offered sacrifices there, he gave some of the meat to Peninnah and some to each of her sons and daughters.
| ולחנה יתן מנה אחת אפים כי את חנה אהב ויהוה סגר רחמה | 5 |
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.
| וכעסתה צרתה גם כעס בעבור הרעמה כי סגר יהוה בעד רחמה | 6 |
And his other wife, Peninnah, would ridicule Hannah to make her feel miserable, because Yahweh had not allowed her to bear children.
| וכן יעשה שנה בשנה מדי עלתה בבית יהוה--כן תכעסנה ותבכה ולא תאכל | 7 |
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.
| ויאמר לה אלקנה אישה חנה למה תבכי ולמה לא תאכלי ולמה ירע לבבך הלוא אנכי טוב לך מעשרה בנים | 8 |
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.)”
| ותקם חנה אחרי אכלה בשלה ואחרי שתה ועלי הכהן ישב על הכסא על מזוזת היכל יהוה | 9 |
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.
| והיא מרת נפש ותתפלל על יהוה ובכה תבכה | 10 |
Hannah was very distressed, and she cried very sorrowfully as she prayed to Yahweh.
| ותדר נדר ותאמר יהוה צבאות אם ראה תראה בעני אמתך וזכרתני ולא תשכח את אמתך ונתתה לאמתך זרע אנשים--ונתתיו ליהוה כל ימי חייו ומורה לא יעלה על ראשו | 11 |
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).”
| והיה כי הרבתה להתפלל לפני יהוה ועלי שמר את פיה | 12 |
As she was praying like that to Yahweh, Eli the priest saw Hannah’s lips [moving as she was praying].
| וחנה היא מדברת על לבה--רק שפתיה נעות וקולה לא ישמע ויחשבה עלי לשכרה | 13 |
But Hannah was only praying silently; she was not making any sound. So Eli thought that she was drunk.
| ויאמר אליה עלי עד מתי תשתכרין הסירי את יינך מעליך | 14 |
He said to her, “How long will you continue to get drunk [RHQ]? (Throw away your wine/Quit drinking wine)!”
| ותען חנה ותאמר לא אדני אשה קשת רוח אנכי ויין ושכר לא שתיתי ואשפך את נפשי לפני יהוה | 15 |
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.
| אל תתן את אמתך לפני בת בליעל כי מרב שיחי וכעסי דברתי עד הנה | 16 |
Do not think that I am a worthless/wicked woman! I have been praying like this because I am very distressed [DOU].”
| ויען עלי ויאמר לכי לשלום ואלהי ישראל יתן את שלתך אשר שאלת מעמו | 17 |
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.”
| ותאמר תמצא שפחתך חן בעיניך ותלך האשה לדרכה ותאכל ופניה לא היו לה עוד | 18 |
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.
| וישכמו בבקר וישתחוו לפני יהוה וישבו ויבאו אל ביתם הרמתה וידע אלקנה את חנה אשתו ויזכרה יהוה | 19 |
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,
| ויהי לתקפות הימים ותהר חנה ותלד בן ותקרא את שמו שמואל כי מיהוה שאלתיו | 20 |
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].”
| ויעל האיש אלקנה וכל ביתו לזבח ליהוה את זבח הימים ואת נדרו | 21 |
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].
| וחנה לא עלתה כי אמרה לאישה עד יגמל הנער והבאתיו ונראה את פני יהוה וישב שם עד עולם | 22 |
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.”
| ויאמר לה אלקנה אישה עשי הטוב בעיניך שבי עד גמלך אתו--אך יקם יהוה את דברו ותשב האשה ותינק את בנה עד גמלה אתו | 23 |
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.
| ותעלהו עמה כאשר גמלתו בפרים שלשה ואיפה אחת קמח ונבל יין ותבאהו בית יהוה שלו והנער נער | 24 |
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.
| וישחטו את הפר ויבאו את הנער אל עלי | 25 |
After the priest had slaughtered the bull [and offered it to Yahweh on the altar], Hannah and Elkanah brought the boy to Eli.
| ותאמר בי אדני חי נפשך אדני אני האשה הנצבת עמכה בזה להתפלל אל יהוה | 26 |
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].
| אל הנער הזה התפללתי ויתן יהוה לי את שאלתי אשר שאלתי מעמו | 27 |
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.
| וגם אנכי השאלתהו ליהוה כל הימים אשר היה הוא שאול ליהוה וישתחו שם ליהוה | 28 |
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.
