1 Hannah prayed:
You make me strong
and happy, Lord.
You rescued me.
Now I can be glad
and laugh at my enemies.
2 No other god is like you.
And with you we are safer
than on a high mountain.
3 I can tell those proud people,
“Stop your boasting!
Nothing is hidden from the Lord,
and he judges what we do.”
4 Our Lord, you break
the bows of warriors,
but you give strength
to everyone who stumbles.
5 People who once
had plenty to eat
must now hire themselves out
for only a piece of bread.
But you give the hungry more
than enough to eat.
A woman did not have a child,
and you gave her seven,
but a woman who had many
was left with none.
6 You take away life,
and you give life.
You send people down
to the world of the dead
and bring them back again.
7 Our Lord, you are the one
who makes us rich or poor.
You put some in high positions
and bring disgrace on others.
8 You lift the poor and homeless
out of the garbage dump
and give them places of honor
in royal palaces.
You set the world on foundations,
and they belong to you.
9 You protect your loyal people,
but everyone who is evil
will die in darkness.
We cannot win a victory
by our own strength.
10 Our Lord, those who attack you
will be broken in pieces
when you fight back
with thunder from heaven.
You will judge the whole earth
and give power and strength
to your chosen king.
Samuel Stays with Eli
11 Elkanah and Hannah went back home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel stayed to help Eli serve the Lord.
Eli's Sons
12-13 Eli's sons were priests, but they were dishonest and refused to obey the Lord. So, while people were boiling the meat from their sacrifices, these priests would send over a servant with a large, three-pronged fork. 14 The servant would stick the fork into the cooking pot, and whatever meat came out on the fork was taken back to Eli's two sons. That was how they treated every Israelite who came to offer sacrifices in Shiloh. 15 Sometimes, when people were offering sacrifices, the servant would come over, even before the fat had been cut off and sacrificed to the Lord.
Then the servant would tell them, “The priest doesn't want his meat boiled! Give him some raw meat that he can roast!”
16 Usually the people answered, “Take what you want. But first, let us sacrifice the fat to the Lord.”
“No,” the servant would reply. “If you don't give it to me now, I'll take it by force.”
17 Eli's sons did not show any respect for the sacrifices that the people offered. This was a terrible sin, and it made the Lord very angry.
Hannah Visits Samuel
18 The boy Samuel served the Lord and wore a special linen garment 19 and the clothes his mother made for him. She brought new clothes every year, when she and her husband came to offer sacrifices at Shiloh.
20 Eli always blessed Elkanah and his wife and said, “Samuel was born in answer to your prayers. Now you have given him to the Lord. I pray that the Lord will bless you with more children to take his place.” After Eli had blessed them, Elkanah and Hannah would return home.
21 The Lord was kind to Hannah, and she had three more sons and two daughters. But Samuel grew up at the Lord's house in Shiloh.
Eli Warns His Sons
22 Eli was now very old, and he heard what his sons were doing to the people of Israel. 23-24 “Why are you doing these awful things?” he asked them. “I've been hearing nothing but complaints about you from all of the Lord's people. 25 If you harm another person, God can help make things right between the two of you. But if you commit a crime against the Lord, no one can help you!”
But the Lord had already decided to kill them. So he kept them from listening to their father.
A Prophet Speaks to Eli
26 Each day, as Samuel grew older, the Lord was pleased with him, and so were the people.
27 One day a prophet came to Eli and gave him this message from the Lord:
When your ancestors were slaves of the king of Egypt, I came and showed them who I am. 28-29 Out of all the tribes of Israel, I chose your family to be my priests. I wanted them to offer sacrifices and burn incense to me and to find out from me what I want my people to do. I commanded everyone to bring their sacrifices here where I live, and I allowed you and your family to keep those that were not offered to me on the altar.
But you honor your sons instead of me! You don't respect the sacrifices and offerings that are brought to me, and you've all grown fat from eating the best parts.
30 I am the Lord, the God of Israel. I promised to always let your family serve me as priests, but now I tell you that I cannot do this any longer! I honor anyone who honors me, but I put a curse on anyone who hates me. 31 The time will come when I will kill you and everyone else in your family. Not one of you will live to an old age.
32 Your family will have a lot of trouble. I will be kind to Israel, but everyone in your family will die young. 33 If I let anyone from your family be a priest, his life will be full of sadness and sorrow. But most of the men in your family will die a violent death! 34 To prove to you that I will do these things, your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will die on the same day.
