Samuel 1 6
1 Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka la nɔ Filistitɔwo ƒe anyigba dzi ɣleti adre.
Now the ark of the Lord was in the region 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 called for the priests and the diviners, saying: “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Reveal to us in what manner we should send it back to its place.” And they said:
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?”
“If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not choose to release it empty. Instead, repay to him what you owe because of sin. And then you will be cured. And you will know why his hand did not withdraw 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.
And they said, “What is it that we ought to repay to him because of transgression?” And they responded:
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.
“In accord with the number of the provinces of the Philistines, you shall fashion five gold cysts and five gold mice. For the same plague has been upon all of you and your princes. And you shall fashion a likeness of your cysts and a likeness of the mice, which have destroyed the land. And so shall you give glory to the God of Israel, so that perhaps he may lift off his hand 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 have you hardened your hearts, just as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he was struck, did he not then release them, 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.
Now therefore, fashion and take a new cart, with two cows that have given birth, but on which no yoke has been imposed. And yoke them to the cart, but retain their calves at home.
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 you shall take the ark of the Lord, and you shall place it upon the cart, with the articles of gold that you have paid to him on behalf of transgression. You shall place these in a little box at its side. And release it, 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.”
And you shall watch. And if, indeed, it ascends by the way of his own parts, toward Beth-shemesh, then he has done this great evil to us. But if not, then we shall know that it is by no means his hand that has touched us, but instead it happened by chance.”
10 Ale wowɔ nu si wogblɔ na wo. Wotsi nyinɔ eve ɖe tasiaɖam la ŋu eye wotu wo viwo ɖe kpo me.
Therefore, they did it in this way. And taking two cows that were feeding calves, they yoked them to the cart, and they enclosed their calves at home.
11 Wotsɔ Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka la kple aɖaka si me sikafiwo kple sikaƒoƒoeawo nɔ la da ɖe tasiaɖam la dzi.
And they placed the ark of God upon the cart, with the little box that held the gold mice and the likenesses of the cysts.
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.
But the cows went directly along the way that leads to Beth-shemesh. And they advanced only in one direction, lowing as they went. And they did not turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left. Moreover, the princes of the Philistines followed them, as far as the borders 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!
Now the Beth-shemeshites were harvesting wheat in the valley. And lifting up their eyes, they saw the ark, and they were glad when they had seen 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 went into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemeshite, and it stood still there. Now in that place was a great stone, and so they cut up the wood of the cart, and they placed the cows upon it as a holocaust 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.
But the Levites took down the ark of God, and the little box that was at its side, in which were the articles of gold, and they placed them upon the great stone. Then the men of Beth-shemesh offered holocausts and immolated victims, on that day, to the Lord.
16 Esi Filistitɔwo lé ŋku ɖe nuwo ƒe yiyi ŋu sẽe la, wotrɔ yi Ekron gbe ma gbe ke.
And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Ekron on 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 cysts, which the Philistines repaid to the Lord for transgression: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one.
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 there were gold mice, according to the number of the cities of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fortified city to the village that was without a wall, and even to the great stone upon which they placed the ark of the Lord, which was, at last in that day, in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemeshite.
19 Ke Yehowa wu Bet Semestɔ blaadre elabena wokpɔ nubablaɖaka la me. Dukɔ la fa konyi le ame geɖe siwo Yehowa wu la ta.
Then he struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had seen the ark of the Lord. And he struck down some of the people: seventy men, and fifty thousand of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.
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 will be able to stand in the sight of the Lord, this holy God? And who will ascend to him 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 messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying: “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Descend and lead it back to you.”
