1 Then Samuel would speak to the whole nation of Israel.
The Philistines Capture the Sacred Chest
One day the Israelites went out to fight the Philistines. They set up camp near Ebenezer, and the Philistines camped at Aphek. 2 The Philistines made a fierce attack. They defeated the Israelites and killed about 4,000 of them.
3 The Israelite army returned to their camp, and the leaders said, “Why did the Lord let us lose to the Philistines today? Let's get the sacred chest where the Lord's agreement with Israel is kept. Then the Lord will help us and rescue us from our enemies.”
4 The army sent some soldiers to bring back the sacred chest from Shiloh, because the Lord All-Powerful has his throne on the winged creatures on top of the chest.
As Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, 5 brought the chest into camp, the army cheered so loudly that the ground shook. 6 The Philistines heard the noise and said, “What are those Hebrews shouting about?”
When the Philistines learned that the sacred chest had been brought into the camp, 7 they were scared to death and said:
The gods have come into their camp. Now we're in real trouble! Nothing like this has ever happened to us before. 8 We're in big trouble! Who can save us from these powerful gods? They're the same gods who made all those horrible things happen to the Egyptians in the desert.
9 Philistines, be brave and fight hard! If you don't, those Hebrews will rule us, just as we've been ruling them. Fight and don't be afraid.
10 The Philistines did fight. They killed 30,000 Israelite soldiers, and all the rest ran off to their homes. 11 Hophni and Phinehas were killed, and the sacred chest was captured.
Eli Dies
12 That same day a soldier from the tribe of Benjamin ran from the battlefront to Shiloh. He had torn his clothes and put dirt on his head to show his sorrow. 13 He went into town and told the news about the battle, and everyone started crying.
Eli was afraid that something might happen to the sacred chest. So he was sitting on his chair beside the road, just waiting. 14-15 He was 98 years old and blind, but he could hear everyone crying, and he asked, “What's all that noise?”
The soldier hurried over and told Eli, 16 “I escaped from the fighting today and ran here.”
“Young man, what happened?” Eli asked.
17 “Israel ran away from the Philistines,” the soldier answered. “Many of our people were killed, including your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. But worst of all, the sacred chest was captured.”
18 Eli was still sitting on a chair beside the wall of the town gate. And when the man said that the Philistines had taken the sacred chest, Eli fell backwards. He was a very heavy old man, and the fall broke his neck and killed him. He had been a leader of Israel for 40 years.
19 The wife of Phinehas was about to give birth. And soon after she heard that the sacred chest had been captured and that her husband and his father had died, her baby came. The birth was very hard, 20 and she was dying. But the women taking care of her said, “Don't be afraid—it's a boy!”
She didn't pay any attention to them. 21-22 Instead she kept thinking about losing her husband and her father-in-law. So she said, “My son will be named Ichabod, because the glory of Israel left our country when the sacred chest was captured.”
1 Aduŋ Samuweli la kumoo futata Banisirayila bee ma.
Filisitinkoolu ye Kambeŋ Kunewo taa
Saayiŋ Banisirayilankoolu fintita ka taa Filisitinkoolu kele. Banisirayilankoolu daakaata Ebenesa saatewo le to, Filisitinkoolu, wolu daakaata Afeki saatewo to. 2 Filisitinkoolu ye ì la kelediŋolu parendi, fo ì niŋ Banisirayilankoolu si beŋ ka keloo ke. Kabiriŋ keloo daa janjanta, Filisitinkoolu ye Banisirayilankoolu noo le, aduŋ ì ye moo wuli naani ñoŋ faa kele wuloo kono. 3 Kabiriŋ kelediŋolu muruta daakaa to, Banisirayila la alifaalu ye ì ñininkaa, “Muŋ ne ye a tinna Yaawe* ye a ke, fo Filisitinkoolu ye ntolu noo bii? Ali ŋa Yaawe la Kambeŋ Kunewo* bondi naŋ Silo saatewo to, a niŋ ǹ si taa ñoo la, a ye ǹ kanandi ǹ jawoolu buloolu kono.” 4 Bituŋ moolu ye kee doolu kii Silo saatewo to, ì ye Kambeŋ Kunewo samba naŋ, Yaawe Alihawaa Maariyo* la semboo niŋ waroo be meŋ kaŋ kerubu malaayikoolu* teema. Aduŋ Eli dinkee fuloo Hofuni niŋ Pineha niŋ Alla la Kambeŋ Kunewo be nuŋ jee le to.
5 Kabiriŋ Yaawe la Kambeŋ Kunewo naata daakaa to, Banisirayilankoolu niŋ jiki baa sarita santo, fo bankoo lafita ka jarajara. 6 Kabiriŋ Filisitinkoolu ye sari kaŋ baa moyi, ì ye ñininkaaroo ke ko, “Muŋ ne mu ñiŋ saroo ti Hiburunkoolu* la daakaa to?”
