1 And the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months.
Basi, hilo sanduku la Bwana lilikuwamo katika nchi ya Wafilisti muda wa miezi saba.
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.
Nao Wafilisti wakawaita makuhani na waaguzi, wakasema, Tulifanyieje sanduku la Bwana? Tuonyesheni jinsi tuwezavyo kulirudisha mahali pake.
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.
Nao wakajibu, Mkilirudisha hilo sanduku la Mungu wa Israeli, msilirudishe kitupu; lakini msikose kumpelekea na matoleo ya kosa; hivyo mtapona, tena mtafunuliwa ni kwa sababu gani mkono wake haukuondolewa kwenu.
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.
Ndipo wakauliza, Na hayo matoleo ya kosa yatakuwa ya namna gani, hayo tutakayompelekea? Nao wakajibu, Na yawe majipu ya dhahabu matano, na panya wa dhahabu watano, sawasawa na idadi ya mashehe wa Wafilisti; kwa kuwa tauni moja ilikuwa juu yenu nyote, na juu ya mashehe wenu.
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.
Kwa hiyo mtafanyiza sanamu za majipu yenu, na sanamu za panya wenu waiharibuo nchi; nanyi mtamtukuza huyo Mungu wa Israeli; huenda ataupunguza uzito wa mkono wake juu yenu, na juu ya miungu yenu, na juu ya nchi yenu.
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?
Mbona, basi, mnaifanya migumu mioyo yenu, kama vile wale Wamisri, naye yule Farao, walivyoifanya migumu mioyo yao? Hata na hao, hapo alipokwisha kuwadhihaki, je! Hawakuwaruhusu watu, nao wakaenda zao?
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:
Basi sasa jifanyizieni gari jipya, mtwae na ng'ombe wake wawili wakamwao, ambao hawajafungwa nira, nanyi mkawafunge hao ng'ombe garini, na kuwaondoa ndama zao na kuwatia zizini;
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.
kisha, litwaeni hilo sanduku la Bwana, na kuliweka juu ya gari; na hivyo vitu vya dhahabu, mtakavyompelekea kuwa matoleo ya kosa, mvitie katika kasha kando yake; mkalipeleke sanduku, lipate kwenda.
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.
Kisha angalieni, likikwea kwa njia ya mpakani mwake kwenda Beth-shemeshi, basi, ndiye aliyetutenda uovu huo mkuu; la, sivyo, ndipo tutakapojua ya kwamba si mkono wake uliotupiga; ilikuwa ni ajali iliyotupata.
10 And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:
Basi watu wale walifanya hivyo; wakatwaa ng'ombe wawili wakamwao, wakawafunga garini, na ndama zao wakawafunga zizini;
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.
kisha wakaliweka sanduku la Bwana juu ya gari, pamoja na kasha lenye panya wa dhahabu na sanamu za majipu yao.
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.
Na hao ng'ombe wakashika njia moja kwa moja kwenda Beth-shemeshi; wakaiandama njia ya barabara, wakaenda wakilia, lakini hawakugeukia upande wa kuume wala wa kushoto; na mashehe wa Wafilisti wakawafuata hata kuufikia mpaka wa Beth-shemeshi.
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 .
Nao watu wa Beth-shemeshi walikuwa wakivuna ngano yao bondeni; wakainua macho yao, wakaliona sanduku, wakafurahi sana kuliona.
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.
Na lile gari likaingia katika konde la Yoshua wa Beth-shemeshi, na kusimama pale pale, palipokuwapo jiwe kubwa; basi wakaipasua miti ya lile gari, wakawatoa wale ng'ombe kuwa ni sadaka ya kuteketezwa kwa Bwana.
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.
Nao Walawi walilishusha sanduku la Bwana, na lile kasha lililokuwa pamoja nalo, lenye vile vitu vya dhahabu; wakaviweka juu ya lile jiwe kubwa; nao watu wa Beth-shemeshi wakatoa sadaka za kuteketezwa, na kuchinja dhabihu siku iyo hiyo kwa Bwana.
16 And when the five lords of the Philistines had seen it , they returned to Ekron the same day.
Na hao mashehe watano wa Wafilisti, hapo walipokwisha kuyaona hayo, walirejea Ekroni siku iyo hiyo.
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;
Hii ndiyo hesabu ya yale majipu waliyoyapeleka wale Wafilisti, yawe matoleo ya kosa kwa Bwana; kwa Ashdodi moja, kwa Gaza moja, kwa Ashkeloni moja, kwa Gathi moja, na kwa Ekroni moja;
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.
na panya wa dhahabu, kwa idadi ya miji yote ya Wafilisti, milki zao wale mashehe watano, miji yenye maboma na vijiji vya mashamba pia. Nalo lile jiwe kubwa, ambalo juu yake waliliweka sanduku la Bwana, liko hata hivi leo hapo kondeni pa Yoshua wa Beth-shemeshi.
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.
Basi Bwana aliwapiga baadhi ya watu wa Beth-shemeshi, kwa sababu wamechungulia ndani ya hilo sanduku la Bwana, wapata watu sabini, na watu hamsini elfu; nao watu wakalalamika, kwa kuwa Bwana amewapiga watu kwa uuaji mkuu.
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?
Nao watu wa Beth-shemeshi wakasema, Ni nani awezaye kusimama mbele za Bwana, huyu Mungu mtakatifu? Naye atapanda kwenda kwa nani kutoka kwetu?
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.
Nao wakatuma wajumbe waende kwa wenyeji wa Kiriath-yearimu, kusema, Wafilisti wamelirudisha sanduku la Bwana; basi shukeni, mkalichukue kwenu.
