Samuel 1 2
1 Hana do gbe ɖa be, “Nye dzi le aseye tsom le Yehowa me; le Yehowa me nye dzo de dzi bobobo. Nye nu ʋu ɖe nye futɔwo ŋu eye medzɔ dzi le wò ɖeɖe la me.
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].
2 “Ame aɖeke mele kɔkɔe abe Yehowa ene o! Bubu aɖeke megali o kpe ɖe ŋutiwò o. Eye Agakpe aɖeke meli abe míaƒe Mawu ene o.
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].
3 “Mèganɔ nu ƒom dadatɔe nenema o, elabena Yehowae nye Mawu si nya nu sia nu eye wòdaa miaƒe nuwɔnawo kpɔna.
[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!
4 “Woŋe ŋusẽtɔwo ƒe aŋutrɔwo ke ame beliwo la, etsɔ ŋusẽ bla ali dzi na wo.
Yahweh, you break the bows/weapons of mighty soldiers, and you give strength to those who stumble [because of being weak].
5 Ame siwo ɖi ƒo tsã la, tsɔ wo ɖokui ɖo awɔbae na nuɖuɖu, ke ame siwo dɔ wu tsã la, dɔ megale wo wum o. Ame si tsi ko tsã la dzi vi adre azɔ, ke ame si si vi adre nɔ la ƒe vidzidɔ lé ayi.
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].
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)
7 Yehowa ɖoa ahedada ɖa eye eya kee gaɖoa hokpɔkpɔ ɖa; eyae bɔbɔa ame ɖe anyi eye eya kee gadoa ame ɖe dzi.
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.
8 Eyae ɖea ame dahe tso ke me eye wòfɔa hiãtɔ tso afi me enaa zikpui wo ɖe dziɖulawo xa eye wònaa wonyia dome kple bubu ƒe fiazikpui. “Elabena Yehowa tɔe nye anyigba ƒe gɔmeɖokpe; eya dzie wòɖo xexea me gɔme anyi ɖo.
[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.
9 Adzɔ eƒe ame kɔkɔewo ƒe afɔ ŋu, ke ɖoɖoe azi le ame vɔ̃ɖiwo nu le viviti me. “Menye kalẽ me ame tona ɖua dzi o;
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;
10 ame siwo tso ɖe Yehowa ŋu la, woakaka wo. Dziƒoʋĩtɔ la aɖe gbe ɖe wo dzi tso dziƒo; Yehowa adrɔ̃ ʋɔnu Anyigba ƒe mlɔenu ke hã. “Ana ŋusẽ eƒe fia la eye wòakɔ eƒe amesiamina la ƒe dzo ɖe dzi.”
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].”
11 Ale Elkana yi aƒe me le Rama, ke ɖevi la subɔ le Yehowa ŋkume le nunɔla Eli ƒe kpɔkplɔ te.
Then Elkanah [and his family] returned to Ramah, but Samuel, the little boy, stayed to help Eli the priest serve Yahweh.
12 Azɔ Eli viŋutsuwo nye nu tovo wɔlawo, ame siwo mevɔ̃a Yehowa
Eli’s two [, who were also priests, ] were very wicked. They did not revere (OR, respect/obey) Yahweh.
13 loo alo dea bubu nunɔlawo ƒe dɔdeasiwo na dukɔ la ŋu o. Ne ame aɖe va sa vɔ la, nunɔla la ƒe dɔla la vana léa gaflo nuetɔ̃ ɖe asi esime vɔsalã la le dzo dzi.
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].
14 Dɔla la tsɔa gaflo la ƒona ɖe gaze, kutu, agba alo nuɖaze si me wole lã la ɖam le la me eye nu sia nu si ke gaflo la tɔ la etsɔnɛ doa goe na nunɔla. Aleae wowɔna le Silo ɖe Israelvi ɖe sia ɖe si vaa afi ma la ŋuti.
[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].
15 Gawu la, hafi woatɔ dzo lãmia la nunɔla la ƒe dɔla vana gblɔna na ame si le vɔ la sam la be, “Tsɔ lã la ƒe ɖe na nunɔlaa be wòame elabena maxɔ lã ɖaɖa le asiwò o negbe mumua ko.”
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.”
16 Ne ame si le vɔ la sam gblɔ be, “Àte ŋu atsɔ lã si dze ŋuwò, gake ele be woatɔ dzo lãmi la gbã abe ale si woɖoe da ɖi ene” la, subɔla la gblɔna be, “Ao, ne mèɖe asi le eŋu nam fifi laa o la, matsɔe sesẽtɔe!”
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!”
17 Ale ɖekakpui siawo ƒe nu vɔ̃ tri akɔ le Yehowa ƒe ŋkume elabena wodoa vlo ameawo ƒe vɔ siwo wosana na Yehowa.
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.
18 Ke Samuel ya subɔna le Yehowa ŋkume, enye ɖevi si doa aklala biɖibiɖi ƒe kɔmewu.
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].
19 Dadaa tɔa awu ʋlaya sue aɖe nɛ ƒe sia ƒe ne eya kple srɔ̃a gbɔna vɔsaƒe.
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.
20 Eli yraa Elkana kple srɔ̃a Hana gblɔna be, “Yehowa nana nyɔnu sia nadzi viwo na wò ne woaxɔ ɖe esi wòdo gbe ɖa bia gagbugbɔ tsɔ na Yehowa la teƒe.” Ale wodzona yina ɖe wo de.
