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 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.”
