< Samuel 1 6 >

1 Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka la nɔ Filistitɔwo ƒe anyigba dzi ɣleti adre.
Now the ark of Yahweh 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?”
Then the Philistine people called for the priests and the diviners; they said to them, “What should we do with the ark of Yahweh? Tell us how we should send it back to its own country.”
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?”
The priests and diviners said, “If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it without a gift; by all means send him a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will know why his hand has not been lifted off of you until now.”
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 should the guilt offering be that we are returning to him?” They replied, “Five golden tumors and five golden mice, five being the number that is the same as the number of the rulers of the Philistines. For the same plague afflicted you and your rulers.
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 you must make models of your tumors, and models of your mice that ravage the land, and give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will lift his hand from you, 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 should you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? That was when the God of Israel dealt severely with them; did not the Egyptians send away the people, and they left?
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 then, prepare a new cart with two nursing cows that have never been yoked. Tie the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, 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,
Then take the ark of Yahweh and place it in the cart. Put the golden figures that you are returning to him as a guilt offering into a box to one side of it. Then send it off and let it go its own way.
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.”
Then watch; if it goes up on the way to its own land to Beth Shemesh, then it is Yahweh who has executed this great disaster. But if not, then we will know that it is not his hand that afflicted us; instead, we will know that it happened to us by chance.”
10 Ale wowɔ nu si wogblɔ na wo. Wotsi nyinɔ eve ɖe tasiaɖam la ŋu eye wotu wo viwo ɖe kpo me.
The men did as they were told; they took two nursing cows, tied them to the cart, and confined their calves at home.
11 Wotsɔ Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka la kple aɖaka si me sikafiwo kple sikaƒoƒoeawo nɔ la da ɖe tasiaɖam la dzi.
They put the ark of Yahweh on the cart, together with a box containing the golden mice and the castings of their tumors.
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.
The cows went straight in the direction of Beth Shemesh. They went along one highway, lowing as they went, and they did not turn aside either to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed after them to the border 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 people of Beth Shemesh were harvesting their wheat in the valley. When they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced.
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.
The cart came into the field of Joshua from the town of Beth Shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there, and they split the wood from the cart, and offered the cows as a burnt offering to Yahweh.
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.
The Levites took down the ark of Yahweh and the box that was with it, where the golden figures were, and put them on the great stone. The men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to Yahweh.
16 Esi Filistitɔwo lé ŋku ɖe nuwo ƒe yiyi ŋu sẽe la, wotrɔ yi Ekron gbe ma gbe ke.
When the five rulers of the Philistines saw this, they returned that day to Ekron.
17 Sikaƒoƒoe atɔ̃ siwo Filistitɔwo ɖo ɖa abe fɔɖivɔsanu ene la nye nunana tso Asdod, Gaza, Askelon, Gat kple Ekron ƒe amegãwo gbɔ.
These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to Yahweh—one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, and 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.
The golden mice were the same in number as the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five rulers, both fortified cities and country villages. The great stone, beside which they set down the ark of Yahweh, remains a witness to this day in the field of Joshua the Bethshemite.
19 Ke Yehowa wu Bet Semestɔ blaadre elabena wokpɔ nubablaɖaka la me. Dukɔ la fa konyi le ame geɖe siwo Yehowa wu la ta.
Yahweh attacked some of the men of Beth Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of Yahweh. He killed 50,070 men. The people mourned, because Yahweh had given the people a great blow.
20 Ameawo bia be, “Ame kae ate ŋu atsi tsitre ɖe Yehowa, Mawu kɔkɔe sia, ƒe ŋkume? Afi ka miatsɔ nubablaɖaka la ayi?”
The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up 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.”
They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of Yahweh; come down and take it back with you.”

< Samuel 1 6 >