1 Samuel 6
1 Igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị ahụ nọrọ nʼobodo ndị Filistia ọnwa asaa.
When the ark of the LORD had been in the land of the Philistines seven months,
2 Emesịa, ndị Filistia kpọrọ ndị nchụaja ha na ndị na-ajụ mmụọ ase jụọ ha sị, “Gịnị ka anyị ga-eme banyere igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị? Gwa anyị otu anyị ga-esi zilaga ya nʼala ya.”
the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how to send it back to its place.”
3 Ndị ahụ zara sị, “Ọ bụrụ na unu ezighachi igbe ọgbụgba ndụ chi ndị Izrel, unu ezighachila ya nʼaka efu, kama jirinụ onyinye aja ikpe ọmụma zilaga ya. Unu mee nke a, ihe otiti ndị a ga-ala. Unu ga-amatakwa ihe mere o ji na-ata unu ahụhụ ndị a.”
They replied, “If you return the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means return it to Him with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why His hand has not been lifted from you.”
4 Ha jụrụ, “Olee ụdị onyinye aja ikpe ọmụma anyị ga-enye.” A gwara ha, “Dịka ọnụọgụgụ ndịisi obodo Filistia si dị ise, unu ga-eziga onyinye oyiyi etuto ise nke e jiri ọlaedo kpụọ na oyiyi oke ise nke e jikwa ọlaedo kpụọ, nʼihi na ọ bụ otu ụdị ihe otiti ahụ ka o ji tie unu na ndịisi obodo unu niile.
“What guilt offering should we send back to Him?” asked the Philistines. “Five gold tumors and five gold rats,” they said, “according to the number of rulers of the Philistines, since the same plague has struck both you and your rulers.
5 Jiri ọlaedo kpụọ oyiyi etuto na oke ndị ahụ na-emebi ala unu, si otu a nye chi ndị Izrel nsọpụrụ. Ma eleghị anya ọ ga-ewezuga aka ike ya site nʼebe unu na chi unu dị iche iche na ala unu nọ.
Make images of your tumors and of the rats that are ravaging the land. Give glory to the God of Israel, and perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land.
6 Gịnị mere unu ga-eji nyịchie obi unu dịka ndị Ijipt na Fero mere? Mgbe Chineke mesiri ha ike, ọ bụ na ha ahapụghị ndị Izrel ka ha laa?
Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs? When He afflicted them, did they not send the people on their way as they departed?
7 “Wuonụ ụgbọala ọhụrụ, werekwanụ nne ehi abụọ na-enye ụmụ ara kegide nʼụgbọ ahụ. Ehi ndị a ga-abụ ndị a na-ejibeghị kọọ ọrụ ubi mbụ. Mgbe unu kegidere ehi ndị a, chịrịnụ ụmụ ha chụba ha nʼebe a na-edebe ehi.
Now, therefore, prepare one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.
8 Werenụ igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị tinye nʼụgbọala ahụ, tinyekwa ihe ọlaedo ndị ahụ unu na-enye ka ọ bụrụ aja ikpe ọmụma unu nʼime igbe nta unu ga-etinye nʼakụkụ ya. Zilaganụ ya nʼụzọ ọ ga-agbaso.
Take the ark of the LORD, set it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending Him as a guilt offering. Then send the ark on its way,
9 Ma guzonụ na-ele ya anya. Ọ bụrụ na ọ gafee oke ala anyị banye Bet-Shemesh, unu ga-amata na ọ bụ Onyenwe anyị mere ka ihe ọjọọ ndị a dakwasị anyị. Ma ọ bụrụ na o meghị otu a, ọ bụrụ na ọ lọghachi, anyị ga-amata na ihe otiti a bụ naanị ihe ndaba nke dakwasịrị anyị, o sikwaghị nʼaka Onyenwe anyị.”
but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it happened by chance.”
10 Ha were dịka okwu ndị a si dị. Ha weere nne ehi abụọ na-enye ụmụ ara kegide ha nʼụgbọala ahụ, werekwa ụmụ ha kpọchie nʼọgba anụ.
