< 1 Samuel 2 >

1 Na Hana bɔɔ mpae se, “Me koma di ahurusi wɔ Awurade mu! Awurade mu na wɔma mʼabɛn so. Afei, manya mmuae ama mʼatamfo, na mʼani gye wɔ wo gye no ho.
And Hannah, in prayer before the Lord, said, My heart is glad in the Lord, my horn is lifted up in the Lord: my mouth is open wide over my haters; because my joy is in your salvation.
2 “Obiara nyɛ kronkron sɛ Awurade! Obi bi nnka wo ho; Ɔbotan bi nni hɔ sɛ yɛn Nyankopɔn.
No other is holy as the Lord, for there is no other God but you: there is no Rock like our God.
3 “Nkɔ so nkasa ahomaso so anaa nka ahantan kasa, efisɛ Awurade yɛ Onyankopɔn a onim, na wɔfa ne so kari nneyɛe.
Say no more words of pride; let not uncontrolled sayings come out of your mouths: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, by him acts are judged.
4 “Wɔabubu akofo mpeaw, na wɔama wɔn a wohintihintiw no ahoɔden. Afei, wɔayɛ den.
The bows of the men of war are broken, and the feeble are clothed with strength.
5 Wɔn a na wodidi mee pintinn no afei, ɔkɔm rekum wɔn. Na wɔn a ɔkɔm rekum wɔn no nso afei, wɔamee pintinn. Afei, obonin wɔ mma baason. Na ɔbea a na ɔwɔ mma pii no, mma bɛbɔ no.
Those who were full are offering themselves as servants for bread; those who were in need are at rest; truly, she who had no children has become the mother of seven; and she who had a family is wasted with sorrow.
6 “Awurade de nkwa ne owu nyinaa ba; Ɔka bi hyɛ ɔda mu, na onyan ebinom. (Sheol h7585)
The Lord is the giver of death and life: sending men down to the underworld and lifting them up. (Sheol h7585)
7 Awurade yɛ obi ohiani na wayɛ obi ɔdefo; ɔbrɛ obi ase na wapagyaw obi.
The Lord gives wealth and takes a man's goods from him: crushing men down and again lifting them up;
8 Ɔpagyaw ohiani fi mfutuma mu Yiw, oyi no fi nsosiw mu! Ɔyɛ wɔn sɛ mmapɔmma, de wɔn tena anuonyam ahengua so. “Efisɛ asase fapem yɛ Awurade de, na watoto wiase sɛnea ɛsɛ.
Lifting the poor out of the dust, and him who is in need out of the lowest place, to give them their place among rulers, and for their heritage the seat of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's and he has made them the base of the world.
9 Ɔbɛbɔ onyamesurofo ho ban, na amumɔyɛfo bɛyera esum mu. “Sɛ ahoɔden mu nko de a, obiara renni nkonim.
He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the evil-doers will come to their end in the dark night, for by strength no man will overcome.
10 Wɔn a wɔko tia Awurade no, ɔbɛdwerɛw wɔn. Ɔpae aprannaa fi wim gu wɔn so; Awurade bu atɛn wɔ asase so baabiara. “Ɔma ne hempɔn ahoɔden kɛse; nea wasra no no, ɔhyɛ nʼahoɔden mu den.”
Those who make war against the Lord will be broken; against them he will send his thunder from heaven: the Lord will be judge of the ends of the earth, he will give strength to his king, lifting up the horn of him on whom the holy oil has been put.
11 Afei, Elkana ne Hana gyaw Samuel hɔ ma wɔkɔɔ fie wɔ Rama. Na abarimaa no bɛyɛɛ Awurade somfo wɔ ɔsɔfo Eli nan ase.
Then Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child became the servant of the Lord under the direction of Eli the priest.
12 Na Eli mmabarima no yɛ asansafo a wɔmfɛre Awurade,
Now the sons of Eli were evil and good-for-nothing men, having no knowledge of the Lord.
13 anaa wɔn asɔfodwuma. Bere biara a obi bɛba abɛbɔ afɔre na wɔrenoa nam no, Eli mma no soma ɔsomfo de adinam a ɛwɔ ano abiɛsa ba. Bere a nam no si gya so no,
And the priests' way with the people was this: when any man made an offering, the priest's servant came while the flesh was being cooked, having in his hand a meat-hook with three teeth;
14 ɔsomfo no de adinam no wɔ dadesɛn no mu. Na wɔhyɛ sɛ nea adinam no bɛwɔ mu no nyinaa yɛ Eli mma no de. Wɔde Israelfo a wɔba Silo hɔ nyinaa faa saa ɔkwan yi so.
