1 USamuyeli 3
1 Umfana uSamuweli wayesebenzela iNkosi phambi kukaEli. Lelizwi leNkosi laliligugu ngalezonsuku; kwakungekho lombono osabaleleyo.
The child Samuel served Yahweh under Eli. Yahweh's word was rare in those days; there was no frequent prophetic vision.
2 Kwasekusithi ngalolosuku uEli elele endaweni yakhe, lamehlo akhe eseqala ukufiphala engelakubona,
At that time, when Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see well, was lying down in his own bed.
3 lesibane sikaNkulunkulu sasingakacitshwa, njalo uSamuweli wayelele ethempelini leNkosi, lapho okwakukhona umtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu,
The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down to sleep in the temple of Yahweh, where the ark of God was.
4 iNkosi yambiza uSamuweli, owathi: Khangela ngilapha.
Yahweh called to Samuel, who said, “Here I am.”
5 Wasegijimela kuEli, wathi: Khangela ngilapha, ngoba ungibizile. Wasesithi: Kangibizanga, buyela ulale. Wasesiyalala.
Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Eli said, “I did not call you; lie down again.” So Samuel went and lay down.
6 INkosi yasibuya imbiza uSamuweli futhi. USamuweli wasevuka waya kuEli, wathi: Khangela ngilapha, ngoba ungibizile. Kodwa wathi: Kangibizanga, ndodana yami; buyela ulale.
Yahweh called again, “Samuel.” Again Samuel rose and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son; lie down again.”
7 Kodwa uSamuweli wayengakayazi iNkosi, lelizwi leNkosi lalingakembulwa kuye.
Now Samuel did not yet have any experience of Yahweh, nor had any message from Yahweh ever been revealed to him.
8 INkosi yasimbiza futhi uSamuweli ngokwesithathu. Wasevuka waya kuEli wathi: Khangela ngilapha, ngoba ungibizile. UEli waseqedisisa ukuthi iNkosi imbizile umfana.
Yahweh called Samuel again the third time. Again Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli realized that Yahweh had called the boy.
9 Ngakho uEli wathi kuSamuweli: Hamba uyelala; kuzakuthi-ke nxa ikubiza uzakuthi: Khuluma Nkosi, ngoba inceku yakho iyezwa. Wasehamba uSamuweli, walala endaweni yakhe.
Then Eli said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again; if he calls you again, you must say, 'Speak, Yahweh, for your servant is listening.'” So Samuel went and lay down in his own place once more.
10 INkosi yasisiza, yema, yabiza njengakwezinye izikhathi: Samuweli, Samuweli! Wasesithi uSamuweli: Khuluma, ngoba inceku yakho iyezwa.
Yahweh came and stood; he called as at the other times, “Samuel, Samuel.” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
11 INkosi yasisithi kuSamuweli: Khangela, ngizakwenza into koIsrayeli ezakhenceza indlebe zombili zalowo wonke oyizwayo.
Yahweh said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel at which the ears of everyone who hears it will tingle.
12 Ngalolosuku ngizakwenza ngimelene loEli konke engakukhuluma ngendlu yakhe; ngiqalise ngiqede.
On that day I will carry out against Eli everything I have said about his house, from beginning to end.
13 Ngoba ngimtshelile ukuthi ngizagweba indlu yakhe kuze kube nininini ngesiphambeko asaziyo, ngoba amadodana akhe azenza aqalekiswa, kodwa kawakhuzanga.
I have told him that I am about to judge his house once for all for the sin that he knew about, because his sons brought a curse upon themselves and he did not stop them.
14 Ngakho-ke ngifungile kuyo indlu kaEli ukuthi ububi bendlu kaEli kabuyikuhlangulwa ngomhlatshelo langomnikelo kuze kube phakade.
Because of this I have sworn to the house of Eli that the sins of his house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.”
15 USamuweli waselala kwaze kwasa; wavula iminyango yendlu yeNkosi, kodwa uSamuweli wesaba ukumtshela uEli umbono.
Samuel lay down until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of Yahweh. But Samuel was afraid to tell Eli about the vision.
16 UEli wasembiza uSamuweli, wathi: Samuweli, ndodana yami. Wasesithi: Khangela ngilapha.
Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel said, “Here I am.”
17 Wasesithi: Yinto bani eyikhulume kuwe? Ake ungangifihleli; kenze njalo uNkulunkulu kuwe, ngokunjalo engezelele, uba ungifihlela ulutho lwazo zonke izinto akutshele zona.
He said, “What was the word he spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and even more, if you hide anything from me of all the words that he spoke to you.”
18 Ngakho uSamuweli wasemtshela zonke izinto, kamfihlelanga lutho. Wasesithi: YiNkosi, kayenze lokho okulungileyo emehlweni ayo.
Samuel told him everything; he hid nothing from him. Eli said, “It is Yahweh. Let him do what seems good to him.”
19 Wakhula-ke uSamuweli, leNkosi yayilaye, kayiyekelanga lelilodwa lamazwi ayo liwele emhlabathini.
Samuel grew up, and Yahweh was with him, and he let none of his prophetic words fall to the ground.
20 UIsrayeli wonke-ke kusukela koDani kuze kube seBherishebha wazi ukuthi uSamuweli uqinisiwe ukuthi abe ngumprofethi weNkosi.
All Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was appointed to be a prophet of Yahweh.
21 INkosi yaphinda yabonakala eShilo, ngoba iNkosi yazibonakalisa kuSamuweli eShilo ngelizwi leNkosi.
Yahweh appeared again in Shiloh, for he revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by his word.
