1 Samuela 6
1 Pea naʻe ʻi he fonua ʻoe kau Filisitia ʻae puha tapu ʻo Sihova ʻi he māhina ʻe fitu.
The LORD’s ark was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
2 Pea naʻe fekau ʻe he kau Filisitia ke haʻu ʻae kau taulaʻeiki mo e kau kikite, ʻo pehē, “Ko e hā te mau fai ki he puha tapu ʻo Sihova? Fakahā kiate kimautolu pe te mau ʻatu ia ʻaki ʻae ha ki hono potu?”
The Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the LORD’s ark? Show us how we should send it to its place.”
3 Pea naʻa nau pehē, “Kapau ʻoku mou fekau ke ʻave ʻae puha tapu ʻoe ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli, ʻoua naʻa ʻave mola pe ia; ka mou ʻatu muʻa kiate ia ʻae feilaulau ʻi he angahala: ko ia ʻe fakamoʻui ai ʻakimoutolu, pea ʻe toki ʻilo ai ʻekimoutolu pe ko e hā kuo ʻikai hiki ai hono nima ʻiate kimoutolu.”
They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, don’t send it empty; but by all means return a trespass offering to him. Then you will be healed, and it will be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.”
4 Pea naʻa nau pehē, “Ko e hā ʻae feilaulau ʻi he angahala ʻaia te mau ʻatu kiate ia?” Pea naʻa nau tala, “Ko e meaʻi koula ʻe nima, mo e kumā koula ʻe nima, ʻo fakatatau ki he houʻeiki Filisitia ʻe toko nima; he ko e hangatāmaki pē taha naʻe ʻiate kimoutolu kotoa pē, pea ʻi homou houʻeiki.
Then they said, “What should the trespass offering be which we shall return to him?” They said, “Five golden tumours and five golden mice, for the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.
5 Ko ia ke mou ngaohi ʻae ngaahi fakatātā ki homou mataʻi hangatāmaki, pea mo e ngaahi fakatātā ki he kumā ʻaia ʻoku maumauʻi ʻae fonua; pea ke mou tuku ʻae ongoongolelei ki he ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli: heiʻilo pe te ne fakamaʻamaʻa hono nima ʻiate kimoutolu, pea mei homou ngaahi ʻotua, pea mei homou fonua.
Therefore you shall make images of your tumours and images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps he will release his hand from you, from your gods, and from your land.
6 Ko e hā ʻoku mou fakafefeka ai homou loto, ʻo hangē ko e fakafefeka ʻe he kakai ʻIsipite mo Felo honau loto? ʻI he hili ʻene fai ʻae ngaahi meʻa mana ʻiate kinautolu, ʻikai naʻa nau tukuange ʻae kakai ke ʻalu, pea nau ʻalu ai?
Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had worked wonderfully amongst them, didn’t they let the people go, and they departed?
7 Pea ko ia, mou ngaohi ʻae saliote foʻou, pea toʻo ʻae ongo pulu fefine ʻoku huhuʻa, ʻaia kuo teʻeki hoko ki ai ha haʻamonga, pea nonoʻo ʻae ongo manu ki he saliote, pea ʻomi hona ʻuhiki ki ʻapi meiate kinaua:
“Now therefore take and prepare yourselves a new cart and two milk cows on which there has come no yoke; and tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home from them;
8 Pea hiki ʻae puha tapu ʻo Sihova, ʻo fakaheka ia ki he saliote; pea ʻai ʻae ngaahi teunga koula ʻaia ʻoku mou ʻatu ko e feilaulau ʻi he angahala, ʻai ia ki he puha ʻe taha ʻi hono kaokao; pea fekau ke ʻave ia, koeʻuhi ke ʻalu ia.
and take the LORD’s ark and lay it on the cart. Put the jewels of gold, which you return him for a trespass offering, in a box by its side; and send it away, that it may go.
9 Pea vakai, kapau ʻoku ʻalu ia ʻi he hala ki hono fonua ki Pete-Semesi, ko e moʻoni kuo ne fai ʻae mamahi lahi ni kiate kitautolu: pea kapau ʻoku ʻikai, pea tau toki ʻilo tā ʻoku ʻikai ko hono nima kuo taaʻi ʻakitautolu, ka ko e kovi kuo hoko tuʻungaʻa pē kiate kitautolu.”
Behold, if it goes up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has done us this great evil; but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us. It was a chance that happened to us.”
10 Pea naʻe fai ia ʻe he kau tangata naʻe ʻomi ʻae ongo sinamanu, ʻo nonoʻo ʻakinaua ki he saliote, kae tāpuni hona ʻuhiki ʻi ʻapi:
The men did so, and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home.
11 Pea naʻa nau hilifaki ʻae puha tapu ki he saliote, pea mo e ʻaiʻanga ʻoe kumā koula mo e ngaahi fakatātā ki honau hangatāmaki.