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.
21 Yehowa ve Hana nu wòdzi viŋutsu etɔ̃ kple vinyɔnu eve ɖe Samuel yome. Ale Samuel tsi ɖe edzi le Yehowa ƒe ŋkume.
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].
22 Eli zu amegãɖeɖi aɖe azɔ gake enya nu siwo katã viawo nɔa wɔwɔm ɖe Israel blibo la ŋu. Le kpɔɖeŋu me, enya be ye viŋutsuwo nɔ ahasi wɔm kple ɖetugbi siwo wɔa subɔsubɔdɔwo le Agbadɔ la me.
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].
23 Egblɔ na viawo be, “Nu ka ta miele nu vɔ̃ɖi sia wɔm? Ame sia ame le nu ƒom le miaƒe agbe vlo nɔnɔ ŋu nam.
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.
24 Nya siwo sem mele tso mia ŋu la, menya sena kura o. Miele Yehowa ƒe amewo kplɔm de nu vɔ̃ me.
My sons, stop it! The reports [about you] that the people who belong to Yahweh tell others are terrible [EUP]!
25 Ne ame aɖe wɔ nu vɔ̃ ɖe nɔvia amegbetɔ ŋu la, Mawu adrɔ̃ ʋɔnui. Ke ne ame aɖe wɔ nu vɔ̃ ɖe Yehowa ŋu la, ame kae aɖe kuku ɖe enu?” Togbɔ be wo fofo gbe nya na wo alea hã la, womeɖo toe o elabena Yehowa ɖo be yeawu wo.
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.
26 Samuel, ɖevi sue la, nɔ tsitsim ɖe edzi, enye ame sia ame ƒe lɔlɔ̃tɔ eye eƒe nu nyo Yehowa hã ŋu.
The boy Samuel continued to grow up, and the things that he did pleased Yahweh and the people.
27 Gbe ɖeka la, Mawu ƒe ame aɖe va Eli gbɔ eye wògblɔ nya siawo, siwo tso Yehowa gbɔ la nɛ. “Ɖe nyemeɖe nye ŋusẽ fia esi Israelviwo nye kluviwo le Egiptenyigba dzi oa?
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.
28 Ɖe nyemetia mia tɔgbi Levi tso Israel towo katã dome be wòanye nunɔla nam, be wòasa vɔ le nye vɔsamlekpui dzi, wòatsɔ nu ʋeʋĩ ado dzudzɔ nam eye wòado nunɔlawo ƒe awu ne ele subɔyem oa? Eye ɖe nyemetsɔa vɔsanuwo naa mi nunɔlawo oa?
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].
29 Ekema nu ka ta miele ŋu klẽm ale ɖe vɔsanu bubu siwo ameawo tsɔna vanɛ nam la ŋu? Nu ka ta nède bubu viwòwo ŋu wu ŋunye? Nu nyui siwo Israel, nye amewo tsɔna vanɛ la na be wò kple woawo siaa mieda ami!
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!’
30 “Eya ta Yehowa, Israel ƒe Mawu la gblɔ be, ‘Medo ŋugbe be wò kple fofowò ƒe aƒe asubɔ le ŋkunye me tegbee.’ Ke azɔ la Yehowa be, ‘Esia nete ɖa xaa tso gbɔnye! Ame siwo de bubu ŋutinye la, made bubu wo ŋu, ke ame siwo do vlom la, woaɖu ŋukpe.
“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.
31 Ɣeyiɣi la gbɔna esi maɖe wò kple fofowò ƒe aƒe ƒe ŋusẽ dzi akpɔtɔ ale be amegãɖeɖi aɖeke manɔ wò ƒomea me o,
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.
32 eye àkpɔ xaxa le nye nɔƒe la me. Togbɔ be woawɔ nyui na Israel hã la, ke wò ƒome me ya la, amegãɖeɖi manɔ anyi akpɔ gbeɖe o.
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.
33 Mia dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe si nyemeɖe ɖa le nye vɔsamlekpui ŋgɔ o la atsi agbe, gake woana aɖatsi natsyɔ wò ŋkuwo dzi eye woahe dzigbagbã vɛ na wò. Ale wò dzidzimeviwo katã aku le woƒe ɖekakpui dzodzoe me.
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.
34 “‘Azɔ nu si ava dzɔ ɖe viwò ŋutsu eveawo, siwo nye Hofni kple Finehas dzi anye dzesi na wò; wo ame evea katã woaku le ŋkeke ɖeka dzi.
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].
35 Maɖo nunɔla nuteƒewɔla na ɖokuinye ame si awɔ ɖe nu si meɖo ɖe nye dzi me kple ta me la dzi. Mali ke eƒe aƒe la sesĩe eye wòasubɔ le nye amesiamina la ƒe ŋkume ɖaa.
‘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.
36 Ekema ame sia ame si susɔ ɖe wò ƒome la me ava de ta agu ɖe eŋkume abia klosaloga ɖeka alo abolo kakɛ aɖe kple kukuɖeɖe be, “De nunɔla ƒe dɔ aɖe asi nam ale be mate ŋu akpɔ nu vi aɖe aɖu.”’”
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.”’”
