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.”
Kutapiwa kwe Bhokisi le Tjidumano
1 Ngono dama la Samuele likazibgwa mu Iziraela yose. Ngono Baiziraela bakabhuda kunobhayana ne Bafilisitiya bakakubunganila ku Ebheneza, Bafilisitiya bakakubunganila ku Afeke. 2 Bafilisitiya bakalulwamisila babhayani babo kugwa ne Baiziraela, kukati ngwa ikula, Baiziraela bakakundiwa ne Bafilisitiya, bakabulaya balume bangabe zwiwulu zwili zwinna (4 000) mu magwilo. 3 Kwakati babhayani beswika ku bukotokelo, batungamili be Iziraela bakabhuzwana bakati, “Apa ini tjathama nasi kuti Yahwe batilonge mu maboko e Bafilisitiya kuti batikunde kene? Ngatiyendeni tinotola Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe ku Shilo, kuti ndizo Yahwe bazhe babe pakati kwedu batitjidze mu simba le tjita tjedu.” 4 Ndizo kukatumwa balume ku Shilo, ngono bakanobuya ne Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe Masimbawose, ibo bagele pakati kwe kherubhu. Bakololo ba Eli Hofuni na Finihasi, bakabe bali ipapobo ne Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu.
5 Kwakati Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe liswika mu bukotokelo, Baiziraela bose bakamimila nge nsindo usinshoma, shango ikaduma. 6 Kwakati Bafilisitiya behwa zhoba ye mima, bakabhuzwana bakati, “Mima iyeyi ingapa nge yeni mu bukotokelo gwe Bahebheru kene?” Bakati basinoziba kuti Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe lazha mu bushanganilo, 7 Bafilisitiya bakapaluka moyo, ngobe bakati, “Ndzimu wazha mu bushanganilo.” Bakadwilila beti, “Yee mme wee, tapalala! Tjinga kwatakazwagwa akuthu kukashingikala kwakajali. 8 Yee mme wee tapalala! Apa ndiani ungatigwila mu simba le midzimu iyeyi yakasima zwingapa kene? Ndiyo midzimu yakabulaya Baegipiti nge mbatsha dzakasiyana siyana mu tjilambanyika. 9 Ibeni nge tjilopa Bafilisitiya, mubhayane se balume, musitongodwa mube balanda be Bahebheru, sekwa bagala bali balanda benyu. Mubhayane se balume.” 10 Ndizo Bafilisitiya bakabhayana, Baiziraela bakakundiwa, bakatizha, mmwe ne mmwe katizhila ku nzi uwe. Kwakafiwa kukulu kwazo, Iziraela yakalashikigwa nge babhayani be makumbo bali zwiwulu zwili makumi matatu (30 000). 11 Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu likatapiwa, bakololo ba Eli Hofuni na Finihasi bakafa nge bubili.
Lufu gwa Eli
12 Nlume we Nbhenjamini kalabuka kudwa ku magwilo, kanolala aswika ku Shilo, akazwipalulila zwiambalo, azwidila mavu mu nsholo. 13 Kwakati eswika, Eli wakabe aligele pa tjigalo tjitje pa zila akalinga zila, ngobe wakabe akadziyidzika ngekwe Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu. Ngono nlume iwoyo kati eswika mu nzi, kati eandamisa thawu, nzi wose ukadila guwo. 14 Kwakati Eli ehwa guwo, kabhuzwa kati, “Yeli guwo lingapa ngeleni kene?” Ipapo nlume iwoyo kazha tjinyolotjo, kabudza Eli. 15 Eli wakabe atjikwegula makole awe abe makumi ali zhanalume lina makole ali zhanakadzi (98) mesho awe atjipofupala asingatjabone. 16 Nlume iwoyu wakadwa Eli kati, “Ndimi ndadwa ku ngwa, ndatizha ku ngwa nasi.”
Eli kabhuzwa kati, “Apa kutjani koga ikweno nkololo wangu?”
17 Ntuli we thawu kashandula eti, “Baiziraela bakundiwa nge Bafilisitiya, ngono kwabe ne kufa kukulu kwazo kwe babhayani, nenge bakololo benyu Hofuni na Finihasi bafabo. Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu nailobo latapiwa.” 18 Wakati eleba ngekwe Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu, Eli kakudubhuka mu tjigalo tjitje kanowa nge itiko pa hwunde ne nkoba, ngono kavunika ntshibha kafa, ngobe wakabe akakwegula kakale ana mbili. Eli wakabe ana makole ali makumi manna (40) ali ntungamili we Iziraela.
Lufu gwe nkadzi wa Finihasi
19 Nlongo wa Eli nkadzi wa Finihasi, wakabe atjikuligwa abe pejo ngotshibama. Wakati ehwa thawu dze kuti Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu lakatapiwa ne kuti tezwale babe ne nlume uwe bafa, ipapo koga kangina mu zwibhayo ngono zwibhayo zwikankulila katshibama, 20 koga wakabe atjipelegwa abe pejo ngofa, batshibamisi bakandwa bakati, “Usitje, ngobe wawana mwana we tjilume.” Koga kasibadabile nenguba kuli kube ne hanya. 21 Katumila mbisana zina linoyi Ikabhodi, edwa kuti, “Gudzo lafuluka mu Iziraela,” ngekuti Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu lakabe latapiwa nenge kwe lufu gwa tezwale babe ne nlume uwe. 22 Kabe eti, “Gudzo lafuluka mu Iziraela, ngobe Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu latapiwa.”