Hannah Prays for a Son

An Israelite named Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah, but he loved Hannah more. Peninnah mocked Hannah all the time because Hannah had no children and Peninnah had many children. Each year, Elkanah took his family to worship at the tabernacle in Shiloh. One time when they were there, he noticed that his beloved Hannah was very sad. He said: ‘Please don’t cry, Hannah. You have me. I love you.’

Later, Hannah went off on her own to pray. She could not stop crying as she begged Jehovah to help her. She promised: ‘Jehovah, if you give me a son, I will give him to you, and he will serve you all his life.’

High Priest Eli saw Hannah sobbing, and he thought that she was drunk. Hannah answered: ‘No, my lord, I am not drunk. I have a serious problem, and I am talking with Jehovah about it.’ Eli realized that he was wrong and told her: ‘May God give you what you want.’ Hannah felt better and went on her way. In less than a year, she had a son and named him Samuel. Can you imagine how happy Hannah must have been?

Hannah did not forget her promise to Jehovah. As soon as she stopped nursing Samuel, she brought him to serve at the tabernacle. She told Eli: ‘This is the boy I prayed for. For all his days, I lend him to Jehovah.’ Elkanah and Hannah visited Samuel each year and brought him a new sleeveless coat. Jehovah gave Hannah three more sons and two daughters.