Hannah Asks the Lord for a Child
1 Elkanah lived in Ramah, a town in the hill country of Ephraim. His great-great-grandfather was Zuph, so Elkanah was a member of the Zuph clan of the Ephraim tribe. Elkanah's father was Jeroham, his grandfather was Elihu, and his great-grandfather was Tohu.
2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Although Peninnah had children, Hannah did not have any.
3 Once a year Elkanah traveled from his hometown to Shiloh, where he worshiped the Lord All-Powerful and offered sacrifices. Eli was the Lord's priest there, and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas served with him as priests.
4 Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he gave some of the meat to Peninnah and some to each of her sons and daughters. 5 But he gave Hannah even more, because he loved Hannah very much, even though the Lord had kept her from having children of her own.
6 Peninnah liked to make Hannah feel miserable about not having any children, 7 especially when the family went to the house of the Lord each year.
One day, Elkanah was there offering a sacrifice, when Hannah began crying and refused to eat. 8 So Elkanah asked, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why won't you eat? Why do you feel so bad? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?”
9 When the sacrifice had been offered, and they had eaten the meal, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli was sitting in his chair near the door to the place of worship. 10 Hannah was heartbroken and was crying as she prayed, 11 “Lord All-Powerful, I am your servant, but I am so miserable! Please let me have a son. I promise to give him to you for as long as he lives, and his hair will never be cut.”
12-13 Hannah prayed silently to the Lord for a long time. But her lips were moving, and Eli thought she was drunk. 14 “How long are you going to stay drunk?” he asked. “Sober up!”
15-16 “Sir, please don't think I'm no good!” Hannah answered. “I'm not drunk, and I haven't been drinking. But I do feel miserable and terribly upset. I've been praying all this time, telling the Lord about my problems.”
17 Eli replied, “Go home. Everything will be fine. The God of Israel will answer your prayer.”
18 “Sir, thank you for being so kind to me,” Hannah said. Then she left, and after eating something, she felt much better.
Samuel Is Born
19 Elkanah and his family got up early the next morning and worshiped the Lord. Then they went back home to Ramah. Later the Lord blessed Elkanah and Hannah 20 with a son. She named him Samuel because she had asked the Lord for him.
Hannah Gives Samuel to the Lord
21 The next time Elkanah and his family went to offer their yearly sacrifice, he took along a gift that he had promised to give to the Lord. 22 But Hannah stayed home, because she had told Elkanah, “Samuel and I won't go until he's old enough for me to stop nursing him. Then I'll give him to the Lord, and he can stay there at Shiloh for the rest of his life.”
23 “You know what's best,” Elkanah said. “Stay here until it's time to stop nursing him. I'm sure the Lord will help you do what you have promised.” Hannah did not go to Shiloh until she stopped nursing Samuel.
24-25 When it was the time of year to go to Shiloh again, Hannah and Elkanah took Samuel to the Lord's house. They brought along a three-year-old bull, a sack containing about nine kilograms of flour, and a clay jar full of wine. Hannah and Elkanah offered the bull as a sacrifice, then brought the little boy to Eli.
26 “Sir,” Hannah said, “a few years ago I stood here beside you and asked the Lord 27 to give me a child. Here he is! The Lord gave me just what I asked for. 28 Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will be the Lord's servant for as long as he lives.”
Hannah Prays
Elkanah worshiped the Lord there at Shiloh, and
Elkanab tsî ǁîb omaris, Silos tawa
1 Elkana ti ǀon hâ khoeb Efraimmi ǃhaos dib ge Ramas, Efraimmi ǃnâuxa ǀkharib ǃnâ ǂnôas ǃnâ ge ǁan hâ i. ǁÎb ge Jerobeammi ôaba, Jerohammi ge Elihub ôaba, Elihub ge Tohub ôaba tsî Tohub ge Sufi ôaba. 2 Elkanab ge ǀgam tarara, Hanas tsî Peninas tsîra ge ūhâ i. Peninas ge ǀgôana ge ūhâ i, xawe Hanas ge ge ūhâ tama hâ i. 3 ǁÎb ge kurikorobe ǁîb di ǃās, Ramasa xu Silos ǁga, ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixaba sī ǀgoreǀî tsî ǁguibade nî sī-ūbase gere ǃgû. Elib ôakha, Hofnib tsî Pinehasi tsîkha ge ǁnāpa ǃKhūb di pristerse ge hâ i. 4 Elkanab ge ǁguibab gere tsēs hoasa ǁîb taras, Peninas tsî ǁîs ôan tsîna mâ-i hoa-e ǀgui ǃâs ǁgan-i disa gere mā. 5 Hanasab ge kaise ǀnam i xui-aob ge ǁîsa ǀō-aisa ǃâsa gere mā, ǃKhūb ge ǁîs nî ǀgôa-e hōsa ǁkhae hâ i amaga . 6 Os ge ǁîs di mâǃoa-aos, Peninasa Hanasa hoaǁae ǃkhāǃkhā tsî gere ǁgonǁgonǂgao, ǃKhūb ge ǁîs nî ǀgôa-e hōsa ǁkhae hâ i xui-ao. 7 ǁNāti i ge kurikorobe gere ī; Hanas ga ǃKhūb ommi ǁga ǃgû ǃnās hoasas ge Peninasa ǁîsa gere ǃkhāǃkhā tsîs ge Hanasa ā tsî ǂû ǂgao tama gere i. 8 Ob ge ǁîs aob, Elkanaba ǁîsa gere dî: “Hanase, tarexas ra ā? Tarexas kha ǂû tama hâ? Tare-i ǃaromas ra tsûaǂgao? Tita ǁnâi disi ǀgôagu xa ǃnāsase harebeba si tama?”
