1 Samũeli 7
1 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ a Kiriathu-Jearimu magĩthiĩ, makĩgĩĩra ithandũkũ rĩa Jehova, makĩrĩambatia. Makĩrĩtwara mũciĩ wa Abinadabu kĩrĩma-igũrũ, na makĩamũra mũriũ Eleazaru aikaragie ithandũkũ rĩa Jehova.
[When] the men of Kiriath-Jearim [received that message, they] came to Beth-Shemesh and took the sacred chest of Yahweh. They took it to the house of Abinadab, which was on a hillside. They appointed Abinadab’s son Eleazar to take care of the chest.
2 Ithandũkũ rĩa kĩrĩkanĩro nĩrĩaikarire Kiriathu-Jearimu ihinda iraaya, ihinda rĩa mĩaka mĩrongo ĩĩrĩ ĩrĩ yothe, nao andũ othe a Isiraeli magĩcakaya na makĩrongooria Jehova.
The sacred chest stayed in Kiriath-Jearim for a long time—a total of 20 years. During that time all the people of Israel mourned [because it seemed that] Yahweh [had abandoned them] (OR, [and then they asked] Yahweh [to help them]).
3 Nake Samũeli akĩĩra nyũmba yothe ya Isiraeli atĩrĩ, “Mũngĩkorwo nĩmũgũcookerera Jehova na ngoro cianyu ciothe-rĩ, tiganai na ngai ngʼeni na Maashitarothu, na mwĩneane kũrĩ Jehova, na mũmũtungatĩre o we wiki, nake nĩakamũkũũra amũrute guoko-inĩ kwa Afilisti.”
Then Samuel said to all the Israeli people, “If you truly [IDM] want to act like Yahweh’s people should, you must get rid of your statues of [the goddess] Astarte and the idols/statues of all the other foreign gods. You must decide to serve/worship only Yahweh. If you do that, he will rescue you from [the power of] [MTY] the Philistia people.”
4 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio andũ a Isiraeli magĩtigana na Mabaali na Maashitarothu, magĩtungatĩra Jehova o we wiki.
So the Israelis got rid of all their statues of the gods Baal and Astarte, and they worshiped only Yahweh.
5 Ningĩ Samũeli akiuga atĩrĩ, “Cookanĩrĩriai Isiraeli othe kũu Mizipa, na niĩ nĩngamũthaithanĩrĩra harĩ Jehova.”
Then Samuel told them, “All you Israeli people must gather with me at Mizpah. Then I will pray to Yahweh for you.”
6 Na rĩrĩa maagomanĩte kũu Mizipa, magĩtaha maaĩ makĩmaita mbere ya Jehova. Mũthenya ũcio makĩĩhinga kũrĩa irio, na makiumbũra mehia mao makiugĩra kũu atĩrĩ, “Nĩ twĩhĩirie Jehova.” Nake Samũeli nĩwe warĩ mũtongoria wa Isiraeli kũu Mizipa.
So they gathered at Mizpah, which was the town where Samuel previously was the leader of the Israeli people. They had a big ceremony there. They drew water [from a well], and poured the water on the ground while Yahweh watched. [To show that they were sorry for having worshiped idols], they did not eat any food on that day, and they confessed that they had sinned against Yahweh.
7 Rĩrĩa Afilisti maaiguire atĩ Isiraeli maagomanĩte kũu Mizipa, aathani a Afilisti makĩambata magĩthiĩ makamatharĩkĩre. Na rĩrĩa andũ a Isiraeli maaiguire ũhoro ũcio, makĩnyiitwo nĩ guoya nĩ ũndũ wa Afilisti.
When the kings of the Philistia area heard that the Israeli people had gathered at Mizpah, they led their armies there to attack the Israelis. When the Israelis found out that the Philistia army was approaching them, they became very afraid.
8 Makĩĩra Samũeli atĩrĩ, “Ndũgaatige gũkaĩra Jehova Ngai witũ nĩ ũndũ witũ, nĩgeetha atũhonokie kuuma guoko-inĩ kwa Afilisti.”
They told Samuel, “Pray to Yahweh to rescue us from the Philistia army [MTY], and do not stop pleading!”
