אֵת

Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, Nahshon was the father of Salmon,

Salmon was the father of Boaz, Boaz was the father of Obed,

Obed was the father of Jesse, and Jesse was the father of David.

But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved her even though the LORD had closed her womb.

And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD of Hosts, if only You will look upon the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, not forgetting Your maidservant but giving her a son, then I will dedicate him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall ever touch his head.”

As Hannah kept on praying before the LORD, Eli watched her mouth.

…and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!”

“No, my lord,” Hannah replied. “I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have not had any wine or strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD.

Do not take your servant for a wicked woman, for all this time I have been praying out of the depth of my anguish and grief.”

“Go in peace,” Eli replied, “and may the God of Israel grant the petition you have asked of Him.”

The next morning they got up early to bow in worship before the LORD, and then they returned home to Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with his wife Hannah, and the LORD remembered her.

So in the course of time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked for him from the LORD.”

Then Elkanah and all his house went up to make the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow,

“Do what you think is best,” her husband Elkanah replied, “and stay here until you have weaned him. Only may the LORD confirm His word.” So Hannah stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

And when they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli.

I prayed for this boy, and since the LORD has granted me what I asked of Him,

Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy began ministering to the LORD before Eli the priest.

Now the sons of Eli were wicked men; they had no regard for the LORD

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, because he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.”

Thus the sin of these young men was severe in the sight of the LORD, for they were treating the LORD’s offering with contempt.

Each year his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.

And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the LORD give you children by this woman in place of the one she dedicated to the LORD.” Then they would go home.

So the LORD attended to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.

Now Eli was very old, and he heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they were sleeping with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

“Why are you doing these things?” Eli said to his sons. “I hear about your wicked deeds from all these people.

And out of all the tribes of Israel I selected your father to be My priest, to offer sacrifices on My altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in My presence. I also gave to the house of your father all the food offerings of the Israelites.

Why then do you kick at My sacrifice and offering that I have prescribed for My dwelling place? You have honored your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves with the best of all the offerings of My people Israel.’

Behold, the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that no one in it will reach old age.

You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age.

And every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, I will cause your eyes to fail and your heart to grieve. All your descendants will die by the sword of men.

And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare, and visions were scarce.

Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, because the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have spoken about his house, from beginning to end.

I told him that I would judge his house forever for the iniquity of which he knows, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not restrain them.

Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,