Dem Carry Di Ark Go

One runner stagger enter di town of Shiloh, im cloth tear and sand dey im head. Everybody know wetin dat one mean. One old man sidon for road side, dey wait, im body dey shake. No be for im sons. Na for di ark of God.

Israel and di Philistines don start war again. Di two armies meet near one place wey dem dey call Ebenezer, and Israel lose. About four thousand soldiers of Israel fall. When dem go back to camp, di elders ask di correct question. Why Di Lord allow make dem beat us today? But di answer wey dem bring no correct. Make we go carry di ark of di covenant from Shiloh come. If e dey with us, e go save us from our enemies. Di ark na di sign say God dey with im people. But dem dey treat am like charm wey go bring luck. So dem carry di ark come, and Eli two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, follow am.

When di ark reach di camp, Israel shout so tey di ground shake. For di other side of di valley, di Philistines hear am and fear catch dem. One god don enter their camp! Who go save us from di hand of dis strong gods? Na dis same gods strike di Egyptians with all kind plague for wilderness. Make una strong, Philistines! Fight like men, so dat una no go become slave to di Hebrews. And dem fight. Dem beat Israel again, pass di first time. Dem capture di ark of God. And Eli two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, both die.

Dat same day, one runner from di battle reach Shiloh. Eli don reach ninety-eight years, im eyes don blind, and e sidon for im seat for road side dey watch, because im heart dey shake for di ark of God. Di messenger tell am. Israel don run. Plenty people don die. Your two sons don die. And dem don capture di ark of God. As e mention di ark, Eli fall backward from im seat wey dey near di gate. Im neck break, and e die, because e don old and e heavy. Im son wife, di wife of Phinehas, don near to born. When she hear di news, labour catch her, and as she dey die, she name her pikin Ichabod, name wey mean something like, glory no dey again. Di glory don comot from Israel, she talk, because dem don capture di ark of God.

But di story never finish, because di God of Israel no be anybody prisoner. Di Philistines carry di ark go their city Ashdod, and dem put am inside di temple of their god Dagon, right beside im statue, like trophy. Di next morning, di people of Ashdod enter, and see Dagon, e don fall face down for ground before di ark of Di Lord. Dem carry am stand am up again. Di next morning again, dem see am, face down before di ark. Dis time, im head and im two hands don break comot, dey lie down for di doorway. Then di hand of Di Lord come heavy on di people of Ashdod. Painful swelling, tumours, catch dem all over di city. Di ark of di God of Israel no fit stay here with us! So dem send am go Gath. Di same thing happen there. Then dem send am go Ekron, and di people there cry out, Dem don carry di ark come kill us!

After seven months, di Philistines ask their priests and diviners wetin dem go do. Send am back, dem talk. Send guilt offering with am: five gold models of di tumours and five gold rats, one for each ruler of di Philistines. Put di ark for new cart, make two cows wey just born pikin pull am, cows wey nobody don ever tie yoke for their neck. Lock their pikin dem for house. Then watch. If di cows go straight for di road wey dey go Beth-shemesh, di town of Israel, and leave their own pikin dem behind, then na di God of Israel bring dis disaster. Di cows comot, dey cry as dem dey go, and dem no turn right or left. Straight for di road to Beth-shemesh.

Di people of Beth-shemesh dey for di valley dey harvest wheat. Dem look up, see di ark dey come, and dem happy well well. Di Levites carry di ark down, and di people offer di cows as burnt offering to Di Lord. But some men of Beth-shemesh look inside di ark, and plenty of dem die. Di whole town shake. Who fit stand before Di Lord, dis holy God? So dem send message to di town of Kiriath-jearim, and dem carry di ark go there, make e stay there wait.

Who be Dagon? No be di Philistines create am. Old tablets from cities for Syria, like Mari and Ugarit, show say people dey worship one god wey dem call Dagan for there long before di Philistines reach di coast. E be like say di Philistines take am as one of their own gods. And im temple for Ashdod last for very long time. Di book of First Maccabees talk say na Jonathan, one Jewish leader, finally burn am down, many hundreds of years after dis story.

Dem carry di ark go. You go find am for First Samuel, chapter four reach six. Israel try use God like charm wey go bring luck, and dem lose. Di Philistines try keep God like trophy, and dem see say dem no fit. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. You dey ever treat God like charm wey go bring luck, instead of person wey you go know, trust and obey?