1 Samuel 6
1 Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines for seven months.
Basi sanduku la BWANA lilikaa katika nchi ya Wafilisti kwa miezi saba.
2 And the Philistines sent for the priests and those who were wise in secret arts, and said to them, What are we to do with the ark of the Lord? How are we to send it away to its place?
Ndipo Wafilisti wakawaita makuhani na waganga; wakawaambia, “Tulifanyie nini sanduku la BWANA? Twambieni jinsi ambavyo tunapaswa kulirudisha sanduku katika nchi yake.”
3 And they said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it without an offering, but send him a sin-offering with it: then you will have peace again, and it will be clear to you why the weight of his hand has not been lifted from you.
Makuhani na waganga wakasema, “Kama mtalirudisha sanduku la Mungu wa Israeli, msilipeleke bila zawadi; kwa namna yoyote ile mpelekeeni sadakaa ya hatia. Hapo ndipo mtapona, na mtajua ni kwanini mkono wake hadi sasa haujaondoka juu yenu.”
4 Then they said, What sin-offering are we to send to him? And they said, Five gold images of the growths caused by your disease and five gold mice, one for every lord of the Philistines: for the same disease came on you and on your lords.
Ndipo wakawauliza, “Sadaka ya hatia itakuwa nini kwamba tunampelekea?” Wakawajibu, “Majipu matano ya dhahabu na panya watano wa dhahabu, Idadi hiyo ya watano ni sawa na idadi ya viongozi wa Wafilisti. Kwa sababu tauni ya aina moja iliwashambulia ninyi na viongozi wenu.
5 So make images of the growths caused by your disease and of the mice which are damaging your land; and give glory to the God of Israel: it may be that the weight of his hand will be lifted from you and from your gods and from your land.
Kwa hiyo, nilazima mtengeneze mifano ya majipu yenu, na mifano ya panya wenu ambayo huiharibu nchi, na mpeni utukufu Mungu wa Israeli. Labda ataondoa mkono wake kutoka juu yenu, kutoka juu ya miungu yenu, na kutoka juu ya nchi yenu.
6 Why do you make your hearts hard, like the hearts of Pharaoh and the Egyptians? When he had made sport of them, did they not let the people go, and they went away?
Kwanini mfanye mioyo yenu kwa migumu, kama vile Wamisri na Farao walifanya mioyo yao kuwa migumu? Hicho ni kipindi ambacho Mungu wa Israeli aliwashughilikia sana; Je, Wamisri hawakuwaachilia watu, na wakaondoka?
7 So now, take and make ready a new cart, and two cows which have never come under the yoke, and have the cows yoked to the cart, and take their young ones away from them:
Basi sasa, andaeni mkokoteni mpya pamoja na ng'ombe wawili wake wanaonyonyesha, ambao hawajawahi kufungwa nira. Wafungeni ng'ombe hao kwenye mkokoteni, lakini warudisheni wale ndama wao nyumbani.
8 And put the ark of the Lord on the cart, and the gold images which you are sending as a sin-offering in a chest by its side; and send it away so that it may go.
Kisha lichukueni sanduku la BWANA na kuliweka ndani ya mkokoteni. Wekeni ndani ya kasha yale maumbo ya dhahabu mnayompelekea ambyo ni sadaka ya hatia kando yake. Ndipo mlipeleke lipate kuondoka.
9 If it goes by the land of Israel to Beth-shemesh, then this great evil is his work; but if not, then we may be certain that the evil was not his doing, but was the working of chance.
Kisha muwe makini; kama litapanda kwenda kwa njia hadi nchini mwake hadi Beth Shemeshi, basi mjue kuwa BWANA ndiye aliyetenda pigo hili kubwa. Lakini kama halitakwenda, ndipo tutajua kwamba siyo mkono wake uliotupatia mateso; badala yake tutajua kuwa yaliyotupata ilikuwa ni kwa bahati mbaya tu.
10 And the men did so; they took two cows, yoking them to the cart and shutting up their young ones in their living-place:
Watu hao wakafanya kama walivyoambiwa, walichukuwa ng'ombe wawili wanaonyonyesha, wakawafunga kwenye mkokoteni, na kuwabakiza ndama wao nyumbani.
