Elkanah and His Family at Shiloh
1 There was a man named Elkanah, from the tribe of Ephraim, who lived in the town of Ramah in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham and grandson of Elihu, and belonged to the family of Tohu, a part of the clan of Zuph. 2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not. 3 Every year Elkanah went from Ramah to worship and offer sacrifices to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4 Each time Elkanah offered his sacrifice, he would give one share of the meat to Peninnah and one share to each of her children. 5 And even though he loved Hannah very much he would give her only one share, because the Lord had kept her from having children. 6 Peninnah, her rival, would torment and humiliate her, because the Lord had kept her childless. 7 This went on year after year; whenever they went to the house of the Lord, Peninnah would upset Hannah so much that she would cry and refuse to eat anything. 8 Her husband Elkanah would ask her, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why won't you eat? Why are you always so sad? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?”
Hannah and Eli
9-10 One time, after they had finished their meal in the house of the Lord at Shiloh, Hannah got up. She was deeply distressed, and she cried bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. Meanwhile, Eli the priest was sitting in his place by the door. 11 Hannah made a solemn promise: “Lord Almighty, look at me, your servant! See my trouble and remember me! Don't forget me! If you give me a son, I promise that I will dedicate him to you for his whole life and that he will never have his hair cut.”
12 Hannah continued to pray to the Lord for a long time, and Eli watched her lips. 13 She was praying silently; her lips were moving, but she made no sound. So Eli thought that she was drunk, 14 and he said to her, “Stop making a drunken show of yourself! Stop your drinking and sober up!”
15 “No, I'm not drunk, sir,” she answered. “I haven't been drinking! I am desperate, and I have been praying, pouring out my troubles to the Lord. 16 Don't think I am a worthless woman. I have been praying like this because I'm so miserable.”
17 “Go in peace,” Eli said, “and may the God of Israel give you what you have asked him for.”
18 “May you always think kindly of me,” she replied. Then she went away, ate some food, and was no longer sad.
Samuel's Birth and Dedication
19 The next morning Elkanah and his family got up early, and after worshiping the Lord, they went back home to Ramah. Elkanah had intercourse with his wife Hannah, and the Lord answered her prayer. 20 So it was that she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, and explained, “I asked the Lord for him.”
21 The time came again for Elkanah and his family to go to Shiloh and offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and the special sacrifice he had promised. 22 But this time Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will take him to the house of the Lord, where he will stay all his life.”
23 Elkanah answered, “All right, do whatever you think best; stay at home until you have weaned him. And may the Lord make your promise come true.” So Hannah stayed at home and nursed her child.
24 After she had weaned him, she took him to Shiloh, taking along a three-year-old bull, a bushel of flour, and a leather bag full of wine. She took Samuel, young as he was, to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. 25 After they had killed the bull, they took the child to Eli. 26 Hannah said to him, “Excuse me, sir. Do you remember me? I am the woman you saw standing here, praying to the Lord. 27 I asked him for this child, and he gave me what I asked for. 28 So I am dedicating him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he will belong to the Lord.”
Then they worshiped the Lord there.
Elkana neṱunḓu re mOsilo
1 Pa ri omurumendu Omuefraim wena Elkana, ngwa turire motjirongo tja Rama mehi rozondundu ra Efraim. Eye wa ri omuzandu wa Jeroham, ihe mukururume wa ri Elihu, ngwa zire momuhoko wa Nahat, omuzandu wa Suf, womuhoko wa Efraim. 2 Elkana wa ri novakazendu vevari, ooHana na Penina. Penina wa ri novanatje, nungwari Hana ka ri novanatje. 3 Ombura aihe Elkana aa zu motjirongo tje okukerikotamena nokukapunguhira Muhona Omunamasaaehe, ozombunguhiro mOsilo. Nu motjirongo hi mwa ri ovazandu vevari va Eli, ooHofni na Pinhas mba ri ovapristeri va Muhona. 4 Aruhe Elkana tjaa punguha ombunguhiro ye, aa yandja onyama tjiva yombunguhiro komukazendu we Penina novanatje ve avehe. 5 Nandarire kutja eye wa suverere Hana tjinene, ee mu pe onyama imwe uriri, Muhona tjinga e mu patere orukwato. 6 Nungwari ingwi omunasupa na ye Penina ee mu toko nokumunyengura mena rokutja Muhona wa pata Hana orukwato. 7 Nu iyape tjitwa nai ombura aihe; aruhe tjaave i kondjuwo ya Muhona Penina aa toko Hana nga tja riri; nu Hana kaa vanga okurya otjiṋa. 8 Nomurumendu we Elkana ee mu pura a tja: “Hana mo ririre tjike? Okutjavi tji u hi nakurya? Wa yumanene tjike? Ami kove hi nanḓengu povanatje ovazandu omurongo are?”
