< 1 Samuel 6 >

1 Now the ark of the Lord was in the region of the Philistines for seven months.
Pea naʻe ʻi he fonua ʻoe kau Filisitia ʻae puha tapu ʻo Sihova ʻi he māhina ʻe fitu.
2 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying: “What shall we do with the ark of the Lord? Reveal to us in what manner we should send it back to its place.” And they said:
Pea naʻe fekau ʻe he kau Filisitia ke haʻu ʻae kau taulaʻeiki mo e kau kikite, ʻo pehē, “Ko e hā te mau fai ki he puha tapu ʻo Sihova? Fakahā kiate kimautolu pe te mau ʻatu ia ʻaki ʻae ha ki hono potu?”
3 “If you send back the ark of the God of Israel, do not choose to release it empty. Instead, repay to him what you owe because of sin. And then you will be cured. And you will know why his hand did not withdraw from you.”
Pea naʻa nau pehē, “Kapau ʻoku mou fekau ke ʻave ʻae puha tapu ʻoe ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli, ʻoua naʻa ʻave mola pe ia; ka mou ʻatu muʻa kiate ia ʻae feilaulau ʻi he angahala: ko ia ʻe fakamoʻui ai ʻakimoutolu, pea ʻe toki ʻilo ai ʻekimoutolu pe ko e hā kuo ʻikai hiki ai hono nima ʻiate kimoutolu.”
4 And they said, “What is it that we ought to repay to him because of transgression?” And they responded:
Pea naʻa nau pehē, “Ko e hā ʻae feilaulau ʻi he angahala ʻaia te mau ʻatu kiate ia?” Pea naʻa nau tala, “Ko e meaʻi koula ʻe nima, mo e kumā koula ʻe nima, ʻo fakatatau ki he houʻeiki Filisitia ʻe toko nima; he ko e hangatāmaki pē taha naʻe ʻiate kimoutolu kotoa pē, pea ʻi homou houʻeiki.
5 “In accord with the number of the provinces of the Philistines, you shall fashion five gold cysts and five gold mice. For the same plague has been upon all of you and your princes. And you shall fashion a likeness of your cysts and a likeness of the mice, which have destroyed the land. And so shall you give glory to the God of Israel, so that perhaps he may lift off his hand from you, and from your gods, and from your land.
Ko ia ke mou ngaohi ʻae ngaahi fakatātā ki homou mataʻi hangatāmaki, pea mo e ngaahi fakatātā ki he kumā ʻaia ʻoku maumauʻi ʻae fonua; pea ke mou tuku ʻae ongoongolelei ki he ʻOtua ʻo ʻIsileli: heiʻilo pe te ne fakamaʻamaʻa hono nima ʻiate kimoutolu, pea mei homou ngaahi ʻotua, pea mei homou fonua.
6 Why have you hardened your hearts, just as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he was struck, did he not then release them, and they went away?
Ko e hā ʻoku mou fakafefeka ai homou loto, ʻo hangē ko e fakafefeka ʻe he kakai ʻIsipite mo Felo honau loto? ʻI he hili ʻene fai ʻae ngaahi meʻa mana ʻiate kinautolu, ʻikai naʻa nau tukuange ʻae kakai ke ʻalu, pea nau ʻalu ai?
7 Now therefore, fashion and take a new cart, with two cows that have given birth, but on which no yoke has been imposed. And yoke them to the cart, but retain their calves at home.
Pea ko ia, mou ngaohi ʻae saliote foʻou, pea toʻo ʻae ongo pulu fefine ʻoku huhuʻa, ʻaia kuo teʻeki hoko ki ai ha haʻamonga, pea nonoʻo ʻae ongo manu ki he saliote, pea ʻomi hona ʻuhiki ki ʻapi meiate kinaua:
8 And you shall take the ark of the Lord, and you shall place it upon the cart, with the articles of gold that you have paid to him on behalf of transgression. You shall place these in a little box at its side. And release it, so that it may go.
Pea hiki ʻae puha tapu ʻo Sihova, ʻo fakaheka ia ki he saliote; pea ʻai ʻae ngaahi teunga koula ʻaia ʻoku mou ʻatu ko e feilaulau ʻi he angahala, ʻai ia ki he puha ʻe taha ʻi hono kaokao; pea fekau ke ʻave ia, koeʻuhi ke ʻalu ia.
9 And you shall watch. And if, indeed, it ascends by the way of his own parts, toward Beth-shemesh, then he has done this great evil to us. But if not, then we shall know that it is by no means his hand that has touched us, but instead it happened by chance.”
Pea vakai, kapau ʻoku ʻalu ia ʻi he hala ki hono fonua ki Pete-Semesi, ko e moʻoni kuo ne fai ʻae mamahi lahi ni kiate kitautolu: pea kapau ʻoku ʻikai, pea tau toki ʻilo tā ʻoku ʻikai ko hono nima kuo taaʻi ʻakitautolu, ka ko e kovi kuo hoko tuʻungaʻa pē kiate kitautolu.”
10 Therefore, they did it in this way. And taking two cows that were feeding calves, they yoked them to the cart, and they enclosed their calves at home.
Pea naʻe fai ia ʻe he kau tangata naʻe ʻomi ʻae ongo sinamanu, ʻo nonoʻo ʻakinaua ki he saliote, kae tāpuni hona ʻuhiki ʻi ʻapi:
11 And they placed the ark of God upon the cart, with the little box that held the gold mice and the likenesses of the cysts.
Pea naʻa nau hilifaki ʻae puha tapu ki he saliote, pea mo e ʻaiʻanga ʻoe kumā koula mo e ngaahi fakatātā ki honau hangatāmaki.
