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
Elikana ne nsha uwe ku Shilo
1 Kwakati ntolo kukabe kuna mmwe nlume we Ramataimu Zofimu mu shango ye matombo e Ifureimi, we zina lakabe liyi Elikana nkololo wa Jerohamu, Jerohamu ali nkololo wa Elihu, Elihu ali nkololo wa Tohu, Tohu ali nkololo wa Zufu we N'ifureimi. 2 Elikana wakabe ana bakadzi babili, mmwe edang'wa Hana, mmwe kuyi Penina. Penina wakabe ana bana, koga Hana asina bana. 3 Gole ne gole nlume iwoyu wakabe edwa mu nzi wa kanyi kwabo etathila ku Shilo enonamata ne pisila Yahwe Ndzimu Masimbawose zwibhayilo, ikoko kwakabe kuna bana ba Eli babili bali bapirisiti ba Yahwe, Hofuni na Finihasi. 4 Kwakabe kuti zhuba ha laswika lekuti Elikana apise tjibhayilo, wakabe edusa mitezho ye nyama epa nkadzi uwe Penina ne bakololo ne bakololokadzi babe bose. 5 Koga se akabe eda nkadzi uwe Hana, wakabe empa ntezho uwe kabili, nenguba Yahwe bakabe bannyima mbeleko. 6 Ngono nlongwana uwe wakabe egala entanga ngoti Yahwe bakannyima mbeleko. 7 Kwakadwilila kwakajalo gole ne gole. Wakabe eti ha eyenda ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe, nlongwana uwe wakabe entanga kudzina elila ebuya elamwa zojiwa. 8 Nlume wa Hana, Elikana wakabe esondwa eti, “Hana, apa unolilani kene? Ini usingaje kene? Wakashobeswa moyo ngeni kene? Apa anditokugadzamoyo kupinda bakololo bali gumi kene?”
Hana na Eli
9 Kwakati bali mu Shilo, bapedza kuja ne kung'wa, Hana kamilika. Ipapo mpirisiti Eli wakabe ali gele tjigalo pa hwunde ne phanda ye nkoba we Ng'umba ya Yahwe. 10 Nge kuhwa zogwadza, Hana kalila kwazo, ngono katembezela kuna Yahwe. 11 Ndizo katuna kati, “Imwi Yahwe Ndzimu Masimbawose, ha mabe mungalinga kudziyidzika kwe nlandakadzi wenyu, ngono mukandikumbula, mukasikangang'we nlandakadzi wenyu, koga mukapa nlandakadzi wenyu mwana we tjilisana, ipapo ndowompa Yahwe butjilo gugwe gose, ngono akuna lupando gunowontesela mu nsholo uwe.” 12 Wakati akadwilila etembezela mbeli kwa Yahwe, Eli wakabe akalingisisa nlomo uwe. 13 Hana wakabe etembezelela mu moyo, milomo iye izunguzika, koga hwi lile lisingahwike, ndizo Eli kakumbula kuti wakalaladza. 14 Ngono kambhuzwa eti, “Apa kowodza kukabe lini wakalaladzazo kene? Thubukana ne nkumbi uwo iwoyo!” 15 Koga Hana kan'dabila eti, “Akuzojalo tetshi wangu, imi ndi nkadzi wakadziyidzika kwazo, andizotongo ng'wa nkumbi we zhambi nakuto guli busukwa dumbu, ndadusila Yahwe meya yangu. 16 Musitole nlandakadzi wenyu se nkadzi usi we tjimwe, tjinga kwandatembezela nge shungu nenge kuhwa zogwadza kukulu kwazo kuswikila ngwenu.” 17 Eli kan'dabila eti, “Yenda nge mbakiso, Ndzimu we Iziraela ukupe tjaunokumbila muuli.” 18 Hana kadabila eti, “Dzene tshene mungabe ne ngoni mu nlandakadzi wenyu.” Ipapo nkadzi iwoyo kayendazwe, kaja, ne buso gugwe gwakashaladuka asitji mu kuhwa zogwadza.
Kuzwagwa ne piwa Ndzimu kwa Samuele
19 Tjimuka mangwanana Elikana ne be nsha uwe bakanamata Yahwe, kudwa ipapo bakabgwilila kanyi kwabo ku Rama. Elikana kawalilana ne nkadzi uwe Hana, ngono Yahwe bakankumbula. 20 Kuyenda nge tjibaka Hana kazwisenga kawana mwana we tjilisana kantumila zina eti Samuele, edwa kuti, “Ndakankumbila kuna Yahwe.” 21 Nlume iwoyo Elikana ne nsha uwe bakayenda ku Shilo kunopisila Yahwe zwibhayilo zwe gole ne kunoshingikadza kutuna kukwe. 22 Koga Hana kasiyende, kadwa nlume kati, “Kowoti mwana asinopkhwisiwa, ndowontola anon'yisa kuna Yahwe, ngono unowogalako tjatjose.” 23 Nlume uwe Elikana kanshandula eti, “Thama tjaunobona tjakakululwamila, galazo kuswikila umpkhwisa. Koga Yahwe bashingikadze dama labo.” Ndizo Hana wakagala mu nzi elela mwana uwe kuswikila empkhwisa. 24 Kwakati asinobe ampkhwisa, atji ntikinini kantola kayenda naye, akatakula nkong'wana we makole matatu akasenga hwomo ye bgwisa gwe tjiwunga ne gukhwa le nkumbi we zhambi, kan'yisa ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe ku Shilo. 25 Ndizo bakabhaya nkong'wana, bakayisa mwana kuna Eli. 26 Ngono Hana kadwa Eli kati, “Tetshi wangu! Se mutjatjila tetshi wangu, ndimi nkadzi wakabe alimile ipapa mbeli kwenyu, nditembezela Yahwe. 27 Ndakatembezela ndikumbila mwana iwoyu, ngono Yahwe bakandipa tjandakakumbila mubali. 28 Ndizo imi ndampila kuna Yahwe, butjilo gugwe gose unowobe wa Yahwe.”
Ngono bakanamata Yahwe ikoko.