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Did God hear Hannah's
prayer? Yes; and soon after He gave her a little son. She
named him Samuel. And now Hannah remembered her vow to give her
child to God. When he was old enough to go away from her, she
carried him to Shiloh, to the Lord's house there. Then Hannah went
to Eli, and gave the little boy to him, and said, "I am the woman who
prayed here some time ago. I asked God then to give me a son, and He
has heard my prayer. Here is my child; I have lent him to the
Lord: as long as he lives he shall be lent unto the
Lord." It was a happy day at Shiloh, when Samuel was brought
there. Elkanah rejoiced, and Hannah, and Eli too, and they all
worshiped God; and Hannah sang a beautiful song of praise. Hannah
left her little boy at Shiloh, and went home to Ramah with her
husband. Was she sorry to leave Samuel? No, because she knew
that God would bless her child, and that Eli would teach him what was
right. Little Samuel was very obedient, and gentle, and kind, and
affectionate to old Eli. Every year his mother came to Shiloh to
sacrifice, and then she saw her little boy. She made him a little
coat, and brought it to him when she came to Shiloh. Eli and Hannah
taught Samuel what was right, and they prayed God to bless him, and God
heard their prayer. Parents and teachers cannot give children new
hearts; but God promises to hear the prayers they offer for them in faith. Samuel
grew, and God loved him, and all his friends loved him too. Eli had
two sons; they were not little boys, like Samuel, but grown up; and they
were priests in the house of the Lord at Shiloh. God's priests ought
to be very good and holy men: but Hophni and Phinehas, Eli's sons,
were very wicked men; they did not love nor obey God. Their father
Eli knew that they were wicked, and he called them, and said, "My
sons, I hear no good report of you. You sin against the Lord, and
teach his people to do wrong. Why will you do such
things?" But Hophni and Phinehas would not attend to their
father; but became more and more wicked. Eli was very unhappy when
he saw his sons so self-willed and disobedient. But was he right to
let his wicked sons stay and be priests at Shiloh? No, Eli did very
wrong; he ought to have punished them and sent them away, and not let them
be priests; but Eli foolishly indulged his children, and did not like to
punish them. Then God said,
He would punish Eli, and slay Hophni and Phinehas in one day. Eli
was a good man, but God punished him because he let his sons go on in
wickedness, and honored them more than he honored God.
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