They put the LORD’s ark on the cart, and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumours.
12 Pea naʻe ʻalu ʻae ongo sināmanu ʻi he hala totonu, ʻi he hala ki Pete-Semesi, ʻo ʻalu ai pe ʻi he hala motuʻa, ʻo tangi pe mo ʻalu, pea naʻe ʻikai te na tafoki ki he nima toʻomataʻu pe ki he toʻohema; pea naʻe muimui ki ai ʻae houʻeiki ʻoe kakai Filisitia ʻo aʻu ki he veʻe fonua ʻo Pete-Semesi.
The cows took the straight way by the way to Beth Shemesh. They went along the highway, lowing as they went, and didn’t turn away to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.
13 Pea naʻe lolotonga ʻae tuʻusi ʻae toʻukai uite ʻe he kakai ʻo Pete-Semesi ʻi he teleʻa: pea naʻa nau hiki hake honau mata, ʻo mamata ki he puha tapu, pea naʻa nau fiefia ʻi he sio ki ai.
The people of Beth Shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.
14 Pea naʻe haʻu ʻae saliote ki he ngoue ʻa Siosiua ko e tangata Pete-Semesi pea tuʻu ʻi ai, ʻi he potu naʻe ʻi ai ʻae fuʻu maka lahi: pea naʻa nau tafahi ʻae ʻakau ʻoe saliote, ʻo feilaulau ʻaki ʻae ongo sināmanu, ko e feilaulau tutu kia Sihova.
The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there, where there was a great stone. Then they split the wood of the cart and offered up the cows for a burnt offering to the LORD.
15 Pea naʻe fakahifo ʻe he kau Livai ʻae puha tapu ʻo Sihova, pea mo e puha ʻaia naʻe ʻi ai ʻae ngaahi teunga koula, ʻo ʻai ia ki he funga ʻoe maka lahi: naʻe ʻatu ʻe he kau tangata ʻo Pete-Semesi ʻae ngaahi feilaulau tutu, ʻo feilaulau ʻaki ʻae ngaahi feilaulau kia Sihova ʻi he ʻaho ko ia.
The Levites took down the LORD’s ark and the box that was with it, in which the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone; and the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to the LORD.
16 Pea ʻi he mamata ki ai ʻae houʻeiki ʻe toko nima ʻoe kakai Filisitia, naʻa nau liu mai ki Ekiloni ʻi he ʻaho ko ia.
When the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
17 Pea ko e ngaahi meaʻi koula ʻe nima ko eni ʻaia naʻe ʻatu ʻe he kau Filisitia ko e feilaulau ʻi he angahala kia Sihova; ko e taha ki ʻAsitoti, ko e taha ki Kesa, ko e taha ki ʻAsikeloni, ko e taha ki Kati, pea taha ki Ekiloni;
These are the golden tumours which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to the LORD: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;
18 Pea naʻe nima ʻae kumā koula ʻo fakatatau ki he ngaahi kolo kotoa pē ʻae houʻeiki ʻe toko nima ʻoe kakai Filisitia, ʻae ngaahi kolo tau mo e ngaahi potu kakai ʻi ʻuta, ʻo aʻu atu ki he maka lahi ko ʻEpeli, ʻaia naʻa nau hifo ki ai ʻae puha tapu ʻo Sihova: ʻae maka ko ia ʻoku kei tuʻu, ʻi he ngoue ʻa Siosiua ko e Pete-Semesi ʻo aʻu ki he ʻaho ni.
and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of country villages, even to the great stone on which they set down the LORD’s ark. That stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.
19 Pea naʻa ne teʻia ʻae kau tangata ʻo Pete-Semesi, ko e meʻa ʻi heʻenau fakasiosio ki he loto puha tapu ʻo Sihova, ʻio, naʻa ne taaʻi ʻae tangata ʻe toko nima mano ma toko fitungofulu: pea naʻe tangilāulau ʻae kakai, he kuo taaʻi ʻe Sihova ʻae kakai ʻi he tā lahi ʻaupito.
He struck of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the LORD’s ark, he struck fifty thousand and seventy of the men. Then the people mourned, because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter.
20 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe he kau tangata ʻo Pete-Semesi, “Ko hai ʻoku mafai ke tuʻu ʻi he ʻao ʻo Sihova, ko e ʻOtua māʻoniʻoni ni? Pea ʻe ʻalu hake ia kia hai meiate kitautolu?”
The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before the LORD, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?”
21 Pea naʻa nau fekau ʻae kau talafekau ki he kakai ʻo Kesa-Sialimi, ke pehē, “Kuo toe ʻomi ʻe he kakai Filisitia ʻae puha tapu ʻo Sihova; mou omi ʻo haʻamo hake ia kiate kimoutolu.”
They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the LORD’s ark. Come down and bring it up to yourselves.”
