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.”
Eimbilo lehambelelo laHanna
1 Opo nee Hanna okwa ilikana ndele ta ti:
“Omutima wange otau kuwilile mOmwene.
Oluvinga lange ola yeluka pombada mOmwene.
Okanya kange ka makukila ovatondadi vange,
osheshi ame ohandi nyakukilwa ekwafo loye!
2 “Pehe nomuyapuki ngaashi Omwene.
Heeno, pehe na nande umwe ponho yaye.
Ndele pehe na emanya ngaashi Kalunga ketu.
3 Inamu kala nokulitanga unene alushe.
Inamu pitifa mo mokanya keni eendjovo doukolokoshi.
Osheshi Omwene Oye Kalunga omushiivi waaishe.
Ye ota yeleke oilonga.
4 Omauta ovaladi a teywa po,
ndelenee oingone ya dikwa eenghono.
5 Ava va li va kuta, hava longele ondjabi yomungome,
ndelenee ava va li va fya ondjala, itava fi vali ondjala.
Ongadji otai dala vaheyali,
ndelenee oshipuna shovana tashi kanifa eenghono.
6 Omwene ta yandje efyo, ndele ta yandje omwenyo.
Ye ota twala moshovafi, ndele ta alula mo.
7 Omwene ta tokeke omunhu, ndele te mu punike.
Ye ota ninipike, ndele Ye ta nenepeke yo.
8 Mondwi Ye ota yambula omufyoona
ndele ta lenge omukwanaluhepo moshala shomute,
vo va kale omutumba peehamba,
va fyuulule olukalwa lado lefimano.
“Osheshi eengudi dedu odo dOmwene,
ndele kombada yado Ye okwa dika ounyuni.
9 Eemhadi dovayuki vaye ote di amene,
ndelenee ovahenakalunga tava kana momilaulu.
Osheshi omunhu ita dulu sha neenghono daye mwene.
10 Ava hava twifa Omwene eemhata tava ka teyaulwa po.
Vo ote va ndundumine meulu.
Omwene ta tokola omaxulilo ongonga yedu,
ndele Ye ta yandje eenghono kohamba yaye
ndele ta yelula oluvinga lomuvaekwa waye.”
11 Opo nee Elkana okwa ya keumbo laye mu Rama,
fimbo okaana okamati ka kala pomupristeli
Eli, okulongela Omwene.
Oukolokoshi wovana vaEli
12 Ndelenee ovana ovamati vaEli va li ovapwidi. Vo inava yavala Omwene. 13 Mokukalafana kwavo novanhu, eenghedi da li ngaha: Umwe ngeenge a toma ongobe yeyambo, opo nee ombelela eshi ya pya, omupiya womupristeli e uya, e nefoloko leenyala nhatu meke laye, 14 ndele te li tu mombiya i noikongo ile mombiya yomaulu ile moshipana ile moshiyaxa. Aishe oyo tai kwatwa kefoloko omupristeli te likufile. Osho ngaha va ningila Ovaisraeli aveshe ava ve uya kuSilo. 15 Nokuli fimbo inava xwika po omakaadi, omupiya womupristeli e uya ndele ta lombwele omulumenhu ou ta yambe: “Yandja ombelela, i telekelwe omupristeli, osheshi ye ita tambula kwoove ombelela ya telekwa, ndelenee ombelela iishu.” 16 Omulumenhu ngeenge te mu lombwele ta ti: “Nava xwike po tete omakaadi, opo nee u kufe osho omwenyo woye wa hala.” Opo ye ta ti: “Ahowe, ndelenee u noku i yandja paife eshi. Nongeenge hasho, ame ohandi i likufile.” 17 Nomatimba ovalumenhu ovanyasha a li manene koshipala shOmwene, osheshi ovalumenhu ava va dina eyambo lOmwene.
18 Ndelenee okamati Samuel ka yakula moilonga koshipala shOmwene, ndele ka li ka djala oshikutu shokomapepe sholiina. 19 Ndele ina yako okwe ka tungila oshikutu shinini shokombada nokwe shi ka etela omudo nomudo, vo nomulumenhu waye eshi ve uya ko okweeta eyambo lomudo keshe; 20 opo nee Eli okwa nangeka noupuna Elkana nomwalikadi waye, ndele ta ti: “Omwene ne ku pe okaana momwalikadi ou ponhele yaaka ye e ka yandja kOmwene.” Opo nee va shuna keumbo lavo.
