1There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim.H259H376H7436H2022H669H8034H511H1121H3395H1121H453H1121H8459H1121H6689H673 2Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.H8147H802H8034H259H2584H8034H8145H6444H6444H3206H2584H3206 3Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of Heaven's Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the LORD at that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas.H1931H376H5927H5892H3117H3117H7812H2076H3068H6635H7887H8147H1121H5941H2652H6372H3548H3068 4On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children.H3117H511H2076H5414H6444H802H1121H1323H4490 5And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the LORD had given her no children.H2584H5414H259H639H4490H157H2584H3068H5462H7358 6So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the LORD had kept her from having children.H6869H3707H3708H7481H3068H5462H1157H7358 7Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.H6213H8141H8141H1767H5927H1004H3068H3707H1058H398 8"Why are you crying, Hannah?" Elkanah would ask. "Why aren't you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn't that better than having ten sons?"H559H511H376H2584H1058H398H3824H3415H2896H6235H1121 9Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle.H2584H6965H310H398H7887H310H8354H5941H3548H3427H3678H4201H1964H3068 10Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the LORD.H4751H5315H6419H3068H1058H1058 11And she made this vow: "O LORD of Heaven's Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the LORD, his hair will never be cut."H5087H5088H559H3068H6635H7200H7200H6040H519H2142H7911H519H5414H519H582H2233H5414H3068H3117H2416H4177H5927H7218 12As she was praying to the LORD, Eli watched her.H7235H6419H6440H3068H5941H8104H6310 13Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking.H2584H1696H3820H8193H5128H6963H8085H5941H2803H7910 14"Must you come here drunk?" he demanded. "Throw away your wine!"H5941H559H7937H5493H3196 15"Oh no, sir!" she replied. "I haven't been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the LORD.H2584H6030H559H113H802H7186H7307H8354H3196H7941H8210H5315H6440H3068 16Don't think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow."H5414H519H6440H1323H1100H7230H7879H3708H1696 17"In that case," Eli said, "go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him."H5941H6030H559H3212H7965H430H3478H5414H7596H7592 18"Oh, thank you, sir!" she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.H559H8198H4672H2580H5869H802H3212H1870H398H6440 19The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the LORD once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the LORD remembered her plea,H7925H1242H7925H7812H6440H3068H7725H935H1004H7414H511H3045H2584H802H3068H2142 20and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, "I asked the LORD for him."H3117H8622H2584H2029H3205H1121H7121H8034H8050H7592H3068 21The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the LORD.H376H511H1004H5927H2076H3068H3117H2077H5088 22But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, "Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the LORD permanently."H2584H5927H559H376H5288H1580H935H7200H6440H3068H3427H5704H5769 23"Whatever you think is best," Elkanah agreed. "Stay here for now, and may the LORD help you keep your promise." So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.H511H376H559H6213H5869H2896H3427H1580H3068H6965H1697H802H3427H1121H3243H1580 24When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine.H1580H5927H7969H6499H259H374H7058H5035H3196H935H1004H3068H7887H5288H5288 25After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli.H7819H6499H935H5288H5941 26"Sir, do you remember me?" Hannah asked. "I am the woman who stood here several years ago praying to the LORD.H559H994H113H5315H2416H113H802H5324H6419H3068 27I asked the LORD to give me this boy, and he has granted my request.H5288H6419H3068H5414H7596H7592 28Now I am giving him to the LORD, and he will belong to the LORD his whole life." And they worshiped the LORD there.H7592H3068H3117H7592H3068H7812H3068
