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.”
Ovafilisti mave huura Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe
1 Moruveze ndo Ovaisrael va sekama okukarwisa Ovafilisti, nave katona ozondanda zawo mOeben-Eser; nungwari Ovafilisti va katona ozondanda zawo mOafek. 2 Ovafilisti ve rirongera okukarwa; motjirwa otjizeu hi Ovaisrael va haverwa i Ovafilisti, nu pa ṱa ovarumendu mangara omayovi yane. 3 Ovarwe wovita tji va kotoka kozondanda, ovanane vOvaisrael otji va tja nai: “Okutjavi Muhona tja tjiti kutja Ovafilisti ve tu havere ndino? Ngatu kaete Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona kOsilo kutja Muhona a kare mokati ketu ne tu yame momake wovanavita na eṱe.” 4 Owo opu va tumina ovahindwa kOsilo nave kaeta Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona Omunamasaaehe, ngu haama kotjihavero tje tjouhona kombanda yovakerubi. Novazandu vevari va Eli ooHofni na Pinhas va yenda puna Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe.
5 NOtjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona tji tja hita mozondanda, Ovaisrael avehe otji va tjita ondavaerero yondjoroka nga ehi tji ra tjita omungunda. 6 Ovafilisti wina va zuva ondavaerero ndji yondjoroka nave tja: “Ondavaerero ndji onamasa mozondanda zOvaheberi, mai hee tjike?” Nowo va zuva kutja Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona tja kahita mozondanda. 7 Ovafilisti va uruma ave tja: “Ndjambi wOvaisrael weya mozondanda! Owee ku eṱe! Kape na pu pa tjitirwe otjiṋa otja ihi rukuru. 8 Owee ku eṱe! Owaṋi ngu me tu yama ku Ndjambi omunamasa ngwi? Eye onguri Ndjambi tjingeye ngwi ngwa hihamisire Ovaengipte noviwonga ovingi mokuti onguza. 9 Rireye ozombanḓe nu mu ritjinde otja ovarumendu, oweṋe Vafilisti, kutja amu ha karere Ovaheberi tjimuna owo tji va karera eṋe; ritjindeye otja ovarumendu nu mu rwe!”
10 Ovafilisti otji va rwa nomasa, nOvasirael va haverwa nave tupuka, auhe koyawo. Notjiṱiro tja ri otjinene; mOvaisrael mwa ṱa ovarwe wovita omayovi omirongo vitatu. 11 Nu wina Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Ndjambi tja pundwa i ovanavita, novazandu va Eli aveyevari ooHofni na Pinhas va ṱa.
Onḓiro ya Eli
12 Omubenjamin umwe wa tupuka motjirwa na kavaza kOsilo meyuva tjingero ndo, e nozombanda nḓa tauka, nehi motjiuru. 13 Tja kavaza ngo, Eli tjandje wa haama kotjihavero pomahitiro wotjihuro ama nanḓinḓa kondjira. Omutima we wa ri nongurunguse mena rOtjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona. Nomurumendu ngwi tja eta ombuze ndji kotjihuro, otjihuro atjihe otji tja ura. 14 Eli tja za nokuzuva ondavaerero onene ndji, wa pura a tja: “Ondavaerero onene ndji mai hee tjike?” Omurumendu ngwi wa hakahana okuya ku Eli na kora ombuze ndji. 15 Eli wa ri nozombura omirongo muvyu na hambondatu nu wa poṱuparere. 16 Nomurumendu ngwi wa tja nai ku Eli: “Owami ngu mba taura motjirwa, nu mba tupuka ondjira aihe ndinondi.”
Nu Eli we mu pura a tja: “Kwa tjitwa tjike, muatje wandje!”
17 Ingwi omutaure wa zira a tja: “Ovaisrael va taura kOvafilisti, notjimbumba tjovita tja haverwa; novazandu voye aveyevari ooHofni na Pinhas va ṱu, nOtjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Ndjambi tja huurwa.”
18 Omurumendu ngwi tja tamuna Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Ndjambi, Eli otja wa ondonya okuza kotjihavero tje pomuvero worumbo. Neye wa teka engoti na koka, orondu eye wa kurupire tjinene, nu wa ri omurumendu omutwezu. Neye wa kara omunane mOisrael oure wozombura omirongo vine.
Onḓiro yomuhepundu wa Pinhas
19 Nomusuko omukwe wa Eli, omukazendu wa Pinhas, wa ri otjingundi otjinene. Neye tja za nokuzuva ombuze yokutja Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona tja huurwa, noyonḓiro yomukwe we ihe noyomurumendu we, kamanga arire tja vere ozongama na panduka. 20 Nu tja ri pokukoka, ovakazendu mbaa ve mu vatere, va tja nai ku ye: “O tira! Ove wa panduka okazandu!” Eye ka zirire ko, nu ka ningire ko na tja. 21 Nungwari eye wa ruka okazandu ke ena Ikabod, okutja “Ondatero ya Ndjambi ya zu mo mOisrael,” ama heere komahuuriro wOtjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona na konḓiro yomukwe we ihe noyomurumendu we. 22 Neye wa tja: “Ondatero ya Ndjambi ya zu mo mOisrael, orondu Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Ndjambi tja huurwa.”
