صَمُوئِيلَ ٱلْأَوَّلُ 5

١ 1 فَأَخَذَ ٱلْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ تَابُوتَ ٱللهِ وَأتَوْا بِهِ مِنْ حَجَرِ ٱلْمَعُونَةِ إِلَى أَشْدُودَ.

After the army of the Philistia people-group captured God’s sacred chest in Ebenezer [town], they took it to Ashdod [which is one of their biggest cities].

٢ 2 وَأَخَذَ ٱلْفِلِسْطِينِيُّونَ تَابُوتَ ٱللهِ وَأَدْخَلُوهُ إِلَى بَيْتِ دَاجُونَ، وَأَقَامُوهُ بِقُرْبِ دَاجُونَ.

They carried it into the temple of [their god] Dagon, and placed it alongside a statue of Dagon.

٣ 3 وَبَكَّرَ ٱلْأَشْدُودِيُّونَ فِي ٱلْغَدِ وَإِذَا بِدَاجُونَ سَاقِطٌ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ إِلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَمَامَ تَابُوتِ ٱلرَّبِّ، فَأَخَذُوا دَاجُونَ وَأَقَامُوهُ فِي مَكَانِهِ.

But early the next morning, when the people of Ashdod [went to see it, they saw that] the statue had fallen on its face in front of Yahweh’s sacred chest! So they set the statue up in its place again.

٤ 4 وَبَكَّرُوا صَبَاحًا فِي ٱلْغَدِ وَإِذَا بِدَاجُونَ سَاقِطٌ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَمَامَ تَابُوتِ ٱلرَّبِّ، وَرَأْسُ دَاجُونَ وَيَدَاهُ مَقْطُوعَةٌ عَلَى ٱلْعَتَبَةِ. بَقِيَ بَدَنُ ٱلسَّمَكَةِ فَقَطْ.

But the following morning, [they saw that] it had fallen down in front of the sacred chest again. But this time, the statue’s head and hands had broken off, and were lying in the doorway. Only its body remained intact/unbroken.

٥ 5 لِذَلِكَ لَا يَدُوسُ كَهَنَةُ دَاجُونَ وَجَمِيعُ ٱلدَّاخِلِينَ إِلَى بَيْتِ دَاجُونَ عَلَى عَتَبَةِ دَاجُونَ فِي أَشْدُودَ إِلَى هَذَا ٱلْيَوْمِ.

That is the reason that since that time, the priests of Dagon and everyone else who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod do not step on the doorsill [where the hands and head of Dagon fell].

٦ 6 فَثَقُلَتْ يَدُ ٱلرَّبِّ عَلَى ٱلْأَشْدُودِيِّينَ، وَأَخْرَبَهُمْ وَضَرَبَهُمْ بِٱلْبَوَاسِيرِ فِي أَشْدُودَ وَتُخُومِهَا.

Then Yahweh [SYN] powerfully caused the people of Ashdod and the people who lived in nearby villages to have (a very great plague/serious illness) of tumors.

٧ 7 وَلَمَّا رَأَى أَهْلُ أَشْدُودَ ٱلْأَمْرَ كَذَلِكَ قَالُوا: «لَا يَمْكُثُ تَابُوتُ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ عِنْدَنَا لِأَنَّ يَدَهُ قَدْ قَسَتْ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى دَاجُونَ إِلَهِنَا».

The men of Ashdod realized why this was happening, and they cried out, “The god of the Israeli people is punishing us and is also punishing our god Dagon. So we cannot allow the sacred chest of the god of the Israelis to remain here!”

٨ 8 فَأَرْسَلُوا وَجَمَعُوا جَمِيعَ أَقْطَابِ ٱلْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَقَالُوا: «مَاذَا نَصْنَعُ بِتَابُوتِ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ؟» فَقَالُوا: «لِيُنْقَلْ تَابُوتُ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ إِلَى جَتَّ». فَنَقَلُوا تَابُوتَ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ.

They summoned the five kings of the Philistia people-group, and asked them, “What should we do with the sacred chest of the god of the Israelis?” The kings replied, “Take the sacred chest to Gath [city].” So they moved it to Gath.

٩ 9 وَكَانَ بَعْدَمَا نَقَلُوهُ أَنَّ يَدَ ٱلرَّبِّ كَانَتْ عَلَى ٱلْمَدِينَةِ بِٱضْطِرَابٍ عَظِيمٍ جِدًّا، وَضَرَبَ أَهْلَ ٱلْمَدِينَةِ مِنَ ٱلصَّغِيرِ إِلَى ٱلْكَبِيرِ، وَنَفَرَتْ لَهُمُ ٱلْبَوَاسِيرُ.

But after they took it to Gath, Yahweh powerfully struck the people of that city also, with the result that many men, including young men and old men, got tumors on their skin. Then the people became very afraid.

١٠ 10 فَأَرْسَلُوا تَابُوتَ ٱللهِ إِلَى عَقْرُونَ. وَكَانَ لَمَّا دَخَلَ تَابُوتُ ٱللهِ إِلَى عَقْرُونَ أَنَّهُ صَرَخَ ٱلْعَقْرُونِيُّونَ قَائِلِينَ: «قَدْ نَقَلُوا إِلَيْنَا تَابُوتَ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ لِكَيْ يُمِيتُونَا نَحْنُ وَشَعْبَنَا».

So they took the sacred chest to Ekron [city]. But when the men carried the sacred chest into Ekron, the people there cried out, “Why are you bringing the sacred chest of the God of the Israelis into our city [RHQ]? [By doing that] you will cause us and the rest of our people to die!”

١١ 11 وَأَرْسَلُوا وَجَمَعُوا كُلَّ أَقْطَابِ ٱلْفِلِسْطِينِيِّينَ وَقَالُوا: «أَرْسِلُوا تَابُوتَ إِلَهِ إِسْرَائِيلَ فَيَرْجِعَ إِلَى مَكَانِهِ وَلَا يُمِيتَنَا نَحْنُ وَشَعْبَنَا». لِأَنَّ ٱضْطِرَابَ ٱلْمَوْتِ كَانَ فِي كُلِّ ٱلْمَدِينَةِ. يَدُ ٱللهِ كَانَتْ ثَقِيلَةً جِدًّا هُنَاكَ.

The people were terrified/in panic because [they knew that] God was starting to punish them severely. So they summoned the [five] kings of the Philistia people-group again, and [pleaded with them], saying, “Take this sacred chest of the god of the Israelis back to its own place! If you do not do that quickly, we will all die!”

١٢ 12 وَٱلنَّاسُ ٱلَّذِينَ لَمْ يَمُوتُوا ضُرِبُوا بِٱلْبَوَاسِيرِ، فَصَعِدَ صُرَاخُ ٱلْمَدِينَةِ إِلَى ٱلسَّمَاءِ.

Some of the people in Ekron had already died, and the rest of the people were suffering because of tumors on their skin. So they all cried out to their gods [MTY] [to help them].