12 But the cows went directly along the way that leads to Beth-shemesh. And they advanced only in one direction, lowing as they went. And they did not turn aside, neither to the right, nor to the left. Moreover, the princes of the Philistines followed them, as far as the borders of Beth-shemesh.
Pea naʻe ʻalu ʻae ongo sināmanu ʻi he hala totonu, ʻi he hala ki Pete-Semesi, ʻo ʻalu ai pe ʻi he hala motuʻa, ʻo tangi pe mo ʻalu, pea naʻe ʻikai te na tafoki ki he nima toʻomataʻu pe ki he toʻohema; pea naʻe muimui ki ai ʻae houʻeiki ʻoe kakai Filisitia ʻo aʻu ki he veʻe fonua ʻo Pete-Semesi.
13 Now the Beth-shemeshites were harvesting wheat in the valley. And lifting up their eyes, they saw the ark, and they were glad when they had seen it.
Pea naʻe lolotonga ʻae tuʻusi ʻae toʻukai uite ʻe he kakai ʻo Pete-Semesi ʻi he teleʻa: pea naʻa nau hiki hake honau mata, ʻo mamata ki he puha tapu, pea naʻa nau fiefia ʻi he sio ki ai.
14 And the cart went into the field of Joshua, a Beth-shemeshite, and it stood still there. Now in that place was a great stone, and so they cut up the wood of the cart, and they placed the cows upon it as a holocaust to the Lord.
Pea naʻe haʻu ʻae saliote ki he ngoue ʻa Siosiua ko e tangata Pete-Semesi pea tuʻu ʻi ai, ʻi he potu naʻe ʻi ai ʻae fuʻu maka lahi: pea naʻa nau tafahi ʻae ʻakau ʻoe saliote, ʻo feilaulau ʻaki ʻae ongo sināmanu, ko e feilaulau tutu kia Sihova.
15 But the Levites took down the ark of God, and the little box that was at its side, in which were the articles of gold, and they placed them upon the great stone. Then the men of Beth-shemesh offered holocausts and immolated victims, on that day, to the Lord.
Pea naʻe fakahifo ʻe he kau Livai ʻae puha tapu ʻo Sihova, pea mo e puha ʻaia naʻe ʻi ai ʻae ngaahi teunga koula, ʻo ʻai ia ki he funga ʻoe maka lahi: naʻe ʻatu ʻe he kau tangata ʻo Pete-Semesi ʻae ngaahi feilaulau tutu, ʻo feilaulau ʻaki ʻae ngaahi feilaulau kia Sihova ʻi he ʻaho ko ia.
16 And the five princes of the Philistines saw, and they returned to Ekron on the same day.
Pea ʻi he mamata ki ai ʻae houʻeiki ʻe toko nima ʻoe kakai Filisitia, naʻa nau liu mai ki Ekiloni ʻi he ʻaho ko ia.
17 Now these are the gold cysts, which the Philistines repaid to the Lord for transgression: for Ashdod one, for Gaza one, for Ashkelon one, for Gath one, for Ekron one.
Pea ko e ngaahi meaʻi koula ʻe nima ko eni ʻaia naʻe ʻatu ʻe he kau Filisitia ko e feilaulau ʻi he angahala kia Sihova; ko e taha ki ʻAsitoti, ko e taha ki Kesa, ko e taha ki ʻAsikeloni, ko e taha ki Kati, pea taha ki Ekiloni;
18 And there were gold mice, according to the number of the cities of the Philistines, of the five provinces, from the fortified city to the village that was without a wall, and even to the great stone upon which they placed the ark of the Lord, which was, at last in that day, in the field of Joshua, the Beth-shemeshite.
Pea naʻe nima ʻae kumā koula ʻo fakatatau ki he ngaahi kolo kotoa pē ʻae houʻeiki ʻe toko nima ʻoe kakai Filisitia, ʻae ngaahi kolo tau mo e ngaahi potu kakai ʻi ʻuta, ʻo aʻu atu ki he maka lahi ko ʻEpeli, ʻaia naʻa nau hifo ki ai ʻae puha tapu ʻo Sihova: ʻae maka ko ia ʻoku kei tuʻu, ʻi he ngoue ʻa Siosiua ko e Pete-Semesi ʻo aʻu ki he ʻaho ni.
19 Then he struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had seen the ark of the Lord. And he struck down some of the people: seventy men, and fifty thousand of the common people. And the people lamented, because the Lord had struck the people with a great slaughter.
Pea naʻa ne teʻia ʻae kau tangata ʻo Pete-Semesi, ko e meʻa ʻi heʻenau fakasiosio ki he loto puha tapu ʻo Sihova, ʻio, naʻa ne taaʻi ʻae tangata ʻe toko nima mano ma toko fitungofulu: pea naʻe tangilāulau ʻae kakai, he kuo taaʻi ʻe Sihova ʻae kakai ʻi he tā lahi ʻaupito.
20 And the men of Beth-shemesh said: “Who will be able to stand in the sight of the Lord, this holy God? And who will ascend to him from us?”
Pea naʻe pehē ʻe he kau tangata ʻo Pete-Semesi, “Ko hai ʻoku mafai ke tuʻu ʻi he ʻao ʻo Sihova, ko e ʻOtua māʻoniʻoni ni? Pea ʻe ʻalu hake ia kia hai meiate kitautolu?”
21 And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kiriath-jearim, saying: “The Philistines have returned the ark of the Lord. Descend and lead it back to you.”
Pea naʻa nau fekau ʻae kau talafekau ki he kakai ʻo Kesa-Sialimi, ke pehē, “Kuo toe ʻomi ʻe he kakai Filisitia ʻae puha tapu ʻo Sihova; mou omi ʻo haʻamo hake ia kiate kimoutolu.”

< 1 Samuel 6 >