¹Zvino vaFirisitia vakatora areka yaMwari, vakabva nayo Ebheniezeri, vakaiisa Ashidhodhi,

¹And the Philistines have taken the ark of God, and bring it in from Eben-Ezer to Ashdod,

²VaFirisitia vakatora areka yaMwari vakaiisa mumba maDhagoni, vakaigadzika kurutivi rwaDhagoni.

²and the Philistines take the ark of God and bring it into the house of Dagon, and set it near Dagon.

³Zvino veAshidhodhi vakati vachimuka mangwanani, onei Dhagoni wawira pasi nechiso pamberi peareka yaJehovha. Vakatora Dhagoni, vakamugadzikazve panzvimbo yake.

³And the Ashdodites rise early on the morrow, and lo, Dagon is fallen on its face to the earth, before the ark of Jehovah; and they take Dagon, and put it back to its place.

⁴Zvino vakati vachimuka mangwanani, onei Dhagoni wawira pasi nechiso pamberi peareka yaJehovha; nomusoro waDhagoni nezvanza zvamaoko ake ose maviri zvakanga zvavhunika, zviri pachikumbaridzo chomukova; Dhagoni wakange asarirwa nomuviri woga.

⁴And they rise early in the morning on the morrow, and lo, Dagon is fallen on its face to the earth, before the ark of Jehovah, and the head of Dagon, and the two palms of its hands are cut off at the threshold, only the fishy part hath been left to him;

⁵Saka vapristi vaDhagoni, navose vanopinda mumba maDhagoni, havatsiki pachikumbaridzo chaDhagoni paAshidhodhi kusvikira nhasi.

⁵therefore the priests of Dagon, and all those coming into the house of Dagon, tread not on the threshold of Dagon, in Ashdod, till this day.

⁶Asi ruoko rwaJehovha rwakatambudza veAshidhodhi, akavaparadza nokuvarova namamota, ivo veAshidhodhi nenyika yavo.

⁶And the hand of Jehovah is heavy on the Ashdodites, and He maketh them desolate, and smiteth them with emerods, Ashdod and its borders.

⁷Zvino varume veAshidhodhi vakati vachiona kuti ndizvo zvavanoitirwa, vakati, Areka yaMwari waIsiraeri ngairege kugara pakati pedu; nekuti ruoko rwake runotitambudza isu namwari wedu Dhagoni.

⁷And the men of Ashdod see that [it is] so, and have said, `The ark of the God of Israel doth not abide with us, for hard hath been His hand upon us, and upon Dagon our god.`

⁸Naizvozvo vakatuma nhume kundounganidza kwavari madzishe ose avaFirisitia, vakati, Tichaita seiko neareka yaMwari waIsiraeri? Vakapindura, vakati, Areka yaMwari waIsiraeri ngaiiswe Gati. Vakaisa areka yaMwari ikoko.

⁸And they send and gather all the princes of the Philistines unto them, and say, `What do we do to the ark of the God of Israel?` and they say, `To Gath let the ark of the God of Israel be brought round;` and they bring round the ark of the God of Israel;

⁹Vakati vaiisako, ruoko rwaJehovha rukavhundusa guta nokuvhundusa kukuru; akarova varume veguta, vaduku navakuru, vakapomerwa mamota.

⁹and it cometh to pass after they have brought it round, that the hand of Jehovah is against the city — a very great destruction; and He smiteth the men of the city, from small even unto great; and break forth on them do emerods.

¹⁰Naizvozvo ivo vakatumira areka yaMwari Ekironi. Zvino areka yaMwari yakati yasvika Ekironi, veEkironi vakachema kwazvo, vakati, Vauya neareka yaMwari waIsiraeri kwatiri, kuzotiuraya, isu navanhu vedu.

¹⁰And they send the ark of God to Ekron, and it cometh to pass, at the coming in of the ark of God to Ekron, that the Ekronites cry out, saying, `They have brought round unto us the ark of the God of Israel, to put us to death — and our people.`

¹¹Naizvozvo vakatuma nhume kundounganidza madzishe ose avaFirisitia, vakati, Tumai areka yaMwari waIsiraeri, ibve, idzoserwe kunzvimbo yayo, kuti irege kutiuraya, isu navanhu vedu; nekuti guta rose rakanga ravhunduswa nokuvhunduswa korufu; ruoko rwaJehovha rwakavatambudza zvikuru ipapo.

¹¹And they send and gather all the princes of the Philistines, and say, `Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and it turneth back to its place, and it doth not put us to death — and our people;` for there hath been a deadly destruction throughout all the city, very heavy hath the hand of God been there,

¹²Varume, vasina kufa, vakarohwa namamota, kuchema kweguta kukakwira kudenga.

¹²and the men who have not died have been smitten with emerods, and the cry of the city goeth up into the heavens.