2Then Hannah prayed: "My heart rejoices in the LORD! The LORD has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because you rescued me.H2584H6419H559H3820H5970H3068H7161H7311H3068H6310H7337H341H8055H3444 2No one is holy like the LORD! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.H6918H3068H1115H6697H430 3"Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don't speak with such arrogance! For the LORD is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions.H1696H7235H1364H1364H6277H3318H6310H3068H410H1844H5949H8505 4The bow of the mighty is now broken, and those who stumbled are now strong.H7198H1368H2844H3782H247H2428 5Those who were well fed are now starving, and those who were starving are now full. The childless woman now has seven children, and the woman with many children wastes away.H7649H7936H3899H7457H2308H6135H3205H7651H7227H1121H535 6The LORD gives both death and life; he brings some down to the grave but raises others up.H3068H4191H2421H3381H7585H5927 7The LORD makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up.H3068H3423H6238H8213H637H7311 8He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the LORD's, and he has set the world in order.H6965H1800H6083H7311H34H830H3427H5081H5157H3678H3519H4690H776H3068H7896H8398 9"He will protect his faithful ones, but the wicked will disappear in darkness. No one will succeed by strength alone.H8104H7272H2623H7563H1826H2822H3581H376H1396 10Those who fight against the LORD will be shattered. He thunders against them from heaven; the LORD judges throughout the earth. He gives power to his king; he increases the strength of his anointed one."H7378H3068H2865H8064H7481H3068H1777H657H776H5414H5797H4428H7311H7161H4899 11Then Elkanah returned home to Ramah without Samuel. And the boy served the LORD by assisting Eli the priest.H511H3212H7414H1004H5288H1961H8334H3068H6440H5941H3548 12Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the LORDH1121H5941H1121H1100H3045H3068 13or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli's sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling,H3548H4941H5971H376H2076H2077H3548H5288H935H1320H1310H4207H7969H8127H3027 14the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli's sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way.H5221H3595H1731H7037H6517H4207H5927H3548H3947H6213H7887H3478H935 15Sometimes the servant would come even before the animal's fat had been burned on the altar. He would demand raw meat before it had been boiled so that it could be used for roasting.H6999H2459H3548H5288H935H559H376H2076H5414H1320H6740H3548H3947H1310H1320H2416 16The man offering the sacrifice might reply, "Take as much as you want, but the fat must be burned first." Then the servant would demand, "No, give it to me now, or I'll take it by force."H376H559H6999H6999H2459H3117H3947H5315H183H559H5414H3947H2394 17So the sin of these young men was very serious in the LORD's sight, for they treated the LORD's offerings with contempt.H2403H5288H3966H1419H6440H3068H582H5006H4503H3068 18But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the LORD. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest.H8050H8334H6440H3068H5288H2296H906H646 19Each year his mother made a small coat for him and brought it to him when she came with her husband for the sacrifice.H517H6213H6996H4598H5927H3117H3117H5927H376H2076H3117H2077 20Before they returned home, Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, "May the LORD give you other children to take the place of this one she gave to the LORD."H5941H1288H511H802H559H3068H7760H2233H802H7596H7592H3068H1980H4725 21And the LORD gave Hannah three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.H3588H3068H6485H2584H2029H3205H7969H1121H8147H1323H5288H8050H1431H5973H3068 22Now Eli was very old, but he was aware of what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. He knew, for instance, that his sons were seducing the young women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle.H5941H3966H2204H8085H1121H6213H3478H7901H802H6633H6607H168H4150 23Eli said to them, "I have been hearing reports from all the people about the wicked things you are doing. Why do you keep sinning?H559H6213H1697H8085H7451H1697H5971 24You must stop, my sons! The reports I hear among the LORD's people are not good.H1121H2896H8052H8085H3068H5971H5674 25If someone sins against another person, God can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede?" But Eli's sons wouldn't listen to their father, for the LORD was already planning to put them to death.H376H2398H376H430H6419H376H2398H3068H6419H8085H6963H1H3068H2654H4191 26Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew taller and grew in favor with the LORD and with the people.H5288H8050H1432H1980H2896H3068H582 27One day a man of God came to Eli and gave him this message from the LORD: "I revealed myself to your ancestors when the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt.H935H376H430H5941H559H559H3068H1540H1540H1004H1H4714H6547H1004 28I chose your ancestor Aaron from among all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer sacrifices on my altar, to burn incense, and to wear the priestly vest as he served me. And I assigned the sacrificial offerings to you priests.H977H7626H3478H3548H5927H4196H6999H7004H5375H646H6440H5414H1004H1H801H1121H3478 