4

¹Saa^mu^en nyei waac ziouc mingh gormx I^saa^laa^en Deic-Bung.

Laengz Ngaengc Waac Faang Zuqc Caangv Mingh

I^saa^laa^en Mienh cuotv mingh caux Fi^li^saa^die Mienh mborqv jaax. Ninh mbuo liepc ciangv yiem E^mben^e^se. Fi^li^saa^die Mienh liepc ciangv yiem Aafekv. ²Fi^li^saa^die Mienh bun ninh mbuo nyei baeng dorng jienv I^saa^laa^en Mienh mbaih jienv. Mborqv jaax gunv zoux gunv hlo nyei ziangh hoc, I^saa^laa^en Mienh suei Fi^li^saa^die Mienh. Fi^li^saa^die Mienh yiem wuov mborqv jaax ciangv daix daic leih maiv go biei cin dauh I^saa^laa^en Mienh. ³I^saa^laa^en Mienh nyei baeng nzuonx taux ciangv wuov zanc, I^saa^laa^en nyei ⟨mienh gox⟩ gorngv, “Ziouv ih hnoi weic haaix diuc bun mbuo suei Fi^li^saa^die Mienh? Oix zuqc mingh Silo dorh Ziouv nyei ⟨mienh gox⟩ daaih weic bun Ziouv daaih yiem mbuo mbu'ndongx, tengx mbuo biaux ndutv win-wangv nyei buoz-ndiev.”
⁴Ninh mbuo ziouc paaiv mienh mingh Silo wuov, dorh Laengz Ngaengc Waac Faang daaih, se maaih Nernh Jiex nyei Ziouv yiem wuov deix i dauh ⟨ke^lu^mbim⟩ mbu'ndongx⚓ nyei weic nyei faang.⚓ Eli nyei i dauh dorn, Hopv^ni caux Fi^ne^hatc, caux jienv Tin-Hungh nyei Laengz Ngaengc Waac Faang daaih.
⁵Ziouv nyei Laengz Ngaengc Waac Faang bieqc ciangv gu'nyuoz wuov zanc, I^saa^laa^en nyei zuangx mienh qaqv heuc qiex mbui nyei, zungv ndanc zuqc ndau dongz. ⁶Fi^li^saa^die Mienh muangx haiz heuc nyei qiex mbui, ninh mbuo gorngv, “Yiem Hipv^lu Mienh nyei ciangv fungc maaih heuc nyei qiex ndongc naaic mbui? Zoux haaix nyungc mv bei?”
Nqa'haav ninh mbuo hiuv duqv I^saa^laa^en Mienh dorh Ziouv nyei Laengz Ngaengc Waac Faang daaih taux ciangv mi'aqv. ⁷Fi^li^saa^die Mienh gamh nziex haic. Ninh mbuo gorngv, “Maaih dauh zienh daaih taux ciangv mi'aqv.” Ninh mbuo aengx gorngv, “Mbuo oix zuqc kouv aqv, weic zuqc mbuo maiv buangh jiex naaiv nyungc sic. ⁸Mbuo oix zuqc kouv aqv. Haaix dauh haih tengx mbuo biaux ndutv naaiv deix henv haic nyei zienh? Dongh naaiv deix zienh zinh ndaangc yiem deic-bung-huaang longc nyungc-nyungc zeqc naanc daix daic I^yipv Mienh. ⁹O Fi^li^saa^die Mienh aah! Meih mbuo oix zuqc zungx daamv yaac zoux jun-zeiv mienh. Maiv zei aeqv, meih mbuo zuqc zoux Hipv^lu Mienh nyei nouh hnangv zinh ndaangc ninh mbuo zoux meih mbuo nyei nouh nor. Oix zuqc zoux jun-zeiv mienh cuotv mingh mborqv jaax.”
¹⁰Fi^li^saa^die Mienh ziouc caux I^saa^laa^en Mienh mborqv jaax. I^saa^ laa^en Mienh suei ninh mbuo, gorqv-mienh biaux nzuonx gorqv-mienh ganh nyei ndopv-liuh mingh. Wuov nzunc za'gengh maaih baeng camv nyei zuqc daix daic, weic zuqc I^saa^laa^en nyei buo waanc dauh yangh ndau baeng zuqc daix daic mi'aqv. ¹¹Tin-Hungh nyei Laengz Ngaengc Waac Faang yaac zuqc caangv mingh. Eli nyei i dauh dorn, Hopv^ni caux Fi^ne^hatc, yaac zuqc daix daic mi'aqv.

