The Capture of the Covenant Box
1 At that time the Philistines gathered to go to war against Israel, so the Israelites set out to fight them. The Israelites set up their camp at Ebenezer and the Philistines at Aphek. 2 The Philistines attacked, and after fierce fighting they defeated the Israelites and killed about four thousand men on the battlefield. 3 When the survivors came back to camp, the leaders of Israel said, “Why did the Lord let the Philistines defeat us today? Let's go and bring the Lord's Covenant Box from Shiloh, so that he will go with us and save us from our enemies.” 4 So they sent messengers to Shiloh and got the Covenant Box of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned above the winged creatures. And Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, came along with the Covenant Box.
5 When the Covenant Box arrived, the Israelites gave such a loud shout of joy that the earth shook. 6 The Philistines heard the shouting and said, “Listen to all that shouting in the Hebrew camp! What does it mean?” When they found out that the Lord's Covenant Box had arrived in the Hebrew camp, 7 they were afraid, and said, “A god has come into their camp! We're lost! Nothing like this has ever happened to us before! 8 Who can save us from those powerful gods? They are the gods who slaughtered the Egyptians in the desert! 9 Be brave, Philistines! Fight like men, or we will become slaves to the Hebrews, just as they were our slaves. So fight like men!”
10 The Philistines fought hard and defeated the Israelites, who went running to their homes. There was a great slaughter: thirty thousand Israelite soldiers were killed. 11 God's Covenant Box was captured, and Eli's sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were both killed.
The Death of Eli
12 A man from the tribe of Benjamin ran all the way from the battlefield to Shiloh and arrived there the same day. To show his grief, he had torn his clothes and put dirt on his head. 13 Eli, who was very worried about the Covenant Box, was sitting in his seat beside the road, staring. The man spread the news throughout the town, and everyone cried out in fear. 14 Eli heard the noise and asked, “What is all this noise about?” The man hurried to Eli to tell him the news. ( 15 Eli was now ninety-eight years old and almost completely blind.) 16 The man said, “I have escaped from the battle and have run all the way here today.”
Eli asked him, “What happened, my son?”
17 The messenger answered, “Israel ran away from the Philistines; it was a terrible defeat for us! Besides that, your sons Hophni and Phinehas were killed, and God's Covenant Box was captured!”
18 When the man mentioned the Covenant Box, Eli fell backward from his seat beside the gate. He was so old and fat that the fall broke his neck, and he died. He had been a leader in Israel for forty years.
The Death of the Widow of Phinehas
19 Eli's daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant, and it was almost time for her baby to be born. When she heard that God's Covenant Box had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she suddenly went into labor and gave birth. 20 As she was dying, the women helping her said to her, “Be brave! You have a son!” But she paid no attention and did not answer. 21 She named the boy Ichabod, explaining, “God's glory has left Israel”—referring to the capture of the Covenant Box and the death of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 “God's glory has left Israel,” she said, “because God's Covenant Box has been 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.”
