1 Kingdoms 1

¹ There was a man of Armathaim Sipha, of Mount Ephraim, and his name was Helkana, a son of Jeremeel the son of Elias the son of Thoke, in Nasib Ephraim. ² And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the second Phennana. And Phennana had children, but Hannah had no child.

³ And the man went up ^[1]from year to year from his city, from Armathaim, to worship and sacrifice to the Lord God of Sabaoth at Selom: and there were Heli and his two sons Ophni and Phineas, the priests of the Lord.

⁴ And the day came, and Helkana sacrificed, and gave portions to his wife Phennana and her children. ⁵ And to Hannah he gave ^[2]a prime portion, because she had no child, only Helkana loved Hannah more than the other; but the Lord had closed her womb.

⁶ For the Lord gave her no child in her affliction, and according to the despondency of her affliction; and she was dispirited on this account, that the Lord shut up her womb so as not to give her a child. ⁷ So she did year by year, in going up to the house of the Lord; and she was dispirited, and wept, and did not eat.

⁸ And Helkana her husband said to her, Hannah: and she said to him, Here am I, my lord: and he said to her, What aileth thee that thou weepest? and why dost thou not eat? and why doth thy heart smite thee? am I not better to thee than ten children?

⁹ And Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Selom, and stood before the Lord: and Heli the priest was on a seat by the ^[3]threshold of the temple of the Lord.

¹⁰ And she was very much grieved in spirit, and prayed to the Lord, and wept abundantly. ¹¹ And she vowed a vow to the Lord, saying, O Lord God of Sabaoth, if thou wilt indeed look upon the humiliation of thy handmaid, and remember me, and give to thy handmaid a ^[4]man-child, then will I indeed dedicate him ^[5]to thee till the day of his death; and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and no ^[6]razor shall come upon his head.

¹² And it came to pass, while she was long praying before the Lord, that Heli the priest marked her mouth. ¹³ And she was speaking in her heart, and her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: and Heli accounted her a drunken woman. ¹⁴ And the servant of Heli said to her, How long wilt thou be drunken? take away thy wine from thee, and go out from the presence of the Lord. ¹⁵ And Hannah answered and said, Nay, my lord, I live ^[7]in a hard day, and I have not drunk wine or strong drink, and I pour out my soul before the Lord. ¹⁶ ^[8]Count not thy handmaid for a pestilent woman, for by reason of the abundance of mine importunity I have continued my prayer until now. ¹⁷ And Heli answered and said to her, Go in peace: the God of Israel give thee all thy petition, which thou hast asked of him. ¹⁸ And she said, Thy handmaid hath found favour in thine eyes: and the woman went her way, and entered into her lodging, and ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was no more sad.

¹⁹ And they rise early in the morning, and worship the Lord, and they go their way: and Helkana went into his house at Armathaim, and knew his wife Hannah; and the Lord remembered her, and she conceived. ²⁰ And it came to pass ^[9]when the time was come, that she brought forth a son, and called his name Samuel, and said, Because I asked him of the Lord God of Sabaoth.

²¹ And the man Helkana and all his house went up to offer in Selom the yearly sacrifice, and his vows, and all the tithes of his land. ²² But Hannah did not go up with him, for she said to her husband, I will not go up until the child goeth up, when I have weaned him, and he shall be presented before the Lord, and he shall abide there continually. ²³ And Helkana her husband said to her, Do that which is good in thine eyes, abide still until thou shalt have weaned him; but may the Lord establish that which cometh out of thy mouth: and the woman tarried, and suckled her son until she had weaned him.

²⁴ And she went up with him to Selom with a calf ^[10]of three years old, and loaves, and an ephah of fine flour, and a bottle of wine: and she entered into the house of the Lord in Selom, and the child with them. ²⁵ And they brought him before the Lord; and his father slew his offering which he offered from year to year to the Lord; and he brought near the child, and slew the calf; and Hannah the mother of the child brought him to Heli. ²⁶ And she said, I pray thee, my lord, as thy soul liveth, I am the woman that stood in thy presence with thee while praying to the Lord. ²⁷ For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my request that I asked of him. ²⁸ And I lend him to the Lord all his days that he liveth, a loan to the Lord: and she said,

Notes

1:3 from year to year: Gr. from days to days ↩
1:5 a prime portion: Gr. one portion ↩
1:9 threshold: Gr. lintels ↩
1:11 man-child: Gr. seed of men ↩
1:11 to thee: Gr. before thee ↩
1:11 razor: Gr. iron ↩
1:15 in a hard day: compare ἐν σκληρᾷ ἡμέρᾳ ↩
1:16 Count not: Gr. give not ↩
1:20 when the time was come: Gr. in the season of days ↩
1:24 of three years old: or, in its third year ↩