1 Now there was
a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his
name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the
son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:
2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and
the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but
Hannah had no children.
3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and
to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons
of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah
his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:
5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah:
but the LORD had shut up her womb.
6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her
fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.
7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house
of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did
not eat.
8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest
thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved?
am not I better to thee than ten sons?
9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after
they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post
of the temple of the LORD.
10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD,
and wept sore.
11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt
indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember
me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine
handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all
the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his
head.
12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the
LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.
13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved,
but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been
drunken.
14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put
away thy wine from thee.
15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of
a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink,
but have poured out my soul before the LORD.
16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out
of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel
grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight.
So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance
was no more sad.
19 And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before
the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and
Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.
20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after
Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name
Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.
21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer
unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.
22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I
will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring
him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for
ever.
23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee
good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish
his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she
weaned him.
24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with
three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine,
and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the
child was young.
25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.
26 And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I
am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.
27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition
which I asked of him:
28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he
liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD
there.
Chapter 2
1 And Hannah prayed,
and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted
in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because
I rejoice in thy salvation.
2 There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee:
neither is there any rock like our God.
3 Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come
out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by
him actions are weighed.
4 The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled
are girded with strength.
5 They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and
they that were hungry ceased: so that the barren hath born seven;
and she that hath many children is waxed feeble.
6 The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the
grave, and bringeth up.
7 The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and
lifteth up.
8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the
beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to
make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the
earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them.
9 He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall
be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.
10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out
of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the
ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king,
and exalt the horn of his anointed.
11 And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did
minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest.
12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the
LORD.
13 And the priests' custom with the people was, that, when any
man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the
flesh was in o with men.
27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him,
Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of
thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house?
28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be
my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear
an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father
all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?
29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which
I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above
me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings
of Israel my people?
30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that
thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me
for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them
that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall
be lightly esteemed.
31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and
the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old
man in thine house.
32 And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the
wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an
old man in thine house for ever.
33 And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine
altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart:
and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower
of their age.
34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon
thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall
die both of them.
35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according
to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build
him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for
ever.
36 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in
thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver
and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into
one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.
Chapter 3
1 And the child
Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of
the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in
his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not
see;
3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD,
where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst
me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and
lay down.
6 And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and
went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And
he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word
of the LORD yet revealed unto him.
8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose
and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me.
And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.
9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall
be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy
servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times,
Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant
heareth.
11 And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in
Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it
shall tingle.
12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I
have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also
make an end.
13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever
for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves
vile, and he restrained them not.
14 And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the
iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor
offering for ever.
15 And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of
the house of the LORD. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.
16 Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he
answered, Here am I.
17 And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said unto
thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and
more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things
that he said unto thee.
18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him.
And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.
19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none
of his words fall to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel
was established to be a prophet of the LORD.
21 And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed
himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD. |