The Daily Audio Bible

The Family of Elkanah at Shiloh

1 There was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim of the hill country of Ephraim. His name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. ² He had two wives. The name of one was Hannah. The name of the other was Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ³ This man would go from his city each year to worship and to give gifts on the altar in Shiloh to the Lord of All. Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were the Lord’s religious leaders there. ⁴ On the day when Elkanah killed animals on the altar in worship, he would give part of the gift to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. ⁵ But he would give twice as much to Hannah, for he loved Hannah. But the Lord had made it so she could not have children. ⁶ Peninnah would try to make her very angry, because the Lord would not let her have children. ⁷ So it happened, year after year, each time Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, Peninnah would make her angry. Hannah cried and would not eat. ⁸ Then her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why are you not eating, and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

Hannah and Eli

⁹ Then Hannah stood up after they had eaten and drunk in Shiloh. Eli the religious leader was sitting on the seat by the door of the house of the Lord. ¹⁰ Hannah was very troubled. She prayed to the Lord and cried with sorrow. ¹¹ Then she made a promise and said, “O Lord of All, be sure to look on the trouble of Your woman servant, and remember me. Do not forget Your woman servant, but give me a son. If You will, then I will give him to the Lord all his life. And no hair will ever be cut from his head.”

¹² While she kept praying to the Lord, Eli was watching her mouth. ¹³ Hannah was speaking in her heart. Her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she had drunk too much. ¹⁴ Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put wine away from you.” ¹⁵ But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have not drunk wine or strong drink, but I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. ¹⁶ Do not think of your woman servant as a woman of no worth. For I have been speaking out of much trouble and pain in my spirit.” ¹⁷ Then Eli answered, “Go in peace. May the God of Israel do what you have asked of Him.” ¹⁸ And Hannah said, “Let your woman servant find favor in your eyes.” So she went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

Samuel Is Born

¹⁹ The family got up early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord. Then they returned to their house in Ramah. Elkanah lay with his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. ²⁰ The Lord made it possible for her to have a child, and when the time came she gave birth to a son. She gave him the name Samuel, saying, “I have asked the Lord for him.”

²¹ Then Elkanah went up with all those of his house to give the Lord the gift on the altar in worship as he did each year, and to pay what he had promised. ²² But Hannah did not go. For she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child no longer needs to be nursed. Then I will bring him before the Lord, to stay there forever.” ²³ Elkanah her husband said to her, “Do what you think is best. Stay here until he no longer needs to be nursed. Only may the Lord do as He has said.” So Hannah stayed and nursed her son until he no longer needed to be nursed. ²⁴ When she had finished nursing him, she took him with her to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, and the child was young. ²⁵ She brought a three year old bull, one basket of flour and a jar of wine also. Then they killed the bull, and brought the boy to Eli. ²⁶ Hannah said, “O, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. ²⁷ I prayed for this boy, and the Lord has given me what I asked of Him. ²⁸ So I have given him to the Lord. He is given to the Lord as long as he lives.” And they worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah’s Prayer

2 Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart is happy in the Lord. My strength is honored in the Lord. My mouth speaks with strength against those who hate me, because I have joy in Your saving power. ² There is no one holy like the Lord. For sure, there is no one other than You. There is no rock like our God. ³ Speak no more in your pride. Do not let proud talk come out of your mouth. For the Lord is a God Who knows. Actions are weighed by Him. ⁴ The bows of the powerful are broken. But the weak are dressed in strength. ⁵ Those who were full go out to work for bread. But those who were hungry are filled. She who could not give birth has given birth to seven. But she who has many children has become weak. ⁶ The Lord kills and brings to life. He brings down to the grave, and He raises up. ⁷ The Lord makes poor and makes rich. He brings low and He lifts up. ⁸ He lifts the poor from the dust. He lifts those in need from the ashes. He makes them sit with rulers and receive a seat of honor. For what holds the earth belongs to the Lord. He has set the world in its place. ⁹ He watches over the steps of His good people. But the sinful ones will be made quiet in darkness. For a man will not win by strength. ¹⁰ Those who fight with the Lord will be broken to pieces. He will thunder in heaven against them. The Lord will decide about all people to the ends of the earth. He will give strength to His king. He will give power to His chosen one.”

¹¹ Elkanah went home to Ramah. But the boy served the Lord with Eli the religious leader.

