The Family of Elkanah

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim Zophim, from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.a 2 He had two wives; the name of the first was Hannah, and the name of the second was Peninnah. Now Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 Now this man used to go up from his town ⌊year by year⌋b to worship and to sacrifice to Yahweh of hosts in Shiloh, ⌊where⌋c the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to Yahweh. 4 ⌊On⌋d the day Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he would give ⌊a double portion⌋,e because he loved Hannah, though Yahweh had closed her womb. 6 (Now her rival wife would provoke her severely in order to upset her because Yahweh had closed her womb.) 7 And so he used to dof year after year; ⌊whenever⌋g she went up to the house of Yahweh, sheh would provoke her so that shei would weep and would not eat.