35 I have chosen someone else to be my priest, someone who will be faithful and obey me. I will always let his family serve as priests and help my chosen king. 36 But if anyone is left from your family, he will come to my priest and beg for money or a little bread. He may even say to my priest, “Please let me be a priest, so I will at least have something to eat.”
Eimburiro rondangero ra Hana
1 Hana wa kumba a tja:
“Omutima wandje mau yoroka mu Muhona,
nu me nyandere omasa Muhona nge ndji pa;
ami me yoro ovanavita na ami,
tjinga ame nyandere ombatero yoye.
2 “Kape na ngu ri omuyapuke otja Muhona;
posi yoye kape na warwe;
nu kape noruuwa otja Ndjambi wetu.
3 Iseye omerihiviro weṋu wokuritongamisa!
Embo romeritongamisiro
ari piti ko movinyo vyeṋu,
orondu Muhona tjinga
e ri Ndjambi ngu tjiwa avihe,
nu ngu pangura ozondjito azehe zovandu.
4 Omauta wovarwe wovita ozombanḓe ya teyewa,
nungwari ovingundi mave rire ovanamasa.
5 Imba mbe kuta mave kaungurira oviparure,
nungwari imba mbaa ve ṱondjara,
kave nakuṱondjara rukwao.
Ingwi ongandji wa panduka
ovanatje hambombari,
nungwari ingwi ngwa panduka
ovanatje ovengi, wa sewa uriri.
6 “Muhona u zepa na kotora komuinyo rukwao;
U pundisa motjovakoke,
na pitisa mo rukwao.
7 Muhona u syonaparisa na tumbisa;
u susuparisa na tongamisa.
8 Eye u yerurura owokehi moruuma,
na tongamisa omuhepe mondova;
eye meve haamisa puna ovahivirikwa
ne ve pe ovihavero vyondengero.
Omazikameno wehi owa Muhona,
kombanda yawo okatungira ouye.
9 “Eye u yama ominyo vya imba ve ovaṱakame,
nungwari ovanauvi mave nyonokere monḓorera;
orondu omundu ka munu outoṋi nomasa we omuini.
10 Ovanavita na Muhona mave nyanyaurwa;
eye meve ṱuṱumine okuza meyuru.
Muhona ma pangura ouye auhe.
Eye ma yandja omasa kombara ye
noutoṋi komutwirisiwa we.”
11 Tjazumba Elkana otja yaruka konganda kOrama, nungwari ingwi omuzandu Samuel wa kara mOsilo okukarera Muhona kehi yondjeverero yomupristeri Eli.
Ourunde wovazandu va Eli
12 Imba ovazandu va Eli va ri oviporoporo. Owo kave ningire ko na tja na Muhona, 13 nangarire nousemba ovapristeri mbu ve sokutjita kotjiwaṋa. Aruhe omundu tji ma punguha ombunguhiro ye, omukarere womupristeri ee ya notjitwere tjovipa vitatu. Onyama ngunda amai pi, 14 eye aa hweke ihi otjitwere monyungu, nonyama ngamwa aihe ndjaa i etererwa i otjitwere aa i rire oyomupristeri. Ihi aa tjitwa kOmuisrael auhe ngwee ya kOsilo okuyekupunguhira Muhona. 15 Nu posi yanao, ozonḓura ngunda aze hiya ningiririsiwa, omukarere womupristeri ee ya na tja komurumendu ngu ma punguha ombunguhiro: “Eta onyama, ndji mai katerekerwa omupristeri pomakara; eye ke nokukambura ko onyama ndja pi monyungu, posi yaindji ombihu porwayo.”
16 Ingwi omurumendu tje mu ziri na tja: “Ozonḓura ngaze ningiririsiwe rutenga, tjazumba u toore ndji movanga,” omukarere ngwi womupristeri wa tja nai: “Ayee, kako, ndji pa nambano! Tji u hi nokutjita nao, ami me toora komasa.”
17 Ourunde wovazandu va Eli wa ri ounene tjinene komurungu wa Muhona, orondu aave nyengura ombunguhiro ya Muhona.
Samuel mOsilo
18 Nu vari omuatje omuzandu Samuel wa karera Muhona, a zara ombanda youpristeri. 19 Ina ee mu ya tatere okavanda kokombanda, kee mu etere ombura aihe, tjaa i puna omurumendu we okukapunguha ombunguhiro yombura aihe. 20 Tjazumba Eli otja sera ondaya kooElkana nomukazendu we a tja: “Muhona nge ku pe ovanatje varwe momukazendu ngwi moruveze rwaingwi ngu wa yapurira Muhona.”
