The Lord Speaks to Samuel
1-2 Samuel served the Lord by helping Eli the priest, who was by that time almost blind. In those days, the Lord hardly ever spoke directly to people, and he did not appear to them in dreams very often. But one night, Eli was asleep in his room, 3 and Samuel was sleeping on a mat near the sacred chest in the Lord's house. They had not been asleep very long 4 when the Lord called out Samuel's name.
“Here I am!” Samuel answered. 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. What do you want?”
“I didn't call you,” Eli answered. “Go back to bed.”
Samuel went back.
6 Again the Lord called out Samuel's name. Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am,” he said. “What do you want?”
Eli told him, “Son, I didn't call you. Go back to sleep.”
7 The Lord had not spoken to Samuel before, and Samuel did not recognize the voice. 8 When the Lord called out his name for the third time, Samuel went to Eli again and said, “Here I am. What do you want?”
Eli finally realized that it was the Lord who was speaking to Samuel. 9 So he said, “Go back and lie down! If someone speaks to you again, answer, ‘I'm listening, Lord. What do you want me to do?’ ”
Once again Samuel went back and lay down.
10 The Lord then stood beside Samuel and called out as he had done before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
“I'm listening,” Samuel answered. “What do you want me to do?”
11 The Lord said:
Samuel, I am going to do something in Israel that will shock everyone who hears about it! 12 I will punish Eli and his family, just as I promised. 13 He knew that his sons refused to respect me, and he let them get away with it, even though I said I would punish his family forever. 14 I warned Eli that sacrifices or offerings could never make things right! His family has done too many disgusting things.
15 The next morning, Samuel got up and opened the doors to the Lord's house. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said. 16 But Eli told him, “Samuel, my boy, come here!”
“Yes, sir!” Samuel answered.
17 Eli said, “What did God say to you? Tell me everything. I'll ask God to punish you terribly if you don't tell me every word he said!”
18 Samuel told Eli everything. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord, and he will do what's right.”
The Lord Helps Samuel
19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord helped him and made everything Samuel said come true. 20 From the town of Dan in the north to the town of Beersheba in the south, everyone in the country knew that Samuel was truly the Lord's prophet. 21 The Lord often appeared to Samuel at Shiloh and told him what to say.
ǃKhūb ge Samuela ra ǂhai
1 ǂKham khoeb Samueli gere Elib mûǂams ǃnaka ǃKhūba ǃoaba ǁaeb ǃnâs ge ǃKhūb di mîsa ǀorose gere ǁnâuhe tsî ǂhaiǂhaidi ge hoaǁae ge ī tama hâ i. 2 ǀGui ǃuia, mûra âb ǂkhabu hâ tsîb ǃaruǀî ǃgâise mû ǁoaseb ge Eliba kharob âb ai ge ǁgoe i. 3 Elob di ǃamǀaes noxopa ǀarihe tama hâ tsî Samueli on noxopa ǃKhūb dommi ǃnâ, ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Elob dis hâpa ǁgoe, 4 hîab ge ǃKhūba Samuela ge ǂgai, ob ge Samuela “Nē ta ge a” ti ge ǃeream. 5 ǁÎb ge Elib tawa ǃkhoesī tsî ge mî: “Nē ta ge a, sats go ǂgai te xui-ao.”
Xaweb ge Eliba “Tita ǂgai tsi tama, xuige ǃgû î sī ǁgoe” ti ge mî. Ob ge Samuela sī ge ǁgoe.
6 Tsî ǃKhūb ge Samuela ǁkhawa ǂgai, ob ge ǁîba khâi tsî Elib tawa sī tsî ge mî: “Nē ta ge a, sats go ǂgai te xui-ao.”
Ob ge Eliba “Tita ǂgai tsi tama ti ôa, xuige ǃgû î sī ǁgoe” ti ge mî. 7 Samueli ge ǁnā ǁaeb ai ǃKhūba noxopa ge ǂan tama hâ i, ǃKhūb mîsab ge noxopa ǂhaiǂhaibahe tama hâ i xui-ao.