So the men did as instructed. They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and penned up their calves.
11 Igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị na igbe nta ahụ e tinyere oke na oyiyi etuto ọlaedo ndị ahụ a kpụrụ akpụ ka ha dọkwasịrị nʼelu ụgbọala ahụ.
Then they put the ark of the LORD on the cart, along with the chest containing the gold rats and the images of the tumors.
12 Ehi ndị ahụ dọkpụrụ ụgbọ ahụ gawa nʼụzọ Bet-Shemesh. Ha na-ebekwa muuu mgbe ha na-aga. Ha sogidere ụzọ ahụ na-aga. Ha echigharịghị gaa aka nri maọbụ aka ekpe. Ndị eze ndị Filistia sogidekwara ha nʼazụ tutu rute nʼoke ala Bet-Shemesh.
And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
13 Nʼoge a, ndị Bet-Shemesh nọ nʼubi na-ewe ihe ubi nke ọka wiiti na ndagwurugwu ala ahụ. Mgbe ha lepụrụ anya hụ igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị, ọṅụ juru ha obi.
Now the people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed at the sight.
14 Mgbe ụgbọala ahụ batara nʼubi nwoke a na-akpọ Joshua na Bet-Shemesh, ọ kwụsịrị nʼakụkụ otu nkume ukwu dị nʼebe ahụ. Ngwangwa, ndị nọ nʼebe ahụ gbuwasịrị osisi e ji mee ụgbọ ahụ, gbukwaa ehi abụọ ahụ, were ha chụọrọ Onyenwe anyị aja nsure ọkụ.
The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The people chopped up the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.
15 Ndị ikom Livayị nọ nʼebe ahụ buliri igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị na igbe nta ahụ dị nʼakụkụ ya nke ọlaedo niile a kpụrụ akpụ dị nʼime ya, dọkwasị ha nʼelu nkume. Ndị Bet-Shemesh chụrụ ọtụtụ aja nsure ọkụ na aja ndị ọzọ nye Onyenwe anyị nʼụbọchị ahụ.
And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the chest containing the gold objects, and they placed them on the large rock. That day the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD.
16 Mgbe ndị eze ise obodo ndị Filistia hụrụ ihe mere, ha laghachiri nʼEkrọn nʼụbọchị ahụ.
And when the five rulers of the Philistines saw this, they returned to Ekron that same day.
17 Onyinye etuto ọlaedo ise a kpụrụ akpụ nke ha nyere Onyenwe anyị dị ka aja ikpe ọmụma nʼihi ihe mere ha bụ maka obodo ndị Filistia ndị a, Ashdọd, Gaza, Ashkelọn, Gat na Ekrọn.
As a guilt offering to the LORD, the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.
18 Ha wetakwara oke ọlaedo a dịka ọnụọgụgụ obodo ndị Filistia si dị, bụ nke ndịisi ise ahụ nwere, obodo ndị e wusiri ike, na obodo nta niile ha. Nkume ukwu ahụ ebe a dọkwasịrị igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị, bụ ihe akaebe nʼubi Joshua, onye Bet-Shemesh ruo taa.
The number of gold rats also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers—the fortified cities and their outlying villages. And the large rock on which they placed the ark of the LORD stands to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
19 Ma Onyenwe anyị tigburu iri ndị ikom asaa nʼetiti ndị Bet-Shemesh nʼihi na ha nyobara anya nʼime igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị ahụ. Nʼihi ya ndị Bet-Shemesh ruru ụjụ nʼihi ndị ahụ niile Onyenwe anyị tigburu.
But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.
20 Ndị Bet-Shemesh jụrụ sị, “Onye pụrụ iguzo nʼihu Onyenwe anyị, bụ Chineke a dị nsọ? Olee ebe anyị ga-ezigakwa igbe ọgbụgba ndụ a?”
The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom should the ark go up from here?”
21 Ha zipụrụ ndị ozi ka ha gaa gwa ndị Kiriat Jearim sị ha, “Ndị Filistia ezighachila igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị. Bịanụ buru ya gaa nʼobodo unu.”
So they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up with you.”
