User:Razilber/1 Samuel I

"She named him Samuel, for she said, ‘I requested him from the Lord, Master of Legions'

Samuel One,

Book One

There was a certain man in Ramathaim-zophim, from Mount Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, from the land of Ephraim. He had two wives; the first and beloved wife was Hannah, and the second Peninnah. Years passed but Hannah could not conceive so Elkanah took a second wife Peninnah, and she bore both sons and daughters. The same time each year, during a certain festival Elkanah and his family would ascend to Shiloh, where Eli and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas—were Kohanim to the Lord. There Elkanah prostrated himself and brought offerings to the Lord, Master of Legions.

After Elkanah brought offerings, his family gathered to eat, with Hannah sitting on one side of Elkanah and Peninnah on the other. Peninnah’s feline eyes watched Elkanah as he served her a portion and then to all her sons and daughters. But when Peninnah saw him place a double portion in Hannah’s plate, her pupils expanded turning her hazel eyes almost black. She shifted her gaze to Elkanah and said, “Has the Lord opened her womb and graced her with child?” The sad expression on Elkanah’s face had become severe and resolute as he watched Hannah abruptly push her plate away from herself. Peninnah’s brazen expression did not change as Hannah arose from her place at the table and said, “My heart exults in the Lord, my pride has been raised through the Lord; my mouth is opened wide against my antagonists, for I rejoice in His salvation. There is none as holy as the Lord, for there is no one besides Him, and there is no Rock like our God. Do not abound in speaking with arrogance upon arrogance, let no haughtiness come from your mouth; for the Lord is the God of thoughts, and men’s deeds are accounted by Him. The bow of the mighty is broken, while the foundering are girded with strength,” then Hannah turned her back and walked out of the dining room. Elkanah hurried after her, and said to her, “Hannah, why do you cry and why do you not eat? Why is your heart broken? Am I not better to you than ten children?” Hannah wiped her tear-stained cheek with the back of her hand and said; “The sated ones are hired out for bread, while the hungry ones cease to be so; while the barren woman bears seven.” Then Hannah turned and ran toward the sanctuary.

When Hannah ran inside the Lord’s Sanctuary, Eli the Kohen was sitting on the chair near the doorpost. Each time Peninnah bore a child, she mercilessly provoked Hannah. Hannah perceived the futility of all her attempts at conceiving a child from which darkness poured forth upon her family life in one unceasing radiation of gloom. Amidst the suffocating atmosphere of futility, prayer became the vessel, which purged her of her bitterness. Hannah appealed directly to the Lord praying and weeping continuously, she said, “dear Lord, Master of Legions, if You take note of the suffering of Your maidservant, and You remember me, and do not forge Your maidservant, and give Your maidservant male offspring then I shall give him to Hashem all the days of his life, and a razor shall not come upon his head.” Then she began repeating to herself, “The Lord brings death and gives life, He lowers to the grave and raises up. The Lord impoverishes and makes rich, He humbles and He even elevates. He raises the needy from dirt, from the trash heaps He lifts the destitute, to seat them with nobles and to endow them with a seat of honor.” Each time Hannah recited her psalm her voice grew quieter until only her lips moved.

Eli sat mesmerized as he watched Hannah from the corner thinking, 'only the Lord could deliver such a precise and forceful blow. Then if the entirety of that pain entered the body--the recipient would die before their body would come into contact with the ground.' But then something about the way Hannah handled herself, Eli considered an alternative to his first impression, and he thought, 'Is she praying to God? Or is she drunk?' Anger welled up in Eli's throat, and he said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Remove your wine from yourself!” Hannah's lips stopped moving, and she turned around and faced Eli saying in a hoarse and trembling voice, “No my lord, I am a woman of aggrieved spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, and I have poured out my soul before the Lord. Do no deem your maidservant to be a base woman—for it is out of much grievance and anger that I have spoken until now. Overwhelmed by the outpouring of her grief, Eli’s heart was wrought with anguish — for an ethereal moment, Hannah’s cry ascended to heaven, and he heard the angels’ voice echoing her cries. The atmosphere inside the sanctuary became unbearable, and Eli said, “Go! Go in peace and May the God of Israel grant the request you have made of Him.” “May your maidservant find favor in your eyes,” she replied, and bowed before leaving the sanctuary. When Hannah rejoined the rest of the family, the look on her face was no longer the same and she was able to eat. They arose early in the morning and prostrated themselves before God and returned to their home in Ramah. On the first night Elkanah slept in Hannah’s room. The Lord remembered her and she conceived, giving birth to a son. Hannah named him Samuel, she said, “I requested him from the Lord, and He heard my cries and answered my prayers and I will keep the vow I made to Him,” but Elkanah did not offer a reply choosing to remain silent.

The years quickly passed and the time to go up to Shiloh drew near. Elkanah with his entire household went up to Shiloh to bring sacrifices to the Lord, but after Samuel’s birth, Hannah did not go, she said to her husband, “When the child is weaned, then I will bring him, and he shall appear before the Lord and shall settle there forever.” The look in Hannah eyes removed all doubt from Elkanah’s heart; it was no longer a question of will she? The question was when? He said, “Do what is good in your eyes; remain until you wean him—but may the Lord fulfill his word.” Elkanah said. Each subsequent year, Elkanah and Hannah had the same conversation, and each year Hannah did not choosing to remain in Ramah and nursed her son. Samuel’s hair grew long, and hung in tufts. Every morning and evening Hannah ran her fingers through her son’s silken hair. Even Peninnah’s heart softened toward Hannah after watching how day after day she meticulously worked her fingers through Samuel’s hair, while she spoke to him about all kinds of things. Peninnah would say to the other women in Ramah, “Hannah is grooming her child to serve the Lord, for He had granted her request and when she weans him she will take him up to Shiloh, and give him back Lord.”

The time came and Hannah weaned Samuel, and though he was still very young, she brought him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, along with enough food to feed Samuel and at least one other person for a year. She brought three bulls, one ephah of flour, and a flask of wine. They slaughtered the bull, and brought the child to Eli. “Please, my lord! By your life my lord, I am the woman who was standing by you here praying to the Lord, this is the child that I prayed for and the Lord granted me my request that I asked of Him. Furthermore, I have dedicated him to the Lord – all the days that he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.” Then Eli remembered Hannah, and how distinctly she prayed, with only her lips moving. Eli’s face became ashen and he fell on the ground and prostrated himself.

Hannah was holding Samuel tight; she jutted out the left side of her hip to support her son's weight. Eli stood motionless, and silently watched her set Samuel on his feet, and she said, “The Lord’s are the pillars of the earth and upon them He set the world. He guards the steps of His devout ones, but the wicked are stilled in darkness; for not through strength does man prevail. May the Lord shatter those who contend with Him, let the heavens thunder against them. May the Lord judge to the ends of the earth; may He give power to His king and raise the pride of His anointed one.” She then knelt down and she kissed him her son on his forehead, and stood up erect.