This he put into the pot, and everything which came up on the hook the priest took for himself. This they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
15 Ɛtɔ da bi a, ansa na wɔbɛhyew srade no, ɔsɔfo no somfo ba bɛka kyerɛ onipa a ɔrebɔ afɔre no se, “Ma ɔsɔfo no nam no bi, na ɔntoto. Ɔmpɛ wo nam a woanoa, na mmom, nam amono nko ara.”
And more than this, before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was making the offering, Give me some of the flesh to be cooked for the priest; he has no taste for meat cooked in water, but would have you give it uncooked.
16 Onipa a ɔrebɔ afɔre no ka se, “Fa dodow biara a wopɛ, nanso srade no de, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔhyew ansa.” Ɛhɔ na ɔsomfo no bɛka se, “Dabi da, fa ma me mprempren ara, anyɛ saa a, mede me tumi bɛfa.”
And if the man said to him, First let the fat be burned, then take as much as you will; then the servant would say, No, you are to give it to me now, or I will take it by force.
17 Na saa bɔne a mmerante yi yɛ yi yɛ akyiwade wɔ Awurade anim, efisɛ na wobu Awurade afɔrebɔ no animtiaa.
And the sin of these young men was very great before the Lord; for they gave no honour to the Lord's offerings.
18 Samuel de, ɛwɔ mu sɛ na ɔyɛ abarimaa de, nanso na ɔyɛ Awurade somfo a wɔde nwera asɔfotade ahyɛ no te sɛ ɔsɔfo.
But Samuel did the work of the Lord's house, while he was a child, dressed in a linen ephod.
19 Afe biara a ne na ne ne kunu rekɔbɔ afirihyia afɔre no, na ne na pam batakari ketewaa bi de kɔma no.
And his mother made him a little robe and took it to him every year when she came with her husband for the year's offering.
20 Ansa na wɔbɛsan akɔ fie no, Eli hyira Elkana ne ne yere ka se, “Awurade mma ɔbea yi nwo mma, na ommesi nea ɔbɔɔ ne ho mpae nyae a ɔde no maa Awurade no anan mu.”
And every year Eli gave Elkanah and his wife a blessing, saying, May the Lord give you offspring by this woman in exchange for the child you have given to the Lord. And they went back to their house.
21 Na Awurade maa Hana woo mmabarima baasa ne mmabea baanu. Na Samuel nyinii wɔ Awurade anim.
And the Lord had mercy on Hannah and she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the young Samuel became older before the Lord.
22 Afei, Eli bɔɔ akwakoraa, nanso na onim nea ne mmabarima no de reyɛ Israelfo. Nhwɛso bi ne sɛ, na onim sɛ ne mmabarima no fa mmabaa a wɔboa ntamadan no ano adwumayɛ no.
Now Eli was very old; and he had news from time to time of what his sons were doing to all Israel.
23 Eli ka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Metete mo ho nsɛm fi ɔmanfo nkyɛn a ɛfa amumɔyɛsɛm a mudi no ho. Adɛn nti na mokɔ so yɛ bɔne?
And he said to them, Why are you doing such things? for from all this people I get accounts of your evil ways.
24 Me mma, ɛsɛ sɛ mugyae! Mo ho nsɛm a metete fi Awurade nkurɔfo nkyɛn no nye.
No, my sons, the account which is given me, which the Lord's people are sending about, is not good.
25 Sɛ obi yɛ bɔne tia ɔfoforo a, Onyankopɔn tumi gyina mu ma ɔfɔdifo no. Nanso sɛ obi yɛ bɔne tia Awurade a, hena na obetumi agyina mu?” Eli mma no antie wɔn agya afotu no, na Awurade nso reyɛ nʼadwene sɛ obekum wɔn.
If one man does wrong to another, God will be his judge: but if a man's sin is against the Lord, who will take up his cause? But they gave no attention to the voice of their father, for it was the Lord's purpose to send destruction on them.
