Sänduku Tao'baro 'Bädri Felesete'bai roya
1 Ondro Felesete'bai kopayi Sänduku Tao'baro Lu rote oko, ànya ŋgyiyite ni Ebenezere yasi le 'bakici ànyaro Asedodo ya. 2 'Dooko Felesete'bai uguyi Sänduku Tao'baro Lu rote yekalu lu ànyaro Dagona roya ago edreyi anya te kuru Dagona lomvo. 3 Ago ondro lidri Asedodo ro koŋgate kyenoŋboci kyenoŋbo kinjo si oko, ndreyi Dagona 'dete vuru militi si gyini dri Sänduku Tao'baro OPI ro mile. Ago ànya ruyi Dagona te ago goyi eŋgayi nda te vo ndaro ya. 4 Ago ondro ànya go koŋgate kyenoŋboci kyenoŋbo kinjo rosi oko, ànya ndreyi Dagona go 'de kpate vuru militi si gyini dri Sänduku Tao'baro OPI ro mile. Drî ndaro ndi drì riti ndaro be lo'devoya laŋgolaŋgoro käläsi kala, e'be toto lomvo Dagona ro ayani. 5 Ono ni tase ṛoni tu ana si le tu ono si kohanii Dagona ro ndi 'dise cini kabe oci yekalu Dagona roya Asedodo ya 'debe ko ogo abane vo ana drisi owo.
6 Drí OPI ro a'dote rritiro lidri Asedodo ro dri ndi wari ànyaro be, nda 'ba ànya te rriti ya ago eza ànya te taezaro adravo ro rosi. 7 Ondro lidri Asedodo ro kondreyi tase ono te oko, ànya atayite ekye: “Beṛo kote Sänduku Tao'baro Lu Yisaraele ro ro ri orine ama yibe; tana drì ndaro te rritiro ämädri ago Dagona lu amaro dri.” 8 Ago ànya zoyi lazo te ago ziyi 'bädri'bai cini Felesete'bai rote voaloya, ago ejiyi tate ekye: “Màyena e'di Sänduku Tao'baro Lu Yisaraele ro ro siya?” Ànya zatadrite ekye: “Mì'ba äŋgyi Sänduku Tao'baro Lu Yisaraele ro ro Gata ya.” Ago Felesete'bai ŋgyiyi anya te Gata ya. 9 Ago ezina ànyari lau vosi oko, drì OPI ro a'dote rriti ro 'bakici ana dri, ago so turi amba te ago eza lidri 'bakici ana rote, 'di ombato'diro ndi 'diodeode robe se adravo lomvo ro 'debe ànya dri ana. 10 Ago ànya uguyi Sänduku Tao'baro Lu rote Ekerona ya. Ago ondro Sänduku Tao'baro kesate Ekerona ya oko, lidri Ekerona ro 'be liyite ekye: “Ànya eziyi Sänduku Tao'baro Lu Yisaraele ro rote ämädri ama tufune ndi lidri amaro be.” 11 Ago ànya ziyi dri'bai cini Felesete'bai rote, ago atayite ekye: “Mìzo Sänduku Tao'baro Lu Yisaraele ro ro kovole, mi'ba anya ogone vo modo anyaro roya, ukyi anya tufu ama 'da ndi lidri amaro be.” Tana turi odra rote orivoya amba 'bakici ya. Drí Lu rote rritiro ànya dri lau. 12 Ca ànya se kodra ko iyi adravo ru ànya te, ago liyi lidri Ekerona ro ro sate vo'buyakuru ya.
God Causes Trouble for the Philistines
1 The Philistines took the sacred chest from near Ebenezer to the town of Ashdod. 2 They brought it into the temple of their god Dagon and put it next to the statue of Dagon, which they worshiped.
3 When the people of Ashdod got up early the next morning, they found the statue lying facedown on the floor in front of the sacred chest. They put the statue back where it belonged. 4 But early the next morning, it had fallen over again and was lying facedown on the floor in front of the chest. The body of the statue was still in one piece, but its head and both hands had broken off and were lying on the stone floor in the doorway. 5 This is why the priests and everyone else step over that part of the doorway when they enter the temple of Dagon in Ashdod.
6 The Lord caused a lot of trouble for the people of Ashdod and their neighbors. He made sores break out all over their bodies, and everyone was in a panic. 7 Finally, they said, “The God of Israel did this. He is the one who caused all this trouble for us and our god Dagon. We've got to get rid of this chest.”
8 The people of Ashdod invited all the Philistine rulers to come to Ashdod, and they asked them, “What can we do with the sacred chest that belongs to the God of Israel?”
“Send it to Gath,” the rulers answered. But after they took it there, 9 the Lord made sores break out on everyone in town. The people of Gath were frightened, 10 so they sent the sacred chest to Ekron. But before they could take it through the town gates, the people of Ekron started screaming, “They've brought the sacred chest that belongs to the God of Israel! It will kill us and our families too!”
The Philistines Send Back the Sacred Chest
11 The people of Ekron called for another meeting of the Philistine rulers and told them, “Send this chest back where it belongs. Then it won't kill us.”
Everyone was in a panic, because God was causing a lot of people to die, 12 and those who had survived were suffering from the sores. They all cried to their gods for help.