29So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel!H1163H2077H4503H6680H4583H3513H1121H1254H7225H4503H3478H5971 30"Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I promised that your branch of the tribe of Levi would always be my priests. But I will honor those who honor me, and I will despise those who think lightly of me.H3068H430H3478H5002H559H559H1004H1004H1H1980H6440H5704H5769H3068H5002H2486H3513H3513H959H7043 31The time is coming when I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests. All the members of your family will die before their time. None will reach old age.H3117H935H1438H2220H2220H1H1004H2205H1004 32You will watch with envy as I pour out prosperity on the people of Israel. But no members of your family will ever live out their days.H5027H6862H4583H3190H3478H2205H1004H3117 33Those who survive will live in sadness and grief, and their children will die a violent death.H376H3772H4196H3615H5869H109H5315H4768H1004H4191H582 34And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day!H226H935H8147H1121H2652H6372H259H3117H4191H8147 35"Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I desire. I will establish his family, and they will be priests to my anointed kings forever.H6965H539H3548H6213H3824H5315H1129H539H1004H1980H6440H4899H3117 36Then all of your surviving family will bow before him, begging for money and food. 'Please,' they will say, 'give us jobs among the priests so we will have enough to eat.'"H3498H1004H935H7812H95H3701H3603H3899H559H5596H259H3550H398H6595H3899
3Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the LORD by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the LORD were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.H5288H8050H8334H3068H6440H5941H1697H3068H3368H3117H6555H2377 2One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed.H3117H5941H7901H4725H5869H2490H3544H3201H7200 3The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God.H5216H430H3518H1964H3068H727H430H8050H7901 4Suddenly the LORD called out, "Samuel!" "Yes?" Samuel replied. "What is it?"H3068H7121H8050H559 5He got up and ran to Eli. "Here I am. Did you call me?" "I didn't call you," Eli replied. "Go back to bed." So he did.H7323H5941H559H2009H7121H559H7121H7901H7725H3212H7901 6Then the LORD called out again, "Samuel!" Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. "Here I am. Did you call me?" "I didn't call you, my son," Eli said. "Go back to bed."H3068H7121H3254H8050H8050H6965H3212H5941H559H7121H559H7121H1121H7901H7725 7Samuel did not yet know the LORD because he had never had a message from the LORD before.H8050H2962H3045H3068H1697H3068H1540 8So the LORD called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. "Here I am. Did you call me?" Then Eli realized it was the LORD who was calling the boy.H3068H7121H8050H3254H7992H6965H3212H5941H559H7121H5941H995H3068H7121H5288 9So he said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, 'Speak, LORD, your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went back to bed.H5941H559H8050H3212H7901H7121H559H1696H3068H5650H8085H8050H3212H7901H4725 10And the LORD came and called as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel replied, "Speak, your servant is listening."H3068H935H3320H7121H6471H8050H8050H8050H559H1696H5650H8085 11Then the LORD said to Samuel, "I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel.H3068H559H8050H6213H1697H3478H8147H241H8085H6750 12I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end.H3117H6965H5941H1696H413H1004H2490H3615 13I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn't disciplined them.H5046H8199H1004H5704H5769H5771H3045H1121H7043H3543 14So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings."H7650H1004H5941H5771H5941H1004H3722H2077H4503H5704H5769 15Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the LORD had said to him.H8050H7901H1242H6605H1817H1004H3068H8050H3372H5046H5941H4759 16But Eli called out to him, "Samuel, my son." "Here I am," Samuel replied.H5941H7121H8050H559H8050H1121H559 17"What did the LORD say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!"H559H1697H1696H3582H430H6213H3254H3582H1697H1697H1696 18So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn't hold anything back. "It is the LORD's will," Eli replied. "Let him do what he thinks best."H8050H5046H1697H3582H559H3068H6213H5869H2896 19As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.H8050H1431H3068H1697H5307H776 20And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD.H3478H1835H884H3045H8050H539H5030H3068 21The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.H3068H7200H3254H7887H3068H1540H8050H7887H1697H3068
Dublin, OH
in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim.H259
