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.
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 Filistitɔwo ɖu Israelviwo dzi; wowu Israelvi akpe ene.
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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,
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 dzidzi ƒo wo. Wodo ɣli be, “Mawu va ɖo woƒe asaɖa me, babaa na mí elabena míedo go nu sia tɔgbi kpɔ o!
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 Ame kae ate ŋu aɖe mí tso Mawu ŋusẽtɔ si me? Mawu siawo kee tsrɔ̃ Egiptetɔwo kple dɔ vɔ̃wo esime Israel nɔ gbedzi.
(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 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.”
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 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 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 Filistitɔwo xɔ Mawu ƒe nubablaɖaka la eye wowu Hofni kple Finehas gbe ma gbe.
The Philistines captured the sacred chest, and they killed Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas.
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.
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 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.
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 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 asked, “Why are they making all that noise?” The messenger ran over to Eli and told him the news.
15 Azɔ Eli xɔ ƒe blaasiekɛ-vɔ-enyi eye eƒe ŋkuwo megale nu kpɔm nyuie o.
At that time, Eli was 98 years old, and he was blind.
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?”
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 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 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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 Egblɔ be, “Israel ƒe ŋutikɔkɔe nu tso elabena woxɔ Mawu ƒe nubablaɖaka la.”
She said, “[God’s] glory has left Israel, because God’s sacred chest has been captured!” And then she died.
