1 Samuel 6
1 Awurade Apam Adaka no dii Filistifoɔ asase so abosome nson.
Now the ark of the Lord was in the region of the Philistines for seven months.
2 Na Filistifoɔ no frɛɛ wɔn asɔfoɔ ne wɔn nsamanfrɛfoɔ bisaa wɔn sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na yɛnyɛ Awurade Apam Adaka yi? Monkyerɛ yɛn ɛkwan a yɛmfa so nsane mfa nkɔ asase a ɛfiri soɔ no so.”
And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Reveal to us in what manner we should send it back to its place.” And they said:
3 Wɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, “Monsane mfa Israel Onyankopɔn Apam Adaka no nkɔ baabi a mokɔfaa no, na momfa akyɛdeɛ nka ho. Momfa afɔdie afɔdeɛ nka ho, na ama ɔyaredɔm no agyae. Na sɛ ɔyaredɔm no annyae a, ɛbɛma moahunu sɛ ɛnyɛ Onyankopɔn na ɔde baeɛ.”
“If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not choose to release it empty. Instead, repay to him what you owe because of sin. And then you will be cured. And you will know why his hand did not withdraw from you.”
4 Wɔbisaa sɛ, “Ɛnneɛ, na afɔdie afɔdeɛ bɛn na yɛmfa nkɔ?” Na wɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, “Esiane sɛ ɔyaredɔm no abɔ mo ne mo sodifoɔ baanum enti, monyɛ sikakɔkɔɔ te sɛ mpɔmpɔ sɛso enum ne sikakɔkɔɔ akusie sɛso enum te sɛ deɛ sodifoɔ no dodoɔ teɛ.
And they said, “What is it that we ought to repay to him because of transgression?” And they responded:
5 Monyɛ saa nneɛma yi nyinaa fa nkyerɛ anidie a mowɔ ma Israel Onyankopɔn. Na ebia, ɔbɛgyae mo, mo anyame ne mo asase amanehunu no.
“In accord with the number of the provinces of the Philistines, you shall fashion five gold cysts and five gold mice. For the same plague has been upon all of you and your princes. And you shall fashion a likeness of your cysts and a likeness of the mice, which have destroyed the land. And so shall you give glory to the God of Israel, so that perhaps he may lift off his hand from you, and from your gods, and from your land.
6 Monnyɛ asoɔden, nnyɛ adɔnyɛfoɔ, sɛdeɛ Farao ne Misraimfoɔ yɛeɛ no. Wɔamma Israelfoɔ ankɔ kɔsii sɛ Onyankopɔn maa ɔyaredɔm te guu wɔn so.
Why have you hardened your hearts, just as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he was struck, did he not then release them, and they went away?
7 “Afei, monyɛ teaseɛnam foforɔ, na monhwehwɛ anantwibereɛ mmienu a afei na wɔawo mma foforɔ. Monhwɛ sɛ wɔntwee teaseɛnam da. Momfa anantwie no nsesa teaseɛnam no na montete wɔn mma no mfiri wɔn ho, mfa wɔn nkɔgu wɔn buo mu.
Now therefore, fashion and take a new cart, with two cows that have given birth, but on which no yoke has been imposed. And yoke them to the cart, but retain their calves at home.
8 Momfa Awurade Apam Adaka no nsi teaseɛnam no mu, na momfa adakawa a sikakɔkɔɔ akusie sɛso ne sikakɔkɔɔ mpɔmpɔ sɛso wɔ mu no nsi nkyɛn. Afei, momma anantwie no nkɔ baabiara a wɔpɛ.
And you shall take the ark of the Lord, and you shall place it upon the cart, with the articles of gold that you have paid to him on behalf of transgression. You shall place these in a little box at its side. And release it, so that it may go.
9 Na sɛ wɔtra yɛn asase hyeɛ, na wɔkɔduru Bet-Semes a, ɛbɛma yɛahunu sɛ, ɛyɛ Awurade na ɔde saa amanehunu kɛseɛ yi baa yɛn so. Na sɛ amma no saa a, yɛbɛhunu sɛ saa ɔyaredɔm a ɛbaa yɛn so no yɛ akwanhyia bi, na mmom, ɛmfiri Awurade, ɛkwan biara so.”
And you shall watch. And if, indeed, it ascends by the way of his own parts, toward Beth-shemesh, then he has done this great evil to us. But if not, then we shall know that it is by no means his hand that has touched us, but instead it happened by chance.”
10 Wɔyɛɛ saa. Wɔfaa anantwie mmienu a wɔawo foforɔ de wɔn saa teaseɛnam no so, na wɔde wɔn mma no guu buo mu.
Therefore, they did it in this way. And taking two cows that were feeding calves, they yoked them to the cart, and they enclosed their calves at home.
