1 Samuel 2
1 Then Hannah prayed, saying, “I rejoice in [what] you, [, have done]. I am strong [MET] because I belong to you. I (laugh at/ridicule) my enemies, because you, Yahweh have rescued me [from being taunted by them].
UHana wasekhuleka esithi: Inhliziyo yami iyathokoza eNkosini. Uphondo lwami luphakanyisiwe eNkosini. Umlomo wami wenziwe banzi phezu kwezitha zami, ngoba ngiyajabula ngosindiso lwakho.
2 There is no one who is holy like you, Yahweh. There is no other god like you. There is no one like you, our God, who can protect us [as though you were putting us beneath] a huge rock [where we can hide from danger].
Kakho ongcwele njengeNkosi, ngoba kakho ngaphandle kwakho; futhi kalikho idwala elinjengoNkulunkulu wethu.
3 [You people who oppose God], stop boasting! Yahweh is a God who knows [everything], and he will evaluate/judge everyone’s actions. So don’t speak so arrogantly!
Lingabe lisakhuluma ngokuzigqaja lokuzigqaja, kungaphumi ukuziqakisa emlonyeni wenu; ngoba iNkosi inguNkulunkulu wolwazi, lezenzo zilinganiswa yiyo.
4 Yahweh, you break the bows/weapons of mighty soldiers, and you give strength to those who stumble [because of being weak].
Idandili lamaqhawe lephukile, kodwa abakhubekileyo babhince amandla.
5 Many people who previously had plenty to eat, now have to work for other people [to earn money] to buy food, but many who were always hungry are not hungry any more. The woman who did not have any children before, now has given birth to many/seven children, and the woman who had many children before, now is very lonely [because they have all died].
Ababesuthi baziqhatshisile ngesinkwa, lababelambile kabasenjalo, kwaze kwathi oyinyumba uzele abayisikhombisa, lolabantwana abanengi uphele amandla.
6 Yahweh, you cause some people to die, and you restore some people who are almost dead. For some people, [it seems that they will soon] go to where the dead people are, but you cause them to become healthy again. (Sheol h7585)
INkosi iyabulala njalo iyaphilisa, iyehlisela engcwabeni njalo yenyuse. (Sheol h7585)
7 Yahweh, you cause some people to be poor and you cause some people to be rich, you humble some people and you honor some people.
INkosi ipha ubuyanga, njalo iyanothisa; iyehlisela phansi, njalo iphakamise.
8 [Sometimes] you lift poor people up so that they are no longer [despondent, sitting in the dust, ] or sitting on heaps of ashes; you cause them to sit next to princes; you cause them to sit on chairs/thrones where people who are highly honored sit. Yahweh, you are the one who laid the foundations of the earth, and you have set the whole world on those foundations.
Iyamphakamisa umyanga ethulini, imphakamisa oswelayo enqunjini yomquba, ukuze ibahlalise leziphathamandla, ibadlise ilifa lesihlalo sobukhosi sodumo; ngoba insika zomhlaba zingezeNkosi, ibekile ilizwe phezu kwazo.
9 You will protect your loyal/faithful people [SYN], but you will cause the wicked to die [EUP] and descend to the dark [place where dead people are]. We do not defeat [our enemies] by our own strength;
Izagcina inyawo zabangcwele bayo, kodwa ababi bazathuliswa emnyameni; ngoba umuntu kayikunqoba ngamandla.
10 Yahweh, you will break into pieces those who oppose you. You will cause thunder in the sky to show that you (oppose/are angry with) them. Yahweh, you will judge [people everywhere, even those who live in] the most remote places on the earth. You will give strength to the king whom you will appoint, and give him great power [over his enemies].”
Abalwa leNkosi bazaphahlazwa; izaduma phezu kwabo isemazulwini; iNkosi izakwahlulela imikhawulo yomhlaba, inike inkosi yayo amandla, iphakamise uphondo logcotshiweyo wayo.
11 Then Elkanah [and his family] returned to Ramah, but Samuel, the little boy, stayed to help Eli the priest serve Yahweh.
UElkana waya eRama endlini yakhe. Lomfana wayekhonza iNkosi phambi kukaEli umpristi.
12 Eli’s two [, who were also priests, ] were very wicked. They did not revere (OR, respect/obey) Yahweh.
Amadodana kaEli ayengabantwana bakaBheliyali; kawayazanga-ke iNkosi.
13 While the people were boiling the meat from their sacrifices [in the huge pot at the temple], one of Eli’s sons, [would send his servant to come with a large three-pronged fork in his hand].
