1 Samuele 3
1 Or il giovinetto Samuele serviva all’Eterno sotto gli occhi di Eli. La parola dell’Eterno era rara, a quei tempi, e le visioni non erano frequenti.
[While he was still a] boy, Samuel was working for Yahweh while Eli supervised him. At that time there were very few messages [that anyone received] from Yahweh, and very few people saw visions [that Yahweh gave them].
2 In quel medesimo tempo, Eli, la cui vista cominciava a intorbidarsi in guisa ch’egli non ci poteva vedere, se ne stava un giorno coricato nel suo luogo consueto;
By that time Eli’s eyes were very weak; he was almost blind. [One night] he was sleeping in his room,
3 la lampada di Dio non era ancora spenta, e Samuele era coricato nel tempio dell’Eterno dove si trovava l’arca di Dio.
and Samuel was sleeping in the sacred tent, where the chest that contained the Ten Commandments was kept. While the sacred lamp was still burning,
4 E l’Eterno chiamò Samuele, il quale rispose: “Eccomi!”
Yahweh called, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel replied, “I’m here!”
5 e corse da Eli e disse: “Eccomi, poiché tu m’hai chiamato”. Eli rispose: “Io non t’ho chiamato, torna a coricarti”. Ed egli se ne andò a coricarsi.
Then he [got up and] ran to Eli. He said to him, “I am here, because you called me!” But Eli replied, “No, I did not call you. Go back to your bed.” So Samuel went and lay down again.
6 L’Eterno chiamò di nuovo Samuele. E Samuele s’alzò, andò da Eli e disse: “Eccomi, poiché tu m’hai chiamato”. E quegli rispose: “Figliuol mio, io non t’ho chiamato; torna a coricarti”.
Then Yahweh called again, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up again and went to Eli and said, “I am here, because you called me!” But Eli said, “No, my son, I did not call you. Go back and lie down.”
7 Or Samuele non conosceva ancora l’Eterno, e la parola dell’Eterno non gli era ancora stata rivelata.
At that time Samuel did not yet know [that] Yahweh [could speak to him], because Yahweh had not previously revealed anything to him.
8 L’Eterno chiamò di bel nuovo Samuele, per la terza volta. Ed egli s’alzò, andò da Eli e disse: “Eccomi, poiché tu m’hai chiamato”. Allora Eli comprese che l’Eterno chiamava il giovinetto.
[After Samuel lay down again], Yahweh called him a third time. So again Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “I am here, because you called me!” Then Eli realized that it was Yahweh who was calling the boy.
9 Ed Eli disse a Samuele: “Va’ a coricarti; e, se sarai chiamato ancora, dirai: Parla, o Eterno, poiché il tuo servo ascolta”. Samuele andò dunque a coricarsi al suo posto.
So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again. If someone calls you again, say ‘Speak to me, Yahweh, because I am listening!’” So Samuel went and lay down again.
10 E l’Eterno venne, si tenne lì presso, e chiamò come le altre volte: “Samuele, Samuele!” Samuele rispose: “Parla, poiché il tuo servo ascolta”.
Then Yahweh came and stood there and called as he had done the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak to me, because I am listening!”
11 Allora l’Eterno disse a Samuele: “Ecco, io sto per fare in Israele una cosa tale che chi l’udrà ne avrà intronati ambedue gli orecchi.
Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen carefully. I am about to do something here in Israel that will shock/horrify [IDM] everyone who hears about it.
12 In quel giorno io metterò ad effetto contro ad Eli, dal principio fino alla fine, tutto ciò che ho detto circa la sua casa.
When that happens, I will punish Eli and his family. I will do to them everything that I said that I would do.
13 Gli ho predetto che avrei esercitato i miei giudizi sulla casa di lui in perpetuo, a cagione della iniquità ch’egli ben conosce, poiché i suoi figli hanno attratto su di sé la maledizione, ed egli non li ha repressi.
His sons have shown great disrespect for me by the disgraceful things they have done, and Eli did not restrain them. So I told him that I would punish his family forever.
14 Perciò io giuro alla casa d’Eli che l’iniquità della casa d’Eli non sarà mai espiata né con sacrifizi né con oblazioni”.
I solemnly promised to Eli’s family, ‘You will never be able to avoid the consequences for your sin, even if you give me sacrifices or offerings.’”
15 Samuele rimase coricato sino alla mattina, poi aprì le porte della casa dell’Eterno. Egli temeva di raccontare ad Eli la visione.
Samuel lay down again until morning. Then he got up and opened the doors of the Sacred Tent [as usual]. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision [that Yahweh had given him].
16 Ma Eli chiamò Samuele e disse: “Samuele, figliuol mio!” Egli rispose: “Eccomi”.
But Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son!” Samuel answered, “I am here!”
17 Ed Eli: “Qual è la parola ch’Egli t’ha detta? Ti prego, non me la celare! Iddio ti tratti col massimo rigore, se mi nascondi qualcosa di tutto quello ch’Egli t’ha detto”.
Eli asked him, “What was it that Yahweh told you? Do not conceal it! I want God to punish you severely if you do not tell me everything that he said to you.”
18 Samuele allora gli raccontò tutto, senza celargli nulla. Ed Eli disse: “Egli è l’Eterno: faccia quello che gli parrà bene”.
So Samuel told him everything. He did not refuse to tell him anything. Then Eli said, “He is Yahweh. I am willing for him to do what he thinks is best.”
19 Samuele intanto cresceva, e l’Eterno era con lui e non lasciò cader a terra alcuna delle parole di lui.
As Samuel grew up, Yahweh helped him, and caused everything to (come true/happen) that Samuel predicted.
20 Tutto Israele, da Dan fino a Beer-Sceba, riconobbe che Samuele era stabilito profeta dell’Eterno.
So all the people of Israel, from the northern end of the country to the southern end, realized that Samuel was truly a prophet of Yahweh.
21 L’Eterno continuò ad apparire a Sciloh, poiché a Sciloh l’Eterno si rivelava a Samuele mediante la sua parola, e la parola di Samuele era rivolta a tutto Israele.
Yahweh continued to appear to Samuel in Shiloh and give messages to him.
