1 And there is a certain man of Ramathaim-Zophim, of the hill-country of Ephraim, and his name [is] Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, and Ephrathite,

² and he hath two wives, the name of the one [is] Hannah, and the name of the second Peninnah, and Peninnah hath children, and Hannah hath no children.

³ And that man hath gone up out of his city from time to time, to bow himself, and to sacrifice, before Jehovah of Hosts, in Shiloh, and there [are] two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to Jehovah.

⁴ And the day cometh, and Elkanah sacrificeth, and he hath given to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions,

⁵ and to Hannah he giveth a certain portion -- double, for he hath loved Hannah, and Jehovah hath shut her womb;

⁶ and her adversity hath also provoked her greatly, so as to make her tremble, for Jehovah hath shut up her womb.

⁷ And so he doth year by year, from the time of her going up into the house of Jehovah, so it provoketh her, and she weepeth, and doth not eat.

⁸ And Elkanah her husband saith to her, `Hannah, why weepest thou? and why dost thou not eat? and why is thy heart afflicted? am I not better to thee than ten sons?'

⁹ And Hannah riseth after eating in Shiloh, and after drinking, and Eli the priest is sitting on the throne by the side-post of the temple of Jehovah.

¹⁰ And she is bitter in soul, and prayeth unto Jehovah, and weepeth greatly,

¹¹ and voweth a vow, and saith, `Jehovah of Hosts, if Thou dost certainly look on the affliction of Thy handmaid, and hast remembered me, and dost not forget Thy handmaid, and hast given to Thy handmaid seed of men -- then I have given him to Jehovah all days of his life, and a razor doth not go up upon his head.'

¹² And it hath been, when she multiplied praying before Jehovah, that Eli is watching her mouth,

¹³ and Hannah, she is speaking to her heart, only her lips are moving, and her voice is not heard, and Eli reckoneth her to be drunken.

¹⁴ And Eli saith unto her, `Until when are thou drunken? turn aside thy wine from thee.'

¹⁵ And Hannah answereth and saith, `No, my lord, A woman sharply pained in spirit I [am], and wine and strong drink I have not drunk, and I pour out my soul before Jehovah;

¹⁶ put not thy handmaid before a daughter of worthlessness, for from the abundance of my meditation, and of my provocation, I have spoken hitherto.'

¹⁷ And Eli answereth and saith, `Go in peace, and the God of Israel doth give thy petition which thou hast asked of Him.'

¹⁸ And she saith, `Let thy handmaid find grace in thine eyes;' and the woman goeth on her way, and eateth, and her countenance hath not been [sad] for it any more.

¹⁹ And they rise early in the morning, and bow themselves before Jehovah, and turn back, and come in unto their house in Ramah, and Elkanah knoweth Hannah his wife, and Jehovah remembereth her;

²⁰ and it cometh to pass, at the revolution of the days, that Hannah conceiveth, and beareth a son, and calleth his name Samuel, `for, from Jehovah I have asked him.'

²¹ And the man Elkanah goeth up, and all his house, to sacrifice to Jehovah the sacrifice of the days, and his vow.

²² And Hannah hath not gone up, for she said to her husband, `Till the youth is weaned -- then I have brought him in, and he hath appeared before the face of Jehovah, and dwelt there -- unto the age.'

²³ And Elkanah her husband saith to her, `Do that which is good in thine eyes; abide till thy weaning him; only, Jehovah establish His word;' and the woman abideth and suckleth her son till she hath weaned him,

²⁴ and she causeth him to go up with her when she hath weaned him, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and she bringeth him into the house of Jehovah at Shiloh, and the youth [is but] a youth.

²⁵ And they slaughter the bullock, and bring in the youth unto Eli,

²⁶ and she saith, `O, my lord, thy soul liveth! my lord, I [am] the woman who stood with thee in this [place], to pray unto Jehovah;

²⁷ for this youth I prayed, and Jehovah doth give to me my petition which I asked of Him;

²⁸ and also I have caused him to be asked for Jehovah, all the days that he hath lived -- he is asked for Jehovah;' and he boweth himself there before Jehovah.

2 And Hannah prayeth, and saith: `My heart hath exulted in Jehovah, My horn hath been high in Jehovah, My mouth hath been large over mine enemies, For I have rejoiced in Thy salvation.

