The First Book of Samuel
2 Then Han′nah pray say:
“My heart de sweet me because of Jehovah;
Jehovah don raise my horn.*
I don get mouth to talk for front of my enemies,
Because I de happy for the things wey you don do to save me.
2 E no get anybody wey holy like Jehovah,
E no get anybody wey be like you,
And no rock be like our God.
3 No de talk like say you better pass other people;
No de make mouth,
Because Jehovah na God wey know everything,
And the way e de judge the things wey people de do na for the correct way.
4 E de scatter the bow of strong men,
But e de give people wey de fall power.
5 People wey de chop belleful before, must work for other people before them go see food chop,
But the people wey de hungry before, no de hungry again.
The woman wey no fit born don born seven,
But the woman wey get plenty sons don dey alone.*
6 Jehovah get the power to kill, and e get the power to save life;*
E fit make person enter Grave,* and e fit still bring person back to life.
7 Jehovah fit make person poor, and e fit make person rich;
E fit bring person down, and e fit raise person up.
8 E de raise person wey no be anything from ground;*
E de raise poor people comot from where them de troway ashes,*
To make them sitdown with prince them,
And e de give them position of honor.*
Na Jehovah get the things wey hold the earth,
And na ontop them e put the land.*
9 E de watch the way people wey hold-am tight de waka so that e go protect them,
But e go make wicked people quiet for darkness,
Because no be the power wey person get de make-am win.
10 Jehovah go scatter people wey de fight against-am;
When e go vex for them, im voice go be like thunder from heaven.
Jehovah go judge the whole earth,
E go give im king power
And e go raise the horn of the person wey e don choose.”*
11 Then El·ka′nah go back to im house for Ra′mah, but the boy stay with E′li wey be priest and start to work for Jehovah.
12 Now, the sons of E′li na wicked men; them no get any respect for Jehovah. 13 When them want collect the part of the sacrifice wey the priest suppose get from the people, this na wetin them de do: Anytime wey anybody de do im sacrifice, one servant of the priest go carry big fork* come when the meat still dey fire de boil, 14 and e go chuk-am inside the basin, inside the cooking pot wey get two hand, the big iron pot, or the cooking pot wey get one hand. Anything wey the fork carry come out, the priest go take-am say na im own. Na so them de do for Shi′loh to all Israel people wey de come there. 15 And, even before them burn the fat make the smoke come out, one servant of the priest go come meet the man wey bring the sacrifice and tell-am say: “Give the priest meat make e roast. E no go take meat wey them don boil from your hand, na only the one wey them never boil.” 16 When the man go tell-am say: “First wait, make them burn the fat make the smoke come out, then you go fit take anyone wey you want,”* e go talk say: “No, give me now; if you no give me, I go take-am by force!” 17 Because of this one, the sin of the servants of the priests come really plenty for Jehovah eyes, because the men no de show any respect for the offering wey people de do for Jehovah.
18 That time, Samuel be de work for Jehovah, and e de wear eph′od* wey them use linen cloth make, even though say e still be small boy. 19 Another thing be say, im mama go make one small coat wey no get hand for-am and e go bring-am come give-am every year when e de come with im husband to do the sacrifice wey them de do every year. 20 E′li come bless El·ka′nah and im wife and talk say: “Make Jehovah give you another pikin from this wife, wey go replace the one wey una don give* Jehovah.” After this one, them go back to their house. 21 So Jehovah remember Han′nah, and make-am fit get belle; e come born three more sons and two daughters. And Samuel continue to grow and de get favor for Jehovah eyes.
22 Now, E′li don really old, but e don hear everything wey im sons de do to all Israel people, and how them de sleep with the women wey de work for the place wey them de take enter the tent of meeting. 23 And e de always tell them say: “Why una de do this kind things? Because the things wey I de hear about una from all the people bad. 24 Make una stop this things, my children, wetin I de hear wey Jehovah people de talk among theirself about una no good. 25 If person sin against another person, somebody fit beg Jehovah for-am;* but if person sin against Jehovah, who go fit pray for-am?” But them no gree listen to their papa, because Jehovah don decide say e go kill them. 26 As all this one de happen, the boy Samuel continue to de grow, and Jehovah and people continue to like-am more-more.
27 One man of God come meet E′li and tell-am say: “This na wetin Jehovah talk: ‘When your papa family* dey for Egypt as slaves for the house of Pharaoh, I no show them the kind Person wey I really be? 28 And na im I choose from among all the tribes for Israel to work as my priest and to climb my altar to do different-different sacrifice, to burn incense* and to wear eph′od de do my work; and I give your papa-papa family* the right to collect some meat from all the animals wey Israel people bring to burn as sacrifice to me. 29 Why una no de respect* my sacrifice and my offering wey I don command my people say make them de bring come my house? Why you de respect your children pass me, as una de chop the best part of all the offering wey my people Israel de bring?
30 “‘Na im make Jehovah the God of Israel talk say: “Na true say I don first talk say your family and your papa-papa family* go always work for me.” But now, Jehovah talk say: “I no go let that one happen again, because na people wey de honor me I go honor, but people wey no see me as anything, I no go see them as anything.” 31 See! Time de come when I go comot the power* wey you and your papa family* get, so that no man for your family go grow reach old age. 32 And when I go de do better-better things for Israel people, na enemy you go de see for my house, and old man no go ever dey for your family* again. 33 The man for your family wey I go leave make e continue to work for my altar go make your eyes no de see clear again, and e go make you cry,* but na the people for your family* wey them go use sword kill go plenty pass. 34 And this thing wey go happen to your two sons, Hoph′ni and Phin′e·has, go be the sign for you: Two of them go die the same day. 35 Then I go choose priest for myself wey them fit trust, e go do wetin dey my heart;* and I go make im children work as priests forever,* and e go always work as priest for the person wey I don choose. 36 Anybody wey still dey for your house go come meet-am and bow down to-am so that e go pay the person money and give-am bread, and the person go tell-am say: “Abeg, give me work as priest, so that I go fit see bread chop.”’”