11 And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the chest with the gold images.
Wakaliweka sanduku la BWANA juu ya mkokoteni, pamoja na lile kasha lililobeba panya wa dhahabu na yale maumbo ya majipu yao.
12 And the cows took the straight way, by the road to Beth-shemesh; they went by the highway, not turning to the right or to the left, and the sound of their voices was clear on the road; and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the edge of Beth-shemesh.
Hao ng'ombe waliondoka moja kwa moja kuelekea Beth Shemeshi. Walikwenda kwa kuifuata nija moja kuu, wakiteremka walipokuwa wakienda, na hwakugeuka upande wa kushoto au kulia. Viongozi wa Wafilisti walifuata kwa nyuma hadi mpaka wa Beth Shemeshi.
13 And the people of Beth-shemesh were cutting their grain in the valley, and lifting up their eyes they saw the ark and were full of joy when they saw it.
Nao watu wa Beth Shemeshi walikuwa wakivuna ngano yao katika bonde. Waliponyanyua macho yao juu na kuliona sanduku, wakafurahi.
14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite, and came to a stop there by a great stone: and cutting up the wood of the cart they made a burned offering of the cows to the Lord.
Huo mkokoteni ulifikia ndani ya shamba la Yoshua wa Beth Shemeshi na ukasimama hapo. Kulikuapo jiwe kubwa mahali hapo, wakatayarisha kuni kutokana na mkokoteni huo, na wakawatoa ng'ombe hao kama sadaka ya kuteketezwa kwa ajili ya BWANA.
15 Then the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the chest in which were the gold images, and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh made burned offerings and gave worship that day before the Lord.
Walawi walilitelemsha sanduku la BWANA chini pamoja na kasha lake lililoyatunza yale maumbo ya dhahabu, wakaweka vitu hivyo juu ya hilo jiwe kubwa. Watu wa Beth Shemeshi walitoa sadaka za kuteketezwa na kutoa dhabihu kwa BWANA siku iyo hiyo.
16 And the five lords of the Philistines, having seen it, went back to Ekron the same day.
Hao viongozi watano wa Wafilisti walipoona hayo, walirejea Ekroni siku iyo hiyo.
17 Now these are the gold images which the Philistines sent as a sin-offering to the Lord; one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron;
Haya ndiyo majipu ya dhahabu ambayo Wafilisti walirudisha kama sadaka ya hatia kwa BWANA: moja kwa ajili ya Ashdodi, moja kwa Gaza, moja kwa Ashkeloni, moja kwa Gathi, na moja kwa Ekroni.
18 And the gold mice, one for every town of the Philistines, the property of the five lords, walled towns as well as country places: and the great stone where they put the ark of the Lord is still in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite to this day.
Idadi ya wale panya wa dhahabu ilikuwa sawa na ile ya idadi ya miji yote ya Wafilisti inayomilikiwa na viongozi watano, kwa miji iliyojengewa maboma na vijiji vya mashambani. Lile jiwe kubwa, ambalo kando yake waliweka sanduku la BWANA, lipo kama ushuhuda hadi leo katika shamba la Yoshua Mbeth- Shemeshi.
19 But the Lord sent destruction on seventy men of the people of Beth-shemesh for looking into the ark of the Lord; and great was the sorrow of the people for the destruction which the Lord had sent on them.
BWANA akawashambulia baadhi ya watu wa Bethi Shemeshi kwa sababu walichungulia ndani ya sanduku lake. Aliwaua watu sabini. Watu wakaomboleza, kwa sababu BWANA aliwapa watu pigo kubwa mno.
20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to keep his place before the Lord, this holy God? and to whom may he go from us?
Watu wa Bethi Shemeshi wakasema, “Ni nani mwenye uwezo wa kushindana na BWANA, huyu Mungu mtakatifu? Na atampandia nani akitoka kwetu.”” Je, ni nani awezaye kusimama mbele ya BWANA, huyu Mungu mtakatifu? Na ni kwa nani ambako sanduku litaenda likitoka hapa.”
21 And they sent men to the people living in Kiriath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have sent back the ark of the Lord; come and take it up to your country.
Wakawatuma wajumbe kwenda kwa wenyeji wa Kiriath Yearimu, wakisema, “Wafilisti wamelirudisha sanduku la BWANA; teremkeni na mkalipeleke kwenu.”
