Elkanah and His Family at Shiloh
1 There was a man named Elkanah, from the tribe of Ephraim, who lived in the town of Ramah in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham and grandson of Elihu, and belonged to the family of Tohu, a part of the clan of Zuph. 2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not. 3 Every year Elkanah went from Ramah to worship and offer sacrifices to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4 Each time Elkanah offered his sacrifice, he would give one share of the meat to Peninnah and one share to each of her children. 5 And even though he loved Hannah very much he would give her only one share, because the Lord had kept her from having children. 6 Peninnah, her rival, would torment and humiliate her, because the Lord had kept her childless. 7 This went on year after year; whenever they went to the house of the Lord, Peninnah would upset Hannah so much that she would cry and refuse to eat anything. 8 Her husband Elkanah would ask her, “Hannah, why are you crying? Why won't you eat? Why are you always so sad? Don't I mean more to you than ten sons?”
Hannah and Eli
9-10 One time, after they had finished their meal in the house of the Lord at Shiloh, Hannah got up. She was deeply distressed, and she cried bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. Meanwhile, Eli the priest was sitting in his place by the door. 11 Hannah made a solemn promise: “Lord Almighty, look at me, your servant! See my trouble and remember me! Don't forget me! If you give me a son, I promise that I will dedicate him to you for his whole life and that he will never have his hair cut.”
12 Hannah continued to pray to the Lord for a long time, and Eli watched her lips. 13 She was praying silently; her lips were moving, but she made no sound. So Eli thought that she was drunk, 14 and he said to her, “Stop making a drunken show of yourself! Stop your drinking and sober up!”
15 “No, I'm not drunk, sir,” she answered. “I haven't been drinking! I am desperate, and I have been praying, pouring out my troubles to the Lord. 16 Don't think I am a worthless woman. I have been praying like this because I'm so miserable.”
17 “Go in peace,” Eli said, “and may the God of Israel give you what you have asked him for.”
18 “May you always think kindly of me,” she replied. Then she went away, ate some food, and was no longer sad.
Samuel's Birth and Dedication
19 The next morning Elkanah and his family got up early, and after worshiping the Lord, they went back home to Ramah. Elkanah had intercourse with his wife Hannah, and the Lord answered her prayer. 20 So it was that she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, and explained, “I asked the Lord for him.”
21 The time came again for Elkanah and his family to go to Shiloh and offer to the Lord the yearly sacrifice and the special sacrifice he had promised. 22 But this time Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “As soon as the child is weaned, I will take him to the house of the Lord, where he will stay all his life.”
23 Elkanah answered, “All right, do whatever you think best; stay at home until you have weaned him. And may the Lord make your promise come true.” So Hannah stayed at home and nursed her child.
24 After she had weaned him, she took him to Shiloh, taking along a three-year-old bull, a bushel of flour, and a leather bag full of wine. She took Samuel, young as he was, to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. 25 After they had killed the bull, they took the child to Eli. 26 Hannah said to him, “Excuse me, sir. Do you remember me? I am the woman you saw standing here, praying to the Lord. 27 I asked him for this child, and he gave me what I asked for. 28 So I am dedicating him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he will belong to the Lord.”
Then they worshiped the Lord there.
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.