Hannah Asks the Lord for a Child
1 Elkanah lived in Ramah, a town in the hill country of Ephraim. His great-great-grandfather was Zuph, so Elkanah was a member of the Zuph clan of the Ephraim tribe. Elkanah's father was Jeroham, his grandfather was Elihu, and his great-grandfather was Tohu.
2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Although Peninnah had children, Hannah did not have any.
3 Once a year Elkanah traveled from his hometown to Shiloh, where he worshiped the Lord All-Powerful and offered sacrifices. Eli was the Lord's priest there, and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas served with him as priests.
4 Whenever Elkanah offered a sacrifice, he gave some of the meat to Peninnah and some to each of her sons and daughters. 5 But he gave Hannah even more, because he loved Hannah very much, even though the Lord had kept her from having children of her own.
6 Peninnah liked to make Hannah feel miserable about not having any children, 7 especially when the family went to the house of the Lord each year.
One day, Elkanah was there offering a sacrifice, when Hannah began crying and refused to eat. 8 So Elkanah asked, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why won't you eat? Why do you feel so bad? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?”
9 When the sacrifice had been offered, and they had eaten the meal, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli was sitting in his chair near the door to the place of worship. 10 Hannah was heartbroken and was crying as she prayed, 11 “Lord All-Powerful, I am your servant, but I am so miserable! Please let me have a son. I promise to give him to you for as long as he lives, and his hair will never be cut.”
12-13 Hannah prayed silently to the Lord for a long time. But her lips were moving, and Eli thought she was drunk. 14 “How long are you going to stay drunk?” he asked. “Sober up!”
15-16 “Sir, please don't think I'm no good!” Hannah answered. “I'm not drunk, and I haven't been drinking. But I do feel miserable and terribly upset. I've been praying all this time, telling the Lord about my problems.”
17 Eli replied, “Go home. Everything will be fine. The God of Israel will answer your prayer.”
18 “Sir, thank you for being so kind to me,” Hannah said. Then she left, and after eating something, she felt much better.
Samuel Is Born
19 Elkanah and his family got up early the next morning and worshiped the Lord. Then they went back home to Ramah. Later the Lord blessed Elkanah and Hannah 20 with a son. She named him Samuel because she had asked the Lord for him.
Hannah Gives Samuel to the Lord
21 The next time Elkanah and his family went to offer their yearly sacrifice, he took along a gift that he had promised to give to the Lord. 22 But Hannah stayed home, because she had told Elkanah, “Samuel and I won't go until he's old enough for me to stop nursing him. Then I'll give him to the Lord, and he can stay there at Shiloh for the rest of his life.”
23 “You know what's best,” Elkanah said. “Stay here until it's time to stop nursing him. I'm sure the Lord will help you do what you have promised.” Hannah did not go to Shiloh until she stopped nursing Samuel.
24-25 When it was the time of year to go to Shiloh again, Hannah and Elkanah took Samuel to the Lord's house. They brought along a three-year-old bull, a sack containing about nine kilograms of flour, and a clay jar full of wine. Hannah and Elkanah offered the bull as a sacrifice, then brought the little boy to Eli.
26 “Sir,” Hannah said, “a few years ago I stood here beside you and asked the Lord 27 to give me a child. Here he is! The Lord gave me just what I asked for. 28 Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will be the Lord's servant for as long as he lives.”
Hannah Prays
Elkanah worshiped the Lord there at Shiloh, and
Samuweli la wuluwo
1 Kewo doo le mu, a bota Ramatayimu le, Sufu koomalankoo le mu, aduŋ a bota Efurayimu* konkotundoo* le kaŋ. A too mu Elikana le ti. A mu Yerohamu dinkewo le ti, Yerohamu Elihu dinkewo, Elihu Tohu dinkewo, Tohu Sufu dinkewo, Efurayimu bonsuŋo. 2 A ye musu fula le soto, foloo too mu Hanna le ti, fulanjaŋo Peninna. Peninna ye diŋolu soto le, bari Hanna, wo maŋ diŋ soto.
3 Saŋ-wo-saŋ ñiŋ kewo ka bo a la saatewo to le ka taa Silo saatewo to. A ka sujudi, aduŋ a ka beeyaŋo ke sadaa* ti Yaawe* Alihawaa Maariyo* ye jee, daameŋ Hofuni niŋ Pineha, Eli dinkewolu keta Yaawe la piriisoolu* ti. 4 Niŋ Elikana la sadaabo luŋo siita, a ka suboo kara doo taa le, a ye a dii Peninna la, a la musoo, aniŋ a dinkewolu niŋ a dimmusoolu. 5 Bari Hanna, a ka talaadaa fula le dii wo la, kaatu a ye a kanu le, aduŋ Yaawe maŋ ate so diŋo la. 6 Bayiri Yaawe maŋ ate so diŋo la, a siinaa ka tu a niyo toorandi la le, fo a si kamfaa. 7 Ñiŋ ne ka ke saŋ-wo-saŋ. Niŋ Hanna taata Yaawe Batudulaa to, a siinaa ka a batandi le, fo a ye kumboo, aduŋ a buka domori ke. 8 Elikana a keemaa si a fo a ye ko, “Hanna, i ka muŋ ne kumboo? Muŋ ne ye a tinna, i maŋ domoroo ke? Muŋ ne ye a tinna, i sunuta? Fo nte maŋ fisa i ye dinkee taŋ ti baŋ?”
