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.”
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.”
