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 tava kwata ko oshikefa shehangano, nefyo laEli novana vaye
1 Nondjovo yaSamuel ya ya kuIsrael ashishe. NOvaisraeli va fikama va homone Ovafilisti ndele va onga onhanda puEben-Eser, ndelenee Ovafilisti va onga onhanda puAfek. 2 Ovafilisti eshi va tanda ombinga ve ke lidenge nOvaisraeli, nolwoodi la li linene, Ovaisraeli va tewa kOvafilisti. Ndele va dipaa monhele yolwoodi ovalumenhu ve fike ngeno pomayovi ane. 3 Ovakwaita fimbo tave uya monhanda, ovakulunhu vOvaisraeli tava ti: Omolwashike Omwene e tu taataifa nena kOvafilisti? Natu ka taleni oshikefa shehangano shOmwene muSilo shi kale mokati ketu ndele tashi tu xupifa momake ovatondadi vetu. 4 Opo nee ovakwaita va tuma ko kuSilo, ndele va eta ko oshikefa shehangano lOmwene womatanga ovakwaita, ou ta kala kombada yovakerubi. Novana ovamati vavali vaEli, Hofni naPinehas, va li poshikefa shehangano laKalunga. 5 Ndele nee oshikefa shehangano lOmwene eshi she uya monhanda, Ovaisraeli aveshe va yelula ondaka tava ingida va hafa, nedu la kakama. 6 NOvafilisti va uda ondaka yehafo ndee tava ti: “Ondaka inene yeuyaano tai udika monhanda yOvaheberi oyashike?” Opo nee va shiivifilwa nokutya, oshikefa shOmwene she uya monhanda, 7 nOvafilisti va tila, osheshi va tya: “Kalunga e uya monhanda! Woo fye, osheshi oshinima sha tya ngaha inashi ningwa shito. 8 Woo fye! Olyelye te ke tu xupifa momake oikalunga ei oinaenghono? Oikalunga oyo tuu oyo ya hepeka Ovaegipiti mombuwa noiponga i lili nai lili. 9 Nye Ovafilisti, kaleni mwa nyatipala, kaleni ngaashi ovalumenhweelela, nye muha longele kaude Ovaheberi, ngaashi vo ve tu longela. Kaleni hano nokulwa ngaashi ovalumenhweelela!” 10 Opo nee Ovafilisti va lwa, nOvaisraeli va tewa fiyo va ya onhapo, keshe umwe kofaila yaye. Nolwoodi la li linene shili. Ovakwaita voposhi Ovaisraeli omayovi omilongo nhatu va dipawa. 11 Oshikefa shaKalunga sha iwa yo nasho, novana ovamati vavali vaEli, Hofni naPinehas, va dipawa.
12 Opo nee Omubenjamin umwe a dja monhele yolwoodi nokwa tondoka ndele ta fiki efiku tuu olo kuSilo, oikutu ya pombauka nedu komutwe waye. 13 Fimbo ye te uya, Eli okwa li omutumba kolukalwa pondjila ndele ta tale, osheshi okwa li e noshisho shoshikefa shaKalunga. Nomulumenhu e uya ndele ta hepaulula moshilando osho sha ningwa, noshilando ashishe sha weelela. 14 Eli eshi a uda ondaka yeweelelo, ye ta ti: “Eweelelo olo olashike?” Nomulumenhu e uya diva ndele te shi lombwele Eli. 15 Omido daEli da li 98, nomesho aye a kulupa, ye ke wete ko vali. 16 Nomulumenhu okwa lombwela Eli: “Ame nda dja konhele yolwoodi. Heeno, onena eli nda dja onhapo konhele yolwoodi.” Ndele ye ota pula: “Omumwange, oshike sha ningwa ko?” 17 Nomutumwa okwa nyamukula ta ti: “Ovaisraeli va tewatewa kOvafilisti, ndele ovakwaita vahapu va dipawa, novana voye vavali, Hofni naPinehas, va dipawa yo, noshikefa shaKalunga sha iwa nasho.” 18 Naanaa winya eshi ta hepaulula ta tongo oshikefa shaKalunga, Eli okwa wa ongali konima kolukalwa poshivelo, ta teka ofingo ndele ta fi, osheshi ye okwa li omulumenhu munene nomudjuu. Ndele ye a pangela Israel omido omilongo nhee. 19 Ndele oshitenya shaye, omwalikadi waPinehas, okwa li popepi nokudala. Ye eshi a uda eenghundana nokutya, oshikefa shaKalunga osha iwa nasho naxemweno nomulumenhu waye va fya, ye okwa wila poshi ndele ta dala, osheshi efeto ledimo le mu hanga. 20 Ndele fimbo e li pokufya, ovakainhu ava va li ofika puye, tava ti: “Ino tila, osheshi owa dala okaana okalume.” Ndelenee ye ine shi yavala, 21 ndelenee okwa luka okaana okalume Ikabod ndele ta ti: “Efimano laIsrael la xula po!” Ye a diladila okwiiwa nako kwoshikefa shaKalunga naxemweno nomulumenhu waye. 22 Ndele okwa tya: “Efimano laIsrael la xula, osheshi oshikefa shaKalunga sha iwa nasho.”
