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.”
Ehambelelondjimbo lyaHanna
1 Hanna okwa galikana a ti:
“Omuwa oku udhitha omutima gwandje enyanyu;
ondu uvite uunelago kushoka Omuwa a ningile ndje!
Otandi yolo aatondi yandje;
onda nyanyukwa, oshoka Kalunga okwa kwatha ndje!
2 Kaku na omuyapuki a fa Omuwa;
kaku na nando ogumwe e mu fa,
kaku na omugameni a fa Kalunga ketu.
3 Inamu popya mokule omaitango geni;
etheni oohapu dhomwiityo gweni.
Oshoka Omuwa oye Kalunga a tseya ayihe
nota pangula ashihe shoka aantu haye shi ningi.
4 Omatati gaakwiita aanankondo otaga teywa po,
ihe mboka taa tengenya, otaa kolekwa.
5 Aantu mboka ya li aanekuta,
ngashingeyi otaa hehela iipalutha,
ihe aantu mboka ya li aanandjala,
ondjala yawo ya kodha.
Omukulukadhi ihaa vala,
okwa mono uunona uheyali,
ihe yina yoyendji ota thigwa e li owala.
6 Omuwa ota dhipaga nota yumudha;
aantu ote ya tumu muusi
e te ya galula mo ishewe.
7 Ota thigonapaleke yamwe
e ta yambapaleke yakwawo;
ota shundula yamwe,
nayamwe ote ya nenepeke.
8 Ota yambula ohepele montsi
nota kutha omukwanaluhepo muukweyi.
Ote ya ningi ookuume kaana yokombanda
e te ya tula pomahala gesimano.
Omakankameno gevi ogOmuwa;
okugo Omuwa a tungile uuyuni.
9 Ota gamene oomwenyo dhaamboka ye mu inekela,
ihe aakolokoshi otaa kanene momilema;
omulumentu ita sindana molwoonkondo dhe mwene.
10 Aatondi yOmuwa otaa ka yonwa po;
ote ke ya ndundumina e li megulu.
Omuwa ota ka pangula uuyuni auhe;
ota ka pa omukwaniilwa gwe oonkondo,
omukwaniilwa omuhogololwa gwe ote ke mu ninga omusindani.”
11 Nena Elkana okwa shuna kegumbo kuRama, ihe omumati Samuel okwa kala muShilo nokwa longele Omuwa mewiliko lyomuyambi Eli.
Aana yaEli
12 Aana yaEli oya li aadhudhu. Inaa pupa ko komalombwelo gOmuwa 13 noinaa gwanenwa kushoka aayambi ya vulu okupula koshigwana. Pehala lyasho, manga omuntu a li ta yamba ontselelandjambo ye, omupiya gwomuyambi okwe ya noshizigitho shoonyala ndatu. Onyama manga tayi pi, 14 ota tsu oshizigitho mombiga, naashoka te shi zigi mo, ooshoka shomuyambi. Aaisraeli ayehe mboka yi ile kuShilo okuyamba, osho ya ningwa ngaaka. 15 Nokuli manga oofu inaadhi kuthwa ko, dhi ka lungunithwe, omupiya gwomuyambi okwe ya nokwa lombwele nakuyamba ontselelandjambo: “Pe ndje onyama yomuyambi yokuyotha; ina hala onyama ya pakwa po, oondjoka ashike ombihu.”
16 Omuntu ngele ota yamukula ta ti: “Natu ningeni shoka shu uka, natu lungunitheni tango oofu; nena oto kutha shoka wa hala,” omupiya gwomuyambi ota ti: “Aawe! Yi pe ndje ngashingeyi! Ngele ito shi ningi, otandi ke yi kutha koonkondo.”
17 Uulunde mbuka waana yeEli owa li wa vuka unene koshipala shOmuwa, oshoka oya kala nokudhina omayambo gOmuwa.
Samuel muShilo
18 Methimbo ndika omumati Samuel okwa tsikile okulongela Omuwa a zala oshitetahema sholiina shuuyambi. 19 Omumvo kehe yina okwe mu tungile okanguwo kokombanda naasho ye ya nomulume kotempeli okuyamba ontselelandjambo yokomumvo, okwe ke mu etele. 20 Nena Eli okwa laleke nuuyamba Elkana nomukadhi nokwa ti kuElkana: “Omuwa ne ku pe aanona yalwe momukulukadhi nguka, ya kale peha lyaanguka mwe mu gandja kuye.” Konima yaashika oya shuna kaandjawo. 21 Omuwa okwa yambeke Hanna. Hanna okwa vala aamati yatatu naakadhona yaali. Omumati Samuel okwa kokele mongulu yOmuwa.
