1 Samoela 4
1 Ary tonga tany amin’ ny Isiraely rehetra ny tenin’ i Samoela. Dia nandeha ny Isiraely hiady tamin’ ny Filistina ka nitoby teo anilan’ i Ebenezera; ary ny Filistina kosa nitoby tany Afeka.
And Samuel told to all the people of Israel the messages that God gave him. At that time the Israeli army went to fight against the army of the Philistine people. The Israeli army set up their tents at Ebenezer, and the Philistine army set up their tents at Aphek.
2 Dia nilahatra ny Filistina hiady amin’ ny Isiraely; ary rehefa raikitra ny ady, dia resin’ ny Filistina ny Isiraely, ka nahafatesany tokony ho efatra arivo lahy ny miaramila nilahatra tany an-tsaha.
The Philistine army attacked the Israeli army, and as the battle continued, the Philistines defeated the Israelis and killed about 4,000 of their soldiers.
3 Ary rehefa tonga tany an-toby ny olona, dia hoy ny loholon’ ny Isiraely: Nahoana no, namely antsika teo anoloan’ ny Filistina Jehovah androany? Andeha halaintsika avy any Silo ho eto amintsika ny fiaran’ ny faneken’ i Jehovah, ka raha tonga eto amintsika izany, dia hamonjy antsika amin’ ny tanan’ ny fahavalontsika.
When the remaining Israeli soldiers returned to their camp, the Israeli elders/leaders said, “Why did Yahweh allow the Philistine army to defeat us today? We should bring the chest that contains the Ten Commandments here from Shiloh, in order that Yahweh will go with us [when we go to the battle again, and] in order that our enemies will not defeat us again!”
4 Dia naniraka nankany Silo ny olona haka ny fiaran’ ny faneken’ i Jehovah, Tompon’ ny maro, Izay mipetraka amin’ ny kerobima; ary tao Silo, teo amin’ ny fiaran’ ny faneken’ Andriamanitra, izy mirahalahy zanak’ i Ely, dia Hofinia sy Finehasa.
So the soldiers did that. They sent some men to Shiloh, and those men brought back the chest that contained the Ten Commandments. [They thought that if they did that, Yahweh would help them. They believed that] Yahweh sat on a throne between the statues of winged creatures [that were on top of] the chest that Yahweh Almighty [had given them]. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, went with them.
5 Ary rehefa tonga teo an-toby ny fiaran’ ny faneken’ i Jehovah, dia nihoby mafy ny Zanak’ Isiraely rehetra, ka dia nanako ny tany.
When the Israeli people saw [the men bringing] the box into their camp, they were so happy that they shouted loudly. They shouted so loudly that they made the ground shake!
6 Ary rehefa ren’ ny Filistina ny hoby, dia hoy izy; Inona re izany hoby mafy any an-tobin’ ny Hebreo izany? Ary fantany fa tonga ao an-toby ny fiaran’ i Jehovah.
The Philistines asked, “What are the people in the Hebrew camp shouting about?” Someone told them that they were shouting because the chest that contained the Ten Commandments of Yahweh had been brought to them.
7 Dia raiki-tahotra ny Filistina ka nanao hoe: Andriamanitra no tonga ao an-toby. Ary hoy koa izy: Mahita loza isika! fa tsy mbola nisy toy izao.
Then the Philistines became very afraid. They said, “One of the Israelis’ gods has come into their camp [to help them] We are in big trouble now! Nothing like this has happened to us before!
8 Mahita loza isika! Iza no hamonjy antsika amin’ ny tànan’ ireo andriamanitra mahery ireo? Ireo no andriamanitra izay namely ny Egyptiana tamin’ ny kapoka rehetra tany an-efitra.
(Who can/Can anyone) save us from their powerful gods [RHQ]? They are the gods who struck the people of Egypt with many plagues [before the Israelis left Egypt and traveled] through the desert.
9 Mahereza, ary aoka hitomban-dahy ianareo, ry Filistina, fandrao hanompo ny Hebreo ianareo tahaka ny nanompoany anareo; misehoa ho lehilahy ianareo, ka miadia.
You Philistine men, be courageous! Fight very hard! If you do not do that, [they will defeat us, and then] you will become their slaves, just like they have been our slaves previously!”
10 Ary niady ny Filistina, dia resy ny Isiraely, ka samy nandositra ho any an-dainy avy izy rehetra, ary be dia be no maty, dia lehilahy telo alina mandeha an-tongotra tamin’ ny Isiraely no niampatrampatra.
So the Philistine men fought very hard, and they defeated the Israelis. They killed 30,000 Israeli soldiers, and the other Israeli soldiers fled and ran away to their tents.
