1 Samuel 4
1 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.
Na nnipa a wɔwɔ Israel nyinaa tee nsɛm a ɛfiri Samuel hɔ. Saa ɛberɛ no, na Israelfoɔ ne Filistifoɔ reko. Israelfoɔ akodɔm kyeree sraban wɔ Ebeneser ɛnna Filistifoɔ nso kyeree sraban wɔ Afek.
2 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.
Filistifoɔ no to hyɛɛ Israelfoɔ akodɔm no so, dii wɔn so nkonim, na wɔkumm nnipa mpemnan.
3 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!”
Ɔko no baa awieeɛ, na Israel akodɔm sane kɔɔ wɔn sraban mu hɔ no, Israel mpanimfoɔ no bisaa sɛ, “Adɛn nti na Awurade ama yɛadi nkoguo ɛnnɛ yi wɔ Filistifoɔ anim yi? Momma yɛnkɔfa Awurade Apam Adaka no mfiri Silo. Sɛ yɛde kɔ ɔsa a, ɛbɛgye yɛn afiri yɛn atamfoɔ nsam.”
4 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.
Enti, nnipa no somaa mmarima kɔɔ Silo, na wɔde Otumfoɔ Awurade a ɔte Kerubim ntam Apam Adaka no baeɛ. Saa ɛberɛ no na Eli mmammarima baanu Hofni ne Pinehas ka wɔn a wɔsoaa Onyankopɔn Apam Adaka no kɔɔ akono hɔ no ho.
5 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!
Ɛberɛ a Israelfoɔ no hunuu sɛ wɔde Awurade Apam Adaka no reba nsraban no mu no, wɔn nyinaa bɔɔ ose maa asase wosoeɛ.
6 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.
Filistifoɔ no bisaa sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na ɛrekɔ so yi? Ɛdeɛn osebɔ na ɛwɔ Hebrifoɔ sraban mu hɔ yi?” Wɔtee sɛ Awurade Apam Adaka no na abɛduru sraban mu hɔ no,
7 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!
wɔsuroeɛ. Na wɔkaa sɛ, “Anyame no aba wɔn sraban mu hɔ. Ɛnneɛ, asɛm ato yɛn! Yɛnhyiaa asɛm a ɛte sei bi da.
8 (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.
Hwan na ɔbɛgye yɛn afiri saa Israel anyame atumfoɔ yi nsam? Wɔne anyame a wɔde owu yadeɛ ahodoɔ nyinaa bi sɛee Misraimfoɔ, ɛberɛ a Israelfoɔ wɔ ɛserɛ so hɔ no.
9 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!”
Monnyere mo ho, Filistifoɔ! Monnyina sɛ mmarima; anyɛ saa a, Hebrifoɔ no bɛfa mo nkoa sɛdeɛ wɔyɛɛ yɛn nkoa no.”
10 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.
Enti, Filistifoɔ no koo anibereɛ so, dii Israelfoɔ no so bio. Wɔn a wɔkunkumm wɔn no dɔɔso. Israelfoɔ ɔpeduasa na wɔkunkumm wɔn ɛda no. Wɔn a wɔnyaa wɔn ti didii mu no dwane kɔɔ wɔn ntomadan mu.
11 The Philistines captured the sacred chest, and they killed Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas.
Wɔfaa Onyankopɔn Apam Adaka no, na wɔkunkumm Eli mmammarima baanu a wɔyɛ Hofni ne Pinehas no.
12 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].
Ɛda no ara, ɔbarima bi firi Benyamin abusuakuo mu dwane firii akono hɔ bɛduruu Silo. Na watete ne ntadeɛ mu, de mfuturo ahura ne tiri mu, de kyerɛ nʼawerɛhoɔ.
13 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.
Na Eli retwɛn wɔ kwankyɛn baabi, pɛ sɛ ɔte ɔko no mu nsɛm, ɛfiri sɛ, na ne bo ntɔ ne yam koraa wɔ Onyankopɔn Apam Adaka no ho. Ɔbɔfoɔ no ba bɛkaa asɛm a asie no, wɔtee nteateamu bi wɔ kuro no mu nyinaa.
14 Eli asked, “Why are they making all that noise?” The messenger ran over to Eli and told him the news.
Eli bisaa sɛ, “Saa nteateamu yi ase ne sɛn?” Ɔbɔfoɔ no yɛɛ ntɛm kɔɔ Eli,
15 At that time, Eli was 98 years old, and he was blind.
a na wadi mfeɛ aduɔkron nwɔtwe na nʼani afira no nkyɛn.
16 The messenger said to Eli, “I have just come from where the armies were fighting. I left there earlier today.” Eli asked, “What happened?”
Ɔka kyerɛɛ Eli sɛ, “Seesei ara na mefiri akono hɔ baeɛ. Nnɛ yi ara, na mewɔ hɔ.” Eli bisaa sɛ, “Na ɛkɔsii sɛn?”
17 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.”
Ɔbɔfoɔ no buaa sɛ, “Israelfoɔ adi nkoguo. Israel akodɔm no mpem mpem atotɔ wɔ akono hɔ. Afei, wo mmammarima baanu a ɛyɛ Hofni ne Pinehas no nso wɔawuwu, na Onyankopɔn Apam Adaka no nso, wɔafa.”
18 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.
Ɔbɔfoɔ no kaa Onyankopɔn Apam Adaka no ho asɛm ara pɛ, Eli firi akonnwa a ɔte so mu wɔ abɔntenpono ho no te hwee nʼakyi. Ne kɔn mu buiɛ, ɛfiri sɛ, na wabɔ akɔkoraa a ne mu nso yɛ duru. Na wadi Israel anim mfirinhyia aduanan.
19 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.
Saa ɛberɛ no na nʼase baa a ɔyɛ Pinehas yere nyem a ɔreyɛ awoɔ. Ɔtee sɛ wɔafa Onyankopɔn Apam Adaka no, na nʼase ne ne kunu awuwuo no, awoɔ kaa no amonom hɔ.
20 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.
Ɔwuu wɔ awokoɔ mu, nanso ansa na ɔrebɛwu no, mmaa a wɔregye no awoɔ no kaa sɛ, “Nsuro woawo abarimaa.” Nanso, wammua wɔn na wankasa wɔn ho nso.
21 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.
Ɔbesebesee nʼano too abarimaa no edin Ikabod, “Animuonyam no wɔ he, Israel animuonyam no asa,” ɛfiri sɛ, wɔafa Onyankopɔn Apam Adaka no na nʼase ne ne kunu nso awuwu.
22 She said, “[God’s] glory has left Israel, because God’s sacred chest has been captured!” And then she died.
Ɔkaa sɛ, “Animuonyam afiri Israel mu, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔafa Onyankopɔn Apam Adaka no.”
