1 Samuel 3
1 Abarimaa Samuel dii Eli nan ase, somm Awurade. Saa ɛberɛ no na asɛm a wɔte firi Awurade nkyɛn ne anisoadehunu yɛ adeɛ a ɛho yɛ na.
The boy Samuel served before the Lord under Eli's supervision. At that time messages from the Lord were rare—visions were not common.
2 Anadwo bi, na Eli a nʼani reyɛ afira koraa no kɔdaeɛ nkyɛree koraa.
One evening, Eli had gone to bed in his room. His eyes were now so weak that he couldn't see.
3 Na Onyankopɔn kanea no nnya nnumiiɛ. Saa ɛberɛ no na Samuel da Ahyiaeɛ Ntomadan no mu baabi a ɛbɛn Onyankopɔn adaka no.
The lamp of God hadn't yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Lord's Temple where the Ark of God was.
4 Prɛko pɛ, Awurade frɛɛ sɛ, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel buaa sɛ, “Menie.”
Then the Lord called, “Samuel!” He answered, “I'm here.”
5 Na ɔyɛɛ ntɛm kɔɔ Eli nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Menie! Wofrɛɛ me?” Eli nso buaa no sɛ, “Memfrɛɛ wo, na sane kɔda.” Enti ɔsane kɔdaeɛ.
He ran to Eli, and said, “I'm here—you called me.” “I didn't call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So Samuel went back to bed.
6 Awurade sane frɛɛ bio sɛ, “Samuel!” Bio, Samuel sane yɛɛ ntɛm kɔɔ Eli nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Menie! Wofrɛɛ me?” Eli buaa no sɛ, “Me ba, memfrɛɛ wo, na sane kɔda.”
Then the Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up, went to Eli and said, “I'm here—you called me.” “I didn't call you, my son,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.”
7 Na Samuel nnya nhunuu Awurade, ɛfiri sɛ, na Awurade asɛm mmaa ne nkyɛn da.
(Samuel hadn't yet come to know the Lord and had not received any message from him.)
8 Enti afei, Awurade frɛɛ Samuel ne mprɛnsa so. Na Samuel yɛɛ ntɛm kɔɔ Eli nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Menie! Wofrɛɛ me?” Ɛhɔ na Eli hunuu sɛ ɛyɛ Awurade na ɔrefrɛ abarimaa no.
The Lord called again for the third time, “Samuel!” He got up went to Eli and said, “I'm here—you called me.” Then Eli realized that it was the Lord calling the boy.
9 Enti, ɔka kyerɛɛ Samuel sɛ, “Kɔ na kɔda bio, na sɛ wote sɛ obi refrɛ wo a, gye so na ka sɛ, ‘Menie, Awurade kasa na wʼakoa retie.’” Enti, Samuel kɔdaa bio.
Eli told Samuel, “Go back to bed, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, because your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to his bed.
10 Na Awurade ba bɛfrɛɛ bio sɛ, “Samuel! Samuel!” Na Samuel buaa sɛ, “Menie, Awurade kasa na wʼakoa retie.”
The Lord came and stood there, calling just as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel answered, “Speak, because your servant is listening.”
11 Na Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Samuel sɛ, “Merebɛyɛ akomatuo adeɛ bi wɔ Israel.
The Lord told Samuel: “Pay attention, because I'm going to do something in Israel that will surprise everyone who hears it.
12 Merebɛyɛ deɛ maka atia Eli ne nʼabusuafoɔ no nyinaa.
That's when I will carry out against Eli and his family everything I have said, from beginning to end.
13 Mabɔ no kɔkɔ mpɛn bebree sɛ, atemmuo reba ɔne nʼabusuafoɔ so, ɛfiri sɛ, ne mmammarima abɔ mmusuo atia Onyankopɔn, nanso wankasa ankyerɛ wɔn.
I told him that I will judge his family forever because of the sins he knows about, because his sons blasphemed God and he did not try and stop them.
14 Na maka ntam sɛ, Eli ne ne mmammarima bɔne no, sɛ wɔbɔ okum afɔdeɛ anaa aduane afɔdeɛ koraa a, wɔremfa nkyɛ wɔn da.”
That's why I swore to Eli and his family, ‘The guilt of Eli and his descendants will never be removed by sacrifice or offering.’”
15 Samuel daa hɔ ara kɔsii sɛ adeɛ kyeeɛ. Ɔbuebuee ntomadan hɔ mfɛnsere sɛdeɛ ɔtaa yɛ no. Na ɔsuro sɛ ɔbɛka asɛm a Awurade ka kyerɛɛ no no akyerɛ Eli.
Samuel remained in bed until the morning. Then he got up and opened the doors of the Lord's Temple as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli about the vision.
16 Nanso, Eli frɛɛ no sɛ, “Samuel, me ba.” Samuel buaa sɛ, “Menie!”
But Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” “I'm here,” Samuel answered.
17 Eli bisaa no sɛ, “Asɛm bɛn na Awurade ka kyerɛɛ wo? Ka biribiara kyerɛ me. Sɛ wode biribiara sie me a, Onyankopɔn ntwe wʼaso.”
“What did he tell you?” Eli asked. “Don't hide it from me. May God punish you very severely if you hide anything he told you from me!”
18 Enti, Samuel kaa biribiara kyerɛɛ Eli a wamfa hwee ansie no. Eli ka sɔɔ so sɛ, “Ɛyɛ Awurade pɛ. Ɔnyɛ deɛ ɔsusu sɛ ɛyɛ na ɛfata biara.”
So Samuel told him everything and didn't hide anything from him. “It's the Lord,” Eli replied. “May he do what he thinks is good.”
19 Awurade kaa Samuel ho wɔ ne nyiniiɛ mu, na biribiara a Samuel kaeɛ no, na ɛyɛ nyansasɛm a ɛboa.
Samuel continued to grow up. The Lord was with him and made sure all he said was trustworthy.
20 Nnipa a wɔwɔ Israelman mu nyinaa, ɛfiri asase no ti kɔsi nʼanafoɔ, na wɔnim sɛ wɔahyɛ Samuel Awurade odiyifoɔ.
Everyone in the whole of Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.
21 Awurade kɔɔ so daa ne ho adi wɔ Silo, na ɔde nsɛm maa Samuel wɔ ntomadan mu hɔ.
The Lord went on appearing at Shiloh, because there he revealed himself to Samuel and delivered his messages,
