1 Samuel 7
1 Ya mere, ndị ikom Kiriat Jearim bịara buru igbe ọgbụgba ndụOnyenwe anyị bubata ya nʼụlọ Abinadab nke dị nʼelu ugwu. Ha doro Elieza, ọkpara Abinadab nsọ, ka ọ bụrụ onye na-elekọta igbe ọgbụgba ndụ Onyenwe anyị.
[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 Igbe ahụ dịgidere na Kiriat Jearim ogologo oge, iri afọ abụọ zuruoke. Ma nʼoge a niile, ndị Izrel nọ na-eru ụjụ nʼihi Onyenwe anyị.
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 Ya mere, Samuel gwara ezinaụlọ Izrel niile sị, “Ọ bụrụ na unu ji obi unu niile na alaghachikwute Onyenwe anyị, mgbe ahụ, wezuganụ chi niile nke ndị ala ọzọ, na arụsị Ashtọret site nʼetiti unu. Kpebienụ nʼobi unu ịbịakwute Onyenwe anyị, feekwa naanị ya ofufe. Ọ ga-anapụtakwa unu site nʼaka ndị Filistia.”
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 Ya mere, ndị Izrel wezugara arụsị Baal na Ashtọret ha, bido ife naanị Onyenwe anyị.
So the Israelis got rid of all their statues of the gods Baal and Astarte, and they worshiped only Yahweh.
5 Samuel gwara ha sị, “Unu ndị Izrel, zukọtaanụ na Mizpa, ka m rịọọ Onyenwe anyị arịrịọ nʼisi unu.”
Then Samuel told them, “All you Israeli people must gather with me at Mizpah. Then I will pray to Yahweh for you.”
6 Mgbe ha niile zukọrọ nʼebe ahụ, ha kuuru mmiri wụpụ ya nʼala nʼihu Onyenwe anyị. Nʼụbọchị ahụ kwa, ha buru ọnụ, kwupụta mmehie sị, “Anyị emehiela megide Onyenwe anyị.” Ọ bụ na Mizpa ka Samuel malitere ikpe ụmụ Izrel ikpe.
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 Mgbe ndị Filistia nụrụ na ụmụ Izrel zukọrọ na Mizpa, ndị eze ndị Filistia chịkọtara ndị agha ha, bịa ibuso Izrel agha. Mgbe ụmụ Izrel nụrụ na ha na-abịa nso, ha tụrụ ụjọ nke ukwuu.
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 Ha sịrị Samuel, “Akwụsịla itiku Onyenwe anyị Chineke anyị mkpu akwa nʼihi anyị, kpeekwa ekpere ka ọ zọpụta anyị site nʼaka ndị Filistia.”
They told Samuel, “Pray to Yahweh to rescue us from the Philistia army [MTY], and do not stop pleading!”
9 Mgbe ahụ, Samuel weere nwa atụrụ na-aṅụ ara jiri ya chụọrọ Onyenwe anyị aja nsure ọkụ, rịọkwa Onyenwe anyị ka o nyere Izrel aka. Onyenwe anyị zara ekpere ya.
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 Nʼoge ahụ, mgbe Samuel nọ na-esure aja nsure ọkụ ahụ, ndị Filistia bịaruru nso ibuso Izrel agha, ma Onyenwe anyị sitere nʼeluigwe were oke olu egbe eluigwe nke dara oke ụda chụsasịa ha. O mere ka ọgbaaghara bata nʼetiti ndị Filistia. Nke a mekwara ka ụmụ Izrel kpochapụ ha,
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 Ndị ikom Izrel si na Mizpa pụta chụso ndị Filistia ọsọ, na-etigbu ha nʼụzọ ruo na ndịda Bet-Ka.
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 Mgbe ahụ, Samuel weere otu nkume doo ya nʼagbata Mizpa na Shen, kpọọ ebe ahụ, Ebeneza, nke pụtara, “Nkume inyeaka,” nʼihi na ọ sịrị, “Nʼezie, Onyenwe anyị enyerela anyị aka ruo ugbu a.”
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 Ya mere, mmeri a e meriri ndị Filistia mere ka ha ghara ibuso Izrel agha ọzọ, nʼihi na Onyenwe anyị kwụsịrị ha ime nke a ụbọchị niile nke ndụ Samuel.
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 E nyeghachiri ndị Izrel obodo niile ndị Filistia dọtara nʼagha na mbụ, nke dị site nʼEkrọn ruo Gat. Ndị Izrel napụtara oke ala ndị a site nʼaka ndị Filistia. Nʼụzọ dị otu a, e mere ka udo dị nʼetiti ndị Izrel na ndị Amọrait.
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 Samuel nọgidere dịka onye ikpe ndị Izrel ụbọchị niile nke ndụ ya.
Samuel continued to be the leader of the Israeli people until he died.
16 Afọ niile, ọ na-ejegharị site nʼotu obodo ruo nʼobodo ọzọ, site nʼobodo Betel ruo Gilgal, ruokwa Mizpa. Ọ na-anọkwa nʼobodo ndị a na-ekpe ndị Izrel ikpe.
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 Ma ọ na-alọghachi na Rema, nʼihi na ọ bụ nʼebe ahụ ka ụlọ ya dị. O kpekwara ndị Izrel ikpe nʼebe ahụ, wuokwara Onyenwe anyị ebe ịchụ aja nʼebe ahụ.
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.
