1 Samueri 6
1 Areka yaJehovha yakati yava nemwedzi minomwe iri munyika yavaFiristia,
When the ark of the LORD had been in the land of the Philistines seven months,
2 vaFiristia vakadana vaprista navavuki vakati, “Toitei neareka yaJehovha? Tiudzei kuti toidzosera sei kunzvimbo yayo.”
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 Vakapindura vachiti, “Kana muchidzosera areka yamwari weIsraeri, musaidzosera isina chinhu, asi edzai nepamunogona kumutumira chipiriso chemhosva. Ipapo muchaporeswa, uye muchaziva kuti sei ruoko rwake rusina kubviswa pamusoro penyu.”
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 VaFiristia vakabvunza vakati, “Chipiriso chemhosva chatinofanira kumutumira ndecheiko?” Vakapindura vachiti, “Mamota mashanu egoridhe nembeva shanu dzegoridhe, zvichienderana nouwandu hwavatongi vavaFiristia, nokuti nedenda rimwe chetero akakurovai imi navatongi venyu.
“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 Itai zviumbwa zvamamota nembeva dzacho, izvo zviri kuparadza nyika, uye mugopa kukudzwa kuna Mwari weIsraeri. Zvikada achasimudza ruoko rwake kubva pamuri napana vamwari venyu nenyika yenyu.
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 Sei muchiomesa mwoyo yenyu sezvakaitwa navaIjipita naFaro? Paakavabata nehasha, havana kubudisa vaIsraeri here kuti vaende?
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 “Naizvozvo torai mugadzirire ngoro itsva, nemhou mbiri dzinonwisa uye dzisina kumbosungwa pajoko. Sungai mhou pangoro, asi torai mhuru dzadzo mugodzipfigira muchirugu.
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 Torai areka yaJehovha mugoiisa pangoro, uye mubhokisi parutivi payo isai zviumbwa zvegoridhe zvamuri kutumirako kwaari sechipo chemhosva. Mugoituma iende,
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 asi, murambe makaitarisa. Kana ikakwidza kuenda kunyika yayo, kwakadziva kuBhetishemeshi, zvoreva kuti Jehovha ndiye anenge auyisa njodzi pamusoro pedu. Asi kana ikarega, ipapo tichaziva kuti harusi ruoko rwake rwakatirova uye kuti zvakangotiwirawo.”
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 Saka vakaita izvi. Vakatora mhou mbiri dzakadai vakadzisungirira pangoro uye vakapfigira mhuru dzadzo muchirugu.
So the men did as instructed. They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and penned up their calves.
11 Vakaisa areka yaJehovha pangoro pamwe chete nebhokisi rakanga rine mbeva dzegoridhe nezviumbwa zvamamota.
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 Ipapo mhou dzakakwidza kuenda Bhetishemeshi, dzakati tande nenzira uye dzichikuma nzira yose; hadzina kutendeukira kurudyi kana kuruboshwe. Vatongi vavaFiristia vakadzitevera kusvikira kumuganhu weBhetishemeshi.
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 Zvino vanhu veBhetishemeshi vakanga vachikohwa gorosi ravo mumupata, uye pavakasimudza misoro yavo vakaona areka, uye vakafara nokuiona.
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 Ngoro yakauya kumunda waJoshua weBhetishemeshi uye ipapo yakamira parutivi rwedombo guru. Vanhu vakatema-tema mapuranga engoro uye vakabayira mhou idzi sechipiriso chinopiswa kuna Jehovha.
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 VaRevhi vakaburutsa areka yaJehovha, pamwe chete nebhokisi raiva nezviumbwa zvegoridhe, vakazvigadzika padombo guru. Musi iwoyo vanhu veBhetishemeshi vakapa zvipiriso zvinopiswa vakabayira zvibayiro kuna Jehovha.
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 Vatongi vashanu vavaFiristia vakaona zvose izvi vakadzokera kuEkironi musi iwoyo.
And when the five rulers of the Philistines saw this, they returned to Ekron that same day.
17 Aya ndiwo mamota egoridhe akatumirwa navaFiristia sechipiriso chemhosva kuna Jehovha, rimwe kuAshidhodhi, rimwe kuGaza, rimwe kuAshikeroni, rimwe kuGati nerimwe kuEkironi.
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 Uye uwandu hwembeva dzegoridhe hwaienderana nouwandu hwamaguta avaFiristia akanga ari avatongi vashanu, maguta aiva namasvingo nemisha yawo yomumaruwa. Dombo guru ravakagadzika areka yaJehovha, riripo nanhasi sechapupu mumunda waJoshua weBhetishemeshi.
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 Asi Mwari akauraya vamwe vavarume veBhetishemeshi, akauraya vanhu makumi manomwe vavo nokuti vakanga vadongorera mukati meareka yaJehovha. Vanhu vakachema nokuti Jehovha akanga auraya vanhu nokuuraya kukuru,
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 uye varume veBhetishemeshi vakabvunza vachiti, “Ndiani angamira pamberi paJehovha, Mwari uyu mutsvene? Areka iyi ichaenda kuna ani ichibva pano?”
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 Ipapo vakatumira nhume kuvanhu veKiriati Jearimi vachiti, “VaFiristia vadzosa areka yaJehovha. Dzikai kuno muzoitora kuti muende nayo kwenyu.”
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.”
