1 Samũeli 6
1 Na rĩrĩ, ithandũkũ rĩa Jehova rĩarĩkia gũikara bũrũri wa Afilisti mĩeri mũgwanja-rĩ,
Now the ark of the Lord was in the region of the Philistines for seven months.
2 Afilisti magĩĩta athĩnjĩri-ngai na aragũri, makĩmooria atĩrĩ, “Tũgwĩka atĩa na ithandũkũ rĩĩrĩ rĩa Jehova? Twĩrei ũrĩa tũngĩrĩcookia kũrĩa rĩoimĩte.”
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 Nao magĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Mũngĩkorwo nĩ mũgũcookia ithandũkũ rĩa ngai ya Isiraeli, mũtikarĩcookie rĩrĩ itheri, no nginya mũrĩtũme na kĩndũ gĩa kũrutwo iruta rĩa mahĩtia. Hĩndĩ ĩyo nĩmũkaahona, na mũmenye kĩrĩa gĩtũmĩte guoko gwake kwage kweherio igũrũ rĩanyu.”
“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 Afilisti makĩũria atĩrĩ, “Nĩ iruta rĩrĩkũ rĩa mahĩtia tũngĩmĩrutĩra?” Nao magĩcookia atĩrĩ, “Tũmĩhiano tũtano twa thahabu tũhaana mahũha, na tũtano twa thahabu tũhaana tũbĩa o ta ũrĩa aathani a Afilisti maigana, nĩ ũndũ inyuĩ na aathani anyu mũhũũrĩtwo na mũthiro mũthemba o ũmwe.
And they said, “What is it that we ought to repay to him because of transgression?” And they responded:
5 Thondekai tũmĩhiano twa mahũha na twa tũbĩa iria irathũkia bũrũri, na mũtĩĩe ngai ya Isiraeli. No gũkorwo nĩakeheria guoko gwake kuume igũrũ rĩanyu, o na igũrũ rĩa ngai cianyu, o na bũrũri wanyu.
“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 Nĩ kĩĩ gĩtũmĩte mũmie ngoro cianyu ta ũrĩa andũ a Misiri na Firaũni meekire? Rĩrĩa aamahinyĩrĩirie-rĩ, githĩ matiarekereirie andũ a Isiraeli nĩguo mathiĩ?
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 “Na rĩrĩ, haarĩriai ngaari njerũ, na ngʼombe igĩrĩ njiairĩ itarĩ ciohwo icooki. Muoherere ngʼombe icio ngaari-inĩ ĩyo, no mweherie njaũ ciacio mũcihingĩre kiugũ.
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 Oyai ithandũkũ rĩa Jehova mũrĩigĩrĩre igũrũ rĩa ngaari, na mũige gathandũkũ mwena-inĩ warĩo na mũgekĩre indo icio cia thahabu icio mũramĩcookeria irĩ cia iruta rĩa mahĩtia. Rekei rĩthiĩ,
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 no mũikare mũrĩrorete. Rĩngĩambata rĩkinye bũrũri warĩo, rĩerekeire Bethi-Shemeshu-rĩ, nĩgũgatuĩka atĩ nĩ Jehova ũtũrehereire mũtino ũyũ mũnene ũũ. No kũngĩkorwo ti ũguo, nĩtũkamenya atĩ ti guoko gwake gwatũhũũrire, no nĩ ũndũ watũkorire o ũguo.”
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 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio magĩĩka ũguo. Makĩoya ngʼombe icio igĩrĩ magĩcioherera ngaari-inĩ, na makĩhingĩra njaũ ciacio kiugũ.
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 Makĩigĩrĩra ithandũkũ rĩa Jehova igũrũ rĩa ngaari, na hamwe narĩo makĩigĩrĩra gathandũkũ karĩa kaarĩ na tũbĩa tũu twa thahabu na tũmĩhiano tũu twahaanaga mahũha.
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 Ningĩ ngʼombe icio ikĩambata irũngĩrĩirie irorete Bethi-Shemeshu, igĩthiĩ na njĩra yothe ikĩanagia; itiakerũrire na mwena wa ũrĩo kana wa ũmotho. Nao aathani a Afilisti magĩcirũmĩrĩra o nginya mũhaka-inĩ wa Bethi-Shemeshu.
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 Hĩndĩ ĩyo andũ a Bethi-Shemeshu nĩ kũgetha maagethaga ngano yao kĩanda-inĩ, na rĩrĩa maatiirire maitho makĩona ithandũkũ rĩa Ngai, magĩkena nĩkũrĩona.
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 Nayo ngaari ĩgĩkinya mũgũnda-inĩ wa Joshua wa kũu Bethi-Shemeshu, nayo ĩkĩrũgama hakuhĩ na ihiga inene. Andũ acio magĩatũranga mĩtĩ ya ngaari ĩyo, na makĩrutĩra Jehova ngʼombe icio igongona rĩa njino.
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 Nao Alawii makĩruta ithandũkũ rĩa Jehova hamwe na gathandũkũ ka mĩhiano ĩyo ya thahabu, makĩmĩigĩrĩra igũrũ rĩa ihiga rĩu inene. Mũthenya ũcio andũ a Bethi-Shemeshu makĩruta ngʼombe icio irĩ igongona rĩa njino harĩ Jehova.
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 Aathani acio atano a Afilisti makĩĩonera maũndũ macio mothe, na magĩcooka Ekironi mũthenya o ro ũcio.
And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Ekron on the same day.
17 Ĩno nĩyo mĩhiano ya mahũha ma thahabu ĩrĩa Afilisti maatũmire ĩrĩ igongona rĩa mahĩtia rĩa kũrutĩrwo Jehova: Mũhiano o ũmwe warutagwo nĩ ũndũ wa o itũũra: Ashidodi, na Gaza, na Ashikeloni, na Gathu, na Ekironi.
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 Naguo mũigana wa mbĩa cia thahabu waiganaga o ta matũũra ma Afilisti ma aathani acio atano, matũũra macio maairigĩirwo na thingo cia hinya hamwe na tũtũũra twa bũrũri wao. Narĩo ihiga rĩu inene harĩa maigĩrĩire ithandũkũ rĩa Jehova, nĩ mũira nginya ũmũthĩ rĩrĩ kũu mũgũnda-inĩ ũcio wa Joshua wa kũu Bethi-Shemeshu.
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 No Ngai akĩũraga andũ amwe a kũu Bethi-Shemeshu, akĩũraga andũ mĩrongo mũgwanja nĩ ũndũ nĩmarorire ithandũkũ rĩa Jehova thĩinĩ. Andũ makĩrĩra nĩ ũndũ wa ihũũra rĩu inene Jehova aamahũũrĩte narĩo,
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 nao andũ a Bethi-Shemeshu makĩũria atĩrĩ, “Nũũ ũngĩkĩrũgama mbere ya Jehova, Ngai ũyũ mũtheru? Ithandũkũ rĩkwambatio kũrĩ ũ rĩoima haha?”
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 Ningĩ magĩtũmana kũrĩ andũ a Kiriathu-Jearimu, makĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Afilisti nĩmacookia ithandũkũ rĩa Jehova. Ikũrũkai mũrĩgĩĩre mũrĩambatie kwanyu.”
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.”