Hana na Eli
9 Eyuva rimwe tji va za nokurya nokunwa mOsilo, Hana wa sekama na kakurama komurungu wa Muhona, omupristeri Eli ngunda a haama kotjihavero tje pomuvero wondjuwo ondjapuke ya Muhona. 10 Hana wa hihamwa momutima na riri tjinene ngunda ama kumbu ku Muhona. 11 Neye wa tjita omakwizikiro nga na tja: “Muhona Omunamasaaehe, tara ku ami, nondjenda, omukarere woye! Tara kouzeu wandje, nu ndji zemburuka! O ndji zembi! Tji we ndji pe omuatje omuzandu, ami me mu yapurire ove oure womuinyo we auhe, neye kamaa horwa ozondjise.”
12 Hana wa kara pokukumba nai ku Muhona orure tjinene, nu Eli aa tarere omiṋa vye. 13 Hana aa kumbu kumwi momutima we, omiṋa vye aavi nyinganyinga, nungwari ombosiro yeraka re kaa i zuvaka. Eli wa tjangovasi Hana wa purukisiwa i omavinu, 14 notja tja nai ku ye: “Mopurukisiwa i omavinu nga ruṋe? Humburuka nomavinu!”
15 Nungwari Hana wa zira a tja: “Kako, muhona, ami hi nwine omavinu! Ami owami omukazendu omunandjenda, nu ee kumbu okurihepura omauzeu wandje komurungu wa Muhona. 16 O vara omukarere woye otja otjiporoporo. Ami ee kumbu orure nai mena rongendo noruhoze.”
17 Eli wa zira nai ku ye: “Twende mohange! Ndjambi wa Israel nge ku zuvire ongumbiro, ndji wa kumbu ku ye.”
18 Nu Hana wa zira a tja: “Arikana, kara notjari nomukarere woye!” Narire tja i. Tjazumba eye wa uta okurya ovikurya, na ha yumana rukwao.
Ongwatero ya Samuel nomayapuriro we
19 Mependukirwa Elkana neṱunḓu re va penduka omuhuka omunene nave rikotamene ku Muhona. Tjazumba arire tji va yaruka konganda kOrama. Elkana wa rara pomukazendu we Hana nu Muhona wa zuvira ongumbiro ya Hana. 20 Hana wa rira otjingundi, noruveze tji rwa yenena, wa panduka omuzandu ne mu ruku Samuel, okutja “Ami mbe mu ningira ku Muhona.”
21 Tjazumba Elkana neṱunḓu re arihe va ya kOsilo rukwao okukapunguhira Muhona ombunguhiro yombura aihe na indji ombunguhiro yomakwizikiro. 22 Nungwari Hana ka ire pamwe. Neye wa tja nai komurumendu we: “Omuzandu tja zu nokuisiwa ko komaihi, otji me mu twara kondjuwo ondjapuke ya Muhona ku ma kakara oure womuinyo we auhe.”
23 Nomurumendu we Elkana wa zira nai ku ye: “Tjita ngamwa atjihe tji tji ri otjiwa kove; kara monganda nga omuatje tja isiwa ko komaihi; Muhona nga tjite kutja u yenenise omakwizikiro woye.” Hana wa kara na nyamisisa okazandu ke, nga tji ka isiwa ko komaihi.
24 Nokazandu tji ka za nokuisiwa ko komaihi, Hana we ke twara kOsilo, na twaerere ondwezu yongombe yozombura ndatu, noruhere orunḓunḓura ozokirograma omurongo, nondjaṱu yomukova ndje ura nomavinu. Hana otja twara omuatje we ngunda e ri okaṱiṱi kondjuwo ya Muhona kOsilo. 25 Nowo tji va za nokuzepa ondwezu ndji, otji va twara okanatje ku Eli. 26 Nu Hana wa katja nai ku ye: “Arikana, muhona, tjiri, ami owami omukazendu ngwi, moruveze ndo, ngu mba kuramene pove mba okukumba ku Muhona. 27 Mba kumbire ku Muhona okuningira okazandu nga; neye we ndji zuvira. 28 Ami otji me mu yapurire Muhona. Nu ngunda e nomuinyo, ma rire owa Muhona.”
Nowo otji ve rikotamena ku Muhona poṋa mbo.
