The first Chapter.
[ A] THere was a man of Ramathaim Sophim of mount Ephraim, whose name was El¦cana ye sonne of Iero¦ham, ye sonne of Eli∣hu, ye sonne of Tohu, ye sonne of Zuph, yt was an Ephrate. And he had two wyues, ye one was called Anna, ye other Peninna. As for Peninna, she had children, but Anna had no childrē. And ye same man wēte vp frō his cite at his tyme, to worshippe and to offer vnto the LORDE Zebaoth at Silo. The¦re were the prestes of the LORDE Ophni and Phineas, the two sonnes of Eli. Now whan it came vpon a daye that Elcana of∣fred, he gaue partes vnto his wife Peninna, and to all his sonnes and doughters. But vnto Anna he gaue one deale heuely, for he loued Anna. Neuertheles the LORDE had closed hir wombe, & hir aduersary cast her in the tethe with hir vnfrutefulnes, be∣cause the LORDE had closed hir wombe: thus dyd she euery yeare, whan they wente vp to the house of the LORDE, and thus she prouoked her. So she wepte, and ate no∣thinge. But Elcana hir huszbande sayde vn¦to her: Wherfore wepest thou? and why ea∣test thou not? And wherfore is thine hert so greued? Am not I better vnto the then ten sonnes?
[ B] Then stode Anna vp, whan she had ea∣ten and dronken at Silo. But Eli the prest sat vpon a stole by the poste of the temple of the LORDE. And she was full of heuy∣n•••••• in hir herte, and prayed vnto the LOR∣DE, and wepte, and vowed a vowe, and say∣de: O LORDE Zebaoth, yf thou wilt loke vpon the aduersite of thy handmayden, and thynke vpon me, and not forget thy hand∣mayden, and wilt geue thy handmayden a sonne, I wil geue him vnto the LORDE all his life longe, and there shal no rasou••e co¦me vpon his heade.
And whā she had prayed longe before ye LORDE, Eli toke hede to hir mouth, for An¦na spake in hir hert, hir lippes onely moued, but hir voyce was not herde. Then though∣te Eli she had bene dronken, and sayde vnto her: How longe wilt thou be dronken? Let come from the the wyne that thou hast by the. Neuertheles Anna answered and sayde: No my lorde, I am a soroufull woman, wy∣ne and stronge drynke haue I not dronken but haue poured out my hert before ye LOR¦DE. Counte not thy handmayden a dough∣ter of Belial: for out of my heuy thoughte and sorow haue I spoken hitherto.
Eli answered her, and sayde: Go yi waye [ C] in peace, the God of Israel shal graunte ye thy peticion that thou hast desyred of him. She sayde: Let thy handmayden fynde fa∣uoure in thy sighte. So the woman wente hir waye and ate, and loked nomore so sorou¦fully: and on ye morow they gat them vp by tymes. And whan they had worshipped be∣fore ye LORDE, they returned, and came ho¦me vnto Ramatha.
And Elcana laye with Anna his wife, and the LORDE remembred her. And after certayne dayes, she cōceaued and bare a son¦ne, and called his name Samuel, for I haue desyred him (sayde she) of the LORDE. And whan the man Elcana wente vp with all his houszholde to offre sacrifice and his vo∣we vnto the LORDE at soch tyme as ye cus∣tome was, Anna wente not vp, but sayde vn¦to hir huszbande: (I wil not go vp) tyll ye chil¦de be weened: then will I brynge him, that he maye appeare before the LORDE, and cō¦tynue there for euer.
Elcana hir huszbande sayde vnto her: [ D] Thē do as thou thynkest best, tary tyll thou haue weened him: but the LORDE perfour¦me that he hath spoken. So the woman abo¦de, and gaue hir sonne sucke, tyll she weened him. And whan she had weened him, she broughte him vp with her, with thre bulloc∣kes, with an Ephi of fyne floure, and a bot∣tell of wyne, and broughte him in to ye hou¦se of the LORDE at Silo.
Neuertheles the childe was yet but yon∣ge. And they slewe a bullocke, and broughte the childe vnto Eli. And she sayde: O my lorde, as truly as thy soule lyueth my lorde, I am the woman that stode here by ye, and made intercession vnto the LORDE, whan I prayed for this childe. Now hath ye LOR¦DE graunted me my peticion, which I desy∣red