⁹Once, after they had eaten their meal in Shiloh, Hannah got up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair near the entrance to the Lord’s house. ¹⁰Hannah was so sad that she cried and prayed to the Lord. ¹¹She made a promise, saying, “Lord All-Powerful, see how sad I am. Remember me and don’t forget me. If you will give me a son, I will give him back to you all his life, and no one will ever cut his hair with a razor.” ⁿ

¹²While Hannah kept praying, Eli watched her mouth. ¹³She was praying in her heart so her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk ¹⁴and said to her, “Stop getting drunk! Throw away your wine!”

¹⁵Hannah answered, “No, sir, I have not drunk any wine or beer. I am a deeply troubled woman, and I was telling the Lord about all my problems. ¹⁶Don’t think I am an evil woman. I have been praying because I have many troubles and am very sad.”

¹⁷Eli answered, “Go! I wish you well. May the God of Israel give you what you asked of him.”

¹⁸Hannah said, “May I always please you.” When she left and ate something, she was not sad anymore.

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Footnotes

ncut … razor People who made special promises not to cut their hair or to drink wine or beer were called Nazirites. These people gave a specific time in their lives, or sometimes their entire lives, to the Lord. See Numbers 6:1–5.