Eli’s Sons

¹² The sons of Eli were men of no worth. They did not know the Lord. ¹³ This is the way the religious leaders acted toward the people. When any man brought an animal to give to the Lord, the religious leader’s servant would come with a meat-hook in his hand, while the meat was hot. ¹⁴ Then he would put it in the pot. The religious leader would take for himself all that the meat-hook brought up. They did this to all the Israelites who came there to Shiloh. ¹⁵ And before they burned the fat, the religious leader’s servant would come and say to the man who brought the gift in worship, “Give meat for the religious leader to make ready. For he will not take boiled meat from you, but only meat that has just been killed.” ¹⁶ But if the man says to him, “Let them burn the fat first, then take as much as you want,” then the religious leader’s servant would say, “No, give it to me now; and if not, I will take it from you against your will.” ¹⁷ So the sin of the young men was very bad before the Lord. For the men hated the gift of the Lord.

Samuel Serves the Lord at Shiloh

¹⁸ Now Samuel was serving the Lord, even as a boy, wearing a linen vest. ¹⁹ Each year his mother would make him a little coat. She would bring it to him when she came with her husband to bring the gift in worship each year. ²⁰ Then Eli would pray that good would come to Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children from this woman in place of the one she gave to the Lord.” Then they would return to their home. ²¹ And the Lord visited Hannah. She gave birth to three sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up to serve the Lord.

Jesus Heals the Man at the Pool of Bethesda

5 Some time later, there was a religious gathering of the Jews. Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ² In Jerusalem there is a pool with five porches called Bethesda near the sheep gate. ³ Inside these porches lay many sick people. Some were blind. Some could not walk. Some could not move their bodies. ⁴ (*An angel of the Lord came at certain times and made the water move. All of them were waiting for it to move. Whoever got in the water first after it was moving was healed of whatever sickness he had.)

⁵ A man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. ⁶ Jesus saw him lying there and knew the man had been sick a long time. Jesus said to him, “Would you like to be healed?” ⁷ The sick man said, “Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is moving. While I am coming, another one gets in first.” ⁸ Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your bed and walk.” ⁹ At once the man was healed and picked up his bed and walked. This happened on the Day of Rest.

¹⁰ The Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Day of Rest. It is against the Law for you to carry your bed.” ¹¹ He said to them, “The Man Who healed me said to me, ‘Pick up your bed and walk.’ ¹² Then the Jews asked him, “What man said to you, ‘Pick up your bed and walk’?” ¹³ The man who had been healed did not know Who He was. Jesus had gone away while many people were there.

¹⁴ Later Jesus found the man who had been healed in the house of God. He said to him, “Listen! You have been healed. Stop sinning or something worse will come to you.” ¹⁵ The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus Who had healed him.

The Jews Want to Kill Jesus

¹⁶ Because Jesus did these things on the Day of Rest, the Jews made it very hard for Him. ¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “My Father is still working all the time so I am working also.” ¹⁸ The Jews tried all the more to kill Him, not only because He had worked on the Day of Rest, but because He had also called God His Own Father. This made Him the same as God.

Jesus Tells How He Works

¹⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “For sure, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son does also. ²⁰ The Father loves the Son and shows the Son everything He does. The Father will show Him greater works than these. They will surprise you. ²¹ The Father raises up the dead and makes them live. The Son also gives life to anyone He chooses. ²² The Father does not say who is guilty. He gives this to the Son to do. ²³ He does this so that all people will honor the Son as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father Who sent Him.

³⁷ Then He brought Israel out with silver and gold. And there was not one weak person among their families. ³⁸ Egypt was glad when they left. For they had become afraid of Israel. ³⁹ He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light at night. ⁴⁰ They asked, and He brought them quails for meat. And He filled them with the bread of heaven. ⁴¹ He opened the rock and water flowed out. It flowed in the desert like a river. ⁴² For He remembered His holy Word with Abraham His servant. ⁴³ And He brought His people out with joy, His chosen ones with singing. ⁴⁴ He gave them the lands of the nations. They were given what others had worked for, ⁴⁵ so that they might do what He told them and keep His Law. Praise the Lord!

²⁸ The shining-greatness of a king is in many people, but without people a prince has nothing.

²⁹ He who is slow to get angry has great understanding, but he who has a quick temper makes his foolish way look right.