1
Basi, hilo sanduku la Bwana lilikuwamo katika nchi ya Wafilisti muda wa miezi saba.
When the ark of the LORD had been in the land of the Philistines seven months,
2
Nao Wafilisti wakawaita makuhani na waaguzi, wakasema, Tulifanyieje sanduku la Bwana? Tuonyesheni jinsi tuwezavyo kulirudisha mahali pake.
the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how to send it back to its place.”
3
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.
They replied, “If you return the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it away empty, but by all means return it to Him with a guilt offering. Then you will be healed, and you will understand why His hand has not been lifted from you.”
4
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.
“What guilt offering should we send back to Him?” asked the Philistines. “Five gold tumors and five gold rats,” they said, “according to the number of rulers of the Philistines, since the same plague has struck both you and your rulers.
5
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.
Make images of your tumors and of the rats that are ravaging the land. Give glory to the God of Israel, and perhaps He will lift His hand from you and your gods and your land.
6
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?
Why harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened theirs? When He afflicted them, did they not send the people out so they could go on their way?
7
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;
Now, therefore, prepare one new cart with two milk cows that have never been yoked. Hitch the cows to the cart, but take their calves away and pen them up.
8
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.
Take the ark of the LORD, set it on the cart, and in a chest beside it put the gold objects you are sending back to Him as a guilt offering. Then send the ark on its way,
9
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.
but keep watching it. If it goes up the road to its homeland, toward Beth-shemesh, it is the LORD who has brought on us this great disaster. But if it does not, then we will know that it was not His hand that punished us and that it happened by chance.”
10
Basi watu wale walifanya hivyo; wakatwaa ng'ombe wawili wakamwao, wakawafunga garini, na ndama zao wakawafunga zizini;
So the men did as instructed. They took two milk cows, hitched them to the cart, and penned up their calves.
11
kisha wakaliweka sanduku la Bwana juu ya gari, pamoja na kasha lenye panya wa dhahabu na sanamu za majipu yao.
Then they put the ark of the LORD on the cart, along with the chest containing the gold rats and the images of the tumors.
12
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.
And the cows headed straight up the road toward Beth-shemesh, staying on that one highway and lowing as they went, never straying to the right or to the left. The rulers of the Philistines followed behind them to the border of Beth-shemesh.
13
Nao watu wa Beth-shemeshi walikuwa wakivuna ngano yao bondeni; wakainua macho yao, wakaliona sanduku, wakafurahi sana kuliona.
Now the people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat in the valley, and when they looked up and saw the ark, they were overjoyed at the sight.
14
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.
The cart came to the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there near a large rock. The people chopped up the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD.
15
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.
And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the chest containing the gold objects, and they placed them on the large rock. That day the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices to the LORD.
16
Na hao mashehe watano wa Wafilisti, hapo walipokwisha kuyaona hayo, walirejea Ekroni siku iyo hiyo.
And when the five rulers of the Philistines saw this, they returned to Ekron that same day.
17
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;
As a guilt offering to the LORD, the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.
18
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.
The number of gold rats also corresponded to the number of Philistine cities belonging to the five rulers—the fortified cities and their outlying villages. And the large rock on which they placed the ark of the LORD stands to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh.
19
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.
But God struck down some of the people of Beth-shemesh because they looked inside the ark of the LORD. He struck down seventy men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck them with a great slaughter.
20
Nao watu wa Beth-shemeshi wakasema, Ni nani awezaye kusimama mbele za Bwana, huyu Mungu mtakatifu? Naye atapanda kwenda kwa nani kutoka kwetu?
The men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the LORD, this holy God? To whom should the ark go up from here?”
21
Nao wakatuma wajumbe waende kwa wenyeji wa Kiriath-yearimu, kusema, Wafilisti wamelirudisha sanduku la Bwana; basi shukeni, mkalichukue kwenu.
So they sent messengers to the people of Kiriath-jearim, saying, “The Philistines have returned the ark of the LORD. Come down and take it up with you.”