Kombunda yanao owo arire tji va yaruka koyawo.
21 Muhona wa sera Hana ondaya, nu Hana wa panduka rukwao ovazandu vetatu novakazona vevari. Nu ingwi omuzandu Samuel we kurira motjiungura tja Muhona.
Eli novazandu ve
22 Eli nambano wa kurupire tjinene. Eye aa zuu oviṋa avihe ovazandu ve mbyaa ve tjiti kOvaisrael, nokutja aave rara povakazendu mbaa ve ungura pomahitiro wOndanda yOmahakaeneno. 23 Neye otja tja nai ku wo: “Okutjavi tji mamu tjiti ozondjito ozombi otja inḓa? Omundu auhe u ndji raera oviṋa mbi ovivi, mbi mu tjita. 24 Amu tjiti nao, vanatje vandje! Ombuze ndji ndji me zuu nu ndji mai inganisiwa i otjiwaṋa tja Muhona kombanda yeṋu, kambwa. 25 Omundu tji ma tjiti navi nai komukwao ma pangurwa i Ndjambi, nungwari omundu tji ma tjiti ouvi ku Muhona, owaṋi ngu me mu pangura?”
Nowo kave zuvire komaronga wa ihe, Muhona tjinga aa vanga okuvezepa.
26 Omuzandu Samuel wa yenda ame kuru, na munine po ondjingonekero ku Muhona na kovandu.
Eli ma tjivisiwa omberero yeṱunḓu re
27 Nu pe ya omuprofete umwe ku Eli okuyekumuraera ombuze ya Muhona ndji: “Iho mukururume Aron nonganda ye tji va ri ovakarere va Farao mOengipte, ami mbe rimunikisa ku wo. 28 Momihoko avihe vyOvaisrael ami mba toorora mo ovazandu vonganda ye ve rire ovapristeri vandje okukarera potjipunguhiro tjandje, nokutwimisa ovyomoro omuwa, nokuzara orupera rwokoviṱuve. Nu kondjuwo yaiho ami mba yandja ko ozombunguhiro azehe zomuriro zOvaisrael ze rire orukondwa rwovapristeri. 29 Okutjavi tji mamu nyengura ozombunguhiro zandje zovinamuinyo nozovikurya nḓu mba rakiza kutja ze etwe momaturiro wandje? Okutjavi ove, Eli, tji mo yozike ovazandu voye pu ami, amo ve esa kutja ve riṋunise noviyambo vyozombunguhiro oviwaviwa vyotjiwaṋa tjandje Israel? 30 Ami ngu mbi ri Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, mba kwizikire rukuru kutja onganda yoye nonganda yaiho maze ndji karere aruhe otja ovapristeri. Nungwari nambano me tja Ami hi nokuvanga kutja pe kare nai komeho. Orondu ingwi ngwe ndji yozike, ami me mu yozike, nungwari ngu me ndji nyengura, ami me mu yamburura. 31 Tjiwa nawa kutja oruveze maru ya mu me zepa omitanda vyoye na imbi vyonganda yaiho nga tji pe hi nokuhupa omukururume monganda yoye. 32 Nu mo tara neruru kouindandu ami mbu me yandja komihoko omikwao vya Israel; nungwari monganda yoye kamaamu kakara omukururume rukwao. 33 Ami me hupisa umwe wozondekurona zoye, neye me ndji karere otja omupristeri. Nungwari eye ma poṱupara ne rihahiza; nozondekurona zoye ozongwao azehe maze ṱu onḓiro ombi. 34 Nu ihi tji matji tjitwa kovazandu voye vevari ooHofni na Pinhas matji rire otjizemburukiro kove: Aveyevari mave ṱu meyuva rimwe. 35 Ami me ripendurire omupristeri ngu ma kara nouṱakame ku Ami, nu ngu ma tjiti otjiṋa atjihe Ami tji me vanga. Ami me mu pe ozondekurona nḓu maze karere aruhe momurungu wombara yandje ondwirisiwa. 36 Nu ngamwa auhe wozondekurona zoye ngu ma hupu, ma i komupristeri ngo a kaningira ko ovimariva novikurya ama tja, ndji tjita, mbi rire umwe motjiungura tjoupristeri kutja mbi mune okahumburwa.”
