1 Samuel 4
1 Kendo wach Samuel nochopo ne jo-Israel duto. Noyudo jo-Israel odhi kedo gi jo-Filistia. Jo-Israel ne ogo kambi Ebeneza to jo-Filistia to nogo kambi Afek.
And Samuel told to all the people of Israel the messages that God gave him. At that time the Israeli army went to fight against the army of the Philistine people. The Israeli army set up their tents at Ebenezer, and the Philistine army set up their tents at Aphek.
2 Jo-Filistia noyaro ne lweny mondo orom gi jo-Israel, kendo lweny nolandore. Jo-Israel ne olo gi jo-Filistia mine ginego ji madirom alufu angʼwen e paw lweny.
The Philistine army attacked the Israeli army, and as the battle continued, the Philistines defeated the Israelis and killed about 4,000 of their soldiers.
3 Kane jolweny odwogo e kambi, jodong Israel nopenjogi niya, “Angʼo momiyo Jehova Nyasaye oseweyo jo-Filistia oloyowa kawuononi? Waomuru Sandug Muma mar Singruok mar Jehova Nyasaye man Shilo, mondo odhi kodwa kendo oreswa e lwet wasikwa.”
When the remaining Israeli soldiers returned to their camp, the Israeli elders/leaders said, “Why did Yahweh allow the Philistine army to defeat us today? We should bring the chest that contains the Ten Commandments here from Shiloh, in order that Yahweh will go with us [when we go to the battle again, and] in order that our enemies will not defeat us again!”
4 Eka oganda nooro jomoko mondo odhi Shilo kendo negidwogo gi Sandug Muma mar Singruok mar Jehova Nyasaye Maratego, mobedo e kind kerubi. Kendo yawuot Eli ariyo ma gin Hofni gi Finehas nobiro gi Sandug Muma mar Singruok mar Nyasaye.
So the soldiers did that. They sent some men to Shiloh, and those men brought back the chest that contained the Ten Commandments. [They thought that if they did that, Yahweh would help them. They believed that] Yahweh sat on a throne between the statues of winged creatures [that were on top of] the chest that Yahweh Almighty [had given them]. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, went with them.
5 Kane Sandug Muma mar Singruok mar Jehova Nyasaye ochopo e kambi, jo-Israel duto nokok matek ma piny noyiengni.
When the Israeli people saw [the men bringing] the box into their camp, they were so happy that they shouted loudly. They shouted so loudly that they made the ground shake!
6 Jo-Filistia kane owinjo koko negipenjo niya, “Mano to koko manade magore e kambi mar jo-Hibrania?” Kane gifwenyo ni Sandug Muma mar Singruok mar Jehova Nyasaye osekel e kambi,
The Philistines asked, “What are the people in the Hebrew camp shouting about?” Someone told them that they were shouting because the chest that contained the Ten Commandments of Yahweh had been brought to them.
7 jo-Filistia nobedo maluor kagiwacho niya, “Nyasaye osebiro e kambi. Wan gi chandruok! Gima kama pok otimore nyaka nene.
Then the Philistines became very afraid. They said, “One of the Israelis’ gods has come into their camp [to help them] We are in big trouble now! Nothing like this has happened to us before!
8 To mano kaka wan gi masira! En ngʼa mabiro resowa e lwet nyiseche maratekegi? Gin nyiseche mane ogoyo jo-Misri gi masiche mayoreyore e thim.
(Who can/Can anyone) save us from their powerful gods [RHQ]? They are the gods who struck the people of Egypt with many plagues [before the Israelis left Egypt and traveled] through the desert.
9 Beduru motegno un jo-Filistia! Beduru gi chir kaka chwo ka ok kamano to udhi bedo wasumb jo-Hibrania mana kaka gisebedonu. Omiyo beduru jochir kendo ukedi!”
You Philistine men, be courageous! Fight very hard! If you do not do that, [they will defeat us, and then] you will become their slaves, just like they have been our slaves previously!”
10 Omiyo jo-Filistia nokedo kendo, jo-Israel nolo mi ngʼato ka ngʼato noringo kadhi e hembe. Noneg ji mathoth ahinya! Noneg jolweny mag jo-Israel alufu piero adek.
