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.”
ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes ge khākhoen xa ra ǃgû-ūhe
1 Israelǁîn ge Filisteǁîn ǀkhan nî ǃkhamse ge ǂoa; ǁîn ge Ebenesers tawa hâǃkhaiba ge ǂnaumâi tsî Filisteǁîna Afeks tawa. 2 Filisteǁîn ge ǃkhams ǃoa ge khâi Israelǁîn ǃoagu; ǃkhamgub ge ǀgai on ge Filisteǁîna Israelǁîna dan tsî hakaǀoadisi aogu âna ǁnāpa ge ǃgam. 3 Tsî ǃkhamaogu ge hâ-ais tawa sīo, o gu ge Israelǁaes di kaiga ge mî: “Tare-i ǃaromab kha ǃKhūba nētsē go dī, Filisteǁîn xa da nî danhesa? A da ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes ǃKhūb disa Silosa xu sī ū, îs sada tawa hâ, îs sada khākhoen di ǃomǁaeba xu huiǂui da.” 4 Aogu ge sîsabega Silos ǃoa sî tsî ǁnāpa xu ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab, trons âb xerugu ǂamai hâb disa ge ūǀkhī kai. Elib ôakha, Hofnib tsî Pinehasi tsîkha on ge ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Elob dis ǀkha ge hā.
5 Tsî ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes ǃKhūb dis ge ǁaes di hâǃkhais tawa hā on ge Israelǁîna ǁnātikō ǃgarise dâb xa ge ǃau, ǃhūb ge ǀganas kōse. 6 Tsî Filisteǁîn ge nē ǃauba ǁnâuo, on ge ge mî: “ǃGâ re nē ǃaub Hebreǁîn di hâǃkhaib ǃnâ hâba. Tare-eb kha nē ǃauba ra ǂâibasen?” Tsî Filisteǁîn ge ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes ǃKhūb dis go hâǃkhais ǃnâ hā ǃkhaisa a ǁnâu, 7 on ge ǁîna ǃao tsî ge mî: “Elo-i ge ǁîn di hâǃkhais ǃnâ go hā. Toabahe da go! Nēti ī xū-i ge aiǃâ ge ī tama hâ i. 8 Toabahe da go. Tari-e nē ǀgaisa elob ǀgaiba xu nî huiǂui da? Nēb ge ǁnā Elob, Egipteǁîna ge ǂguiǃnâgu tsûtsû-ain ǀkha ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ ǂnauba. 9 Filisteǁîgo, nēsi ǁkhoaǂgaoxa î go aogo ase ǃkham, î da tā Hebreǁîn di khobo kai, ǁîn ge sada khobo is ǁkhās khami. Aose tanisen, î go ǃkham.”
10 ǃNubai gu ge Filisteǁîga ǀgaisase ǃkham tsî Israelǁîga ge dan, o gu ge Israelǁîga omdi âgu ǁga ge ǃkhoeni. Kaise kai ǃgamǂuis ge ge hâ; ǃnonadisiǀoadisi toroǃkhamaogu Israelǁîn digu ge ge ǃgamhe. 11 ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Elob dis on ge ge ǃgû-ūhe tsî Elib ôakha, Hofnib tsî Pinehasi tsîkha hoakha ge ge ǁō.
Elib di ǁōb
12 Ob ge Benjaminǁîba ǃkhamǃkhaiba xu ǃkhoe tsî ǁnā tsēs ǁkhās ai Silos tawa ge sī, saran âb a ǀkhausa tsî danas âb aib ǃhūba hâse, ǃoab âba ǁgaus ǃaroma. 13 ǁÎb ge sī ǁaeb aib ge Eliba daob-amǃgâ ǂnû-aiǃnaos âb ai ǂnû tsî daoba ǂnôa gere ǃkhē, ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Elob dis xab gere ǂâiǂhansen xui-ao. Tsî ǁnā khoeb ge ǂhôasa ǃās ǃnâ ǂanǂan, on ge ǃās din hoana ǃaob xa ge ǃau-ā. 14 Ob ge Eliba ǂkhupibab ge ǁnâu, o ge dî: “Tarebe ǂkhupiba nēba?” Ob ge ǁnā khoeba ǃhaese Eliba hā ge mîba. 15 Elib ge khoesedisiǁkhaisaǀa kurixa ge i tsî mûra âba ǀhai tsîb ge ǃgâise ge mû ǁoa i. 16 Tsîb ge ǁîba Elib ǃoa ge mî: “Toroǃkhamma xu ta ge ra hā; nētsē ta ge toroba xu go ǁhâ.”
Ob ge Eliba “Tare-e go ī ti ôa?” ti ge dî.
17 Ob ge ǂhôa-e go hā-ūba ge ǃeream: “Israelǁîn ge Filisteǁîn aiǃâba xu go ǁhâ, kaisen ge ǂguina go ǃgamhe; sa ôakha Hofnib tsî Pinehasi tsîkha ge go ǁō tsî ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes, Elob dis on ge go ǃgû-ūhe.”
18 Tsî ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes xab ge mî, ob ge Eliba ǂnû-aiǃnaos âba xu ǃgâs ǂama ǃās di dao-ams xōǀkhā ge ǁnā. ǁÎb ge ǃaos âba khôa tsî ge ǁō, kaiseb ge ǀnai kaira tsî ǃgom i xui-ao. ǁÎb ge Israela hakadisi kuriga ge ǂgaeǂgui hâ i.
Pinehasi ǃoataras di ǁōb
19 Elib di ǀuiǀgôas, Pinehasi taras ge ge ǀgamǀkhā i tsî ǁaeb âs ge ǀnai ge mâtoa hâ i. ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Elob dis ge ǃgû-ūhe tsî ǀuiǁgûb âs tsî aob âs tsîkha go ǁō ǃkhaisas ge ǁnâu, os ge ǃnapetamase ǁoratsûb xa hāǂamhe tsî ge ǁora. 20 Tsî ǁō ǁgas ra hîa di ge ǁîsa gere ǁoraǃkhō tarade ge mî: “Tā ǃao, aore ǀgôarobas go hō xuige.” Xawes ge ǃeream tama i tsî ǁî-i ai ǂâi-e ǂnûi tama ge i. 21 Tsîs ge ǀgôaroba Ikabod ti ge ǀonǂgai mî rase: “ǃGôasib ge Israela xu go ūbēhe.” ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes di ǃgû-ūhes tsî ǀuiǁgûb tsî aob âs tsîkha di ǁōb tsîn ǃaroma. 22 Tsîs ge “ǃGôasib ge Israela xu go bē, ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes Elob dis go ǃgû-ūhe amaga” ti ge mî.