Eli noyana
22 Eli okwa li a kulupa unene. Oku uvu ayihe mbyoka ya ningwa koyana ye yi ningile Aaisraeli kutya oya li ya lala nokuli naakiintu mboka ya li haa yakula posheelo shetsalihangano. 23 Onkee Eli okwa nyenyetele oyana a ti: “Omolwashike tamu ningi iinima mbika? Shaa ngoka ota hokololele ndje uuwinayi mboka tamu ningi. 24 Yi etheni, aamwandje! Mbika iihunalela tayi popiwa kaantu yOmuwa! 25 Omuntu ngele ota yono komuntu omukwawo, Kalunga ota vulu oku mu popila, ihe olye ta vulu okupopila omuntu ngoka ta yono kuKalunga?”
Ihe inaa pulakena he. Onkee Omuwa okwa tokola oku ya dhipaga po.
26 Omumati Samuel okwa koko nokwa li a hokiwa kOmuwa nokaantu.
Ehunganeko tali popi egumbo lyaEli
27 Omuhunganeki okwe ya kuEli nelaka lya zi kOmuwa tali ti: “Hokulu Aaron negumbo lye sho ya li aapika muEgipiti, onde mu ihololele. 28 Onda hogolola oluvalo lwe momazimo agehe gaIsrael, lu ninge aayambi yandje, ya yakule moshiyambelo, ya fike iitsinino, ya zale omapepenguwo, opo ya thike koshipala shandje. Onde ya pe uuthemba wokukutha oshitopolwa shomafikilondjambo koshiyambelo. 29 Omolwashike ano ne mwa fukila omafikilondjambo niikulyandjambo mbyoka handi pula kaantu yandje? Ngoye Eli, omolwashike to simaneke aamwoye shi vule okusimaneka ndje, sho to ya etha, yi iyondodhe noontumba oombwanawa dhomafikilondjambo taga yambelwa ndje koshigwana shandje? 30 Ngame, Omuwa Kalunga kaIsrael, ondu uvaneka nale kutya ezimo lyoye noludhi lwoye lu kale aluhe aayambi yandje. Ihe nena otandi ti kutya inandi lu hala we! 30 Ngame ote simaneke mboka haa simaneke ndje note tondo mboka taa dhini ndje. 31 Pulakeneni, ethimbo otali ya, uuna tii ka dhipaga po aagundjuka ayehe maandjeni nomoludhi lwoye, opo maandjeni mwaa kale omuntu ngoka ta adha epipi lyuukulupe. 32 Otamu ka kala muudhigu e tamu tala nefupa omayambeko agehe ngoka tandi ke ga pa aantu yalwe muIsrael, ihe maandjeni itamu ka kala ngoka e na omwenyo omule. 33 Onkene ngaa otii ka hupitha po gumwe gwomoluvalo lwoye, a kale e na omwenyo nota ka kala omuyambi gwandje. Ihe ota ningi omuposi nota kanitha etegameno alihe. Ayehe yalwe moluvalo lwoye otaa ka sa mokudhipagwa. 34 Aamwoyemati yaali Hofni naPinehas otaa si esiku limwe. Shika otashi ku ulukile kutya ashihe shoka nda popi, oshoshili. 35 Otandi ka hogolola omuyambi ngoka ta kala omwiinekelwa gwandje nota gwanitha ayihe, ngaashi omwenyo gwandje gwa hala. Otandi ke mu pa oluvalo ndoka talu yakula aluhe koshipala shomukwaniilwa omuhogololwa gwandje. 36 Kehe ngoka gwomoluvalo lwoye ta hupu po, oku na okuya komuyambi ngoka e ti indile iimaliwa niikulya ye e ta pula, a ziminwe okuyakula aayambi, opo a mone sha shokulya.”