Eli Daic

¹²Dongh wuov hnoi maaih dauh Mben^yaa^min Fingx nyei mienh yiem mborqv jaax ciangv tiux mingh taux Silo. Ninh nyei lui-houx betv huv, m'nqorngv yaac maaih nie-mbung hiaamx jienv. ¹³Naaiv dauh mienh daaih taux wuov zanc, Eli yiem wuov jauv-hlen zueiz jienv ninh ganh nyei dorngx zuov mangc. Ninh weic Tin-Hungh nyei Laengz Ngaengc Waac Faang hnyouv huaang. Wuov dauh mienh bieqc zingh daaih mbuox fienx, yiem zingh nyei yietc zungv mienh nauc jiez daaih.
¹⁴Eli haiz mienh heuc nyei qiex mbui ziouc naaic, “Zoux haaix nyungc mbiouh mbiouh nyei heuc ndongc naaic mbui?” Dorh fienx wuov dauh mienh ziouc gaanv jienv daaih mbuox fienx Eli. ¹⁵Wuov zanc Eli nyei hnyangx-jeiv duqv juov ziepc betv hnyangx. Ninh nyei m'zing dingc mi'aqv, mangc maiv buatc haaix nyungc. ¹⁶Wuov dauh mienh gorngv mbuox Eli, “Se dongh yie yiem mborqv jaax ciangv daaih. Ih hnoi yie yiem mborqv jaax nyei ziangh hoc biaux nzuonx.”
Eli naaic, “Aa dorn aac, hnangv haaix nor?”
¹⁷Dorh fienx nyei mienh dau, “I^saa^laa^en Mienh yiem Fi^li^saa^die Mienh nyei wuov ndaangc maengx biaux. Yiem baeqc fingx nyei mbu'ndongx mienh zuqc daix daic camv haic. Meih nyei i dauh dorn, Hopv^ni caux Fi^ne^hatc, yaac zuqc daic mi'aqv. Tin-Hungh nyei Laengz Ngaengc Waac Faang yaac zuqc caangv mingh mi'aqv.”
¹⁸Wuov dauh mienh yietv gorngv taux Tin-Hungh nyei Laengz Ngaengc Waac Faang, Eli ziouc yiem zingh gaengh ga'hlen, ninh zueiz nyei dorngx wuov, da'nziaaux king nqa'haav maengx. Ninh nyei jaang nauv, ziouc daic mi'aqv, weic zuqc ninh gox haic, sin-sei yaac hniev. Eli zoux I^saa^laa^en Mienh nyei domh jien feix ziepc hnyangx.
¹⁹Wuov zanc Eli nyei mbuangz, Fi^ne^hatc nyei auv, maaih jienv sin aav lamh taux ndutv sin nyei ziangh hoc. Ninh haiz fienx gorngv Tin-Hungh nyei Laengz Ngaengc Waac Faang zuqc caangv mingh, ninh nyei ong-buoc caux ninh nyei nqox yaac daic mi'aqv. Ninh ziouc liemh zeih mun gu'nguaaz, yungz duqv dauh dorn. Ninh za'gengh mun duqv kouv haic. ²⁰Dongh ninh aav lamh dangx qiex wuov zanc, tengx goux ninh wuov deix m'sieqv dorn gorngv mbuox ninh, “Maiv dungx gamh nziex oc, weic zuqc meih yungz duqv dauh dorn.” Mv baac ninh maiv dau, yaac hnangv muangx maiv haiz nor.
²¹Ninh tengx ninh nyei dorn cuotv mbuox heuc I^kaa^mbotc⚓ yaac gorngv, “Njang-laangc leih nqoi I^saa^laa^en mi'aqv.” Weic zuqc Tin-Hungh nyei Laengz Ngaengc Waac Faang zuqc caangv mingh, ninh nyei ong-buoc caux ninh nyei nqox yaac daic mi'aqv. ²²Ninh aengx gorngv, “Njang-laangc leih nqoi I^saa^laa^en, weic zuqc Tin-Hungh nyei Laengz Ngaengc Waac Faang zuqc caangv mingh mi'aqv.”

4

¹And Samuel’s word came to all Israel.

The Philistines Capture the Ark

Now the Israelites went out to fight against the Philistines. The Israelites camped at Ebenezer, and the Philistines at Aphek. ²The Philistines deployed their forces to meet Israel, and as the battle spread, Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand of them on the battlefield. ³When the soldiers returned to camp, the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord bring defeat on us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.”
⁴So the people sent men to Shiloh, and they brought back the ark of the covenant of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim. And Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.
⁵When the ark of the Lord’s covenant came into the camp, all Israel raised such a great shout that the ground shook. ⁶Hearing the uproar, the Philistines asked, “What’s all this shouting in the Hebrew camp?”
When they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp, ⁷the Philistines were afraid. “A god has⚓ come into the camp,” they said. “Oh no! Nothing like this has happened before. ⁸We’re doomed! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? They are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness. ⁹Be strong, Philistines! Be men, or you will be subject to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men, and fight!”
¹⁰So the Philistines fought, and the Israelites were defeated and every man fled to his tent. The slaughter was very great; Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers. ¹¹The ark of God was captured, and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

Death of Eli

¹²That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dust on his head. ¹³When he arrived, there was Eli sitting on his chair by the side of the road, watching, because his heart feared for the ark of God. When the man entered the town and told what had happened, the whole town sent up a cry.
¹⁴Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?”
The man hurried over to Eli, ¹⁵who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes had failed so that he could not see. ¹⁶He told Eli, “I have just come from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.”
Eli asked, “What happened, my son?”
¹⁷The man who brought the news replied, “Israel fled before the Philistines, and the army has suffered heavy losses. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been captured.”
¹⁸When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man, and he was heavy. He had led⚓ Israel forty years.
¹⁹His daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near the time of delivery. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor and gave birth, but was overcome by her labor pains. ²⁰As she was dying, the women attending her said, “Don’t despair; you have given birth to a son.” But she did not respond or pay any attention.
²¹She named the boy Ichabod,⚓ saying, “The Glory has departed from Israel”—because of the capture of the ark of God and the deaths of her father-in-law and her husband. ²²She said, “The Glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”