¹Zvino areka yaJehovha yakagara

¹The ark of Yahweh was in the country of the Philistines seven months.

²munyika yavaFirisitia mwedzi minomwe. VaFirisitia vakadana vapristi navavuki, vakati, Tichaita seiko neareka yaJehovha? Tizivisei mutowo watingaidzosera nawo kunzvimbo yayo.

²The Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? Show us with which we shall send it to its place.”

³Vakati, Kana muchidzosera areka yaMwari waIsiraeri, musaituma isine chinhu; asi munofanira kumutumira chipiriso chemhosva; ipapo muchapora, mugoziva kuti ruoko rwake runoregereiko kubviswa kwamuri.

³They said, “If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, don’t send it empty; but by all means return him a trespass offering: then you shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why his hand is not removed from you.”

⁴Zvino vakati, Chipiriso chemhosva chatinofanira kumuripira nacho ndecheiko? Vakati, Mamota mashanu endarama, namakonzo mashanu endarama, zvakaenzana namadzishe avaFirisitia; nekuti makanga marohwa nedambudziko rimwe, imwi mose namadzishe enyu.

⁴Then they said, “What shall be the trespass offering which we shall return to him?” They said, “Five golden tumors, and five golden mice, for the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague was on you all, and on your lords.

⁵Naizvozvo munofanira kuita mufananidzo wamamota enyu, nomufananidzo wamakonzo enyu anotadzira nyika, mukudze Mwari waIsiraeri; zvimwe ucharerutsa ruoko rwake pamusoro penyu, napamusoro pavamwari venyu, napamusoro penyika yenyu.

⁵Therefore you shall make images of your tumors, and images of your mice that mar the land; and you shall give glory to the God of Israel: perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.

⁶Muchawomesereiko moyo sezvakaita vaEgipita naFarao vakawomesa moyo yavo? Nguva yaakaita zvishamiso pakati pavo, havana kurega vanhu here, vakaenda?

⁶Why then do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had worked wonderfully among them, didn’t they let the people go, and they departed?

⁷Naizvozvo zvino torai mugadzire ngoro itsva, nemhou mbiri dzinomwisa dzisina kumboiswa joko, musunge mhou pangoro, asi muraurire mhuru dzadzo kumusha;

⁷“Now therefore take and prepare yourselves a new cart, and two milk cows, on which there has come no yoke; and tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home from them;

⁸zvino mutore areka yaJehovha, mugoiisa pangoro; nezvishongo zvendarama, zvamunomuripira nazvo kuti chive chipiriso chemhosva, mudziise mubhokisi parutivi rwayo, mugoituma iende.

⁸and take the ark of Yahweh, and lay it on the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which you return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by its side; and send it away, that it may go.

⁹Zvino tarirai, kana ikakwira nenzira yenyika yayo kuBhetishemeshi, ndiye wakatiitira njodzi huru iyi; asi kana isingadaro, tichaziva kuti haruzi ruoko rwake rwakatirova, chinhu hacho chatiwira.

⁹Behold; if it goes up by the way of its own border to Beth Shemesh, then he has done us this great evil: but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it was a chance that happened to us.”

¹⁰Zvino varume vakaita saizvozvo; vakatora mhou mbiri dzakanga dzichimwisa, vakadzisunga pangoro, vakapfigira mhuru dzadzo kumusha;

¹⁰The men did so, and took two milk cows, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home;

¹¹vakaisa areka yaJehovha pamusoro pengoro, nebhokisi rakanga rina makonzo endarama, nemifananidzo yamamota avo.

¹¹and they put the ark of Yahweh on the cart, and the coffer with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors.

¹²Zvino mhou dzikarurama nenzira inoenda Bhetishemeshi, dzikafamba nenzira huru, dzikaenda dzichingokuma; hadzina kutsaukira kurudyi kana kuruboshwe; madzishe avaFirisitia akadzitevera kusvikira kumuganhu weBhetishemeshi.

¹²The cows took the straight way by the way to Beth Shemesh; they went along the highway, lowing as they went, and didn’t turn aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh.

¹³Zvino vanhu veBhetishemeshi vakanga vachicheka zviyo zvavo pamupata, vakatarira, vakaona areka, vakafara vachiiona.

¹³They 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.

¹⁴Ngoro ikasvika pamunda waJoshua muBhetishemeshi, ikamira pakanga pane bwe guru; ipapo vakapamura matanda engoro, vakabayira mhou vakadziita chipiriso chinopisirwa Jehovha.

¹⁴The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they split the wood of the cart, and offered up the cows for a burnt offering to Yahweh.

¹⁵Zvino vaRevhi vakaburutsa areka yaJehovha, nebhokisi rakanga riri pairi, makanga mune zvishongo zvendarama, vakazviisa pabwe guru, varume veBhetishemeshi vakauya nezvipiriso zvinopiswa vakabayira Jehovha zvibayiro nomusi uyo.

¹⁵The Levites took down the ark of Yahweh, and the coffer that was with it, in which 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 to Yahweh.

¹⁶Zvino madzishe mashanu avaFirisitia akati aona izvozvo, akadzokera Ekironi nomusi iwoyo.

¹⁶When the five lords of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.

¹⁷Zvino ndiwo mamota endarama akaripwa namadzishe avaFirisitia, kuti chive chipiriso chemhosva kuna Jehovha; rimwe raiva reAshidhodhi, rimwe reGaza, rimwe reAshikeroni, rimwe reGati, rimwe reEkironi;

¹⁷These are the golden tumors which the Philistines returned for a trespass offering to Yahweh: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one;

¹⁸namakonzo endarama akanga akaenzana namaguta ose avaFirisitia, akanga ari amadzishe mashanu, aiva maguta akapoteredzwa namasvingo nemisha miduku yokuruwa. Uye ibwe guru ravakagadzika areka yaJehovha pamusoro paro, richiripo pamunda waJoshua muBhetishemeshi kusvikira nhasi.

¹⁸and the golden mice, according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines belonging to the five lords, both of fortified cities and of country villages, even to the great stone, whereon they set down the ark of Yahweh. That stone remains to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh.

¹⁹Zvino Jehovha akauraya vamwe vavarume veBhetishemeshi, nekuti vakanga vatarira mukati meareka yaJehovha; akauraya varume vane zviuru zvina makumi mashanu namakumi manomwe pakati pavanhu avo; vanhu vakachema, nekuti Jehovha wakange auraya vanhu nokuuraya kukuru.

¹⁹He struck of the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of Yahweh, he struck of the people fifty thousand seventy men; and the people mourned, because Yahweh had struck the people with a great slaughter.

²⁰Zvino varume veBhetishemeshi vakati, Ndianiko unogona kumira pamberi paJehovha, Mwari uyu Mutsvene? Uchakwira kuna ani, kana achibva kwatiri?

²⁰The men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before Yahweh, this holy God? To whom shall he go up from us?”

²¹Ipapo vakatuma nhume kuna vakanga vagere Kiriatijearimwi, vakati, VaFirisitia vadzosa areka yaJehovha; burukai imwi, muzoiisa kwenyu.

²¹They sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath Jearim, saying, “The Philistines have brought back the ark of Yahweh; come down, and bring it up to yourselves.”