21 NOmwene okwa dimbulukwa Hanna, onghee ye a ninga oufimba nokwa dala natango ovana vatatu oulume novana vavali oukadona. Nomumati Samuel okwa kula pOmwene.
22 Ndelenee Eli okwa kulupa nokukulupilila, ndele ye eshi a uda ashishe eshi ovana vaye ovamati hava ningile Ovaisraeli aveshe naashi hava nangala novakainhu ava hava yakula moilonga yoposhivelo shetwali leongalo, 23 ye ota ti kuvo: “Omolwashike tamu ningi oinima ya tya ngaha, ame ondi nokuuda kovanhu ava aveshe oinima yeni ii. 24 Inashi yuka ngaha, ovamwange! Osheshi eendjovo odo handi di udu, kadi fi diwa nande. Nye otamu nyonifa ovanhu vOmwene. 25 Omunhu ngeenge ta nyono komukwao ota tokolwa komutokoli, ndelenee omunhu ngeenge ta nyono kOmwene, olyelye ta dulu oku mu popila?” Ndelenee vo inava pwilikina xe yavo, osheshi Omwene okwa li a hala oku va komba po. 26 Ndelenee omumati Samuel a kula ndele ta wapalele Omwene novanhu.
Okuxulifwa po kwepata laEli taku xunganekwa
27 Ndele omulumenhu waKalunga e uya kuEli ndele te mu lombwele: “Omwene osho ta ti: Ame inandi lihololela hamba epata laxo, lo eshi la li muEgipiti meumbo laFarao? 28 Ndele Ame onde mu hoolola momapata aeshe aIsrael ngaashi omupristeli, a londe koaltari yange a xwameke oitwiminifo ndele a djale oshikutu shokomapepe moipafi yange. Ndele Ame nda yandja kepata laxo omindiloyambo adishe dovana vaIsrael. 29 Omolwashike nye tamu dini etomenoyambo lange neendjayambo dange, nde di lombwela di ningwe mongulu yange, ndele to fimaneke ovana voye ovamati komesho yange, opo tamu lyondola naashi shiwelela shomoshaliyambo shovanhu vange Israel? 30 Onghee hano Omwene Kalunga kaIsraeli ta ti: ‘Ame nde shi tonga shili nokutya, eumbo loye neumbo laxo tali ka enda koshipala shange fiyo alushe.’ Ndelenee paife Omwene ta ti: ‘Ahowe, shi dalelwe! Osheshi ava hava fimaneke nge, Ame ohandi ke va fimaneka. Ndelenee ava tava dini nge, otava ka dinika. 31 Tala, omafiku tae uya, Ame ohandi ka teta po okwooko kwoye nokwooko kwepata laxo, paha kale meumbo loye nande umwe ta fiki koukulunhu. 32 Ndele ove oto ka tala omutondadi e li mongulu yange nomouwa aushe ou Ye ote ke u ningila Israel. Ndele meumbo loye itamu ka kala nande umwe ta fiki koukulunhu. 33 Ndelenee umwe aeke womovakweni, itandi mu kandula po moaltari yange, omesho oye opo aha loloke nomwenyo woye uha nyike oufiye. Ndele aveshe vomoludalo loye otava ka fya mounyasha wavo. 34 Ndele edidiliko loinima ei oleli: ovana voye ovamati vavali, Hofni naPinehas, tava ka fya mefiku limwe alike. 35 Ndele Ame ohandi ke lipendulila omupristeli omudiinini, ou ta ka longa pamutima wange nopamwenyo wange; ndele Ame ohandi ke mu tungila ongulu tai kala po, ndele ye ota ka kala nokweenda alushe koshipala shOmuvaekwa wange.’ 36 Ndele aveshe ava tava ka xupa po meumbo loye, otave ke uya okulinyongamena koshipala shaye va pewe okamaliwa nokapambu komungome, ndele tava ka tya: ‘Tambule nge yo meyakulolonga limwe loupristeli, ndi shiive okulya okapambu komungome.’ ”