Njalo umkhuba wabapristi labantu wawunje; wonke umuntu ohlaba umhlatshelo, kube sekufika inceku yompristi, inyama isaphekiwe, ilefologwe elencijo ezintathu esandleni sayo,
14 [He] would stick the fork into [the meat in] the pot, and whatever meat fastened onto the fork, he would take [and give it] to the priest who sent him. Eli’s sons did this to all the Israeli people who came to Shiloh [to offer sacrifices].
ihlabe ngayo edengezini, loba egedleleni, loba ebhodweni, loba embizeni; konke ifologwe ekukhuphayo umpristi wayezithathela khona. Benze njalo kuIsrayeli wonke ofika lapho eShilo.
15 Furthermore, before the fat [on the meat] was [cut off and] and burned [as a sacrifice to Yahweh], the servant of the priest would [sometimes] come to the man who was making the sacrifice and say to him, “Give me some meat [now to take] to the priest for him to roast! He wants raw meat; he does not want boiled meat.”
Njalo engakatshisi amahwahwa, inceku yompristi ifike ithi emuntwini ohlabayo: Letha inyama yokosela umpristi, ngoba kayikuthatha kuwe inyama ephekiweyo, kodwa eluhlaza.
16 If the man said to the servant, “Let the priests [cut off and] burn the fat first; then you can take what you want,” the servant would reply, “No, give it to me now; if you do not give it to me, I will take it forcefully!”
Uba lowomuntu esithi kuyo: Kabatshise lokutshisa amahwahwa khathesi, ubusuzithathela njengokuthanda komphefumulo wakho; ibisisithi kuye: Hatshi, nginika khathesi; uba kungenjalo, ngizayithatha ngamandla.
17 Yahweh considered that the young [sons of Eli] were committing a very great sin, because they were treating very disrespectfully the offerings that were being given to Yahweh.
Ngakho isono samajaha saba sikhulu kakhulu phambi kweNkosi; ngoba abantu badelela umnikelo weNkosi.
18 As for Samuel, who was still a very young boy, he continued to do work for Yahweh, wearing a little sacred linen vest [like the Supreme Priest wore].
Kodwa uSamuweli wayekhonza phambi kweNkosi engumfana ebhince i-efodi yelembu elicolekileyo.
19 Each year his mother made a [new] little robe for him and took it to him when she went up [to Shiloh] with her husband to offer a sacrifice.
Futhi unina wayemenzela ijazana, amphathele lona umnyaka ngomnyaka ekwenyukeni kwakhe lomkakhe ukuyahlaba umhlatshelo womnyaka.
20 Then Eli would [ask God to] bless Elkanah and his wife, and he would say to Elkanah, “I hope/desire that Yahweh will enable your wife to give birth to other children, to take the place of the one whom she dedicated to Yahweh.” Then Elkanah and his family would return home.
UEli wasebabusisa oElkana lomkakhe, wathi: INkosi ikunike inzalo ngalowesifazana endaweni yesicelo esicelwe eNkosini. Basebesiya endaweni yabo.
21 And Yahweh was very kind to Hannah, and enabled her to give birth to three [other] sons and two daughters. Their son Samuel grew up while he was doing work for Yahweh [in the Sacred Tent].
INkosi isimhambele uHana, wasethatha isisu, wazala amadodana amathathu lamadodakazi amabili. Umfana uSamuweli wasekhula eleNkosi.
22 Eli became very old. He often heard about all the [evil] things that his sons were doing to the Israeli people. He heard that they [sometimes] (slept with/had sex with) the women who worked at the entrance to the tent where [God] spoke to [his people].
Kodwa uEli wayesemdala kakhulu; wakuzwa konke amadodana akhe akwenza kuIsrayeli wonke, lokuthi ayelala labesifazana ababuthana emnyango wethente lenhlangano.
23 He said to them, “(It is terrible that you do such things!/Why do you do such things?) [RHQ] Many people keep telling me about the evil things that you do.
Wasesithi kuwo: Lenzelani izinto ezinje? Ngoba ngiyezwa ngabo bonke abantu ngezenzo zenu ezimbi.
24 My sons, stop it! The reports [about you] that the people who belong to Yahweh tell others are terrible [EUP]!
Hatshi, madodana ami; ngoba kakusumbiko omuhle engiwuzwayo ukuthi lenza abantu beNkosi baphambuke.
25 If one person sins against another person, God can (intercede/act as a referee) between them. But if someone sins against Yahweh, no one can [RHQ] (intercede/act as a referee) between them!” But Eli’s sons would not listen to what their father said. This was because Yahweh had decided [that someone should] them.
