< Samuel 1 6 >

1 Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka la nɔ Filistitɔwo ƒe anyigba dzi ɣleti adre.
Now the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines for seven months.
2 Filistitɔwo yɔ woƒe nunɔlawo kple afakalawo ƒo ƒui eye wobia wo be, “Nu ka tututu míawɔ tso Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka la ŋu? Nunana ka ƒomevi míatsɔ akpe ɖe eŋu ne míegbugbɔe yi Israelviwo ƒe anyigba dzi?”
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?
3 Woɖo eŋu be, “Ne miebe yewoatrɔ Israel ƒe Mawu la ƒe nubablaɖaka la ayi la, migaɖoe ɖa asi ƒuƒlui o, ke boŋ godoo la, mitsɔ fɔɖivɔsa kpe ɖe eŋuti. Ekema miakpɔ dɔyɔyɔ eye miakpɔe ɖa be eƒe asi madzo le mia dzi o mahã?”
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.
4 Filistitɔwo bia be, “Fɔɖivɔsanu kae míatsɔ aɖo ɖa?” Woɖo eŋu be, “Sikaƒoƒoe atɔ̃ kple afi si wowɔ kple sika la atɔ̃, ɖe Filistitɔwo ƒe amegãwo ƒe xexlẽme nu elabena dɔvɔ̃ ɖeka ƒomevie va dze mi kple mia dziɖulawo siaa dzi.
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.
5 Miwɔ nuƒoƒoeawo kple afi siwo le miaƒe anyigba gblẽm la ƒe nɔnɔmewo eye miade bubu Israel ƒe Mawu la ŋu. Ɖewohĩ aɖe eƒe dɔmedzoe si wòda ɖe miawo ŋutɔ kple miaƒe mawuawo kple miaƒe anyigba dzi la ɖa.
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.
6 Nu ka ŋuti miesẽ miaƒe dzi me abe ale si Egiptetɔwo kple Farao wɔ ene? Esi wòwɔ fu wo la ɖe womeɖo Israelviwo ɖa be woadzo oa?
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?
7 “Miwɔ tasiaɖam yeye eye miatsii ɖe nyinɔ eve siwo dzi vi le ŋkeke siawo me eye wometsi keke ɖe wo ŋu kpɔ haɖe o la ŋuti. Milé wo viwo de kpo me.
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:
8 Mitsɔ Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka la eye midae ɖe tasiaɖam la dzi, mitsɔ aɖaka si me avulénu siwo wowɔ kple sika, siwo ɖom miele ɖa abe avulénu ene la da ɖe exa. Miɖoe ɖe mɔ dzi,
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.
9 gake miaƒe ŋku nanɔ eŋuti. Nenye be eyi ɖe eya ŋutɔ ƒe anyigba dzi ɖo ta Bet Semes la, ekema Yehowae he dɔvɔ̃ sia va mía dzii. Gake ne mewɔe nenema o la, ekema míanyae be menye eƒe asie ƒo mí o, ke boŋ nane koe wònye va dzɔ ɖe mía dzi.”
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.
10 Ale wowɔ nu si wogblɔ na wo. Wotsi nyinɔ eve ɖe tasiaɖam la ŋu eye wotu wo viwo ɖe kpo me.
And the men did so; they took two cows, yoking them to the cart and shutting up their young ones in their living-place:
11 Wotsɔ Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka la kple aɖaka si me sikafiwo kple sikaƒoƒoeawo nɔ la da ɖe tasiaɖam la dzi.
And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the chest with the gold images.
12 Enumake nyinɔawo dze mɔ tẽe ɖo ta Bet Semes henɔ xɔxlɔ̃m sesĩe le mɔa dzi, womedze ɖe ɖusime alo miame o. Filistitɔwo ƒe amegãwo dze wo yome va se ɖe Bet Semes ƒe liƒo dzi.
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.
13 Bet Semestɔwo nɔ lu xam le balime le ɣe ma ɣi eye esi wofɔ mo dzi kpɔ nubablaɖaka la, wogli kple dzidzɔ!
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.
14 Keke la ge ɖe ŋutsu aɖe si ŋkɔe nye Yosua, ame si tso Bet Semes la ƒe agble me eye wòtɔ ɖe agakpe gã aɖe gbɔ. Ameawo fli tasiaɖam la ƒe atiwo hedo dzo eye wowu nyiawo hesa numevɔ na Yehowa.
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.
15 Ame aɖewo tso Levi ƒe to la me ɖe nubablaɖaka la kple aɖaka si me sikalegeliawo kple sikaƒoƒoeawo nɔ la le keke la dzi eye woda wo ɖe agakpe la dzi. Bet Semestɔwo sa numevɔ kple akpedavɔ na Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ, gbe ma gbe.
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.
16 Esi Filistitɔwo lé ŋku ɖe nuwo ƒe yiyi ŋu sẽe la, wotrɔ yi Ekron gbe ma gbe ke.
And the five lords of the Philistines, having seen it, went back to Ekron the same day.
17 Sikaƒoƒoe atɔ̃ siwo Filistitɔwo ɖo ɖa abe fɔɖivɔsanu ene la nye nunana tso Asdod, Gaza, Askelon, Gat kple Ekron ƒe amegãwo gbɔ.
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;
18 Woɖo sikafiawo ɖa abe avulévɔsanu ene na Yehowa ɖe Filistitɔwo ƒe du bubuwo ta, ɖe du gã siwo woglã kple kɔƒe siwo nɔ amegã atɔ̃awo ƒe dzikpɔkpɔ te la siaa nu. Agakpe gã si dzi woda nubablaɖaka la ɖo le Bet Semes la gale Yosua ƒe agble la me va se ɖe egbe.
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.
19 Ke Yehowa wu Bet Semestɔ blaadre elabena wokpɔ nubablaɖaka la me. Dukɔ la fa konyi le ame geɖe siwo Yehowa wu la ta.
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.
20 Ameawo bia be, “Ame kae ate ŋu atsi tsitre ɖe Yehowa, Mawu kɔkɔe sia, ƒe ŋkume? Afi ka miatsɔ nubablaɖaka la ayi?”
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?
21 Ale woɖo du ɖe Kiriat Yearimtɔwo kple kukuɖeɖe be, “Filistitɔwo tsɔ Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka la vɛ eya ta miva ne miakɔe yi mia gbɔe.”
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.

< Samuel 1 6 >