The Lord Speaks to Samuel
1-2 Samuel served the Lord by helping Eli the priest, who was by that time almost blind. In those days, the Lord hardly ever spoke directly to people, and he did not appear to them in dreams very often. But one night, Eli was asleep in his room, 3 and Samuel was sleeping on a mat near the sacred chest in the Lord's house. They had not been asleep very long 4 when the Lord called out Samuel's name.
“Here I am!” Samuel answered. 5 Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. What do you want?”
“I didn't call you,” Eli answered. “Go back to bed.”
Samuel went back.
6 Again the Lord called out Samuel's name. Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am,” he said. “What do you want?”
Eli told him, “Son, I didn't call you. Go back to sleep.”
7 The Lord had not spoken to Samuel before, and Samuel did not recognize the voice. 8 When the Lord called out his name for the third time, Samuel went to Eli again and said, “Here I am. What do you want?”
Eli finally realized that it was the Lord who was speaking to Samuel. 9 So he said, “Go back and lie down! If someone speaks to you again, answer, ‘I'm listening, Lord. What do you want me to do?’ ”
Once again Samuel went back and lay down.
10 The Lord then stood beside Samuel and called out as he had done before, “Samuel! Samuel!”
“I'm listening,” Samuel answered. “What do you want me to do?”
11 The Lord said:
Samuel, I am going to do something in Israel that will shock everyone who hears about it! 12 I will punish Eli and his family, just as I promised. 13 He knew that his sons refused to respect me, and he let them get away with it, even though I said I would punish his family forever. 14 I warned Eli that sacrifices or offerings could never make things right! His family has done too many disgusting things.
15 The next morning, Samuel got up and opened the doors to the Lord's house. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said. 16 But Eli told him, “Samuel, my boy, come here!”
“Yes, sir!” Samuel answered.
17 Eli said, “What did God say to you? Tell me everything. I'll ask God to punish you terribly if you don't tell me every word he said!”
18 Samuel told Eli everything. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord, and he will do what's right.”
The Lord Helps Samuel
19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord helped him and made everything Samuel said come true. 20 From the town of Dan in the north to the town of Beersheba in the south, everyone in the country knew that Samuel was truly the Lord's prophet. 21 The Lord often appeared to Samuel at Shiloh and told him what to say.
Yaawe ye Samuweli kumandi
1 Samuweli tarata nuŋ Yaawe* la dookuwo le la Eli koto. Wo waatoo Yaawe la kumoo la naa maŋ siyaa, jeroolu jamaa maŋ soto nuŋ. 2 Suuto kiliŋ Eli meŋ ñaalu lafita ka dibi, be laariŋ nuŋ a la dulaa kiliŋo to. 3 Lampoo meŋ ka mala Batudulaa to, maŋ faa foloo. Samuweli be laariŋ nuŋ Yaawe Batudulaa to, Alla la Kambeŋ Kunewo* be daameŋ. 4 Bituŋ Yaawe ye Samuweli kumandi. Samuweli ye i danku: “M fele jaŋ.” 5 Aduŋ a borita Eli yaa, a ko, “M fele jaŋ, ite le ye n kumandi.”
Bari Eli ko, “M maŋ kiliri ke, muruŋ i ye taa i laa.” Bituŋ a muruta, a taata i laa.
6 Yaawe ye Samuweli kumandi kotenke ko, “Samuweli!” Aduŋ Samuweli wulita, a taata Eli yaa, a ko, “M fele jaŋ, ite le ye n kumandi.” Eli ko a ye ko, “N dinkewo, nte maŋ kumandiri ke, muruŋ i ye taa i laa.”
7 Wo waatoo Samuweli maŋ Yaawe loŋ baake, kaatu a la kumoo maŋ lankenema a ye foloo. 8 Yaawe ye Samuweli kumandi siiñaa sabanjaŋo, aduŋ Samuweli wulita, a taata Eli yaa, a ko, “M fele, ite le ye n kumandi.”
Bituŋ Eli naata a kalamuta ko, Yaawe le ka kambaanendiŋo ñiŋ kumandi. 9 Bituŋ a ko Samuweli ye ko, “Taa, i ye taa i laa, aduŋ niŋ a ye i kumandi, a fo, ‘Diyaamu Yaawe, i la dookuulaa be i lamoyi kaŋ ne.’ ” Bituŋ Samuweli taata i laa a la dulaa to.
10 Yaawe naata, a loota jee, a ye kumandiroo ke, ko a ka a ke nuŋ ñaameŋ: “Samuweli! Samuweli!”
Bituŋ Samuweli ko, “Diyaamu, i la dookuulaa be i lamoyi kaŋ ne.”
11 Bituŋ Yaawe ko Samuweli ye ko, “A juubee, m pareeta ka kuu le ke Banisirayila kono, meŋ be a tinna la, niŋ moo-wo-moo tuloo ye a moyi, a si dewuŋ. 12 Wo waatoo le m be kuwolu taamandi la, ŋa mennu bee fo Eli la dimbaayaa la jawuyaa to, ka bo foloodulaa fo labaŋo to. 13 Aduŋ ŋa a fo a ye le ko, m be a la dimbaayaa kiitindi la le fo abadaa, kaatu a ye junuboo la kuwo ñiŋ loŋ ne, a dinkewolu ye Alla sooki le, aduŋ a balanta ka ì kuluu. 14 Ŋa n kali Eli dimbaayaa moolu la kuwo la ko, sadaa-wo-sadaa* le te jee, meŋ si ì la junuboo kafari noo.”
15 Samuweli ye i laa fo fanoo keta, bituŋ a ye Yaawe Batudulaa bundaalu yele. A silata le ka ñiŋ kumoo fo Eli ye. 16 Bari Eli ye a kumandi, a ko a ye ko, “Samuweli, n dinkewo.” Samuweli ye i danku ko, “M fele jaŋ.” 17 Eli ye a ñininkaa, “A ye muŋ ne fo i ye? Kana a maabo m ma. Allamaa Alla ye kuu jawu laa i kaŋ, niŋ i ye feŋ-wo-feŋ maabo m ma, a ye meŋ fo i ye.” 18 Bituŋ Samuweli ye kuwo bee fo a ye. A maŋ feŋ ne maabo. Bituŋ Eli ko, “Ate le mu Yaawe ti, meŋ diyaata a ye, a si wo ke.”
19 Samuweli ka meŋ ñaameŋ, Yaawe tarata a fee wo le ñaama, aduŋ hani Samuweli la kuma kiliŋ, a buka soŋ a ye boyi. 20 Banisirayila bee, ka bo bankoo tonkoŋ fo a tonkoŋ, ì ye a kalamuta le ko, Samuweli mu Yaawe la annabiyomoo le ti. 21 Yaawe tententa ka a faŋ yitandi a Batudulaa to Silo saatewo to, aduŋ jee le to a ye a faŋo lankenemayandi Samuweli ye ka bo niŋ a la kumoo la.