Hanas di ǀgores tsî mîmâis
9-10 ǀGuitsēs ge Hanasa Silos tawa, ǁguibas ǂûn xan ge ǂû tsî ātoas khaoǃgâ ge khâimâ. ǁÎs ge kaise ge ǀhūsaǀom i tsîs ge kaise ra āse ǃKhūb ǃoa gere ǀgore. Pristeri Elib ge ǃKhūb ommi dao-ams tawa ǂnû-aiǃnaos âb ai ge ǂnôa i. 11 Tsîs ge sao ra mîmâisa ge dī: “ǃKhū, Hoaǀgaixatse, sa ǃgāta di ǀkhomǀkhomsasiba kōǀî tsîts ga tita xa ǂâi tsî ǀuru te tama i tsî aoreǀgôaba mā te, o ta ge ǁîba satsa nî mā; ǁîb ûitsēdi hoadeb ge sab ase nî hâ tsî ǀûn âb ge ǂkhomhe tide. ”
12 ǀÛs oses ǃKhūb ǃoa ra ǀgore hîab ge Eliba ǁîsa gere ǃkhē. 13 Hanas gere ǃnōsase ǀgore, xui-ao kha ge ǁîs di amǁgaukha ǀguikha gere gon, mî-i ǁnâusen tamase; ob ge Eliba ǀhoros hâ ti ge ǂâi. 14 Tsîb ge ǁîs ǃoa ge mî: “ǀHoroǀû, îs ǃgā!”
15 Os ge Hanasa ge ǃeream: “Hî-î, ǃgôahesatse, tita ge ǂauxûi-i kas, ǀnî ǀgaisa āxū-i kas hoasa go ā tama hâ i. Tita ge kai ǃgomsiba ti ǂgaob ǃnâ ūhâ tarata tsî ta ge ti ǃgomsiba ǃKhūb aiǃâ goro ǁgui. 16 Tā toxopa ǂūǁoa tarata ti ǂâi re, kai ǂōǂōsib tsî tsûaǂgaoba xu ta goro ǀgore xuige.”
17 Ob ge Eliba ge mî: “ǂKhîb ǃnâ ǃgû re. Ab Israeli Eloba sa ǀgoresa ǁnâu-am re.”
18 Os ge ǁîsa ge ǃeream: “A ta hoaǁae sa mûǁae ǀkhomma hō re.” Tsîs ge ǃgû tsî sī ge ǂû; tsîs ge ǃaruǀî ǃoa-īsi-e ge ūhâ tama hâ i.
Samueli di ǃnaes tsî khaihes
19 Sao ra tsēs ain ge Elkanab tsî ǁîb surib hoaba ǃnauǁgoaga khâi tsî ǃKhūba ǀgoreǀî tsî Ramas ǁga, oms ân ǃoa ge ǁaru. Elkanab ge ǁîb taras Hanas ǀkha sorosise ge ǁgoe tsî ǃKhūb ge ǀgores âsa ge ǁnâu-am. 20 Os ge Hanasa ǀgamǀkhā tsî ǁaeb ge ǀoao, ǀgôaba ge ǁora tsîs ge Samuel ti ge ǀonǂgai bi “ǃKhūb ai ta ge ǁîba ge ǂgan” tis ge mî xui-ao.
21 Elkanab ge ǁîb omaris hoas ǀkha ǁkhawa Silos ǃoa a ǃgû, kurikorobe ǁguibas tsî ǀō-aisa ǁguibas tsînab nē ǃnāsa ǃKhūba ǁguiba tsî mîmâis âba nî dīǀoaǀoase, 22 os ge Hanasa sao tama ge i. ǁÎs ge aob âs ǃoa ge mî: “ǀGôaba ta ge ǀōǀō bi ta kao nî sī-ū, ǃKhūb aiǃâ ǂhai tsîb ǀamose ǁnāpa nî hâse.”
23 Ob ge Elkanaba ǁîs ǃoa ge mî: “ǃGâiba si i a khami dī re. Hâ re ǁîbas nî ǀōǀōs kōse. Ab ǃKhūba mîmâis âba ǀgaiǀgai re.” ǁNātis ge Hanasa hâ tsî ǀōǀō bis ges kōse ǀgôaba ge daisi.
24 ǀŌǀō bis ges khaoǃgâs ge ǁîba Silos ǁga ge ūsao; ǁkhātis ge ǃnona kurixa ǁgōb, disi kiloxramgu mel-i tsî ǀgui ǃgapas ǂauxûi-i tsîna ge ūsao. ǁÎs ge ǀgôaroba noxopab kaise a ǂkham hîa Silos tawa ǃKhūb ommi ǁga ge sī-ū. 25 ǁGōban ge ǂātoas khaoǃgân ge ǀgôaba Elib tawa ge sī-ū, 26 tsîs ge Hanasa ge mî: “ǃGôahesatse, sats ûitsama ǃkhais ao, tita ge ǁnā tarata nēpa sa tawa mâ tsî ǃKhūb ǃoa gere ǀgore ta. 27 Nē ǀgôab ǃaroma ta ge gere ǀgore tsîb ge ǃKhūba ǁîb ǃoa ta ge ǀgore ǀgoresa ge ǁnâu-am. 28 ǁNā-amaga ta ge ǁîba ǃKhūb di ǃoabas ǃoa ra khai, ǁîb di ûitsēdi hoadeb ǃKhūb dise nî hâse.”
Tsîn ge ǁnāpa ǃKhūba ge ǀgoreǀî.
