1 Samuel 1 - International Standard Version (ISV)

The Birth of Samuel

1 A certain man lived in Ramathaim-zophim, which is in the hill country of Ephraim. He was Jeroham’s son Elkanah, the grandson of Elihu and grandson of Tohu, who was the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² He had two wives; the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ³ That man would go up from his town each year to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of the Heavenly Armies at Shiloh, where Eli’s two sons Hophni and Phineas served as priests of the Lord. ⁴ On the day when Elkanah offered sacrifices, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters, ⁵ but he would give twice as much to Hannah because he loved her.

Now the Lord had closed her womb. ⁶ Her rival would provoke her severely so that she complained loudly^[a] because the Lord had closed her womb. ⁷ Elkanah^[b] would do this year after year, as often as Hannah^[c] went up to the house of the Lord. Likewise, Peninnah^[d] would provoke her, and Hannah^[e] would cry and would not eat. ⁸ Elkanah her husband told her, “Hannah, why are you crying and why don’t you eat? Why are you upset?^[f] Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

⁹ Hannah got up after she had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the chair by the doorpost of the tent^[g] of the Lord. ¹⁰ Deeply distressed, she prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. ¹¹ Hannah^[h] made a vow: “Lord of the Heavenly Armies, if you just look at the misery of your maid servant, remember me, and don’t forget your maid servant. If you give your maid servant a son,^[i] then I’ll give him to the Lord^[j] for all the days of his life,^[k] and a razor is never to touch^[l] his head.”

¹² As she continued to pray in the Lord’s presence, Eli was watching her mouth. ¹³ Hannah^[m] was praying inwardly.^[n] Her lips were quivering, and her voice could not be heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴ Eli told her, “How long will you stay drunk? Put away your wine!”

¹⁵ “No, sir!”^[o] Hannah replied. “I’m a deeply troubled^[p] woman. I’ve drunk neither wine nor beer. I’ve been pouring out my soul in the Lord’s presence. ¹⁶ Don’t consider your maid servant a worthless woman. Rather, all this time I’ve been speaking because I’m very anxious and distressed.”

¹⁷ “Go in peace,” Eli answered. “May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”

¹⁸ She said, “Let your servant^[q] find favor in your eyes.” Then she^[r] went on her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.^[s]

¹⁹ They got up early the next morning and worshipped in the Lord’s presence, and then they returned and came to their house at Ramah. Elkanah had marital relations with^[t] his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. ²⁰ By the time of the next year’s sacrifice,^[u] Hannah had become pregnant and had borne a son. She named him Samuel^[v] because she said,^[w] “I asked the Lord for him.”

Hannah Dedicates Samuel to the Lord

²¹ Then Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the yearly sacrifice to the Lord and pay his vow. ²² Hannah did not go up because she had told her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I’ll take him to appear in the Lord’s presence and remain there^[x] forever.”^[y]

²³ “Do what you want,”^[z] Elkanah told her. “Stay until you have weaned him, only may the Lord bring about what you’ve said.”^[aa] So Hannah^[ab] stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. ²⁴ Then, when she had weaned him, she brought him^[ac] up with her to Shiloh,^[ad] along with a three-year-old bull,^[ae] an ephah^[af] of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh, and the boy^[ag] was young.^{[ah] 25} They slaughtered the bull and brought the boy^[ai] to Eli.

²⁶ Hannah^[aj] said, “Sir,^[ak] as surely as you are alive, I’m the woman who stood before you here praying to the Lord. ²⁷ I prayed for this boy, and the Lord granted me the request I asked of him. ²⁸ Now^[al] I’m dedicating^[am] him to the Lord, and as long as he lives,^[an] he will be dedicated^[ao] to the Lord.” Then they worshipped^[ap] the Lord there.

Footnotes

1. 1 Samuel 1:6 Or severely to irritate her
2. 1 Samuel 1:7 Lit. He
3. 1 Samuel 1:7 Lit. she
4. 1 Samuel 1:7 Lit. she
5. 1 Samuel 1:7 Lit. she
6. 1 Samuel 1:8 Lit. is your heart troubled
7. 1 Samuel 1:9 Or temple
8. 1 Samuel 1:11 Lit. She
9. 1 Samuel 1:11 Lit. seed of men
10. 1 Samuel 1:11 So MT; LXX reads him to your presence as a gift until the day of his death
11. 1 Samuel 1:11 So MT; LXX and DSS read life, and wine or strong drink he won’t drink; Cf. 4QSam^a
12. 1 Samuel 1:11 Or cross; MT reads to go over; 4QSam^a reads to come upon
13. 1 Samuel 1:13 So MT; 4QSam^a LXX read She
14. 1 Samuel 1:13 Lit. in her heart
15. 1 Samuel 1:15 Lit. No, my lord
16. 1 Samuel 1:15 Lit. harsh of spirit; i.e. one whose life is hard
17. 1 Samuel 1:18 Lit. maid servant
18. 1 Samuel 1:18 Lit. Then the woman
19. 1 Samuel 1:18 So LXX; The meaning of MT is uncertain.
20. 1 Samuel 1:19 Lit. Elkanah knew
21. 1 Samuel 1:20 Or in due time
22. 1 Samuel 1:20 The Heb. name Samuel means God has heard
23. 1 Samuel 1:20 The Heb. lacks she said
24. 1 Samuel 1:22 So MT; 4QSam^a reads before there
25. 1 Samuel 1:22 So MT LXX; 4QSam^a reads there, and I’ll dedicate him as a Nazirite forever, all his days
26. 1 Samuel 1:23 Lit. is good in your eye
27. 1 Samuel 1:23 So LXX and DSS; lit. about what comes out of your mouth; MT reads about his word
28. 1 Samuel 1:23 Lit. So the woman
29. 1 Samuel 1:24 So 4QSam^a; MT employs a Heb. suffix
30. 1 Samuel 1:24 The Heb. lacks to Shiloh; LXX and DSS add to Shiloh
31. 1 Samuel 1:24 4QSam^a LXX read three bulls; meaning of MT is uncertain.
32. 1 Samuel 1:24 I.e. about a half-bushel; an ephah was a measure of dry capacity equal to about one half of a bushel
33. 1 Samuel 1:24 So MT LXX; 4QSam^a reads child
34. 1 Samuel 1:24 The meaning of MT is uncertain; lit. the lad was a lad; LXX and DSS read and the boy was with them.
35. 1 Samuel 1:25 So MT; Cf. 4QSam^a; LXX reads was with them. When they brought him into the presence of the Lord, his father slaughtered the sacrifice, as he did annually for the Lord. Then he brought the child, ²⁵ and he slaughtered the calf. And Hannah his mother brought him
36. 1 Samuel 1:26 Lit. she
37. 1 Samuel 1:26 Lit. My lord
38. 1 Samuel 1:28 Lit. Also
39. 1 Samuel 1:28 Or lending
40. 1 Samuel 1:28 So LXX and other Heb. MSS; MT reads is
41. 1 Samuel 1:28 Or lent
42. 1 Samuel 1:28 So 4QSam^a; MT LXX^mss read So he worshipped; LXX lacks Then they worshipped the Lord there