1 And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. 3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. 4 Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords. 5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. 6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? 7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them: 8 And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. 9 And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.
10 ¶ And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: 11 And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. 12 And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh. 13 And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it . 14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD. 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were , and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD. 16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it , they returned to Ekron the same day. 17 And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; 18 And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemite.
19 ¶ And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. 20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
21 ¶ And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.
Kubgwiliziwa kwe Bhokisi le Tjidumano
1 Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe lakagala mu shango ye Bafilisitiya mwedzi ili kutendeka. 2 Ndizo Bafilisitiya bakadana bapirisiti ne ng'anga bakababhuzwa bakati, “Apa tithameni nge Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe kene? Mutibudze kuti tingalibgwiliza neni kanyi kwalo.”
3 Bakadabila beti, “Ha mubgwiliza Bhokisi le Tjidumano tje Ndzimu we Iziraela musitongo libgwiliza lisina tjalinatjo, koga sekwa mungatubula mulibgwilize kuuli ne tjibhayilo tje nlandu. Ndizo mowopodziwa, ngono mowoziba kuti ini Yahwe babe basingashanduse shamu yabo mu muli.”
4 Bafilisitiya bakabhuzwa bakati, “Apa ini tjatingayisa ku bali tjili tjibhayilo tje nlandu kene?”
Bakashandula beti, “Malonda mashanu e golide ne mbeba dzili shanu dze golide, kuyendidzana ne mbalo ye batungamili be Bafilisitiya, ngobe tjiga tjakamushingikalila mose ne batungamili benyu. 5 Ndizo bumbani zwifano zwe malonda yenyu ne zwifano zwe mbeba dzenyu zwinotjinya shango, ngono muyise gudzo ku Ndzimu we Iziraela, pamwe swiyo banowoshandusa shamu yabo mu muli ne mu midzimu yenyu ne mu shango yenyu. 6 Apa ini mungakukutadza moyo yenyu se Baegipiti na Faro bakakukutadza moyo yabo kene? Apa akuzoti shule kwe Ndzimu usinothama makaabadzo, bakaletja Baiziraela bakayenda, apa abazoyenda kene? 7 Ngono ngwenu lulwamisani kara tshwa ne ng'ombe mbili dzinokamiwa dzili dzisakatongo tilikwa jokwi, mudzisunge mu kara koga mudzithubukanye ne phulu dzadzo mudziyise kanyi. 8 Tolani Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe mulilonge mu kara, ngono zwifano zwe golide zwamunoyisa ku Iziraela zwili tjibhayilo tje nlandu, muzwilonge mu bhokisi mulibige pahwunde yalo. Ndizo mulitumile kuti liyende loga. 9 Ngono mulilinge, ha lingatobela zila inoyenda ku shango yalo lakalinga ku Bhetishemeshi, ndizo kulobgwa shamu kunogwadza zwingapa towobe takakuthamigwa ndi Yahwe. Koga ha kusakajalo, towoziba kuti ate shamu yabo yakatiloba, ngono tjiga tjakatiwilabo koga.”
10 Bathu bakathama beijalo, bakatola ng'ombe mbili dzinokamiwa bakadzisunga mu kara, ngono bakazhalilila phulu dzadzo mu danga. 11 Bakalonga Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe, ne bhokisi lina mbeba dze golide ne zwifano zwe malonda abo mu kara. 12 Ndizo ng'ombe dzikayenda dzakatambunuka nge zila inoyenda ku Bhetishemeshi, kusina padzinobhuda mu zila, dziyenda dzilila. Boshe be Bafilisitiya bakadzitobelela kudzina dzinoswika ku n'gathu we Bhetishemeshi.
13 Ipapo bathu be Bhetishemeshi bakabe bevuna korong yabo mu nkuku. Bakati bemilidza mesho bebona Bhokisi le Tjidumano, bakashathila kulibona. 14 Kara yakaswikila mu nnda wa Joshuwa we Bhetishemeshi, ngono ikama pa hwunde ne shongwe hwulu. Bathu bakaphapha hwuni dze kara, bakabhaya ng'ombe kupisila Yahwe tjibhayilo. 15 Balevi bakadelusila Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe pasi, kose ne bhokisi lakabe lina zwithu zwakathamwa nge golide, ngono bakaabiga pezhugwi kwe shongwe hwulu. Mu zhuba ilelo bathu be Bhetishemeshi bakadusila Yahwe zwipo bakabapisila zwibhayilo. 16 Kwakati boshe bashanu be Bafilisitiya bebona ikoku, bakashandukila ku Ekironi mu zhuba ilelo.
17 Iyawa ndiwo malonda e golide, akayisiwa nge Bafilisitiya ali tjibhayilo tje nlandu kuna Yahwe: Limwe lili le Ashidodi, limwe lili le Gaza, limwe lili le Ashikeloni, limwe lili le Gati ne limwe lili le Ekironi. 18 Mbeba dze golide na idzobo, kuyendidzana ne mbalo ye mizi mikulu yose ye Bafilisitiya ya boshe bali bashanu, mizi yakabe yakabakiligwa nenge mizi yakabe isakabakiligwa. Shongwe hwulu, yabakadelusila Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe, tjitendeki mu nnda wa Joshuwa we Bhetishemeshi na nasi.
19 Ngono Ndzimu wakabulaya bamwe be balume be Bhetishemeshi, wakabulaya bali makumi ali kutendeka (70), ngobe bakabe bashozhela mukati kwe Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe. Bathu bakalila, ngobe Yahwe bakathama kubulaya kukulu mu bathu.
Bhokisi le Tjidumano liku Kiriatijearimu
20 Bathu be Bhetishemeshi bakati, “Apa ndiani ungatubula kuma mbeli kwa Yahwe kene, Ndzimu iwoyu wakayengemala? Apa Bhokisi le Tjidumano lowoyenda kuna ani kudwa mutili kene?” 21 Bakatuma batumwa ku bathu be Kiriatijearimu kunobadwa beti, “Bafilisitiya bakabuza Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe, ngono izhani mulitolele kumuli.”