Samuel Awo
1Na ɔbarima bi fi Ramataim-Sofim a ɛwɔ Efraim bepɔw asase so a ne din de Elkana. Na Elkana yi yɛ Yeroham babarima ne Elihu nena nso. Na wofi Tohu fi, a ɛwɔ Suf abusua mu. 2Na Elkana wɔ yerenom baanu. Na wɔn din de Hana ne Penina. Na Penina wɔ mma. Hana de, na onni ba.
3Afe biara, na Elkana ne nʼabusuafo kɔ Silo kɔsom, bɔ afɔre ma Asafo Awurade wɔ Awurade fi. Na Eli mmabarima baanu a wɔn din de Hofni ne Pinehas na wɔyɛ Awurade asɔfo wɔ hɔ saa bere no. 4Da biara a Elkana bɛba abɛbɔ afɔre no, ɔde nam no mu nkyɛmu bi ma ne yere Penina ne ne mma no mu biara. 5Nanso Hana de, na ne kyɛfa yɛ sononko, efisɛ na ɔdɔ no yiye. 6Nanso na Awurade ato nʼawode mu nti, na Penina di ne ho fɛw. 7Na saa asɛm yi kɔɔ so afe biara. Bere biara a wɔbɛkɔ Awurade fi no, Penina bɔ Hana akutia. Na eyi ma Hana su na onnidi mpo. 8Ɛba saa a, ne kunu Elkana bisa no se, “Hana, adɛn na woresu? Adɛn nti na wunnidi? Adɛn nti na wo werɛ ahow? So mensom bo mma wo nsen sɛ anka wowɔ mmabarima du mpo?”
Hana Bɔ Mpae Sɛ Ɔpɛ Ɔba
9Da koro bi a na wɔwɔ Silo no, Hana fii adi anwummere bi a wɔadidi awie sɛ ɔrekɔ Awurade fi akɔbɔ mpae. Na ɔsɔfo Eli te baabi a ɔtena daa wɔ Awurade fi pon ano hɔ. 10Hana fi awerɛhow a ano yɛ den mu sui, bere a na ɔrebɔ Awurade mpae. 11Na ɔhyɛɛ bɔ se, “Ao Asafo Awurade, sɛ wobɛhwɛ wo somfo awerɛhowdi so, na woatie me mpaebɔ ama me ɔbabarima a, ɛno de mede no bɛsan ama wo. Ne nna a obedi nyinaa ɔbɛyɛ wo de. Nea ɛbɛyɛ adansedi sɛ wɔde no ama Awurade ne sɛ wɔremfa oyiwan nka ne ti da.”
12Ogu so rebɔ mpae no, na Eli hwɛ no. 13Ohuu sɛ ɔrebesebese nʼano, nanso ɔnte nne biara no, Eli susuw sɛ wanom nsa. 14Obisaa no se, “Ɛsɛ sɛ woba ha bere a woabow nsa ana? Ma wʼani nna hɔ!”
15Na Hana buae se, “Dabi, me wura, memmow nsa, na mmom, me werɛ na ahow nti na mereka mʼahiasɛm akyerɛ Awurade. 16Mesrɛ wo, mfa no sɛ meyɛ ɔbea omumɔyɛfo. Na anibere ne awerɛhow so na merebɔ mpae.”
17Eli buae se, “Fa asomdwoe kɔ! Israel Nyankopɔn nyɛ wʼabisade mma wo.”
18Hana teɛ mu se, “Ma wʼafenaa nya wʼanim anuonyam a, awura” Ɔsan kɔ kodidii, na wanni awerɛhow bio.
Wɔwo Samuel De No Ma Onyankopɔn
19Ade kyee anɔpahema no, ofi no mu nnipa sɔre kɔsom Awurade bio. Afei, wɔsan kɔɔ Rama. Bere a Elkana de ne ho kaa Hana no, Awurade kaee Hana adebisa no, 20na anni da bi, ɔwoo ɔbabarima. Ɔtoo no din Samuel na ɔkae se, “Mibisaa no fii Awurade nkyɛn.”
21Afe akyi no, Elkana, Penina, ne wɔn mma kɔɔ sɛ wɔrekɔbɔ afirihyia afɔre ama Awurade. 22Hana ankɔ bi. Ɔka kyerɛɛ ne kunu se, “Sɛ abofra no twa nufu a, mede no bɛkɔ Awurade fi na makogyaw no wɔ hɔ ama Awurade afebɔɔ.”
23Elkana kae se, “Nea wugye di sɛ eye ma wo biara no, yɛ. Tena ha ansa; na Awurade mmoa wo mma wunni wo bɔhyɛ so.” Enti ɔbea no tenaa fie hwɛɛ ne babarima no.
24Otwaa no nufu wiei no, ɔde no kɔɔ Awurade asɔre fi wɔ Silo. Wɔde nantwinini a wadi mfe abiɛsa ne esiam lita dunsia ne bobesa kakra bae. 25Wɔde nantwinini no bɔɔ afɔre wiee no, wɔde abofra no brɛɛ Eli. 26Hana kae se, “Owura mesrɛ wo. Sɛ wote ase yi, mene ɔbea a obegyinaa wo ho bɔɔ Awurade mpae no. 27Mebɔɔ saa abofra yi ho mpae, na Awurade ayɛ mʼabisade ama me. 28Enti mprempren, mede abofra yi rema Awurade. Ne nkwa nna nyinaa, ɔbɛyɛ Awurade dea.” Na ɔsom Awurade wɔ hɔ.
The birth of Samuel
1There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite1:1 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 6:26-27,33-35; or from Ramathaim Zuphim. from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.
3Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8Her husband Elkanah would say to her, ‘Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?’
9Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. 10In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11And she made a vow, saying, ‘Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.’
12As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14and said to her, ‘How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.’
15‘Not so, my lord,’ Hannah replied, ‘I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. 16Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.’
17Eli answered, ‘Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.’
18She said, ‘May your servant find favour in your eyes.’ Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.
19Early the next morning they arose and worshipped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,1:20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew for heard by God. saying, ‘Because I asked the Lord for him.’
Hannah dedicates Samuel
21When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfil his vow, 22Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, ‘After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always.’1:22 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls always. I have dedicated him as a Nazirite – all the days of his life.’
23‘Do what seems best to you,’ her husband Elkanah told her. ‘Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his1:23 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac your word.’ So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.
24After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull,1:24 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; Masoretic Text with three bulls an ephah1:24 That is, probably about 16 kilograms of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. 25When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, 26and she said to him, ‘Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. 27I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he shall be given over to the Lord.’ And he worshipped the Lord there.
