1 And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. 2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the LORD? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. 3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass offering: then ye shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you. 4 Then said they, What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him? They answered, Five golden emerods, and five golden mice, according to the number of the lords of the Philistines: for one plague was on you all, and on your lords. 5 Wherefore ye shall make images of your emerods, and images of your mice that mar the land; and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel: peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. 6 Wherefore then do ye harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? when he had wrought wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed? 7 Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them: 8 And take the ark of the LORD, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof; and send it away, that it may go. 9 And see, if it goeth up by the way of his own coast to Beth-shemesh, then he hath done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was a chance that happened to us.
10 ¶ And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home: 11 And they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their emerods. 12 And the kine took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Beth-shemesh. 13 And they of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it . 14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD. 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD, and the coffer that was with it, wherein the jewels of gold were , and put them on the great stone: and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD. 16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it , they returned to Ekron the same day. 17 And these are the golden emerods which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering unto the LORD; for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Askelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one; 18 And the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fenced cities, and of country villages, even unto the great stone of Abel, whereon they set down the ark of the LORD: which stone remaineth unto this day in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemite.
19 ¶ And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. 20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?
21 ¶ And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.
Omayaruriro wOtjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe
1 Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona tja kara mehi rOvafilisti oure womieze hambombari. 2 NOvafilisti va isana ovapristeri nozombetere nave pura nai: “Ngatu tjite vi nOtjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona? Tu tjiviseye kutja tji twa hindi koṋa ku tji kara, matu tji hindi na tjike?”
3 Nowo va zira nai: “Tji mamu yarura Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Ndjambi wOvaisrael, amu tji hindi uriri, nungwari yandjeye po otjiyandjewa tjokusuta ondjo yeṋu; indino mamu veruka, notji mamu tjivisiwa kutja mwa vererwa tjike.”
4 Novandu va pura ave tja: “Otjingee tjiyambo tji matuso okuyandja okusuta ondjo ku Ndjambi?”
Novapristeri nozombetere arire tji va ziri ave tja: “Yandjeye oviserekarera vitano vyomisuro vyeṋu vyongoldo, noviserekarera vitano vyomapuku vyongoldo otja kotjivaro tjozombara ndano zOvafilisti; orondu otjiwonga tjingetjo tja wira ku eṋe na kozombara zeṋu. 5 Ungureye oviserekarera vyomisuro vyeṋu novyomapuku ngu maye nyono ehi reṋu, nu mu yandje ondjozikiro ku Ndjambi wa Israel, ngahino eye ma isa okumuvera, eṋe noomukuru veṋu nehi reṋu. 6 Okutjavi tji mamu kukutisa omitima vyeṋu otja Ovaengipte na Farao tji va kukutisire omitima vyawo? Owo kave isire Ovaisrael ve tjinde, indu Ndjambi tja zire nokuveraisira omasa we are? 7 Nambano ungureye etemba epe, mu kambure ozongombe mbari ozondaambe nḓe hiya kutirwa, nu mu ze kutire ketemba; nu inḓa ozondana zazo puraureye nu mu ze hingire konganda. 8 Tjazumba turikeye Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona metemba, nu mokapwikiro inga komeṋe mu twe mo imbi ovihuze vyongoldo mbi mamu vanga okuyandja ku ye, vi rire ombunguhiro yokusuta ondjo, noko mu ke twe meṋe yOtjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe. Netemba ndi ri eseye ri yende orini, 9 nu mu tarere koṋa ku mari i; tji ra hungama kotjihuro Bet-Semes, mape hee kutja Ndjambi wOvaisrael ongwa hinda otjiwonga hi kombanda yetu. Nungwari tji ri ha hungamene koṋa ngo, matu tjiwa kutja ka ye ngwa hinda otjiwonga hi, nungwari tje ya otjini.”
10 Ovafilisti va tjita otja pu va raerwa; va kambura ozongombe mbari ozondaambe ave ze kutire ketemba nave puraurire inḓa ozondana monganda. 11 Nowo va turika Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona metemba pamwe nokapwikiro mu mwa ri oviserekarera vyongoldo vyomapuku novyomisuro vyawo. 12 Nu inḓa ozongombe ozondaambe za hungama osemba kObet-Semes; ozo za kayenda amaze vandara oruveze aruhe, nokuhinokuyepa kokunene poo kokumuho. Nozombara nḓa ndano zOvafilisti za teza ozongombe nḓa nga komukuro wa Bet-Semes.
13 Novature va Bet-Semes ave kondo ovikokotwa momahi womakunino wotjana. Nowo tji va era omeho wawo, arire tji va munu Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe nave nyanda tjinene. 14 Netemba re ya mehi romakunino rOmubetsemes Josua, nari kakurama mbo meṋe yewe enene. Novature va Bet-Semes va teya etemba ndi, ave ke omiti vyaro okuisapo ozonguṋe, ave zepa ozongombe ozondaambe nḓa nave ze punguhire Muhona ze rire ombunguhiro oningiririsiwa. 15 Ovalevi va herura Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona na inga okapwikiro mu mwa ri oviserekarera vyongoldo, nave vi twa kewe enene ndi. Novature va Bet-Semes va punguhira Muhona ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa nozongwao zarwe meyuva ndo. 16 Nu inḓa ozombara ndano zOvafilisti tji za za nokumuna avihe mbi arire tji za yaruka kOekron meyuva tjingero ndo.
17 Nu imbi oviserekarera vyomisuro vyongoldo Ovafilisti mbi va hinda ku Muhona vi rire ombunguhiro yondjo vya yandjewa nai: Tjimwe kOasdod, tjimwe kOgat na tjimwe kOekron. 18 Owo wina va hinda imbi oviserekarera vyomapuku vyongoldo, tjimwe kotjihuro atjihe tjaa tji honaparerwa i ozombara ndano zOvafilisti, okutja kovihuro vyotumbo otuzeu, na kovirongo mbi hi notumbo. Nu ewe ndi enene ku va twa ihi Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona ra karira ehongonone raimbi mbya tjitwa mehi romakunino rOmubetsemes Josua, nga ku ndinondi. 19 Muhona wa zepa ovandu omirongo hambombari mokati kovature va Bet-Semes mena ratji va natera mOtjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona. Notjiwaṋa tja ṱoruhoze, Muhona tjinga a tjita otjiṱiro otjinene nai.
Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona mOkirjat-Jearim
20 Novature va Bet-Semes va tja nai: “Owaṋi ngu ma sora okuhupa komurungu wa Muhona, Ndjambi omuyapuke ngwi? Nambano matu tji hindi pi kutja tji ze po pu eṱe?” 21 Nowo va tuma ovahindwa kovature votjihuro Kirjat-Jearim nave kevetjivisa nai: “Ovafilisti va kotora Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona; raukeye mu ye okutjieta!”
