1 SAMUEL - Chapter 1

There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, and Ephraimite. He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to YAHWEH of Hosts at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of YAHWEH. Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and YAHWEH had closed her womb. And because YAHWEH had closed her womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of YAHWEH, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. Elkanah her husband would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you down-hearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of YAHWEH'S temple. In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to YAHWEH. And she made a vow, saying, O YAHWEH of Hosts, if you will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to YAHWEH for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

As she kept on praying to YAHWEH, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said to her, “How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine.”

“Not so, my master,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to YAHWEH. Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the Elohim of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before YAHWEH and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and YAHWEH remembered her. So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him, Samuel, saying, “Because I asked YAHWEH for him.”

When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to YAHWEH and to fulfill his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before YAHWEH, and he will live there always.”

“Do what seems best to you,” Elkanah her husband told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may YAHWEH make good His word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of YAHWEH at Shiloh. When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, “As surely as you live, my master, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to YAHWEH. I prayed for this child, and YAHWEH has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to YAHWEH. For his whole life he will be given over to YAHWEH.” And he worshiped YAHWEH there.

Chapter 2

Then Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in YAHWEH; in YAHWEH my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance.

“There is no one holy like YAHWEH; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our Elohim.

“Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for YAHWEH is an Elohim who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.

“The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength.

Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry hunger no more.

She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.

YAHWEH brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.

YAHWEH sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts.

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.

“For the foundations of the earth are YAHWEH’S; upon them he has set the world.

He will guard the feet of his saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.

“It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose YAHWEH will be shattered.

He will thunder against them from heaven; YAHWEH will judge the ends of the earth.

“He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

Then Elkanah went home to Remah, but the boy ministered before YAHWEH under Eli the priest.

Eli’s sons were wicked men; they had no regard for YAHWEH. Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. But even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, “Give the priest some meat to roast; he won’t accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

If the man said to him, “Let the fat be burned up first, and then take whatever you want,” the servant would then answer, “No, hand it over now; if you don’t I’ll take it by force.”

This sin of the young men was very great in YAHWEH’s sight, for they were treating YAHWEH’s offering with contempt.

But Samuel was ministering before YAHWEH—a boy wearing a linen ephod. Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May YAHWEH give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to YAHWEH.” Then they would go home. And YAHWEH was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of YAHWEH.

Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons, it is not a good report that I hear spreading among YAHWEH’S people. If a man sins against another man, YAHWEH may mediate for him; but if a man sins against YAHWEH, who will intercede for him?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was YAHWEH’S will to put them to death.

And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with YAHWEH and with men.

Now a man of Elohim came to Eli and said to him, “This is what YAHWEH says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? I chose your father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your father’s house all the offerings made with fire by the Israelites. Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’

“Therefore YAHWEH, the Elohim of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and your father’s house would minister before me forever.’ But now YAHWEH declares, ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.

The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man, Every one of you that I do not cut off from my altar will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.

“’And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will minister before my anointed one always. Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a crust of bread and plead, “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.”’

Chapter 3

The boy Samuel ministered before YAHWEH under Eli. In those days the word of YAHWEH was rare; there were not many visions.

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of Elohim had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of YAHWEH, where the ark of Elohim was. Then YAHWEH called Samuel.

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

Again YAHWEH called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went ot Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

Now Samuel did not yet know YAHWEH: The word of YAHWEH had not yet been revealed to him.

YAHWEH called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

Then Eli realized that YAHWEH was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, YAHWEH, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

YAHWEH came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

And YAHWEH said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them. Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”

Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of YAHWEH. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”

Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

“What was it he said to you?” Eli asked. “Do not hide it from me. May Elohim deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.” So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, “He is YAHWEH; let him do what is good in his eyes.

THINKING QUESTIONS:

YAHWEH was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of YAHWEH. YAHWEH continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

HalleluYah!