1 Samueri 7
1 Saka varume veKiriati Jearimi vakauya vakatora areka yaJehovha. Vakaiendesa kuimba yaAbhinadhabhi pachikomo uye vakatsaura Ereazari mwanakomana wake kuti achengete areka yaJehovha.
[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 Areka yakaramba iri paKiriati Jearimi kwenguva yakareba kwazvo, makore makumi maviri pamwe chete, uye vanhu vose veIsraeri vakachema uye vakatsvaka Jehovha.
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 Ipapo Samueri akati kuimba yeIsraeri, “Kana muchidzokera kuna Jehovha nemwoyo yenyu yose, zvino chibvisai pakati penyu vamwari vavatorwa navaAshitoreti mugozvikumikidza kuna Jehovha uye mumushumire iye bedzi, uye achakudzikinurai kubva muruoko rwavaFiristia.”
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 Saka vaIsraeri vakarasa vose vaBhaari vavo navaAshitoreti, vakashumira Jehovha chete.
So the Israelis got rid of all their statues of the gods Baal and Astarte, and they worshiped only Yahweh.
5 Ipapo Samueri akati, “Unganidzai Israeri yose paMizipa uye ndichakukumbirirai kuna Jehovha.”
Then Samuel told them, “All you Israeli people must gather with me at Mizpah. Then I will pray to Yahweh for you.”
6 Vakati vaungana paMizipa, vakachera mvura vakaidururira pamberi paJehovha. Nomusi iwoyo vakatsanya ipapo vakareurura vachiti, “Takatadzira Jehovha.” Uye Samueri akava mutungamiri weIsraeri yose paMizipa.
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 VaFiristia vakati vanzwa kuti Israeri yakanga yaungana paMizipa, vatungamiri vavaFiristia vakauya kuzovarwisa. Zvino vaIsraeri vakati vazvinzwa, vakatya nokuda kwavaFiristia.
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 Vakati kuna Samueri, “Musarega henyu kuramba muchidanidzira kuna Jehovha Mwari nokuda kwedu, kuti atirwire pamaoko avaFiristia.”
They told Samuel, “Pray to Yahweh to rescue us from the Philistia army [MTY], and do not stop pleading!”
9 Ipapo Samueri akatora gwayana rainwa akaribayira sechipiriso chinopiswa kuna Jehovha. Akachema kuna Jehovha pamusoro peIsraeri, Jehovha akamupindura.
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 Samueri paakanga achibayira chipiriso chinopiswa, vaFiristia vakaswedera pedyo kuti varwise Israeri. Asi zuva iroro Jehovha akatinhira nokutinhira kukuru pamberi pavaFiristia akavavhundutsa zvokuti vakakundwa pamberi pavaIsraeri.
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 Varume veIsraeri vakachimbidza kubuda muMizipa vakadzingirira vaFiristia, vakavauraya munzira kusvikira kunzvimbo iri zasi kweBhetikari.
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 Ipapo Samueri akatora dombo akarimisa pakati peMizipa neSheni. Akaritumidza kuti Ebhenezeri akati, “Jehovha akatibatsira kusvikira pano.”
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 Saka vaFiristia vakakurirwa uye havana kuzorwisa nyika yavaIsraeri zvakare. Uye ruoko rwaJehovha rwakarwa navaFiristia mazuva ose aSamueri.
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 Maguta anobva kuEkironi kusvikira kuGati akanga apambwa navaFiristia kubva kuIsraeri akadzorerwa kwairi, uye Israeri yakasunungura rimwe dunhu rayo kubva muruoko rwavaFiristia. Uye pakazova norunyararo pakati peIsraeri navaAmori.
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 Samueri akaramba ari mutongi weIsraeri kwoupenyu hwake hwose.
Samuel continued to be the leader of the Israeli people until he died.
16 Gore negore aitenderera kubva kuBheteri achienda kuGirigari nokuMizipa, achitonga Israeri munzvimbo dzose idzodzo.
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 Asi aipota achidzokera kuRama, kwaiva nomusha wake, uye ikokowo akatonga Israeri. Uye akavakira Jehovha aritari ikoko.
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.
