1 Samuel 1:9–28

⁹Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of ^athe temple of Yahweh.

¹⁰And she, bitter of soul, prayed to Yahweh and wept despondently.

¹¹And she ^amade a vow and said, “O Yahweh of hosts, if You will indeed ^blook on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a seed amongst men, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and ^ca razor shall never come on his head.”

¹²Now it happened, as she multiplied her praying before Yahweh, that Eli was watching her mouth.

¹³As for Hannah, ^ashe was speaking in her heart; only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.

¹⁴Then Eli said to her, “^aHow long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.”

¹⁵But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman ¹oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I ^ahave poured out my soul before Yahweh.

¹⁶“Do not ¹consider your maidservant as a vile woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great complaint and ²provocation.”

¹⁷Then Eli answered and said, “^aGo in peace; and may the God of Israel ^bgrant your petition that you have asked of Him.”

¹⁸And she said, “^aLet your servant-woman find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and ^bher face was no longer sad.

The Birth of Samuel

¹⁹Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before Yahweh and turned back and came to their house in ^aRamah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and ^bYahweh remembered her.

²⁰Now it happened ¹in due time that Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “^aBecause I have asked him of Yahweh.”

²¹Then the man Elkanah ^awent up with all his household to offer to Yahweh the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow.

²²But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the young boy is weaned; then I will ^abring him, that he may appear before Yahweh and ^bstay there forever.”

^23aAnd Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what is good in your eyes. Remain until you have weaned him; only ^bmay Yahweh establish His word.” So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.

²⁴Now when she had weaned him, ^ashe took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull and one ¹ephah of flour and a jug of wine and brought him to ^bthe house of Yahweh in Shiloh, although the boy was young.

²⁵Then ^athey slaughtered the bull and ^bbrought the young boy to Eli.

²⁶And she said, “Oh, my lord! ^aAs your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to Yahweh.

²⁷“^aFor this young boy I prayed, and Yahweh has given me my petition which I asked of Him.

²⁸“^aSo I have also ¹dedicated him to Yahweh; as long as he lives, he is ²dedicated to Yahweh.” So ^bhe worshiped Yahweh there.