11 Wɔde Awurade Apam Adaka no sii teaseɛnam no mu. Wɔde adakawa a sikakɔkɔɔ akusie sɛso ne sikakɔkɔɔ mpɔmpɔ sɛso wɔ mu no sii ho.
And they placed the ark of God upon the cart, with the little box that held the gold mice and the likenesses of the cysts.
12 Afei, anantwie no de su faa tempɔn a ɛkɔ Bet-Semes no so tee. Filistifoɔ sodifoɔ dii wɔn akyi ara kɔsii Bet-Semes hyeɛ so.
But the cows went directly along the way that leads to Beth-shemesh. And they advanced only in one direction, lowing as they went. And they did not turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left. Moreover, the princes of the Philistines followed them, as far as the borders of Beth-shemesh.
13 Saa ɛberɛ no, na Bet-Semesfoɔ retwa wɔn atokoɔ wɔ bɔnhwa no mu. Enti, wɔpagyaa wɔn ani hunuu Adaka no, wɔdii ahurisie.
Now the Beth-shemeshites were harvesting wheat in the valley. And lifting up their eyes, they saw the ark, and they were glad when they had seen it.
14 Teaseɛnam no kɔduruu ɔbarima bi a wɔfrɛ no Yosua a ɔfiri Bet-Semes afuo mu no, ɛgyinaa ɔbotan kɛseɛ bi ho. Nnipa no twitwaa nnua a wɔde yɛɛ teaseɛnam no mu. Na wɔde anantwie no bɔɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ maa Awurade.
And the cart went into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemeshite, and it stood still there. Now in that place was a great stone, and so they cut up the wood of the cart, and they placed the cows upon it as a holocaust to the Lord.
15 Lewifoɔ no mu bebree faa adaka no ne adakawa a sika agudeɛ wɔ mu no, na wɔde guu ɔbotan kɛseɛ no so. Saa ɛda no, Bet-Semesfoɔ bɔɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ ne aduane afɔdeɛ bebree maa Awurade.
But the Levites took down the ark of God, and the little box that was at its side, in which were the articles of gold, and they placed them upon the great stone. Then the men of Beth-shemesh offered holocausts and immolated victims, on that day, to the Lord.
16 Filistifoɔ sodifoɔ baanum no hwɛɛ yeinom nyinaa, na ɛda no ara, wɔsane kɔɔ Ekron.
And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Ekron on the same day.
17 Sikakɔkɔɔ mpɔmpɔ sɛso a Filistifoɔ no de kɔɔ sɛ asodie afɔdeɛ, de maa Awurade no yɛ akyɛdeɛ a ɛfiri Asdod, Gasa, Askelon, Gat ne Ekron sodifoɔ nkyɛn.
Now these are the gold cysts, which the Philistines repaid to the Lord for transgression: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one.
18 Sikakɔkɔɔ akusie sɛso enum no nso gyina hɔ ma Filistifoɔ nkuropɔn enum no ne nkurotoɔ a atwa ho ahyia no a na sodifoɔ baanum no hwɛ so no. Ɔbotan kɛseɛ a na ɛwɔ Bet-Semes a wɔde Awurade Apam Adaka no siiɛ no nso da so tim Yosua afuom bɛsi ɛnnɛ sɛ nkaedeɛ a ɛkyerɛ asɛm a ɛsii hɔ no.
And there were gold mice, according to the number of the cities of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fortified city to the village that was without a wall, and even to the great stone upon which they placed the ark of the Lord, which was, at last in that day, in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemeshite.
19 Na Awurade kunkumm Bet-Semesfoɔ no mmarima aduɔson sɛ wɔahwɛ Awurade Apam Adaka no mu. Na deɛ Awurade yɛeɛ no enti, nnipa no twaa agyaadwoɔ pa ara.
Then he struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had seen the ark of the Lord. And he struck down some of the people: seventy men, and fifty thousand of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.
20 Wɔsu bisaa sɛ, “Hwan na ɔbɛtumi agyina Awurade, Ɔkronkronni Onyankopɔn anim? Ɛhe na yɛbɛtumi de adaka yi afiri ha akɔ?”
And the men of Beth-shemesh said: “Who will be able to stand in the sight of the Lord, this holy God? And who will ascend to him from us?”
21 Enti, wɔsomaa abɔfoɔ kɔɔ Kiriat-Yearimfoɔ nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, “Filistifoɔ no asane de Awurade Apam Adaka no aba. Yɛsrɛ mo, mommra ha mmɛgye!”
And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying: “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Descend and lead it back to you.”
