1 Samuel 7
1 Jo-Kiriath Jearim nobiro mokawo Sandug Muma mar Jehova Nyasaye. Ne gitere e od Abinadab mane ni e got, kendo negiwalo Eliazar ma wuode mondo orit Sandug Muma mar Jehova Nyasaye.
[When] the men of Kiriath-Jearim [received that message, they] came to Beth-Shemesh and took the sacred chest of Yahweh. They took it to the house of Abinadab, which was on a hillside. They appointed Abinadab’s son Eleazar to take care of the chest.
2 Sandug Muma nobudho Kiriath Jearim kuom higni piero ariyo, jo-Israel duto nokuyo mi odok ir Jehova Nyasaye.
The sacred chest stayed in Kiriath-Jearim for a long time—a total of 20 years. During that time all the people of Israel mourned [because it seemed that] Yahweh [had abandoned them] (OR, [and then they asked] Yahweh [to help them]).
3 Kendo Samuel nowachone jo-Israel duto niya, “Ka udwogo ir Jehova Nyasaye gi chunyu duto, to goluru nyiseche mag jopinje mamoko ma un-go kod mag Ashtoreth, to chiwreuru ni Jehova Nyasaye kendo en kende ema utine, mi noresu kogolou e lwet jo-Filistia.”
Then Samuel said to all the Israeli people, “If you truly [IDM] want to act like Yahweh’s people should, you must get rid of your statues of [the goddess] Astarte and the idols/statues of all the other foreign gods. You must decide to serve/worship only Yahweh. If you do that, he will rescue you from [the power of] [MTY] the Philistia people.”
4 Omiyo jo-Israel nogolo mowito nyisechegi mag Baal gi mag Ashtoreth; mine gitiyo ne Jehova Nyasaye kende.
So the Israelis got rid of all their statues of the gods Baal and Astarte, and they worshiped only Yahweh.
5 Eka Samuel nowacho niya, “Chokuru jo-Israel duto Mizpa, anto abiro lemo ka akwayonu Jehova Nyasaye.”
Then Samuel told them, “All you Israeli people must gather with me at Mizpah. Then I will pray to Yahweh for you.”
6 Kane gisechokore kanyakla Mizpa ne giumbo pi mi gipuko e nyim Jehova Nyasaye. Odiechiengno negitweyo chiemo ka gihulo richo kagiwacho niya, “Waseketho e nyim Jehova Nyasaye.” Kendo Samuel nobedo jatend Israel e piny Mizpa.
So they gathered at Mizpah, which was the town where Samuel previously was the leader of the Israeli people. They had a big ceremony there. They drew water [from a well], and poured the water on the ground while Yahweh watched. [To show that they were sorry for having worshiped idols], they did not eat any food on that day, and they confessed that they had sinned against Yahweh.
7 Kane jo-Filistia owinjo ni jo-Israel nosechokore Mizpa, ruodhi mag jo-Filistia nobiro mondo omonjgi. To kane jo-Israel owinjo wachno, luoro nomakogi.
When the kings of the Philistia area heard that the Israeli people had gathered at Mizpah, they led their armies there to attack the Israelis. When the Israelis found out that the Philistia army was approaching them, they became very afraid.
8 Negiwachone Samuel niya, “Kik iwe ma ok ikwayonwa Jehova Nyasaye ma Nyasachwa mondo omi oreswa e lwet jo-Filistia.”
They told Samuel, “Pray to Yahweh to rescue us from the Philistia army [MTY], and do not stop pleading!”
9 Eka Samuel nokawo nyarombo ma pod dhoth mi ochiwo ka misango miwangʼo pep ni Jehova Nyasaye. Noywak ni Jehova Nyasaye e lo jo-Israel, mi Jehova Nyasaye ne odwoke.
So Samuel took a very young lamb [and killed it] and offered it to Yahweh to be a sacrifice that was completely burned [on the altar]. Then he prayed and pleaded that Yahweh [would help] the Israelis, and Yahweh did help them.
10 Kane Samuel pod chiwo misango miwangʼo pep, jo-Filistia noyworo machiegni mondo oked gi jo-Israel. To chiengʼno Jehova Nyasaye nomiyo polo omor matek kuom jo-Filistia manomiyogi luoro ma gikee ka gikia kuma gidhiye, kendo negiringo e nyim jo-Israel.
While Samuel was burning the offering, the Philistia army came near to attack the Israelis. But Yahweh caused it to thunder very loudly. The soldiers of the Philistia army became very frightened, and then they (became confused/did not know what to do). So the Israelis were able to defeat them.
11 Jo-Israel nowuok Mizpa molawo jo-Filistia ma ginegogi e yo nyaka Beth-Kar.
The Israeli men ran out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistia soldiers almost to Beth-Car [town], and killed many Philistia soldiers while they were trying to run away.
12 Eka Samuel nokawo kidi mochungo e kind Mizpa gi Shen. Nochake ni Ebeneza kowacho niya, “Jehova Nyasaye osekonyowa nyaka ka.”
After that happened, Samuel took a large stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah [towns]. He named the stone ‘Ebenezer’, [which means ‘stone of help’], because he said “Yahweh has helped us until the present time.”
13 Omiyo jo-Filistia nolo mine ok gichako gimonjo piny jo-Israel kendo. E kinde duto mane Samuel pod ngima, lwet Jehova Nyasaye nosando jo-Filistia.
So the Philistia people were defeated, and for a long time they did not enter the Israeli land [to attack them] again. During the time that Samuel was alive, Yahweh powerfully protected [MTY] [the Israeli people] from [being attacked by] the Philistia army.
14 Mier mane jo-Filistia omayo jo-Israel kochakore Ekron nyaka Gath nodwoknegi, Israel noreso gwenge mane okiewo kode koa e loch jo-Filistia. Kendo kwe nobedo e kind Israel gi jo-Amor.
The Israeli army was able to capture again the Israeli villages between Ekron and Gath that the Philistia army had captured before. The Israelis were also able to take again the other areas around those cities that the Philistia army had taken [from the Israelis] previously. And there was peace between the Israelis and the Amor people-group.
15 Samuel nobedo jangʼad bura e piny Israel e ndalo duto mag ngimane.
Samuel continued to be the leader of the Israeli people until he died.
16 Higa ka higa nolworore koa Bethel nyaka Gilgal gi Mizpa kongʼado bura ne jo-Israel kuonde duto.
As long as he was alive, every year he traveled back and forth between Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah [cities]. In those cities he listened to disputes between people and made decisions about them.
17 To kinde duto ne odokga Rama, kuma dalane ne nitie, kanyo bende ne ongʼadoe bura ne jo-Israel. Ne ogero kendo mar misango ne Jehova Nyasaye kanyo.
After he listened to disputes and made decisions in each of those towns, he returned to his home at Ramah, and he would listen to people’s disputes there, also, [and make decisions about them]. And he built an altar at Ramah [to offer sacrifices] to Yahweh.