11 Dia lasan-ko babo ny fiaran’ Andriamanitra, ary maty izy mirahalahy zanak’ i Ely, dia Hofinia sy Finehasa.
The Philistines captured the sacred chest, and they killed Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas.
12 Ary nisy lehilahy Benjamita anankiray nihazakazaka avy tany tamin’ ny miaramila ka tonga tao Silo androtrizay ihany, ary triatra ny akanjony, sady nihosin-tany ny lohany.
On that same day, one man of the tribe [descended from] Benjamin tore his clothes and threw dirt on his head [to show that he was very sad]. He ran from the place where the armies were fighting, and he arrived at Shiloh late [that afternoon].
13 Ary raha tonga izy, indro, Ely nipetraka teo amin’ ny sezany ka nitazana teo amoron-dalana, fa niemponempona ny fony noho ny fiaran’ Andriamanitra. Ary nony tonga tao an-tanàna ralehilahy ka nilaza, dia nidradradradra ny tao an-tanàna rehetra.
Eli was waiting beside the road. [He wanted to hear news about the battle, and] he was also very anxious to know if anything bad had happened to God’s sacred chest. When the messenger arrived and told people what had happened, everyone in the town started to cry loudly.
14 Ary rehefa ren’ i Ely ny feo midradradradra, dia hoy izy: Inona izao feo mitabataba izao? Ary ilay lehilahy nanatona faingana ka nilaza tamin’ i Ely.
Eli asked, “Why are they making all that noise?” The messenger ran over to Eli and told him the news.
15 Ary efa valo amby sivi-folo taona Ely tamin’ izay, sady efa pahina ny masony, ka tsy nahita izy.
At that time, Eli was 98 years old, and he was blind.
16 Ary hoy ilay lehilahy tamin’ i Ely: Izaho ilay avy tany an-tafika, ary androany ihany no nandosirako niala tamin’ ny miaramila. Ary hoy izy: Nanao ahoana izay tany, anaka?
The messenger said to Eli, “I have just come from where the armies were fighting. I left there earlier today.” Eli asked, “What happened?”
17 Dia namaly ilay nitondra teny ka nanao hoe: Nandositra teo anoloan’ ny Filistina ny Isiraely, ka be dia be no maty, ary izy mirahalahy zanakao, Hofinia sy Finehasa, mba maty koa, sady lasan-ko babo ny fiaran’ Andriamanitra.
The man replied, “The Philistines defeated our Israeli army. They killed thousands of our soldiers, and the others ran away. The Philistines killed your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. They also captured God’s sacred chest.”
18 Ary nony nilaza ny amin’ ny fiaran’ Andriamanitra izy, dia lavo nitsilany niala tamin’ ny sezany teo anilan’ ny vavahady Ely, ka folaka ny vozony, dia maty izy, satria efa antitra sady mavesatra. Ary efa nitsara ny Isiraely efa-polo taona izy.
Eli was very old, and he was very fat; and when he heard what had happened to the sacred chest, he fell backward from his chair beside the town gate. His neck was broken and he died. He had led the Israeli people for 40 years before he died.
19 Ary ny vinantoni-vavy, vadin’ i Finehasa, nanan’ anaka ka efa ho teraka; koa nony reny fa lasan-ko babo ny fiaran’ Andriamanitra, sady maty avokoa ny rafozany sy ny vadiny, dia nitanondrika izy ka narary nihetsi-jaza, fa efa ho teraka.
The wife/widow of Eli’s son Phinehas was pregnant, and it was almost time for her to give birth to her baby. When she heard that God’s sacred chest had been captured and that her husband and her father-in-law were dead, her labor pains suddenly began. She quickly gave birth to a boy.
20 Ary rehefa nadiva hiala aina izy, dia niteny ireo vehivavy nitsangana teo anilany ka nanao taminy hoe: Aza matahotra, fa velon-dahy ianao. Fa tsy namaly na nihaino izany izy.
The women who were helping her tried to encourage her by saying to her, “You have given birth to a son!” But she did not pay any attention [DOU] to what they said.
21 Dia nataony hoe Ikaboda ny anaran’ ny zaza; fa hoy izy: Afaka ny voninahitry ny Isiraely, satria efa lasan-ko babo ny fiaran’ Andriamanitra, sady efa maty koa ny rafozany sy ny vadiny.
She named the boy Ichabod, which means ‘no glory’, because she said, “[God’s] glory has departed from Israel.” She said that because God’s sacred chest had been captured and because her husband and her father-in-law had died.
22 Ary hoy izy: Afaka tamin’ ny Isiraely ny voninahitra, fa lasan-ko babo ny fiaran’ Andriamanitra.
She said, “[God’s] glory has left Israel, because God’s sacred chest has been captured!” And then she died.
