The First Book of Samuel

6 The Ark of Jehovah stay for Phi·lisʹti·a people area for seven months. 2 Phi·lisʹti·a people call the priests and the people wey de do magic and ask them say: “Wetin we go do with the Ark of Jehovah? Make una tell us how to send-am back to where e suppose dey.” 3 Them come answer them say: “If una want send the Ark of agreement of Jehovah the God of Israel go back, make una no send-am with empty hand. Una must give-am gift wey go be offering for the bad thing wey una do, as una de return-am. Na only after una don do that one, una go well, and una go know why e never stop to punish una.” 4 So them ask them say: “Which gift we go send to-am as offering for the bad thing wey we do?” Them come talk say: “Una go send five piles wey them make with gold and five rats wey them make with gold, so that e go be the same with the number of the lords of Phi·lisʹti·a people. Because na the same sickness affect all of una and una lords. 5 Make una make image of the piles and image of the rats wey de destroy una land, and make una honor the God of Israel. Maybe e go stop to punish una, una god, and una land. 6 Why una want dey stubborn the way Egypt people and Phar′aoh be stubborn? Na when God punish them well-well, them come say make Israel people go, and them go. 7 Now, make una arrange new wagon and two cows wey get small-small pikin and wey them never ever put yoke* for their neck. Then make una tie the cows join the wagon, but make una take their pikin from them and carry them go back. 8 Make una carry the Ark of Jehovah and put-am ontop the wagon, and those things wey una make with gold, wey una want give-am as offering for the bad thing wey una do, make una put them inside box near the Ark. Then make una leave the wagon make e go 9 and make una de watch-am: If e enter the road wey de go Beth-she′mesh, wey be im own area, we go know say na their God do this bad-bad things to us. But if e no go there, we go know say no be im punish us; e just happen like that.”

10 The men do wetin them tell them. Them carry two cows wey get small-small pikin and tie them join the wagon, but them lock the small-small cow for house. 11 Then, them put the Ark of Jehovah ontop the wagon, with the box wey the rats wey them use gold make and the image of the piles dey inside. 12 The cows come enter the road wey de go Beth-she′mesh and go straight for the road. Them just continue to waka for that road, and them de make noise as them de go; them no turn go right or left. All that time, the lords of Phi·lisʹti·a people de waka follow them go reach the boundary of Beth-she′mesh. 13 That time, Beth-she′mesh people de harvest wheat for the level land.* When them look up see the Ark, them happy no be small as them see-am. 14 The wagon come enter the land of one man wey im name na Joshua, wey be Beth-she′mesh person. E come stop for there near one big stone. So the people tear the wood of the wagon and use the two cow do offering wey them de burn to Jehovah.

15 The Levite people carry the Ark of Jehovah come down with the box wey dey with-am, wey the things wey them use gold make dey inside, and them put them ontop the big stone. That day, Beth-she′mesh people do offerings wey them de burn and other sacrifice them, to Jehovah.

16 When the five lords of Phi·lisʹti·a people see wetin happen, them come go back to Ek′ron that day. 17 The piles wey them make with gold, wey Phi·lisʹti·a people send as offering to Jehovah for the bad thing wey them do, na for this cities: one for Ash′dod, one for Gaz′a, one for Ash′ke·lon, one for Gath, one for Ek′ron. 18 And the number of rats wey them make with gold na the same with the number of all the cities of Phi·lisʹti·a people wey the five lords get, the cities wey get strong protection and the village them wey dey for areas wey them no fence.

Till today, wetin them take de remember this thing wey happen, na the big stone wey them put the Ark of Jehovah ontop for the land of Joshua wey be Beth-she′mesh person. 19 But God kill Beth-she′mesh people, because them continue to look the Ark of Jehovah, e kill 50,070 people.* The people come de mourn because Jehovah don kill plenty of them. 20 Beth-she′mesh people come de talk say: “Who go fit stand for front of Jehovah, this holy God, and which people e go leave us go meet?” 21 So them send messengers go meet the people wey de live for Kir′i·ath-je′a·rim and tell them say: “Phi·lisʹti·a people don bring the Ark of Jehovah back. Make una come carry-am go* una place.”