Samuel 1 4
1 Eye Samuel ƒe nya de Israel blibo gbɔ. Le ɣeyiɣi ma me la, aʋa dzɔ ɖe Israelviwo kple Filistitɔwo dome. Israel ƒu asaɖa anyi ɖe Ebenezer gbɔ eye Filistitɔwo ƒe aʋakɔ nɔ Afek.
Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now the Israelites went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped at Ebenezer, while the Philistines camped at Aphek.
2 Filistitɔwo ɖu Israelviwo dzi; wowu Israelvi akpe ene.
The Philistines arrayed themselves against Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who struck down about four thousand men on the battlefield.
3 Esi aʋa la ke la, Israelviwo trɔ yi woƒe asaɖa me eye woƒe kplɔlawo de ŋugble tso nu si ta Yehowa na Filisitɔwo ɖu wo dzi la ŋu. Wogblɔ be, “Mina míatsɔ Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka la tso Silo ava afi sia. Ne míetsɔe yi aʋagbedzi kpli mí la, Yehowa anɔ mía dome eye wòaɖe mí tso míaƒe futɔwo si me kokoko.”
When the troops returned to the camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why has the LORD brought defeat on us before the Philistines today? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh, so that it may go with us to save us from the hand of our enemies.”
4 Ale wona woyi ɖatsɔ Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la ƒe nubablaɖaka vɛ, Yehowa nɔ anyi ɖe nubablaɖaka sia ƒe Kerubiwo tame. Hofni kple Finehas, Eli viŋutsu eveawo, kplɔ Mawu ƒe nubablaɖaka la ɖo yi aʋagbedzi.
So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
5 Esi Israelviwo kpɔ be wotsɔ Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka la gbɔnae la, woƒe dzidzɔɣli de dzi bobobo ale gbegbe be ena anyigba ʋuʋu kloe!
When the ark of the covenant of the LORD entered the camp, all the Israelites raised such a great shout that it shook the ground.
6 Filistitɔwo bia be, “Nya kae le dzɔdzɔm? Nu ka ɣlie le ɖiɖim bobobo nenema le Hebritɔwo ƒe asaɖa me?” Esi wogblɔ na wo be Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka lae va ɖo tae la,
On hearing the noise of the shout, the Philistines asked, “What is this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews?” And when they realized that the ark of the LORD had entered the camp,
7 dzidzi ƒo wo. Wodo ɣli be, “Mawu va ɖo woƒe asaɖa me, babaa na mí elabena míedo go nu sia tɔgbi kpɔ o!
the Philistines were afraid. “The gods have entered their camp!” they said. “Woe to us, for nothing like this has happened before.
8 Ame kae ate ŋu aɖe mí tso Mawu ŋusẽtɔ si me? Mawu siawo kee tsrɔ̃ Egiptetɔwo kple dɔ vɔ̃wo esime Israel nɔ gbedzi.
Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.
9 Oo, Filistitɔwo, miwɔ aʋa kple ŋusẽ abe ale si miewɔ kpɔ o ene, ne menye nenema o la, míazu woƒe kluviwo abe ale si wonye míaƒe kluviwo egbe ene.”
Take courage and be men, O Philistines! Otherwise, you will serve the Hebrews just as they served you. Now be men and fight!”
10 Ale Filistitɔwo wɔ aʋa kple ŋusẽ eye wogaɖu Israelviwo dzi. Wowu Israelvi akpe blaetɔ̃ gbe ma gbe eye agbetsiawo si yi woƒe agbadɔwo me.
So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and each man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great—thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell.
11 Filistitɔwo xɔ Mawu ƒe nubablaɖaka la eye wowu Hofni kple Finehas gbe ma gbe.
The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.
12 Ŋutsu aɖe si tso Benyamin ƒe to la me la, ƒu du tso aʋagbedzi eye wòɖo Silo gbe ma gbe ke. Eƒe awuwo vuvu eye ʋuʋudedi nɔ tame nɛ. Nɔnɔme sia fia konyifafa le ɣe ma ɣi me.
That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line all the way to Shiloh, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.
13 Eli nɔ lalam le mɔto be yease nya aɖe tso aʋa la ŋu elabena etsi dzimaɖeɖi ɖe Mawu ƒe nubablaɖaka la ƒe dedinɔnɔ ŋu. Esime ame dɔdɔ la tso aʋagbedzi va gblɔ nya si dzɔ la, ameawo fa avi hoo le du blibo la me.
When he arrived, there was Eli, sitting on his chair beside the road and watching, because his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city to give a report, the whole city cried out.
14 Eli bia be, “Nu kae na amewo le avi fam hoo alea?” Ame dɔdɔ la te ɖe Eli ŋu enumake eye wòka nya la ta nɛ.
Eli heard the outcry and asked, “Why this commotion?” So the man hurried over and reported to Eli.
15 Azɔ Eli xɔ ƒe blaasiekɛ-vɔ-enyi eye eƒe ŋkuwo megale nu kpɔm nyuie o.
Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his gaze was fixed because he could not see.
16 Ame dɔdɔ la gblɔ na Eli be, “Mede aʋagbe la dzi egbe, fifi laa koe mesi trɔ gbɔ.” Eli biae be, “Nu kae dzɔ, Vinye ɖe?”
“I have just come from the battle,” the man said to Eli. “I fled from there today.” “What happened, my son?” Eli asked.
17 Ame dɔdɔ la ɖo eŋu be, “Woɖu Israelviwo dzi eye wowu Israelvi geɖewo, wowu viwò eveawo, Hofni kple Finehas hã eye woxɔ Mawu ƒe nubablaɖaka la hã.”
The messenger answered, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are both dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
18 Esi ame dɔdɔ la gblɔ nya si dzɔ ɖe Mawu ƒe nubablaɖaka la dzi ko la, Eli mu le eƒe zikpui dzi, dze anyi ɖe megbe le eƒe agbo la nu. Etɔ kɔ anyi eye wòku elabena etsi eye wònye ame lolo hã. Edrɔ̃ ʋɔnu na Israel ƒe blaene hafi ku.
As soon as the ark of God was mentioned, Eli fell backward from his chair by the city gate, and being old and heavy, he broke his neck and died. And Eli had judged Israel forty years.
19 Esi Eli ƒe toyɔvi, Finehas srɔ̃, ame si nye funɔ la se be woxɔ Mawu ƒe nubablaɖaka la eye ye srɔ̃, Finehas kple ye to, Eli ku la, fu de asi eɖuɖu me enumake.
Now Eli’s daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and about to give birth. When she heard the news of the capture of God’s ark and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband, she collapsed and gave birth, for her labor pains overtook her.
20 Aɖabaƒoƒo ʋɛ aɖewo do ŋgɔ na eƒe ku la, nyɔnu siwo nɔ egbɔ la gblɔ nɛ be edzi viŋutsuvi, ke womegblɔ nya boo aɖeke o.
As she was dying, the women attending to her said, “Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son!” But she did not respond or pay any heed.
21 Ena ŋkɔ ŋutsuvi la be, “Ikabod” si gɔmee nye “Israel ƒe ŋutikɔkɔe nu tso.” Elabena woxɔ Mawu ƒe nubablaɖaka la eye srɔ̃a kple toa siaa ku.
And she named the boy Ichabod, saying, “The glory has departed from Israel,” because the ark of God had been captured and her father-in-law and her husband had been killed.
22 Egblɔ be, “Israel ƒe ŋutikɔkɔe nu tso elabena woxɔ Mawu ƒe nubablaɖaka la.”
“The glory has departed from Israel,” she said, “for the ark of God has been captured.”