9 Luŋ kiliŋ kabiriŋ ì ye domoroo niŋ miŋo baŋ Silo saatewo to, Hanna wulita. Saayiŋ Eli, meŋ keta piriisoo ti, be siiriŋ nuŋ Yaawe Batudulaa daa le to. 10 Hanna niikuyaariŋo kumboota baake, a ye duwaa daani Yaawe bulu. 11 A ye laahidoo taa ko, “Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo, niŋ i ye i la jondiŋo la bataa kuwo juubee, aduŋ i hakiloo bulata n na, i kana ñina n na, i si dinkewo dii n na, bituŋ m be a dii la ite Yaawe le la, ka dookuwo ke i ye a la baluwo bee kono. Liirilaŋo nene te maa la a kuŋo la, ka a yitandi ko, a be ite le la maroo to. ”
12 Kabiriŋ a be duwaa kaŋ Yaawe too la, Eli be a daa koroosi kaŋ ne. 13 Hanna be nuŋ duwaa le la a sondomoo kono, aduŋ a daa be maamaŋ kaŋ ne, bari moo buka a kaŋo moyi. Eli ye a miira le ko, a siirata le. 14 Bituŋ a ko a ye ko, “Fo ite be tu la siirariŋ ne baŋ? Seyi i ñaama kotenke.”
15 Hanna ye a jaabi ko, “Wo nte, m maarii. Nte mu musu le ti, meŋ ye niitoora kuu baa soto. M maŋ tara nuŋ wayinoo* waraŋ dolo koteŋ miŋo la. N ka n na niikuyaa kuwo le fo Yaawe ye. 16 Kana i la dookuulaa ke musu jawoo ti. N ka duwaa jaŋ n na jaakaloo niŋ n na bataa le la.”
17 Eli ye a jaabi ko, “Taa kayira kono. Allamaa Banisirayila la Alla ye i lafinna kuwo ke i ye.”
18 Hanna ko, “Allamaa nte i la dookuulaa la kuwo ye i kontaani.” Bituŋ a taata a la siloo la, a ye domoroo ke, aduŋ niikuyaa maŋ finti a ñaadaa to kotenke.
19 Wo saamoo soomandaa juunoo ì wulita, ì sujudita Yaawe ye, aduŋ ì muruta ì la suwo kono Rama. Elikana niŋ Hanna kafuta, aduŋ Yaawe hakiloo bulata a la. 20 Bituŋ wo waatoolu kono Hanna harijeeta, aduŋ biriŋ waatoo siita, a naata dinkewo le wuluu. A ye a toolaa Samuweli la, ka a fo ko, “Kaatu ŋa Yaawe daani a la le.”
Hanna ye Samuweli dii Yaawe la
21 Kabiriŋ Elikana niŋ a la dimbaayaa taata ì la saŋ-wo-saŋ sadaaboo la Yaawe ye, aniŋ ka a la laahidoo timmandi, 22 Hanna maŋ taa. A ko a keemaa ye ko, “Niŋ dindiŋo bondita sunjoo to, m be a taa la le, ŋa a samba Yaawe ñaatiliŋo la, aduŋ a be sabati la jee le waati-wo-waati.”
23 A keemaa Elikana ko a ye ko, “A benta i fee ñaameŋ, a ke wo ñaama. Sabati jaŋ, fo niŋ i ye a bondi. Allamaa Yaawe ye i la laahidoo ke tooñaa ti.” Bituŋ musoo sabatita suwo kono, a ye dindiŋo suusundi, fo a ye a bondi.
24 Kabiriŋ a ye a bondi sunjoo to, a ye a samba Silo saatewo to, a ye sanji saba tuuraa samba ñoo la, fariñoo kilo taŋ, aniŋ sufuroo meŋ be faariŋ wayinoo la ka ke sadaa ti. Samuweli be dooyaariŋ ñaa-wo-ñaa, a ye a samba Yaawe Batudulaa to Silo. 25 Kabiriŋ ì ye tuuraa kanateyi, ì ye kambaanoo samba Eli yaa. 26 Aduŋ Hanna ko a ye ko, “Hakatu n ye, m maarii. Nte le mu wo musoo ti, meŋ loota i daala, m be duwaa daani kaŋ niŋ Yaawe too la. 27 N duwaata nuŋ ñiŋ diŋo le la, aduŋ Alla ye n na natoo timmandi n ye le. 28 Saayiŋ ŋa a dii Yaawe la le. Aduŋ a la baluwo bee, a be tara la Yaawe le bulu.”
Ì sujudita Yaawe ye jee.
