1 Samuel

Great^{(i) 1} There was a man of one of the two Ramaths (of the kinred of Zophim, of mount Ephraim) named Elkana the sonne of Ieroham the sonne of Elihu, the sonne of Thohu, the sonne of Zuph, an Ephrathite: ² whych had two wyues, the one called Hanna, & the other Phenenna. And Phenenna had children, but Hanna had none. ³ And the sayd man went vp out of his citye euery feastfull daye, to praye & to offer vnto the Lord of hostes in Silo, where were the two sonnes of Eli (Hophni & Phinehes) the lordes prestes. ⁴ And it fell on a solempne daye, that Elkana offered, and gaue to Phenenna his wife & to all her sonnes and daughters porcyons. ⁵ But vnto Hanna he gaue a porcion wt a heuye chere, for he loued Hanna, and the Lord had made her barren. ⁶ And her enemye (Phenenna) vexed her sore contynually, to moue her, because the lord had made her barren. ⁷ And so did she yere by yere as ofte as she went vp to the house of the lord. And so chafed her, which wepte, and did not eate. ⁸ Then sayde Elkana her husband to her: Hanna, why wepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thyne herte troubled? am not I better to the, then ten sonnes? ⁹ So Hanna rose vp after that they had eaten & droncke in Sylo. And Eli the Preaste sate vpon a stole by one of the syde postes of the temple of the Lorde. ¹⁰ And she was troubled in her mynde, and prayed vnto the Lord, & wepte sore, ¹¹ and vowed a vowe, and sayd: O Lord of hostes, yf thou wylt loke on the trouble of thine handmayde, & remembre me, and not forget thine handmayde, but geue vnto thine handmayde a man chylde: I wyll geue him vnto the Lord all the dayes of his lyfe, & there shall no raser come vpon his heed. ¹² And as she continued praying before the lord, it fortuned, that Eli marked her mouth. ¹³ For Hanna spake in her herte, & her lyppes did but moue onely, but her voyce was not heard: & therfore Eli thought she had bene droncken, ¹⁴ and Eli sayd vnto her: How long wylt thou be droncken? put awaye from the, the wyne that thou hast. ¹⁵ Hanna answered and sayde: not so my Lord, I am a woman of a sorowfull herte: I haue droncke nether wyne nor stronge drynck, but haue powred out my soule before the Lord. ¹⁶ Count not thyne handmayde to be lyke a daughter of Belial, for out of the aboundance of my heuynes & greafe: haue I spoken hitherto. ¹⁷ Eli answered her agayne: & sayde go in peace: the God of Israell graunt the thy peticyon, that thou hast asked of hym. ¹⁸ She sayde: let thyne hand mayde fynde grace in thy sight And so the woman went her waye, & dyd eat, & loked no more so sadde. ¹⁹ And they rose vp earlye, & worshipped before the lord, & then returned, & came to theyr house to Ramath. And whan Elkana knew Hanna his wyfe, the Lord remembred her: ²⁰ for in processe of tyme it came to passe, that she conceaued, & bare a sonne, & called his name Samuel (sayeng:) because I haue asked him of the Lord. ²¹ And Elkana & all his house went vp to offer vnto the Lord, the offerynge due for the feast, & also his vowe: ²² Neuertheles, Hanna went not vp, but sayde vnto her husbande: I wyll tarye vntill the ladde be wened, & then I wyll bring him that he maye apeare before the Lord, & there abide for euer. ²³ Elkana her husband answered her: do what semith the best: tarye at home, vntill thou hast wened him, & I besech the Lord, to make good his sayeng. And so the woman abode, & gaue her sonne sucke, vntill she wened him. ²⁴ And when she had wened him she toke hym with her, with thre bullockes & an Epha of floure, & a bottel of wyne, and brought him vnto the house of the Lord in Silo, & the child was yet but tender of age. ²⁵ And they slue a bullocke, & brought in the ladd to Eli, ²⁶ and she sayd: Oh my Lord: as truly as thy soule lyueth my Lord, I am the woman that stode before the here, prayeng vnto the Lorde. ²⁷ For this ladde I prayed, and the Lorde hath geuen me my desire, whych I asked of him: ²⁸ and therfore I haue geuen hym vnto the Lord, as long as he is mete for the lorde. And they worshipped the Lorde there.