Read the Bible

Elkanah and His Wives

¹ Now there was a certain man from ^(C1)Ramathaim-zophim from the ^(C2)hill country of Ephraim, and his name was ^(C3)Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.² Now he had ^(C1)two wives: the name of one was ^(C2)Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

³ Now that man would go up from his city ^(C1)yearly ^(C2)to worship and to sacrifice to ^(F1)Yahweh of hosts in ^(C3)Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to Yahweh there.⁴ And the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, and he ^(C1)would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters;⁵ but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, ^(C1)but Yahweh had closed her womb.⁶ Her rival, however, ^(C1)would provoke her bitterly to irritate her because Yahweh had closed her womb.⁷ And so it would happen year after year, as often as she went up to the house of Yahweh, she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat.⁸ Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? ^(C1)Am I not better to you than ten sons?"

⁹ Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of ^(C1)the temple of Yahweh.¹⁰ And she, bitter of soul, prayed to Yahweh and wept despondently.¹¹ And she ^(C1)made a vow and said, "O Yahweh of hosts, if You will indeed ^(C2)look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a seed amongst men, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life, and ^(C3)a razor shall never come on his head."

¹² Now it happened, as she multiplied her praying before Yahweh, that Eli was watching her mouth.¹³ As for Hannah, ^(C1)she was speaking in her heart; only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.¹⁴ Then Eli said to her, "^(C1)How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you."¹⁵ But Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman ^(F1)oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I ^(C1)have poured out my soul before Yahweh.¹⁶ "Do not ^(F1)consider your maidservant as a vile woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great complaint and ^(F2)provocation."¹⁷ Then Eli answered and said, "^(C1)Go in peace; and may the God of Israel ^(C2)grant your petition that you have asked of Him."¹⁸ And she said, "^(C1)Let your servant-woman find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and ^(C2)her face was no longer sad.

The Birth of Samuel

¹⁹ Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before Yahweh and turned back and came to their house in ^(C1)Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and ^(C2)Yahweh remembered her.²⁰ Now it happened ^(F1)in due time that Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, "^(C1)Because I have asked him of Yahweh."

²¹ Then the man Elkanah ^(C1)went up with all his household to offer to Yahweh the yearly sacrifice and pay his vow.²² But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "I will not go up until the young boy is weaned; then I will ^(C1)bring him, that he may appear before Yahweh and ^(C2)stay there forever."^23 (C1)And Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what is good in your eyes. Remain until you have weaned him; only ^(C2)may Yahweh establish His word." So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him.²⁴ Now when she had weaned him, ^(C1)she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull and one ^(F1)ephah of flour and a jug of wine and brought him to ^(C2)the house of Yahweh in Shiloh, although the boy was young.²⁵ Then ^(C1)they slaughtered the bull and ^(C2)brought the young boy to Eli.²⁶ And she said, "Oh, my lord! ^(C1)As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to Yahweh.²⁷ "^(C1)For this young boy I prayed, and Yahweh has given me my petition which I asked of Him.²⁸ "^(C1)So I have also ^(F1)dedicated him to Yahweh; as long as he lives, he is ^(F1)dedicated to Yahweh." So ^(C2)he worshiped Yahweh there.