1Samuel:1-2
Seeker Overlay ON
*
Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim ,
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 :
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
And when the time was that Elkanah offered ,
he gave to Peninnah his wife ,
and to all her sons and her daughters ,
portions :
*
But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion ;
for he loved Hannah :
but the LORD had shut up her womb .
*
And her adversary also provoked her sore ,
for to make her fret ,
because the LORD had shut up her womb .
*
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 .
*
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 ?
*
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 .
*
And she was in bitterness of soul ,
and prayed unto the LORD ,
and wept sore .
*
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 .
*
And it came to pass ,
as she continued praying before the LORD ,
that Eli marked her mouth .
*
Now Hannah ,
she spake in her heart ;
only her lips moved ,
but her voice was not heard :
therefore Eli thought she had been drunken .
*
And Eli said unto her ,
How long wilt thou be drunken ?
put away thy wine from thee .
*
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 .
*
Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial :
for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto .
*
Then Eli answered and said ,
Go in peace :
and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
And the man Elkanah ,
and all his house ,
went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice ,
and his vow .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
And they slew a bullock ,
and brought the child to Eli .
*
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 .
*
For this child I prayed ;
and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him :
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
There is none holy as the LORD :
for there is none beside thee :
neither is there any rock like our God .
*
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 .
*
The bows of the mighty men are broken ,
and they that stumbled are girded with strength .
*
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 .
*
The LORD killeth ,
and maketh alive :
he bringeth down to the grave ,
and bringeth up .
*
The LORD maketh poor ,
and maketh rich :
he bringeth low ,
and lifteth up .
*
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 .
*
He will keep the feet of his saints ,
and the wicked shall be silent in darkness ;
for by strength shall no man prevail .
*
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 .
*
And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house .
And the child did minister unto the LORD before Eli the priest .
*
Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial ;
they knew not the LORD .
*
And the priests '
custom with the people was ,
that ,
when any man offered sacrifice ,
the priest '
s servant came ,
while the flesh was in seething ,
with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand ;
*
And he struck it into the pan ,
or kettle ,
or caldron ,
or pot ;
all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself .
So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither .
*
Also before they burnt the fat ,
the priest '
s servant came ,
and said to the man that sacrificed ,
Give flesh to roast for the priest ;
for he will not have sodden flesh of thee ,
but raw .
*
And if any man said unto him ,
Let them not fail to burn the fat presently ,
and then take as much as thy soul desireth ;
then he would answer him ,
Nay ;
but thou shalt give it me now :
and if not ,
I will take it by force .
*
Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD :
for men abhorred the offering of the LORD .
*
But Samuel ministered before the LORD ,
being a child ,
girded with a linen ephod .
*
Moreover his mother made him a little coat ,
and brought it to him from year to year ,
when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice .
*
And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife ,
and said ,
The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD .
And they went unto their own home .
*
And the LORD visited Hannah ,
so that she conceived ,
and bare three sons and two daughters .
And the child Samuel grew before the LORD .
*
Now Eli was very old ,
and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel ;
and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation .
*
And he said unto them ,
Why do ye such things ?
for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people .
*
Nay ,
my sons ;
for it is no good report that I hear :
ye make the LORD '
S people to transgress .
*
If one man sin against another ,
the judge shall judge him :
but if a man sin against the LORD ,
who shall intreat for him ?
Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father ,
because the LORD would slay them .
*
And the child Samuel grew on ,
and was in favour both with the LORD ,
and also with men .
*
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 ?
*
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 ?
*
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 ?
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .
*
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 .