8 Tsî ǃKhūb ge Samuela ǃnonaǁî ǃnāsa a ǂgai, ob ge khâi tsî Elib tawa sī tsî ge mî: “Nē ta ge a, sats go ǂgai te xui-ao.”
Ob ge Eliba ge ǂan ǃKhūb ǀgôaba ra ǂgai ǃkhaisa. 9 ǁNā-amagab ge ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “ǃGû î sī ǁgoe, î ǁkhawab ga ǂgai tsio ‘ǃHoa re ǃKhūtse, sa ǃgāta ra ǃgâ xuige’ ” ti mî. Ob ge Samuela ǃgû tsî kharob âb ai sī ge ǁgoe.
10 Ob ge ǃKhūba ǁnāpa hā mâ tsî nau ǃnādi ais ǁkhās khami “Samueltse, Samueltse” ti ge ǂgai.
Ob ge Samuela “ǃHoa re ǃKhūtse, sa ǃgāta ra ǃgâ xuige” ti ge mî.
11 Ob ge ǃKhūba Samueli ǃoa ge mî: “Tita ge ǃhuriǃhurisa xū-i, ǁî-i xa ga ǁnâu khoe-i hoa-e nî burugâ kai-e Israelǁaes ǃnâ nî dī. 12 ǁNātsē ta ge tita Elib di ôananôagub ǃoagu ta ge mîn hoana, tsoatsoasa xu ǀunis kōse nî dīǀoaǀoa. 13 ǀNai ta ge surib âba ta ǀamos kōse nî ǁkhara ǃkhaisa ǂanǂan bi xui-ao, ǁnā tsūdīb ǂanni ge ib ǃaroma; ǀgôakha âb ge tita ǃkhāǃkhā xaweb ge ǁîkha ǂgōǀau tama i amaga. 14 ǁNā-amaga ta ge tita Elib di suriba ra nūba, ǁîb surib di tsūdīb tātsēs tsîna ǂāǁguibadi tsî ǂûǁguibadi tsîn xa ǀûbaba hā-ūbahe tidesa.”
15 Samueli ge ǁgoas kōse ge ǁgoe tsîb ge ǁnās khaoǃgâ khâimâ tsî ǃKhūb ommi dao-amde ge ǁkhowa-am. Samueli ge Eliba ǂhaiǂhaisa mîbasa gere ǃao. 16 Xaweb ge Eliba ǁîba ǂgai tsî ge mî: “Samuel, ti ôatse.”
Ob ge “Nē ta ge a” ti ge mî.
17 Tsîb ge Eliba ge dî: “Tare-eb ǃKhūba go mîba tsi? Tā ǁî-e tita xu sâu re. Ab Eloba ǁkhōse ǁkhara tsi, ǁîb go ǂanǂan tsin hoanats ga mîba te tama io.” 18 Ob ge Samuela hoana ge mîba bi tsî xū-i xare-e ǁîba xu sâu tama ge i. Ob ge Eliba ge mî: “ǁÎb ge a ǃKhū, ab ǁîb mûǁae a ǃgâi khami dī.”
19 Samueli ge kaikhâi ob ge ǃKhūba ǁîb ǀkha ge hâ i tsî Samueli gere mî xūn hoana gere ī kai. 20 ǁNātin ge Israelǁîn hoana Dans, ǀapas ǃnâ ǁgoesa xu Bersebas ǃkhawagas ǃnâ ǁgoes kōse, Samueli amase a ǃKhūb di kēbo-ao ǃkhaisa ge ǂan. 21 Tsî ǃKhūb ge ǃaruǀî Silos tawa gere ǂhaiǂhaisen tsîb ge Samuela Silos tawa ge ǂhai, mîs âb ǃnâ-u. Tsî Samueli gere ǃhoa, on ge Israelǁîn hoana gere ǃgâ.
