1 Samuel 2

2 ¹Hannah pray say: “My heart dey rejoice for my Papa; my horn dey high for my Papa. My mouth dey talk with boldness against my enemies, because I dey rejoice for di way wey you save me.

²“Nobody holy like our Papa; nobody dey apart from you; no rock dey like our Papa.

³“No dey talk with too much pride again; make no proud word comot from your mouth, because our Papa na our Papa of knowledge, na by am dem dey weigh wetin person do.

⁴Dem don break di bow of di people wey get power, but di ones wey bin fall down, strength don full dem body.

⁵Di people wey belle full before dey sell dem sef for bread now, but hunger no dey catch di ones wey bin dey hungry again. Di woman wey no fit born don born seven pikin, but di one wey get plenty pikin don dey lonely.

⁶our Papa dey kill and dey bring life; e dey bring person go down for grave, e dey raise am up.

⁷our Papa dey make person poor and dey make person rich; e dey bring person down, e dey lift person up.

⁸E dey raise di poor person from di dust and dey lift di one wey dey need from di ash heap, to make dem sidon with princes and give dem throne of honour. Because di pillars of di earth na our Papa own, na on top dem e take set di world.

⁹“E dey guard di feet of im faithful people, but di wicked people go quiet inside darkness; because no be by strength person dey win.

¹⁰Di people wey dey against our Papa go scatter; e go thunder against dem from heaven. our Papa go judge di ends of di earth; e go give strength to im king and lift up di horn of im anointed one high.”

¹¹Then Elkanah go house go Ramah, but di boy dey serve our Papa for front of Eli di priest.

Eli Im Useless Sons

¹²Now Eli im sons na useless men; dem no know our Papa. ^a a v12 Dis priests dey do di rituals but dem never know our Papa as dem own — na di sad tin about religious office wey no get relationship. ¹³Dis na di way di priests dey take do di people: when anybody offer sacrifice, di priest im servant go come while di meat still dey boil, wey e hold fork wey get three prong for hand. ¹⁴E go jab am inside di pot, kettle, big pot, or pan; wetin di fork carry come out, na im di priest go keep for imsef. Na so dem dey do all di Israelites wey dey come Shiloh. ¹⁵Even before dem burn di fat, di priest im servant go come tell di person wey dey offer sacrifice say, “Give meat make di priest roast—e no go collect meat wey dem don boil, na only raw one.”

¹⁶If di man talk say, “Make dem burn di fat first, then you fit take wetin you want,” e go answer say, “No, give am now-now, or I go take am by force.” ¹⁷Di sin of dis young men bin dey very big for front of our Papa, because dem dey look down on our Papa im offering. ¹⁸But Samuel dey serve for front of our Papa, small boy wey wear linen ephod. ^b b v18 Ephod na di special linen vest wey Israel im priests dey wear when dem dey serve for di sanctuary. ¹⁹Every year im mama go sew small robe give am, come bring am when she and her husband go up for di sacrifice wey dem dey do every year. ²⁰Eli go bless Elkanah and im wife say: “Make our Papa give you pikin from dis woman to replace wetin she ask am and give to our Papa.” Then dem go house. ²¹our Papa take care of Hannah; she come get belle come born three sons and two daughters. Di boy Samuel grow up for front of our Papa.

²²Eli don old well well. E dey hear everytin wey im sons dey do all Israel, and how dem dey sleep with di women wey dey serve for di entrance of di tent of meeting. ²³E ask dem say, “Why una dey do dis kind tin? I dey hear di evil wey una dey do from all dis people. ²⁴No, my sons; di report wey I dey hear no good—e dey spread among di people of our Papa. ²⁵If person sin against another person, our Papa fit settle am for am. But if person sin against our Papa, who fit beg for di person wey sin? But dem no gree hear dem papa im voice, because our Papa don plan to kill dem.”

²⁶Di boy Samuel continue to grow big, and favour dey grow for front of our Papa and for front of people.

our Papa Judge Eli Im House

²⁷Man of our Papa come meet Eli say: “Na dis our Papa talk: ‘No be me show my sef clear to your papa im house when dem dey Egypt, under Pharaoh im house?

²⁸“I pick am from all di tribes of Israel to be my priest—to go up to my altar, burn incense, wear ephod for my front. I give your papa im house all di fire offerings of Israel. ²⁹Why una dey kick against my sacrifice and offering wey I command for my dwelling place, come dey honour una sons pass me, dey grow fat with di best of every offering of my people Israel?’

³⁰“So na wetin our Papa of Israel talk be dis: ‘I bin talk say your house and your papa im house go waka for my front forever.’ But now our Papa talk say: ‘E no go be so again! I dey honour di people wey dey honour me; but di people wey dey look down on me, I go treat dem anyhow.’ ³¹Di days dey come when I go cut off your strength and di strength of your papa im house, so that nobody for your house go reach old age. ³²You go see trouble for my dwelling place even with all di good wey dem do for Israel; old man no go dey your house again forever. ³³But I no go cut off every one of your people from my altar; I go leave one to make your eyes cry finish and make your heart dey grieve, but all your descendants go die when dem still young. ³⁴Dis na your sign: your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, di two of dem go die for di same day. ³⁵I go raise faithful priest for my sef wey go do wetin dey my heart and my mind. I go build house wey go last for am; e go waka for front of my anointed one forever. ^c c v35 Di faithful priest wey our Papa promise dey point pass Samuel and Zadok, e dey point to Jesus, di perfect high priest wey dey always do wetin dey di Papa im heart. ³⁶Everybody wey remain for your house go come, bow down give am for silver and one loaf of bread, dey talk say, ‘Abeg put me for one priest work, make I fit chop small piece of bread.’”