1 Samuel

Thomson^{(i) 1} There was a man of Armathaim-Sipha, of mount Ephraim, whose name was Elkana, son of Jeremeel, son of Eliu, son of Thoke, at Nasib -Ephraim. ² And he had two wives. The name of the one was Anna, and the name of the other Phennana. ³ And Phennana had children; but Anna had not a child. And this man went up, year after year, out of his city; from Armathaim, to worship, and sacrifice to the Lord God of Sabbaoth, at Selom; for Eli and his two sons, Ophni and Phineas, the priests of the Lord, were there. ⁴ And his custom was, on the day when Elkana had offered sacrifices, he gave portions to his wife Phennana, and her children, ⁵ and to Anna he gave one portion, because she had not a child. Nevertheless, Elkana loved Anna more than the other, though the Lord had shut up her womb. ⁶ But because the Lord had not given her a child, such was her affliction and anxiety on the account of this, that she became disconsolate, because the Lord had shut up her womb, so as not to give her a child. ⁷ Thus he acted, year after year, when he went up to the house of the Lord. And when she was become disconsolate, and was weeping, and did not eat, ⁸ Elkana her husband said to her, Anna! and she said to him, Here, my lord. And he said to her, What is the matter with thee, that thou weepest? And why dost thou not eat? And why is thy heart grieved? Am not I better to thee than ten sons? ⁹ Thereupon Anna rose up, after they had eaten at Selom, and stood before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat at 4 the door posts of the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ And she being in bitterness of soul, prayed to the Lord, and wept sore. ¹¹ And she vowed a vow to the Lord, saying, Adonai, Lord, Eloe Sabbaoth! If thou wilt look on the affliction of thy handmaid, and remember me, and give thy handmaid a man child, I will dedicate him before thee, as a gift to the day of his death; and he shall not drink wine, nor fermented liquor, nor shall a razor come on his head. ¹² And while she was continuing her prayer before the Lord, Eli the priest observed her mouth. ¹³ When she spoke in her heart, her lips moved, but her voice was not heard, so Eli thought that she was drunk. ¹⁴ Thereupon Eli's servant said to her, How long wilt thou be drunk? Take away thy wine, and depart from the presence of the Lord, ¹⁵ And Anna answered, and said, No, my lord. I am a woman in deep affliction. I have not drunk wine nor strong drink; but am pouring out my soul before the Lord. ¹⁶ Count not thy handmaid a daughter of wickedness, because, out of the abundance of my deep meditation, I have continued till now. ¹⁷ Then Eli in reply said to her, Go in peace. May the God of Israel grant thee thy petition, which thou hast asked of him. ¹⁸ And she said, Thy servant hath found favour in thy sight. Then the woman went away, and when she came to her lodging, she ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was no more dejected. ¹⁹ And they arose early in the morning, and worshipped the Lord, and set out on their journey. And when Elkana came to his house at Armathaim, he knew his wife Anna; and the Lord remembered her, ²⁰ and she conceived, and at the appointed time bore a son, and called his name Samuel, because, said she, I asked him of the Lord God of Sabbaoth. ²¹ And when the man Elkana went up, with his household, to offer at Selom his annual sacrifice, and his vows, and all the tythes of his land, ²² Anna did not go up with him; for she said to her husband, Not till the boy can go up after I have weaned him, that he may appear before the Lord, and abide there continually. ²³ And Elkana her husband said to her, Do what seemeth good in thine eyes. Stay till thou hast weaned him. And may the Lord establish what hath proceeded from thy mouth. So the woman staid at home, and suckled the child. ²⁴ And when she had weaned him, she went up with her husband to Selom, with a bull of three years old, and bread, and an epha of fine flour, and a nebal of wine, and came to the house of the Lord at Selom, and the boy with them. ²⁵ And when they had presented him before the Lord, and his father had slain the victim, which he offered yearly to the Lord, he presented the boy, and slew the bull, and Anna, the mother of the child, presented him before Eli, and said, ²⁶ Attend to me, my lord! As thy soul liveth, I am the woman who stood in thy presence with thee when I prayed to the Lord. ²⁷ For this child I prayed, and the Lord hath granted me the petition which I asked of him; ²⁸ therefore I dedicate him to the Lord, all the days of his life, as a loan to the Lord. Then she said,