² There is none holy like Jehovah, For there is none save Thee, And there is no rock like our God.

³ Ye multiply not -- ye speak haughtily -- The old saying goeth out from your mouth, For a God of knowledge [is] Jehovah, And by Him actions are weighed.

⁴ Bows of the mighty are broken, And the stumbling have girded on strength.

⁵ The satiated for bread hired themselves, And the hungry have ceased. While the barren hath borne seven, And she abounding with sons hath languished.

⁶ Jehovah putteth to death, and keepeth alive, He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up.

⁷ Jehovah dispossesseth, and He maketh rich, He maketh low, yea, He maketh high.

⁸ He raiseth from the dust the poor, From a dunghill He lifteth up the needy, To cause [them] to sit with nobles, Yea, a throne of honour He doth cause them to inherit, For to Jehovah [are] the fixtures of earth, And He setteth on them the habitable world.

⁹ The feet of His saints He keepeth, And the wicked in darkness are silent, For not by power doth man become mighty.

¹⁰ Jehovah -- broken down are His adversaries, Against them in the heavens He thundereth: Jehovah judgeth the ends of earth, And giveth strength to His king, And exalteth the horn of His anointed.'

¹¹ And Elkanah goeth to Ramath, unto his house, and the youth hath been serving Jehovah, [in] the presence of Eli the priest;

¹² and the sons of Eli [are] sons of worthlessness, they have not known Jehovah.

¹³ And the custom of the priests with the people [is]: any man sacrificing a sacrifice -- then hath the servant of the priest come in when the flesh is boiling, and the hook of three teeth in his hand,

¹⁴ and hath struck [it] into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the hook bringeth up doth the priest take for himself; thus they do to all Israel who are coming in, there, in Shiloh.

¹⁵ Also before they make perfume with the fat -- then hath the priest's servant come in, and said to the man who is sacrificing, `Give flesh to roast for the priest, and he doth not take of thee flesh boiled, but raw;'

¹⁶ and the man saith unto him, `Let them surely make a perfume (as to-day) with the fat, then take to thee as thy soul desireth;' and he hath said to him, `Surely now thou dost give; and if not -- I have taken by strength.'

¹⁷ And the sin of the young men is very great [in] the presence of Jehovah, for the men have despised the offering of Jehovah.

¹⁸ And Samuel is ministering [in] the presence of Jehovah, a youth girt [with] an ephod of linen;

¹⁹ and a small upper coat doth his mother make to him, and she hath brought it up to him from time to time, in her coming up with her husband to sacrifice the sacrifice of the time.

²⁰ And Eli blessed Elkanah, and his wife, and said, `Jehovah doth appoint for thee seed of this woman, for the petition which she asked for Jehovah;' and they have gone to their place.

²¹ When Jehovah hath looked after Hannah, then she conceiveth and beareth three sons and two daughters; and the youth Samuel groweth up with Jehovah.

²² And Eli [is] very old, and hath heard all that his sons do to all Israel, and how that they lie with the women who are assembling [at] the opening of the tent of meeting,

²³ and he saith to them, `Why do ye things like these? for I am hearing of your evil words from all the people -- these!

²⁴ Nay, my sons; for the report which I am hearing is not good causing the people of Jehovah to transgress. --

²⁵ If a man sin against a man, then hath God judged him; but if against Jehovah a man sin, who doth pray for him?' and they hearken not to the voice of their father, though Jehovah hath delighted to put them to death.

²⁶ And the youth Samuel is going on and growing up, and [is] good both with Jehovah, and also with men.

²⁷ And there cometh a man of God unto Eli, and saith unto him, `Thus said Jehovah, Was I really revealed unto the house of thy father in their being in Egypt, before Pharaoh's house,

²⁸ even to choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to Me for a priest, to go up on Mine altar, to make a perfume, to bear an ephod before Me, and I give to the house of thy father all the fire-offerings of the sons of Israel?

²⁹ Why do ye kick at My sacrifice, and at Mine offering which I commanded [in] My habitation, and dost honour thy sons above Me, to make yourselves fat from the first part of every offering of Israel, of My people?

