The Family of Elkanah

1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the amountains of Ephraim, and his name was bElkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of 1Elihu, the son of 2Tohu, the son of Zuph, can Ephraimite. 2 And he had dtwo wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 This man went up from his city eyearly fto worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in gShiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. 4 And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an hoffering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, ialthough the Lord had closed her womb. 6 And her rival also jprovoked her severely, to make her miserable, because the Lord had closed her womb. 7 So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.

Hannah’s Vow

8 Then Elkanah her husband said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not kbetter to you than ten sons?”

9 So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of lthe 3tabernacle of the Lord. 10 mAnd she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and 4wept in anguish. 11 Then she nmade a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed olook on the affliction of Your maidservant and premember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and qno razor shall come upon his head.”

12 And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. 13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. 14 So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!”

15 But Hannah answered and said, “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have rpoured out my soul before the Lord. 16 Do not consider your maidservant a swicked 5woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now.”

17 Then Eli answered and said, t“Go in peace, and uthe God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.”

18 And she said, v“Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman wwent her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

Samuel is Born and Dedicated

19 Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah xknew Hannah his wife, and the Lord yremembered her. 20 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name 6Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.”

21 Now the man Elkanah and all his house zwent up to offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “Not until the child is weaned; then I will atake him, that he may appear before the Lord and bremain there cforever.”

23 So dElkanah her husband said to her, “Do what seems best to you; wait until you have weaned him. Only let the Lord 7establish 8His word.” Then the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

24 Now when she had weaned him, she etook him up with her, with 9three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to fthe house of the Lord in Shiloh. And the child was young. 25 Then they slaughtered a bull, and gbrought the child to Eli. 26 And she said, “O my lord! hAs your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to the Lord. 27 iFor this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him. 28 Therefore I also have lent him to the Lord; as long as he lives he shall be 1lent to the Lord.” So they jworshiped the Lord there.

Hannah’s Prayer

2 And Hannah aprayed and said:

b“My heart rejoices in the Lord;

cMy 1horn is exalted in the Lord.

2I smile at my enemies,

Because I drejoice in Your salvation.

2 “No eone is holy like the Lord,

For there is fnone besides You,

Nor is there any grock like our God.

3 “Talk no more so very proudly;

hLet no arrogance come from your mouth,

For the Lord is the God of iknowledge;

And by Him actions are weighed.

4 “The jbows of the mighty men are broken,

And those who stumbled are girded with strength.

5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,

And the hungry have ceased to hunger.

Even kthe barren has borne seven,

And lshe who has many children has become feeble.

6 “The mLord kills and makes alive;

He brings down to the grave and brings up.

7 The Lord nmakes poor and makes rich;

oHe brings low and lifts up.

8 pHe raises the poor from the dust

And lifts the beggar from the ash heap,

qTo set them among princes

And make them inherit the throne of glory.

r“For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,

And He has set the world upon them.

9 sHe will guard the feet of His saints,

But the twicked shall be silent in darkness.

“For by strength no man shall prevail.

10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be ubroken in pieces;

vFrom heaven He will thunder against them.

wThe Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

x“He will give ystrength to His king,

And zexalt the 3horn of His anointed.”

11 Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child 4ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.

The Wicked Sons of Eli

12 Now the sons of Eli were acorrupt; 5 bthey did not know the Lord. 13 And the priests’ custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling. 14 Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in cShiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Also, before they dburned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, “Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw.”

16 And if the man said to him, “They should really burn the fat first; then you may take as much as your heart desires,” he would then answer him, “No, but you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force.”

17 Therefore the sin of the young men was very great ebefore the Lord, for men fabhorred 6the offering of the Lord.

Samuel’s Childhood Ministry

18 gBut Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child, hwearing a linen ephod. 19 Moreover his mother used to make him a little robe, and bring it to him year by year when she icame up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 And Eli jwould bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “The Lord give you descendants from this woman for the 7loan that was kgiven to the Lord.” Then they would go to their own home.

21 And the Lord lvisited 8Hannah, so that she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile the child Samuel mgrew before the Lord.

Prophecy Against Eli’s Household

22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, 9and how they lay with nthe women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 23 So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. 24 No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the Lord’s people transgress. 25 If one man sins against another, oGod 1will judge him. But if a man psins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?” Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, qbecause the Lord desired to kill them.

26 And the child Samuel rgrew in stature, and sin favor both with the Lord and men.

27 Then a tman of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: u‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? 28 Did I not vchoose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod before Me? And wdid I not give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire? 29 Why do you xkick at My sacrifice and My offering which I have commanded in My ydwelling place, and honor your sons more than zMe, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people?’ 30 Therefore the Lord God of Israel says: a‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’ But now the Lord says: b‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and cthose who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. 31 Behold, dthe days are coming that I will cut off your 2arm and the arm of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your house. 32 And you will see an enemy in My dwelling place, despite all the good which God does for Israel. And there shall not be ean old man in your house forever. 33 But any of your men whom I do not cut off from My altar shall consume your eyes and grieve your heart. And all the descendants of your house shall die in the flower of their age. 34 Now this shall be fa sign to you that will come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: gin one day they shall die, both of them. 35 Then hI will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. iI will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before jMy anointed forever. 36 kAnd it shall come to pass that everyone who is left in your house will come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and say, “Please, 3put me in one of the priestly positions, that I may eat a piece of bread.” ’ ”

Samuel’s First Prophecy

3 Now athe boy Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And bthe word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation. 2 …