1 Samuel 13
1 Saul a manghai kum neh Israel soah kum nita manghai nen tah,
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Israel hlang thawng thum te Saul loh amah hama coelh. Te vaengah Mikmash kah Saul taeng neh Bethel tlang aha thawng thawng om uh tih Benjamin Gibeah kah Jonathan taengah khaw a thawng thawng la om uh. Pilnam hlangrhuel rhoek te amah dap la boeiha tueih.
[Several years after he became king], he chose three thousand men from the Israeli army to go with him [to fight the Philistines]. Then he sent the other soldiers back home. Of the men he chose, 2,000 stayed with Saul at Micmash and in the hilly area near Bethel, and 1,000 stayed with [Saul’s son] Jonathan at Gibeah, in the area where the descendants of Benjamin lived.
3 Geba kah Philisti khohung te Jonathan loh a tloek tih Philisti rhoek loh a yaak uh. Te dongah Saul loh kho takuem ah tukia ueng tih, “Hebrew rhoek loh ya saeh,” a ti nah.
Jonathan [and the men who were with him] attacked the Philistine soldiers who were camped at Geba. The [other] Philistines heard about that. [So Saul realized that the army of Philistia would probably come to fight the Israelis again]. So Saul [sent messengers to] blow trumpets throughout Israel [to gather the people together and] proclaim to them, “All you Hebrews need to hear [that now the Philistines will start a war with us]!”
4 Israel pum loh a yaak uh vaengah, “Saul loh Philisti khohunga tloek dongah Israel he Philisti ham a bo rhim coeng,” a ti uh. Te dongah pilnam khaw Gilgal kah Saul hnukah bukbuk pang uh.
The messengers told the rest of the army to gather together with Saul at Gilgal. And all the people in Israel heard the news. People were saying, “Saul’s army has attacked the Philistine camp, with the result that now the Philistines hate us Israelis very much.”
5 Te dongah Philisti loh Israel te vathoh thil ham, leng thawng sawmthum neh marhang caem thawng rhuk neh pilnam te tuipuei tuikaeng kah laivin yet la taai uh. Te phoeiah cet uh tih Bethaven khothoeng Mikmash ah rhaeh uh.
The Philistines gathered together and were given equipment to fight the Israelis. The Philistines had 3,000 chariots, and 6,000 chariot-drivers. Their soldiers [seemed to be as many] as grains of sand on the seashore [HYP]. They went up and set up their tents at Micmash, to the east of Beth-Aven ([which means ‘house of wickedness’, and really referred to Bethel town]).
6 Pilnam taengah lai a suk pah tih puen a cak te Israel hlang loh a hmuh vaengah pilnam tah lungko khuila, hlingpuep khuila, thaelpang khuila, hmuensang neh tangrhom khuila thuh uh.
The Philistines attacked the Israelis very strongly, and the Israeli soldiers realized that they were in a very bad situation. So many of the Israeli soldiers hid in caves and holes in the ground, or among the rocks, or in pits, or in wells.
7 Hebrew rhoek khaw Gad kho kah Jordan neh Gilead la kat uh. Tedae Saul amah tah Gilgal ah om pueng tih a hnukkah pilnam boeih long tah lakueng uh.
Some of them crossed the Jordan River at a place where it was very shallow. Then they went to the area where the descendants of Gad lived and to [the] Gilead [region]. But Saul stayed at Gilgal. All the soldiers who were with him were shaking [because they were so afraid].
8 Te dongaha khoning bangla Samuel te hnin rhih khuiah a rhing mai a rhing mai. Tedae Samuel te Gilgal la a pawk pawt dongah pilnam khaw Saul taeng lamloh taekyak uh.
Saul waited seven days, which was the number of days that Samuel had told him to wait for him. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal [during that time], so many of the men in Saul’s army began to leave him and run away.
9 Te dongah Saul loh, “Hmueihhlutnah neh rhoepnah te kai taengla hang khuen,” a ti nah tih hmueihhlutnah te a nawn.
So Saul said to the soldiers, “Bring to me an animal to be completely burned [on the altar] and one for the offering to enable us to maintain fellowship [with God].” [So the men did that].
10 Tedae hmueihhlutnaha nawn te a khah van neh Samuel te tarha ha pawk tih anih doe ham neh uem hamla Saul te cet.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Samuel loh, “Balae na saii?” a ti nah hatah, Saul loh, “Pilnam he kai taeng lamloh haeh coeng tih tingtunnah tue vaengah namah khaw na pawk voel pawh tila ka hmuh. Te vaengah Philisti loh Mikmash ah taai uh coeng.
