1 Samuel 6
1 Igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị ahụ nọrọ nʼobodo ndị Filistia ọnwa asaa.
The people of Philistia kept God’s sacred chest in their area for 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.”
Then they summoned their priests and their (diviners/men who practice rituals to find out what would happen in the future). They asked them, “What should we do with the sacred chest of Yahweh? Tell us how we should send it back to its own land.”
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.”
Those men replied, “Send with it an offering [to show Yahweh that you know that you are] guilty [for having captured the chest], in order that the plague will stop. If you do that, and then if you are healed, you will know that Yahweh is the one who caused you to experience the plague.”
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.
The people of Philistia asked, “What kind of offering should we send?” The men replied, “Make five gold models of the tumors on your skin, and five gold models of rats. Make five of each because that is the same number as the number of your kings, and because the plague has struck both you people and your five kings.
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 models that represent the rats and the tumors that are ruining your land. Make them in order to honor the god of the Israeli people. If you do that, perhaps he will stop punishing [IDM] 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?
Do not be [RHQ] stubborn [IDM] like the Egyptians and their king were. [They did not do what the Israelis’ god told them to do, so he punished them]. After the Israelis’ god finished punishing them very severely, they were glad to allow the Israelis to leave their country [RHQ].
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.
“So you must build a new cart. Then get two cows that have very recently given birth to calves. They must be cows that have never been hitched to a cart [MTY]. Hitch those cows to the new cart, and take the calves away from their mothers.
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.
Put the Israelis’ god’s sacred chest on the cart. Also put in the cart the five gold models of the tumors on your skin and the five gold models of rats. Put them in a small box alongside the sacred chest. They will be an offering to show that you know that you deserved to be punished [for capturing the sacred chest]. Then send [the cows] down the road, [pulling] the cart.
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.”
[Watch the cart as the cows pull it]. If they pull it to Beth-Shemesh [town] in Israel, we will know that it was the Israelis’ god who caused us to experience this plague. But if they do not take it there, we will know that it was not the god [MTY] of the Israelis who has punished us. We will know that it just happened.”
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 people did what the priests and men who predicted what would happen in the future told them to do. They [made] a cart [and] hitched two cows to it. They took the calves from their mothers.
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.
They put in the cart Yahweh’s sacred chest and the box with the models of the gold rats and 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.
Then the cows started walking, and they went straight toward Beth-Shemesh. They stayed on the road, and were mooing all the time. They did not turn to the left or to the right. The five kings of the Philistia area followed the cows until they reached the edge 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.
At that time, the people of Beth-Shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley [outside the city]. [When the cows came along the road], they looked up and saw the sacred chest. They were extremely happy to see it.
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 cows pulled the cart into the field of a man named Joshua, and they stopped alongside a large rock. Several men from the tribe of Levi lifted from the cart the sacred chest and the box containing the gold models of the rats and the tumors, and they put them all on the large rock. Then the people smashed the cart and kindled a fire with the wood [from which the cart had been made]. They slaughtered the cows and burned their bodies/carcasses on the fire to be an offering for Yahweh that would be completely burned. That day the people of Beth-Shemesh offered to Yahweh [many] sacrifices that were completely burned, and [other] sacrifices.
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.
16 Mgbe ndị eze ise obodo ndị Filistia hụrụ ihe mere, ha laghachiri nʼEkrọn nʼụbọchị ahụ.
The five kings from the Philistia area watched all this, and then 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.
The five gold models of tumors that they sent to be an offering to Yahweh to show that they knew that they deserved to be punished were gifts from [those five kings who were rulers of] Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron [cities].
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 models of the five gold rats were gifts from the people of those five cities and the surrounding towns. The large rock at Beth-Shemesh, on which the [men of the tribe of Levi] set the sacred chest, is still there in the field that belonged to Joshua. When people see it, they remember [what happened there].
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 seventy men from Beth-Shemesh looked into Yahweh’s sacred chest, and because of that, Yahweh caused them to die. Then the people mourned very much because Yahweh punished [IDM] those men like that.
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?”
They said, “No one [RHQ] can (resist the power of/stand in the presence of) Yahweh, our holy God, [and remain alive]! Where can we send the sacred chest?”
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.”
They sent messengers to the people of Kiriath-Jearim [city] to tell them, “The people of Philistia have returned Yahweh’s sacred chest to us! Come here and take it away!”
