Hannah's Prayer
1 Hannah prayed:
“The Lord has filled my heart with joy;
how happy I am because of what he has done!
I laugh at my enemies;
how joyful I am because God has helped me!
2 “No one is holy like the Lord;
there is none like him,
no protector like our God.
3 Stop your loud boasting;
silence your proud words.
For the Lord is a God who knows,
and he judges all that people do.
4 The bows of strong soldiers are broken,
but the weak grow strong.
5 The people who once were well fed
now hire themselves out to get food,
but the hungry are hungry no more.
The childless wife has borne seven children,
but the mother of many is left with none.
6 The Lord kills and restores to life;
he sends people to the world of the dead
and brings them back again.
7 He makes some people poor and others rich;
he humbles some and makes others great.
8 He lifts the poor from the dust
and raises the needy from their misery.
He makes them companions of princes
and puts them in places of honor.
The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord;
on them he has built the world.
9 “He protects the lives of his faithful people,
but the wicked disappear in darkness;
a man does not triumph by his own strength.
10 The Lord's enemies will be destroyed;
he will thunder against them from heaven.
The Lord will judge the whole world;
he will give power to his king,
he will make his chosen king victorious.”
11 Then Elkanah went back home to Ramah, but the boy Samuel stayed in Shiloh and served the Lord under the priest Eli.
The Sons of Eli
12 The sons of Eli were scoundrels. They paid no attention to the Lord 13 or to the regulations concerning what the priests could demand from the people. Instead, when someone was offering a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fork. While the meat was still cooking, 14 he would stick the fork into the cooking pot, and whatever the fork brought out belonged to the priest. All the Israelites who came to Shiloh to offer sacrifices were treated like this. 15 In addition, even before the fat was taken off and burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the one offering the sacrifice, “Give me some meat for the priest to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, only raw meat.”
16 If the person answered, “Let us do what is right and burn the fat first; then take what you want,” the priest's servant would say, “No! Give it to me now! If you don't, I will have to take it by force!”
17 This sin of the sons of Eli was extremely serious in the Lord's sight, because they treated the offerings to the Lord with such disrespect.
Samuel at Shiloh
18 In the meantime the boy Samuel continued to serve the Lord, wearing a sacred linen apron. 19 Each year his mother would make a little robe and take it to him when she accompanied her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say to Elkanah, “May the Lord give you other children by this woman to take the place of the one you dedicated to him.”
After that they would go back home.
21 The Lord did bless Hannah, and she had three more sons and two daughters. The boy Samuel grew up in the service of the Lord.
Eli and His Sons
22 Eli was now very old. He kept hearing about everything his sons were doing to the Israelites and that they were even sleeping with the women who worked at the entrance to the Tent of the Lord's presence. 23 So he said to them, “Why are you doing these things? Everybody tells me about the evil you are doing. 24 Stop it, my sons! This is an awful thing the people of the Lord are talking about! 25 If anyone sins against someone else, God can defend the one who is wrong; but who can defend someone who sins against the Lord?”
But they would not listen to their father, for the Lord had decided to kill them.
26 The boy Samuel continued to grow and to gain favor both with the Lord and with people.
The Prophecy against Eli's Family
27 A prophet came to Eli with this message from the Lord: “When your ancestor Aaron and his family were slaves of the king of Egypt, I revealed myself to Aaron. 28 From all the tribes of Israel I chose his family to be my priests, to serve at the altar, to burn the incense, and to wear the ephod to consult me. And I gave them the right to keep a share of the sacrifices burned on the altar. 29 Why, then, do you look with greed at the sacrifices and offerings which I require from my people? Why, Eli, do you honor your sons more than me by letting them fatten themselves on the best parts of all the sacrifices my people offer to me? 30 I, the Lord God of Israel, promised in the past that your family and your clan would serve me as priests for all time. But now I say that I won't have it any longer! Instead, I will honor those who honor me, and I will treat with contempt those who despise me. 31 Listen, the time is coming when I will kill all the young men in your family and your clan, so that no man in your family will live to be old. 32 You will be troubled and look with envy on all the blessings I will give to the other people of Israel, but no one in your family will ever again live to old age. 33 Yet I will keep one of your descendants alive, and he will serve me as priest. But he will become blind and lose all hope, and all your other descendants will die a violent death. 34 When your two sons Hophni and Phinehas both die on the same day, this will show you that everything I have said will come true. 35 I will choose a priest who will be faithful to me and do everything I want him to. I will give him descendants, who will always serve in the presence of my chosen king. 36 Any of your descendants who survive will have to go to that priest and ask him for money and food, and beg to be allowed to help the priests, in order to 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.”