9 Nake Samũeli akĩoya kagondu koongaga na agĩkarutĩra Jehova igongona rĩa njino karĩ kagima o ro ũguo. Agĩkaĩra Jehova nĩ ũndũ wa Isiraeli, nake Jehova akĩmũcookeria ũhoro.
So Samuel took a very young lamb [and killed it] and offered it to Yahweh to be a sacrifice that was completely burned [on the altar]. Then he prayed and pleaded that Yahweh [would help] the Israelis, and Yahweh did help them.
10 Na hĩndĩ ĩrĩa Samũeli aarutaga igongona rĩa njino-rĩ, Afilisti magĩkuhĩrĩria nĩguo marũe na Isiraeli. No mũthenya ũcio Jehova akĩruruma na marurumĩ manene mũno ma gũũkĩrĩra Afilisti, na agĩtũma mamake mũno o nginya magĩtoorio mũno mbere ya andũ a Isiraeli.
While Samuel was burning the offering, the Philistia army came near to attack the Israelis. But Yahweh caused it to thunder very loudly. The soldiers of the Philistia army became very frightened, and then they (became confused/did not know what to do). So the Israelis were able to defeat them.
11 Nao andũ a Isiraeli makiuma kũu Mizipa naihenya, magĩtengʼeria Afilisti makĩmooragaga kũu njĩra-inĩ, makĩmakinyia mũhuro wa Bethi-Kari.
The Israeli men ran out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistia soldiers almost to Beth-Car [town], and killed many Philistia soldiers while they were trying to run away.
12 Ningĩ Samũeli akĩoya ihiga na akĩrĩhaanda gatagatĩ ka Mizipa na Sheni. Akĩrĩĩta Ebeni-Ezeri, akiuga atĩrĩ, “Nginyagia hau nĩ Jehova ũtũteithĩtie.”
After that happened, Samuel took a large stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah [towns]. He named the stone ‘Ebenezer’, [which means ‘stone of help’], because he said “Yahweh has helped us until the present time.”
13 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio Afilisti magĩtoorio mũno na matiacookire gũtharĩkĩra bũrũri wa andũ a Isiraeli rĩngĩ. Ihinda rĩothe rĩrĩa Samũeli aatũũrire muoyo, guoko kwa Jehova gwatũũrire gũũkĩrĩire Afilisti.
So the Philistia people were defeated, and for a long time they did not enter the Israeli land [to attack them] again. During the time that Samuel was alive, Yahweh powerfully protected [MTY] [the Israeli people] from [being attacked by] the Philistia army.
14 Namo matũũra marĩa Afilisti maatahĩte kũrĩ Isiraeli kuuma Ekironi nginya Gathu magĩcookerera Isiraeli, nao andũ a Isiraeli magĩkũũra bũrũri ũrĩa wariganĩtie na matũũra macio naguo kuuma kũrĩ watho wa Afilisti. Na gũkĩgĩa thayũ gatagatĩ ka Isiraeli na Aamori.
The Israeli army was able to capture again the Israeli villages between Ekron and Gath that the Philistia army had captured before. The Israelis were also able to take again the other areas around those cities that the Philistia army had taken [from the Israelis] previously. And there was peace between the Israelis and the Amor people-group.
15 Samũeli agĩthiĩ na mbere gũtiirĩrĩra Isiraeli matukũ mothe ma muoyo wake.
Samuel continued to be the leader of the Israeli people until he died.
16 Mwaka o mwaka nĩathiũrũrũkaga kuuma Betheli nginya Giligali na Mizipa, agatuithanagia andũ a Isiraeli ciira kũndũ guothe.
As long as he was alive, every year he traveled back and forth between Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah [cities]. In those cities he listened to disputes between people and made decisions about them.
17 No nĩacookaga Rama hĩndĩ ciothe, kũrĩa mũciĩ wake warĩ, o na kũu agatuithanagia ciira kũrĩ andũ a Isiraeli arĩ kũu. Nake agĩakĩra Jehova kĩgongona kũu.
After he listened to disputes and made decisions in each of those towns, he returned to his home at Ramah, and he would listen to people’s disputes there, also, [and make decisions about them]. And he built an altar at Ramah [to offer sacrifices] to Yahweh.