Samuel [saw what Saul had done, and he] said to Saul, “Why have you done this?” Saul replied, “I saw that my men were leaving me and running away, and that you did not come here during the time that you said that you would come, and that the Philistine army was gathering together at Micmash.
12 Tedae, “Philisti loh kai taengla Gilgal ah ha suntla uh pawn ni, BOEIPA maelhmai ka tong pawt ah,” ka ti dongah ka thiim uh tih hmueihhlutnah te ka nawn,” a ti nah.
“So I thought, ‘The Philistine army is going to attack us here at Gilgal, and I have not yet asked Yahweh to bless/help us.’ So I felt it was necessary to offer the burnt offerings [to seek God’s blessings].”
13 Tedae Samuel loh Saul te, “Na pavai dongah ni BOEIPA na Pathen loh nang ng'uen olpaek na tuem pawh. Na ram he BOEIPA loh Israel taengah kumhal duelaa thoh pawn suidae ta.
Samuel replied, “What you did was very foolish! You have not obeyed what Yahweh, your God, commanded [about sacrifices]. If you had obeyed him, God would have allowed you and your descendants to rule [Israel] for a long time.
14 Tedae na ram he pai voel mahpawh. BOEIPA loh nang ng'uen te na tuem pawt dongah amah kah thinko aka tong hlang ni BOEIPA loh a toem, anih te BOEIPA loh a pilnam soah rhaengsang laa uen coeng,” a ti nah.
But now [because of what you have done, you will die, and after you die, ] none of your descendants will rule. Yahweh is seeking for a man [to be king] who will be just the kind of person that he wants him to be, so that he can appoint him to be the leader of his people. Yahweh will do this because you have not obeyed what he commanded.”
15 Te phoeiah Samuel te thoo tih Gilgal lamloh Benjamin Gibeah la cet. Pilnam te Saul loh a soep vaengah hlang ya rhuk tluk amah taengaha om pah.
Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah. Saul stayed at Gilgal with his soldiers. There were only about 600 of them left [who had not run away].
16 Saul, a capa Jonathan neh a taengkah aka om pilnam loh Benjamin Geba aha om vaengah Philisti tah Mikmash ah rhaeh.
Saul and his son Jonathan and the soldiers who were with them went to Geba [city] in the area of the tribe of Benjamin [and set up their tents there]. The Philistine army set up their tents at Micmash.
17 Te vaengah Philisti caem lamkah kutpo rhoek te, rhoi thum la coe uh tih rhoi at tah Shual kho kah Ophrah longpuei la hooi uh.
Three groups of Philistia men soon left the place where their army was staying, and went and (raided the Israeli towns/attacked the Israelis and took their possessions). One group went [north] toward Ophrah [city] in [the] Shual [region].
18 Rhoi at te Bethhoron longpuei la hooi uh tih rhoi at te kolrhawk la aka dan khosoek rhi kah longpuei la hooi uh.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Te vaengah Israel kho tom ah kutthai ana om pawt hatah Philisti loh, “Hebrew te cunghang khaw, caai khaw saii uh phayoe ve,” a ti uh.
At that time, there were no men in Israel who (were blacksmiths/could make things from iron). [The people of Philistia would not permit the Israelis to do that, because they were afraid that] they would make iron swords and spears for the Hebrews to fight with.
20 Tedae a thecung neh a tuktong mai khaw, a hai neh a thecung mai khaw hlang loh a tah ham vaengah tah Philisti te Israel pum loh a suntlak thiluh.
So [whenever the Israelis needed] to sharpen the blades of their plows, or picks, or axes, or sickles, they were forced to take those things to a Philistia man who could sharpen those things.
21 Tedae thecung neh tuktong khaw, thingsong pathum neh hai khaw, ciksuma ten ham koi khaw yula man la a om pah.
They needed to pay (one fourth of an ounce/8 grams) of silver for sharpening a plow, and (an eighth of an ounce/4 grams) of silver to sharpen an axe, or a sickle, or (an ox goad/a pointed rod to jab an ox to make it walk).
22 Te dongah caemtloek tuea pha vaengah Saul neh Jonathan taengkah pilnam he pakhat kut dongah khaw cunghang neh caai hmu voel pawh. Tedae Saul neh a capa Jonathan taengah ah dawk hmuh la om.
So [because the Israelis could not make weapons from iron], on the day that the Israelis fought [against the men of Philistia], Saul and Jonathan were the only Israeli men who had swords. None of the others had a sword; [they had only bows and arrows].
23 Te vaengah Philisti rhaltawt hmuen tah Mikmash lamkai la pawk coeng.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
