1 Opo nee ovalumenhu vokuKiriat-Jearim ve uya ndele va twala ko oshikefa shOmwene ndele ve shi tula mongulu yaAbinadab koshikulundu. Ndele omona waye omumati Eliaser ve mu yapulila okukala noshisho shoshikefa shOmwene.
Ovafilisti tava tewa
2 Okudja kefiku oshikefa sha tulwa muKiriat-Jearim opa pita efimbo lile nokutya omido omilongo mbali, neumbo alishe laIsrael la lila kOmwene.
3 Ndelenee Samuel okwa popya neumbo alishe laIsrael ndele ta ti: “Nye ngeenge tamu alukile kOmwene nomutima weni aushe, efeni hano oikalunga yokoilongo nooAstarot mokati keni, nomitima deni di kanyatelifeni kOmwene, ndele Oye aeke mu longeleni. Opo nee Ye ote ke mu xupifa momake Ovafilisti.” 4 Opo ovana vaIsrael va efa ooBaal nooAstarot ndele va longela Omwene aeke.
5 Samuel ta ti vali: “Shivileni Ovaisraeli aveshe kuMispa, opo nee ame ohandi ke mu indilila kOmwene.” 6 Va ongala muMispa ndele va teka omeva ndele tave a tileshi koshipala shOmwene, nefiku olo ve lidilika ndele tava ti: “Fye otwa nyona kOmwene.” Ndele Samuel okwa tokola eendjovo dovana vaIsrael muMispa.
7 Ovafilisti eshi va uda ovana vaIsrael va ongala muMispa, eehamba dOvafilisti da fikama di homone Israel. Novana vaIsrael ve shi uda ndele va tila Ovafilisti. 8 Novana vaIsrael va lombwela Samuel: Ino dimbuka oku tu indilila kOmwene Kalunga ketu, opo Ye e tu xupife mo momake Ovafilisti. 9 Opo nee Samuel okwa kufa okadjona taka nyamu ndele e ka yambela Omwene ngaashi exwikiloyambo inaka tukaulwa. Ndele Samuel okwa indilila Ovaisraeli kOmwene. NOmwene e mu uda. 10 Osheshi fimbo Samuel ta yambe exwikiloyambo nOvafilisti va ehena popepi va lwife Israel, mefiku tuu olo Omwene okwa ndundumifa ondaka inene kombada yOvafilisti, ndele Ye e va dongakanifa fiyo va tewa kOvaisraeli. 11 Nomatanga ovakwaita vaIsrael a dja muMispa ndele va shikula Ovafilisti ndele ve va taataela langhele kombinga yaBet-Kar. 12 Opo nee Samuel okwa kufa emanya ndele e li dika pokati kaMispa naSen, ndele e li luka Eben-Eser ndele ta ti: “Fiyo opapa Omwene e tu kwafa!” 13 NOvafilisti va ninipikwa, onghee inave uya mo vali moshilongo shaIsrael, neke lOmwene la kondjifa Ovafilisti omafiku aeshe aSamuel. 14 Noilando yOvafilisti ve i kufa kOvaisraeli ya aluka kuIsrael okudja kuEkron fiyo okuGat nomikunda dayo Ovaisraeli va kufa momake Ovafilisti. Nombili ya kala pokati kOvaisraeli nOvaamori. 15 Ndele Samuel okwa li omutokolipangeli waIsrael ashishe omafiku aeshe omokukala kwaye. 16 Omudo nomudo ye a endaenda kuBetel nokuGilgal nokuMispa nokwa tokola eendjovo dOvaisraeli meenhele adishe odo. 17 Opo nee ye okwa shuna kuRama. Osheshi oko kwa kala eumbo laye. Oko a tokola eendjovo daIsrael noko a tungila Omwene oaltari.
1 So the people of Kiriath Jearim got the Lord's Covenant Box and took it to the house of a man named Abinadab, who lived on a hill. They consecrated his son Eleazar to be in charge of it.
Samuel Rules Israel
2 The Covenant Box of the Lord stayed in Kiriath Jearim a long time, some twenty years. During this time all the Israelites cried to the Lord for help.
3 Samuel said to the people of Israel, “If you are going to turn to the Lord with all your hearts, you must get rid of all the foreign gods and the images of the goddess Astarte. Dedicate yourselves completely to the Lord and worship only him, and he will rescue you from the power of the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites got rid of their idols of Baal and Astarte, and worshiped only the Lord.
5 Then Samuel called for all the Israelites to meet at Mizpah, telling them, “I will pray to the Lord for you there.” 6 So they all gathered at Mizpah. They drew some water and poured it out as an offering to the Lord and fasted that whole day. They said, “We have sinned against the Lord.” (It was at Mizpah where Samuel settled disputes among the Israelites.)
7 When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, the five Philistine kings started out with their men to attack them. The Israelites heard about it and were afraid, 8 and said to Samuel, “Keep praying to the Lord our God to save us from the Philistines.” 9 Samuel killed a young lamb and burned it whole as a sacrifice to the Lord. Then he prayed to the Lord to help Israel, and the Lord answered his prayer. 10 While Samuel was offering the sacrifice, the Philistines moved forward to attack; but just then the Lord thundered from heaven against them. They became completely confused and fled in panic. 11 The Israelites marched out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines almost as far as Bethcar, killing them along the way.
12 Then Samuel took a stone, set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and said, “The Lord has helped us all the way”—and he named it “Stone of Help.” 13 So the Philistines were defeated, and the Lord prevented them from invading Israel's territory as long as Samuel lived. 14 All the cities which the Philistines had captured between Ekron and Gath were returned to Israel, and so Israel got back all its territory. And there was peace also between the Israelites and the Canaanites.
15 Samuel ruled Israel as long as he lived. 16 Every year he would go around to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and in these places he would settle disputes. 17 Then he would go back to his home in Ramah, where also he would serve as judge. In Ramah he built an altar to the Lord.
