1 Samuele 7
1 Bato ya Kiriati-Yearimi bayaki kozwa Sanduku ya Yawe mpe bamemaki yango na ndako ya Abinadabi, na ngomba moke; mpe babulisaki Eleazari, mwana na ye ya mobali, mpo ete abatelaka Sanduku ya Yawe.
[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 Wuta mokolo Sanduku ya Yawe ekomaki na Kiriati-Yearimi, elekaki mikolo ebele: mibu pene tuku mibale. Mpe bato nyonso ya Isalaele bayokaki posa ya kozonga epai na Yawe.
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 Bongo Samuele alobaki na bato nyonso ya Isalaele: « Soki ezali na motema na bino mobimba nde bolingi kozonga epai na Yawe, bolongola kati na bino banzambe ya bapaya mpe bikeko ya Asitarite; mpe bomipesa mobimba epai na Yawe mpe bosalela kaka Ye. Na nzela wana nde Ye akokangola bino na maboko ya bato ya Filisitia. »
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 Bato ya Isalaele balongolaki kati na bango banzambe Bala mpe bikeko ya Asitarite, mpe basalelaki kaka Yawe.
So the Israelis got rid of all their statues of the gods Baal and Astarte, and they worshiped only Yahweh.
5 Samuele alobaki na bango: « Bosangisa bato nyonso ya Isalaele, na Mitsipa, mpe ngai nakosambela Yawe mpo na bino. »
Then Samuel told them, “All you Israeli people must gather with me at Mizpah. Then I will pray to Yahweh for you.”
6 Bato ya Isalaele basanganaki na Mitsipa, batokaki mayi mpe basopaki yango na mabele, liboso ya Yawe. Na mokolo wana, bakilaki bilei mpe batubelaki kuna masumu na koloba: « Tosalaki masumu liboso ya Yawe. » Samuele akambaki Isalaele wuta na Mitsipa.
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 Tango bato ya Filisitia bayokaki ete bato ya Isalaele basangani na Mitsipa, bakambi ya bato ya Filisitia bayaki kobundisa bango. Bongo tango bato ya Isalaele bayokaki sango yango, babangaki bato ya Filisitia.
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 Bato ya Isalaele balobaki na Samuele: « Kotika te kosambela Yawe, Nzambe na biso, mpo na biso mpo ete abikisa biso na maboko ya bato ya Filisitia. »
They told Samuel, “Pray to Yahweh to rescue us from the Philistia army [MTY], and do not stop pleading!”
9 Samuele akamataki mwana meme ya mobali, oyo ezalaki nanu komela mabele, mpe abonzaki yango mobimba lokola mbeka ya kotumba epai na Yawe. Abelelaki Yawe mpo na Isalaele, mpe Yawe ayokaki losambo na ye.
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 Wana Samuele azalaki kobonza mbeka ya kotumba, bato ya Filisitia bapusanaki pembeni mpo na kobundisa bato ya Isalaele. Kasi na mokolo wana, Yawe atindelaki bato ya Filisitia kake makasi oyo ekotisaki mobulu kati na bango. Mpe bato ya Isalaele balongaki bango.
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 Bato ya Isalaele babimaki na Mitsipa, balandaki bato ya Filisitia kino na se ya Beti-Kari mpe babomaki bango.
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 Bongo Samuele akamataki libanga moko mpe atiaki yango kati na Mitsipa mpe Sheni; apesaki yango kombo « Ebeni-Ezeri » mpo na koloba: « Kino na esika oyo, Yawe asungi biso. »
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 Bato ya Filisitia bayokisamaki soni mpe bazongelaki lisusu te kokota na mokili ya Isalaele. Na mikolo nyonso ya bomoi ya Samuele, loboko na Yawe etelemelaki bato ya Filisitia.
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 Bingumba oyo bato ya Filisitia babotolaki epai ya bato ya Isalaele, kobanda na Ekroni kino na Gati, ezongaki na maboko ya bato ya Isalaele, mpe bato ya Isalaele bakangolaki bamboka nyonso ya zingazinga oyo ezalaki na se ya bokonzi ya bato ya Filisitia. Mpe kimia ezalaki kati na bato ya Isalaele mpe bato ya Amori.
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 Samuele akambaki Isalaele mikolo nyonso ya bomoi na ye.
Samuel continued to be the leader of the Israeli people until he died.
16 Abandaki kotambola mibu nyonso, kobanda na Beteli, koleka na Giligali kino na Mitsipa, mpo na kokamba bato ya Isalaele na bisika nyonso wana.
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 Kasi azalaki kozonga tango nyonso na Rama epai wapi ndako na ye ezalaki. Ezali kuna nde azalaki lisusu kokamba bato ya Isalaele. Mpe atongaki kuna etumbelo mpo na Yawe.
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.
