< 1 Samuel 6 >
1 Awurade Apam Adaka no dii Filistifoɔ asase so abosome nson.
And the ark was seven months in the country of the Philistines, and their land brought forth swarms of mice.
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 call their priests, and their prophets, and their enchanters, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? teach us wherewith we shall send it away to its place.
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.”
And they said, If you send away the ark of the covenant of the Lord God of Israel, do not on any account send it away empty, but by all means render to it an offering for the plague; and then shall you be healed, and an atonement shall be made for you: should not his hand be [thus] stayed from off 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 say, What [is] the offering for the plague [which] we shall return to it? and they said,
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.
According to the number of the lords of the Philistines, five golden tumors, for the plague was on you, and on your rulers, and on the people; and golden mice, the likeness of the mice that destroy your land: and you shall give glory to the Lord, that he may lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off 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.
And why do you harden your hearts, as Egypt and Pharao hardened their hearts? [was it] not [so] when he mocked them, [that] they let the people go, and they departed?
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.
And now take wood and make a new wagon, and take two cows, that have calved for the first time, without their calves; and do you yoke the cows to the wagon, and lead away the calves from behind them 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 and put it on the wagon; and you shall restore to it the golden articles for the trespass-offering in a coffer by the side of it: and you shall let it go, and sent it away, and you shall depart.
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 see, if it shall go the way of its coasts along by Baethsamys, he has brought upon us this great affliction; and if not, then shall we know that his hand has not touched us, but this [is a] chance [which] has happened to us.
10 Wɔyɛɛ saa. Wɔfaa anantwie mmienu a wɔawo foforɔ de wɔn saa teaseɛnam no so, na wɔde wɔn mma no guu buo mu.
And the Philistines did so; and they took two cows that had calved for the first time, and yoked them to the waggon, and shut up 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 set the ark of the Lord, and the coffer, and the golden mice, on the waggon.
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.
And the cows went straight on the way to the way of Baethsamys, they went along one track; and laboured, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after it as far as the coasts of Baethsamys.
13 Saa ɛberɛ no, na Bet-Semesfoɔ retwa wɔn atokoɔ wɔ bɔnhwa no mu. Enti, wɔpagyaa wɔn ani hunuu Adaka no, wɔdii ahurisie.
And the men of Baethsamys were reaping the wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark of the Lord, and rejoiced to meet 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 waggon entered into the field of Osee, which was in Baethsamys, and they set there by it a great stone; and they split the wood of the waggon, and offered up the cows for a whole burnt offering 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.
And the Levites brought up the ark of the Lord, and the coffer with it, and the golden articles upon it, and placed them on the great stone, and the men of Baethsamys offered whole burnt offerings and meat offerings on that day to the Lord.
16 Filistifoɔ sodifoɔ baanum no hwɛɛ yeinom nyinaa, na ɛda no ara, wɔsane kɔɔ Ekron.
And the five lords of the Philistines saw, and returned to Ascalon in that 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.
And these [are] the golden tumors which the lords of the Philistines gave as a trespass-offering to the Lord; for Azotus one, for Gaza one, for Ascalon one, for Geth one, for Accaron 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 the golden mice according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines, belonging to the five lords, from the fenced city to the village of the Pherezite, and to the great stone, on which they placed the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that was in the field of Osee the Baethsamysite.
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.
And the sons of Jechonias were not pleased with the men of Baethsamys, because they saw the ark of the Lord; and [the Lord] struck among them seventy men, and fifty thousand men: and the people mourned, because the Lord had inflicted on the people, a very great plague.
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 Baethsamys said, Who shall be able to pass before this holy Lord God? and to whom shall the ark of the Lord go up 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 send messengers to the inhabitants of Cariathiarim, saying, The Philistines have brought back the ark of the Lord, go down and take it home to yourselves.