26 Na abofra Samuel nyinii, na ɔkɔɔ so nyaa adom fii Awurade ne ɔmanfo nkyɛn.
And the young Samuel, becoming older, had the approval of the Lord and of men.
27 Da koro bi Onyankopɔn nipa bi baa Eli nkyɛn bɛkae se, “Sɛɛ na Awurade se, ‘Manna me ho adi pefee ankyerɛ wʼagya fi bere a na wɔyɛ nkoa wɔ Misraim no ana?
And a man of God came to Eli and said to him, The Lord says, Did I let myself be seen by your father's people when they were in Egypt, servants in Pharaoh's house?
28 Israel mmusuakuw no nyinaa mu no, Aaron na miyii no sɛ, ɔnyɛ me sɔfo a ɔbɛkɔ afɔremuka anim akɔhyew aduhuam, na wɔahyɛ asɔfotade wɔ mʼanim. Na mede afɔre a wɔbɔɔ no ogya so no nyinaa maa mo asɔfo no.
Did I take him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest and to go up to my altar to make the smoke of the offerings go up and to take up the ephod? Did I give to your father's family all the offerings made by fire by the children of Israel?
29 Adɛn nti na mutiatia me kum afɔre ne mʼaduan afɔre so? Adɛn nti na mubu mo mmabarima sen me? Moawe afɔrebɔde a me nkurɔfo Israelfo bɔ no mu kyɛfa a eye no, na monam so ayeyɛ akɛse!’
Why then are you looking with envy on my offerings of meat and of meal which were ordered by my word, honouring your sons before me, and making yourselves fat with all the best of the offerings of Israel, my people?
30 “Enti asɛm a Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn ka ara ni: ‘Meremma nneɛma bɔne a moreyɛ yi nkɔ so! Mehyɛɛ bɔ sɛ wo Lewi abusuafo no bɛyɛ mʼasɔfo, nanso wɔn a wodi me ni no, medi wɔn ni; na wɔn a wobu me animtiaa no, mɛbɔ wɔn ahohora.
For this reason the Lord God of Israel has said, Truly I did say that your family and your father's people would have their place before me for ever: but now the Lord says, Let it not be so; I will give honour to those by whom I am honoured, and those who have no respect for me will be of small value in my eyes.
31 Mɛma mo fifo agyae mʼasɔfodi som no. Mpatuwu rempa mo fi da na mo mu biara rentena ase nni mfe mmee,
See, the days are coming when your arm and the arm of your father's people will be cut off;
32 na mubehu awerɛhow wɔ me tenabea. Ɛwɔ mu, trenee bɛba Israel so, nanso obiara nni mo abusua mu a obenyin abɔ akwakoraa.
And never again will there be an old man in your family.
33 Wɔn a wɔbɛka no bɛtena ase awerɛhow ne ahoɔmmerɛw mu. Na mo asefo bɛtetew abun awuwu.
But one man of your family will not be cut off by my hand, and his eyes will be made dark, and grief will be in his heart: and all the offspring of your family will come to their end by the sword of men.
34 “‘Na sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ na wubehu sɛ nea maka no bɛba mu saa no nti, mɛma wo mmabarima baanu no, Hofni ne Pinehas no awuwu da koro mu.
And this will be the sign to you, which will come on Hophni and Phinehas, your sons; death will overtake them on the same day.
35 Ɛno akyi masi ɔsɔfo foforo a ɔyɛ ɔnokwafo a ɔbɛsom me, na wayɛ nea mɛkyerɛ no sɛ ɔnyɛ biara. Mehyira nʼasefo, na ne fifo bɛyɛ ahene a mɛsra wɔn ngo no asefo akosi daa.
And I will make a true priest for myself, one who will do what is in my heart and in my mind: and I will make for him a family which will not come to an end; and his place will be before my holy one for ever.
36 Na wʼasefo nyinaa bɛkotow nʼasefo, asrɛsrɛ wɔn sika ne aduan. Wɔbɛka se, “Mesrɛ mo, momma yɛn nnwuma bi nyɛ wɔ asɔfo no mu sɛnea ɛbɛma yɛanya aduan adi amee.”’”
Then it will be that the rest of your family, anyone who has not been cut off, will go down on his knees to him for a bit of silver or a bit of bread, and say, Be pleased to put me into one of the priest's places so that I may have a little food.

< 1 Samuel 2 >