Uba umuntu esona komunye, abahluleli bazamahlulela; kodwa uba umuntu esona eNkosini, ngubani ozamlamulela? Kodwa kawalalelanga ilizwi likayise; ngoba iNkosi yayifuna ukuwabulala.
26 The boy Samuel continued to grow up, and the things that he did pleased Yahweh and the people.
Umfana uSamuweli waseqhubeka ekhula, ethandeka kubo bobabili iNkosi labantu.
27 One day, a prophet came to Eli and told him, “This is what Yahweh has told me: ‘When your ancestors were slaves of the king of Egypt, I appeared to Aaron.
Kwasekufika umuntu kaNkulunkulu kuEli, wathi kuye: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ngabonakaliswa lokubonakaliswa yini kuyo indlu kayihlo beseGibhithe endlini kaFaro?
28 From all the tribes of the Israeli people, I chose him [and his male descendants] to be priests for me. I appointed them to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear a sacred apron [as they worked] for me. And I declared that they could take [and eat some of the meat] that the Israeli people burned [on the altar].
Ngamkhetha yini kuzo zonke izizwe zakoIsrayeli ukuthi abe ngumpristi wami, anikele elathini lami, atshise impepha, agqoke i-efodi phambi kwami? Ngayinika yini indlu kayihlo yonke iminikelo yabantwana bakoIsrayeli eyenziwe ngomlilo?
29 So why do you show disrespect for the sacrifices and offerings that I commanded [the people to bring] to me [RHQ]? You are honoring your sons more than you are honoring me, by allowing them to get fat from eating the best parts of all the sacrifices that the Israeli people bring to me!’
Kungani likhahlela imihlatshelo yami leminikelo yami engiyilayileyo endlini yami, njalo uhlonipha amadodana akho okwedlula mina, ngokuzikhuluphalisa ngekhethelo leminikelo yonke kaIsrayeli, abantu bami?
30 “Therefore, this is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], declares: ‘I definitely promised that Aaron and his descendants would continue to serve [IDM] me forever.’ But now I declare this: ‘It will not continue like that! I will honor those who honor me, but I will despise those who despise me.
Ngakho iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli ithi: Ngathi lokuthi: Indlu yakho lendlu kayihlo zizahamba phambi kwami kuze kube nininini; kodwa khathesi ithi iNkosi: Kakube khatshana lami; ngoba abangihloniphayo ngizabahlonipha, labangidelelayo bazakweyiswa.
31 Listen carefully! There will soon be a time when I will cause all the strong [young men] in your family to die. The result will be that no men in your family will [live long enough to] become old men.
Khangela, insuku ziyeza engizaquma ngazo ingalo yakho lengalo yendlu kayihlo, kungabi khona ixhegu endlini yakho.
32 You will be distressed and envious as you see the blessings that I will give to [the other people in] Israel. And [I repeat that] no men in your family will ever live long enough to become old men.
Njalo uzabona ukuhlupheka kwendlu yami, kuyo yonke impumelelo ezayenzela uIsrayeli; njalo kakuyikuba lexhegu endlini yakho zonke izinsuku.
33 There is one of your descendants whom I will spare, and not prevent him from serving me as a priest. But he will become blind, and then he will always be sad and grieving. But all your other descendants will die violently.
Lowo-ke owakho engingayikumquma asuke elathini lami uzakuba ngowokuqeda amehlo akho, lokudabula umphefumulo wakho; lakho konke ukwanda kwendlu yakho kuzakufa kusebudodeni.
34 And your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will both die on the same day. And that will prove to you [that all that I have said will come true/happen].
Lalokhu kuzakuba yisiboniso kuwe okuzakwehlela amadodana akho womabili, kuHofini loPhinehasi; bobabili bazakufa ngasuku lunye.
35 ‘have chosen another man to be my priest. He is one who will serve me faithfully: He will do everything I want [DOU] him to do. And I will enable him to have many descendants [IDM] who will be priests and will always serve me by helping the king whom I will choose.
Ngizazimisela umpristi othembekileyo; uzakwenza njengokusenhliziyweni yami lemphefumulweni wami. Njalo ngizamakhela indlu eqinileyo; uzahamba-ke phambi kogcotshiweyo wami zonke izinsuku.
36 All of your descendants who remain alive will have to go to that priest and ask him to give them money and food, and they will each have to say, “Please allow me to help the other priests, in order that I may [earn some money to] buy some food.”’”
Kuzakuthi-ke wonke oseleyo endlini yakho uzakuza akhothame kuye ngenxa yembadalo yesiliva leqebelengwana lesinkwa, athi: Ake ungibeke kwesinye sezikhundla zompristi ukuze ngidle ucezu lwesinkwa.