³⁰ `Therefore -- the affirmation of Jehovah, God of Israel -- I certainly said, Thy house and the house of thy father, do walk up and down before Me to the age; and now -- the affirmation of Jehovah -- Far be it from Me! for he who is honouring Me, I honour, and those despising Me, are lightly esteemed.

³¹ `Lo, days [are] coming, and I have cut off thine arm, and the arm of the house of thy father, that an old man is not in thy house;

³² and thou hast beheld an adversary [in My] habitation, in all that He doth good with Israel, and there is not an old man in thy house all the days.

³³ `And the man I cut not off of thine from Mine altar, [is] to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thy soul; and all the increase of thy house do die men;

³⁴ and this [is] to thee the sign that cometh unto thy two sons, unto Hophni and Phinehas -- in one day they die both of them;

³⁵ and I have raised up for Me a stedfast priest; as in My heart and in My soul he doth do; and I have built for him a stedfast house, and he hath walked up and down before Mine anointed all the days;

³⁶ and it hath been, every one who is left in thy house doth come in to bow himself to him, for a wage of silver, and a cake of bread, and hath said, Admit me, I pray thee, unto one of the priest's offices, to eat a morsel of bread.'

3 And the youth Samuel is serving Jehovah before Eli, and the word of Jehovah hath been precious in those days -- there is no vision broken forth.

² And it cometh to pass, at that time, that Eli is lying down in his place, and his eyes have begun to be dim -- he is not able to see.

³ And the lamp of God is not yet extinguished, and Samuel is lying down in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God [is],

⁴ and Jehovah calleth unto Samuel, and he saith, `Here [am] I.'

⁵ And he runneth unto Eli, and saith, `Here [am] I, for thou hast called for me;' and he saith, `I called not; turn back, lie down;' and he goeth and lieth down.

⁶ And Jehovah addeth to call again Samuel, and Samuel riseth and goeth unto Eli, and saith, `Here [am] I, for thou hast called for me;' and he saith, `I have not called, my son, turn back, lie down.'

⁷ And Samuel hath not yet known Jehovah, and the word of Jehovah is not yet revealed unto him.

⁸ And Jehovah addeth to call Samuel the third time, and he riseth and goeth unto Eli, and saith, `Here [am] I, for thou hast called for me;' and Eli understandeth that Jehovah is calling to the youth.

⁹ And Eli saith to Samuel, `Go, lie down, and it hath been, if He doth call unto thee, that thou hast said, Speak, Jehovah, for Thy servant is hearing;' and Samuel goeth and lieth down in his place.

¹⁰ And Jehovah cometh, and stationeth Himself, and calleth as time by time, `Samuel, Samuel;' and Samuel saith, `Speak, for Thy servant if hearing.'

¹¹ And Jehovah saith unto Samuel, `Lo, I am doing a thing in Israel, at which the two ears of every one hearing it do tingle.

¹² In that day I establish unto Eli all that I have spoken unto his house, beginning and completing;

¹³ and I have declared to him that I am judging his house -- to the age, for the iniquity which he hath known, for his sons are making themselves vile, and he hath not restrained them,

¹⁴ and therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli: the iniquity of the house of Eli is not atoned for, by sacrifice, and by offering -- unto the age.'

¹⁵ And Samuel lieth till the morning, and openeth the doors of the house of Jehovah, and Samuel is afraid of declaring the vision unto Eli.

¹⁶ And Eli calleth Samuel, and saith, `Samuel, my son;' and he saith, `Here [am] I.'

¹⁷ And he saith, `What [is] the word which He hath spoken unto thee? I pray thee, hide it not from me; so doth God do to thee, and so doth He add, if thou hidest from me a word of all the words that He hath spoken unto thee.'

¹⁸ And Samuel declareth to him the whole of the words, and hath not hid from him; and he saith, `It [is] Jehovah; that which is good in His eyes He doth.'

¹⁹ And Samuel groweth up, and Jehovah hath been with him, and hath not let fall any of his words to the earth;

²⁰ and all Israel know, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, that Samuel is established for a prophet to Jehovah.

²¹ And Jehovah addeth to appear in Shiloh, for Jehovah hath been revealed unto Samuel, in Shiloh, by the word of Jehovah.