Study Desk

Now there was a 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.

And he had ^(C1)two wives: the name of one was ^(C2)Hannah and the name of the ^(F1)other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.

Now this man would go up from his city ^(C1)yearly ^(C2)to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of armies in ^(C3)Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD there.

When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he ^(C1)would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters;

but to Hannah he would give a double portion, because he loved Hannah, ^(C1)but the LORD had closed her womb.

Her rival, moreover, ^(C1)would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb.

And it happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, that she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat.

Then Elkanah her husband would say 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?"

Then Hannah got up after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of ^(C1)the ^(F1)temple of the LORD.

She, ^(F1)greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.

And she ^(C1)made a vow and said, "LORD of armies, if You will indeed ^(C2)look on the affliction of Your bond-servant and remember me, and not forget Your bond-servant, but will give Your bond-servant a ^(F1)son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and ^(C3)a razor shall never come on his head."

Now it came about, as she ^(F1)continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth.

As for Hannah, ^(C1)she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were quivering, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought that she was drunk.

Then Eli said to her, "^(C1)How long will you behave like a drunk? Get rid of your wine!"

But Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman ^(F1)despairing in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I ^(C1)have poured out my soul before the LORD.

"Do not ^(F1)consider your bond-servant a useless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation."

Then Eli answered and said, "^(C1)Go in peace; and may the God of Israel ^(C2)grant your request that you have asked of Him."

She said, "^(C1)Let your bond-servant find favor in your sight." So the woman went on her way and ate, and ^(C2)her face was no longer sad.

Then they got up early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned again to their house in ^(C1)Ramah. And Elkanah ^(F1)had relations with Hannah his wife, and ^(C2)the LORD remembered her.

It came about ^(F1)in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, "^(C1)Because I have asked for him of the LORD."

Then the man Elkanah ^(C1)went up with all his household to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and to pay his vow.

But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "I will not go until the child is weaned; then I will ^(C1)bring him, so that he may appear before the LORD and ^(C2)stay there for life."

^(C1)Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do ^(F1)what seems best to you. Stay until you have weaned him; only ^(C2)may the LORD confirm His word." So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she weaned him.

Now when she had weaned him, ^(C1)she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull, one ephah of flour, and a jug of wine, and brought him to ^(C2)the house of the LORD in Shiloh, although the child was young.

Then ^(C1)they ^(F1)slaughtered the bull, and ^(C2)brought the boy to Eli.

And she said, "Pardon me, my lord! ^(C1)As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD.

"^(C1)For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my request which I asked of Him.

"^(C1)So I have also ^(F1)dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is ^(F1)dedicated to the LORD." And ^(C2)he worshiped the LORD there.

Then Hannah ^(C1)prayed and said, "My heart rejoices in the LORD; ^(C2)My ^(F1)horn is exalted in the LORD, My mouth ^(F2)speaks boldly against my enemies, Because ^(C3)I rejoice in Your salvation.

-"^(C1)There is no one holy like the LORD, Indeed, ^(C2)there is no one besides You, ^(C3)Nor is there any rock like our God.

-"Do not go on ^(F1)boasting so very proudly, ^(C1)Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth; ^(C2)For the LORD is a God of knowledge, ^(C3)And ^(F2)with Him actions are weighed.

-"^(C1)The bows of the mighty are broken to pieces, ^(C2)But those who have stumbled strap on strength.

-"Those who were full hire themselves out for bread, But those who were hungry cease to be hungry. ^(C1)Even the infertile woman gives birth to seven, But ^(C2)she who has many children languishes.

-"^(C1)The LORD puts to death and makes alive; ^(C2)He brings down to ^(F1)Sheol and brings up.

-"^(C1)The LORD makes poor and rich; ^(C2)He humbles, He also exalts.

-"^(C1)He raises the poor from the dust, ^(C2)He lifts the needy from the garbage heap ^(C3)To seat them with nobles, And He gives them a seat of honor as an inheritance; ^(C4)For the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, And He set the world on them.

-"^(C1)He watches over the feet of His godly ones, ^(C2)But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness; ^(C3)For not by might shall a person prevail.

-"^(C1)Those who contend with the LORD will be terrified; ^(C2)Against them He will thunder in the heavens, ^(C3)The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; ^(C4)And He will give strength to His king, ^(C5)And will exalt the ^(F1)horn of His anointed."

Then Elkanah went to his home at ^(C1)Ramah. ^(C2)But the boy continued to attend to the service of the LORD before Eli the priest.

Now the sons of Eli were ^(F1)(C1)useless men; they did not know the LORD.

^(C1)And this was the custom of the priests with the people: when anyone was offering a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come while the meat was cooking, with a three-pronged fork in his hand.

And he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; everything that the fork brought up, the priest would take for himself. They did so in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.

Also, before ^(C1)they ^(F1)burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take cooked meat from you, only raw."

And if the man said to him, "They must ^(F1)burn the fat ^(F2)first, then take as much as ^(F3)you desire," then he would say, "No, but you must give it to me now; and if not, I am taking it by force!"

And so the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for the men ^(C1)treated the offering of the LORD disrespectfully.

Now ^(C1)Samuel was ministering before the LORD, as a boy ^(C2)wearing a linen ephod.

And his mother would make for him a little ^(C1)robe and bring it up to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer ^(C2)the yearly sacrifice.

Then Eli would ^(C1)bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, "May the LORD give you ^(F1)children from this woman in place of the ^(F2)one she ^(C2)requested of the LORD." And they went to their own ^(F3)home.

^(F1)(C1)The LORD indeed visited Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And ^(C2)the boy Samuel grew up ^(F2)before the LORD.