So the Philistine men fought very hard, and they defeated the Israelis. They killed 30,000 Israeli soldiers, and the other Israeli soldiers fled and ran away to their tents.
11 Sandug Muma mar Nyasaye ne okaw, yawuot Eli ariyo Hofni gi Finehas ne onegi.
The Philistines captured the sacred chest, and they killed Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas.
12 Chiengʼ onogo ja-Benjamin moro noringo koa e lweny modhi Shilo, lepe ne oyiech kendo wiye notimo buru.
On that same day, one man of the tribe [descended from] Benjamin tore his clothes and threw dirt on his head [to show that he was very sad]. He ran from the place where the armies were fighting, and he arrived at Shiloh late [that afternoon].
13 Kane ochopo, nonwangʼo Eli kobet e kome e dir yo, ka orito nimar luoro nomake nikech Sandug Muma mar Nyasaye. Kane ngʼatno odonjo e dala mowacho gima ne osetimore, ji duto mane ni ei dala nomuoch gi nduru.
Eli was waiting beside the road. [He wanted to hear news about the battle, and] he was also very anxious to know if anything bad had happened to God’s sacred chest. When the messenger arrived and told people what had happened, everyone in the town started to cry loudly.
14 Eli nowinjo nduru mopenjo niya, “Nduru magoreni nyiso angʼo?” Ngʼatno noreto piyo kodhi ir Eli ma hike
Eli asked, “Why are they making all that noise?” The messenger ran over to Eli and told him the news.
15 ne oseromo higni piero ochiko gaboro kendo wengene nosedinore makoro ok onen.
At that time, Eli was 98 years old, and he was blind.
16 Nowachone Eli niya, “Aringo ka awuok kar lweny mana kawuononi.” Eli nopenjo niya, “Angʼo motimore wuoda?”
The messenger said to Eli, “I have just come from where the armies were fighting. I left there earlier today.” Eli asked, “What happened?”
17 Ngʼat mane okelo wach nodwoko niya, “Israel nolo gi jo-Filistia, kendo jolweny otho mangʼeny. Koda ka yawuoti ariyo, Hofni gi Finehas osetho, to Sandug Muma mar Nyasaye okaw modhi.”
The man replied, “The Philistines defeated our Israeli army. They killed thousands of our soldiers, and the others ran away. The Philistines killed your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. They also captured God’s sacred chest.”
18 Kane ohulo wach mar Sandug Muma mar Nyasaye, Eli nogore piny ataro koa e kom manobetie e bath rangach. Ngʼute ne otur mi notho, nikech ne oti kendo ne ochwe. Ne osetelo ne Israel kuom higni piero angʼwen.
Eli was very old, and he was very fat; and when he heard what had happened to the sacred chest, he fell backward from his chair beside the town gate. His neck was broken and he died. He had led the Israeli people for 40 years before he died.
19 Chi wuode, ma jaod Finehas, ne nigi ich mochiegni nywol. To kane owinjo wach ni Sandug Muma mar Nyasaye osekaw kendo ni kwar mare gi chwore osetho, muoch nochako kaye mi nonywol, kata kamano nywolne nobiro marach.
The wife/widow of Eli’s son Phinehas was pregnant, and it was almost time for her to give birth to her baby. When she heard that God’s sacred chest had been captured and that her husband and her father-in-law were dead, her labor pains suddenly began. She quickly gave birth to a boy.
20 Kane odwa tho, mon mane chole nowachone niya, “Kik iluor nikech isenywolo wuowi.” To ne ok odwokogi kata dewogi.
The women who were helping her tried to encourage her by saying to her, “You have given birth to a son!” But she did not pay any attention [DOU] to what they said.
21 Nochako nyathi ma wuowino ni Ikabod kowacho niya, “Duongʼ oseweyo Israel, nikech negikawo Sandug Muma mar Nyasaye kod tho mar kwar mare gi mar chwore.”
She named the boy Ichabod, which means ‘no glory’, because she said, “[God’s] glory has departed from Israel.” She said that because God’s sacred chest had been captured and because her husband and her father-in-law had died.
22 Nowacho niya, “Duongʼ oseweyo Israel, nimar Sandug Muma mar Nyasaye osekaw.”
She said, “[God’s] glory has left Israel, because God’s sacred chest has been captured!” And then she died.