Biriŋ ì ye a loŋ ko, Yaawe la Kambeŋ Kunewo naata daakaa to le, 7 Filisitinkoolu silata. Ì ko, “Ñinnu la Alla le naata daakaa to. Ntolu bulata bataa kono le! Ñiŋ nene maŋ ke. 8 Hee ntolu! Jumaa le be ntolu bondi la ñiŋ alla sembemaa baalu bulu? Itolu le keta alloolu ti, mennu ye yankankati jamaa laa Misirankoolu kaŋ keñewuloo* kono. 9 Filisitinkoolu, ali bambaŋ! Ali ke kewolu ti, waraŋ m̀ be ke la Hiburunkoolu la joŋolu ti le, ko ì keta ǹ na joŋolu ti nuŋ ñaameŋ. Ali ke kewolu ti, ali ye keloo ke!”
10 Bituŋ Filisitinkoolu ye keloo ke, aduŋ ì ye Banisirayilankoolu noo le. Ì bee borita ì la tiriliisoolu* to. Faaroo warata baake, Banisirayila foota sinna kelediŋ wuli taŋ saba le la. 11 Filisitinkoolu ye Alla la Kambeŋ Kunewo taa, aduŋ Eli dinkee fuloo Hofuni niŋ Pineha fanaa faata.
Eli la saayaa
12 Wo luŋ kiliŋo Benjamini kee kiliŋ borita naŋ ka bo kele wuloo kono, a taata Silo saatewo to. A la dendikoolu be farariŋ, aduŋ kankaŋo tarata a kuŋo to ka a la sunoo yitandi. 13 Kabiriŋ a futata, Eli be siiriŋ nuŋ a la siiraŋo le kaŋ siloo daala ka i lamoyi, kaatu Alla la Kambeŋ Kunewo la kuwo ye a dewuŋ baake le. Kabiriŋ keendiŋo dunta saatewo kono, a ye kuwo keñaa saata, saatewo bee datita ka kumboo. 14 Eli ye kumboo kaŋo moyi, a ye ñininkaaroo ke ko, “Ñiŋ sari kaŋo mu muŋ ne ti?” Keendiŋo tariyaatoo taata Eli yaa, ka a fo a ye meŋ keta. 15 Eli tarata nuŋ sanji taŋ kononto niŋ seyi le, aduŋ a ñaalu finkita le. 16 A ko Eli ye ko, “Saayiŋ-saayiŋ ne m bota naŋ kele wuloo kono, bii luŋo faŋo le mu m borita naŋ.”
Eli ye a ñininkaa ko, “N dinkewo, muŋ ne keta?”
17 Keendiŋo meŋ ye kibaaroo naati ko a ye ko, “Banisirayilankoolu borita Filisitinkoolu ñaato le, aduŋ kelediŋolu faata baake le. I dinkee fuloo Hofuni aniŋ Pineha fanaa faata le, aduŋ ì ye Alla la Kambeŋ Kunewo taa le.”
18 Kabiriŋ a ye Alla la Kambeŋ Kunewo la kuwo fo, Eli boyita a la siiraŋo kooma la saatee dundaŋ daa to. A kaŋo katita, aduŋ a faata, kaatu a kotoota le, a baloo kuliyaata. A ye Banisirayila ñaatonkayaa le fo sanji taŋ naani.
Pineha la musoo la saayaa
19 Pineha la musoo meŋ mu Eli bitammusoo ti, konoo tarata wo la, aduŋ a be a la wuluu karoo le kono. Kabiriŋ a ye ñiŋ kibaaroo moyi ko, ì ye Alla la Kambeŋ Kunewo taa le, a bitankewo fanaa faata aniŋ a keemaa, tiŋo ye a maa. A ñoyita doroŋ, a wuluuta. 20 Kabiriŋ a niyo be bo kaŋ, musoolu mennu ye a timmuta ko a ye ko, “I faŋo bambandi, i ye dinkewo le wuluu.” Bari a maŋ i lamoyi ì la, waraŋ ka ì jaabi. 21 A ye kambaanoo toolaa Ikabodi le la, ka a yitandi ko, Yaawe la semboo niŋ waroo bota Banisirayila bala le, kaatu ì ye Alla la Kambeŋ Kunewo taa le, aniŋ a bitankewo niŋ a keemaa la saayaa. 22 A ko, “Yaawe la semboo niŋ waroo bota Banisirayila bala le, kaatu ì ye Yaawe la Kambeŋ Kunewo taa le.”
