The Bible

28 verses

1 Samuel Chapter 1

¹Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite: ²and he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³This man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice to ForeverOne of Armies in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to ForeverOne, were there.

⁴When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: ⁵but to Hannah he gave a double portion; for he loved Hannah, but ForeverOne had shut up her womb.

⁶Her rival provoked her severely, to make her fret, because ForeverOne had shut up her womb.

⁷[as] he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of ForeverOne, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.

⁸Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why don't you eat? Why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?" ⁹So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his seat by the doorpost of the temple of ForeverOne.

¹⁰She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to ForeverOne, and wept bitterly.

¹¹She vowed a vow, and said, "ForeverOne of Armies, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your handmaid, and remember me, and not forget your handmaid, but will give to your handmaid a boy, then I will give him to ForeverOne all the days of his life, and no razor shall come on his head." ¹²As she continued praying before ForeverOne, Eli saw her mouth.

¹³Now Hannah spoke in her heart. Only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

¹⁴Eli said to her, "How long will you be drunken? Put away your wine from you." ¹⁵Hannah answered, "No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I poured out my soul before ForeverOne.

¹⁶Don't count your handmaid for a wicked woman; for I have been speaking out of the abundance of my complaint and my provocation." ¹⁷Then Eli answered, "Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of him." ¹⁸She said, "Let your handmaid find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way, and ate; and her facial expression wasn't sad any more.

¹⁹They rose up in the morning early, and worshiped before ForeverOne, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and ForeverOne remembered her.

²⁰When the time had come, Hannah conceived and bore a son; and she named him Samuel, [saying], "Because I have asked him of ForeverOne." ²¹The man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer to ForeverOne the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.

²²But Hannah didn't go up; for she said to her husband, "Not until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before ForeverOne, and stay there forever." ²³Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems good to you. Wait until you have weaned him; only may ForeverOne establish his word." So the woman waited and nursed her son, until she weaned him.

²⁴When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls, and one ephah of meal, and a bottle of wine, and brought him to ForeverOne's house in Shiloh. The child was young.

²⁵They killed the bull, and brought the child to Eli.

²⁶She said, "Oh, my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to ForeverOne.

²⁷For this child I prayed; and ForeverOne has given me my petition which I asked of him.

²⁸Therefore also I have granted him to ForeverOne. As long as he lives he is granted to ForeverOne." He worshiped ForeverOne there.