The Covenant Box among the Philistines
1 After the Philistines captured the Covenant Box, they carried it from Ebenezer to their city of Ashdod, 2 took it into the temple of their god Dagon, and set it up beside his statue. 3 Early the next morning the people of Ashdod saw that the statue of Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground in front of the Lord's Covenant Box. So they lifted it up and put it back in its place. 4 Early the following morning they saw that the statue had again fallen down in front of the Covenant Box. This time its head and both its arms were broken off and were lying in the doorway; only the body was left. ( 5 That is why even today the priests of Dagon and all his worshipers in Ashdod step over that place and do not walk on it.)
6 The Lord punished the people of Ashdod severely and terrified them. He punished them and the people in the surrounding territory by causing them to have tumors. 7 When they saw what was happening, they said, “The God of Israel is punishing us and our god Dagon. We can't let the Covenant Box stay here any longer.” 8 So they sent messengers and called together all five of the Philistine kings and asked them, “What shall we do with the Covenant Box of the God of Israel?”
“Take it over to Gath,” they answered; so they took it to Gath, another Philistine city. 9 But after it arrived there, the Lord punished that city too and caused a great panic. He punished them with tumors which developed in all the people of the city, young and old alike. 10 So they sent the Covenant Box to Ekron, another Philistine city; but when it arrived there, the people cried out, “They have brought the Covenant Box of the God of Israel here, in order to kill us all!” 11 So again they sent for all the Philistine kings and said, “Send the Covenant Box of Israel back to its own place, so that it won't kill us and our families.” There was panic throughout the city because God was punishing them so severely. 12 Even those who did not die developed tumors and the people cried out to their gods for help.
Oshikefa moshilongo shOvafilisti
1 NOvafilisti va kufa oshikefa shaKalunga muEben-Eser, ndele ve shi twala kuAsdod. 2 Opo nee Ovafilisti va kufa oshikefa shaKalunga ndele ve shi twala mongulu yaDagon, ndele ve shi tula popepi naDagon. 3 Oonakukalamo muAsdod, eshi ve uya mo ongula inene, va mona Dagon ta nangala oshipala shaye pedu moshipala shoshikefa shOmwene. Ndele va kufa Dagon ndele tave mu tula ponhele yaye vali. 4 Ndelenee vo eshi va penduka ongula inene, ova mona Dagon a nangala oshipala shaye pedu moshipala shoshikefa shOmwene. Ndelenee omutwe waDagon nomake aye avali a tetwa a li poshikulo shoposhi, olumbubu alike lolutu la fyaala po. 5 Onghee hano ovapristeli vaDagon naaveshe ava tava i mongulu yaDagon, itava lyata koshikulo shoposhi shongulu yaDagon muAsdod fiyo onena eli.
6 Ndelenee eke lOmwene la li lidjuu kombada yOvaasdod, ndele Ye e va tilifa nokwe va hepeka noidinda, Asdod noipangelwa yasho. 7 Ovalumenhu vomuAsdod, eshi va dimbulukwa oyo tuu ei, vo va tya: Oshikefa shaKalunga kaIsrael inashi kala vali pufye, osheshi eke laye oli li po lidjuu kombada yetu nokombada yakalunga ketu Dagon. 8 Onghee va ifana ovakulunhu aveshe vOvafilisti va ongale puvo ndele tava pula: “Fye ohatu ka ninga ngahelipi noshikefa shaKalunga kaIsrael?” Ndele venya va tya: “Oshikefa shaKalunga kaIsrael nashi twalwe kuGat.” Ndele oko va twala oshikefa shaKalunga kaIsrael. 9 Ndele vo eshi ve shi twala ko, eke lOmwene la hanga oshilando, le shi dongakanifa nedongakanifo linene shili noonakukala vomoshilando, ovanyasha novakulunhu, Ye e va umba oidinda. 10 Opo nee va tuma oshikefa shaKalunga kuEkron. Ndelenee oshikefa shaKalunga eshi she uya muEkron, ovanhu vomuEkron va ingida ndele tava ti: “Vo ova tuma oku kwaame oshikefa shaKalunga kaIsraeli, ame novanhu vange va hangike kefyo.” 11 Onghee hano va ongaleka ovakulunhu aveshe vOvafilisti ndele tava ti: Oshikefa shaKalunga kaIsrael nashi shunifwe monhele yasho, shiha etele nge novanhu vange efyo. Osheshi oumbada wefyo wa kwata oshilando ashishe. Eke laKalunga la li lidjuu shili. 12 Novanhu ava inava fya, va umbwa oidinda, onghee onghuwo yekwafo ya dja moshilando ya londa meulu.
