1 Samuel 1:1–20

Elkanah and His Wives

¹Now there was a certain man from ^aRamathaim-zophim from the ^bhill country of Ephraim, and his name was ^cElkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.

²He had ^atwo wives: the name of one was ^bHannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³Now this man would go up from his city ^ayearly ^bto worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in ^cShiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the Lord there.

⁴When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he ^awould give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters;

⁵but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, ^abut the Lord had closed her womb.

⁶Her rival, however, ^awould provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb.

⁷It happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat.

⁸Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? ^aAm I not better to you than ten sons?”

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 the Lord.

¹⁰She, ¹greatly distressed, prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.

¹¹She ^amade a vow and said, “O Lord 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 ¹son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and ^ca razor shall never come on his head.”

¹²Now it came about, as she ¹continued praying before the Lord, 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 replied, “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 the Lord.

¹⁶“Do not ¹consider your maidservant as a worthless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern 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.”

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

Samuel Is Born to Hannah

¹⁹Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned again to their house in ^aRamah. And Elkanah ¹had relations with Hannah his wife, and ^bthe Lord remembered her.

²⁰It came about ¹in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, “^aBecause I have asked him of the Lord.”