撒母耳记上 13
1 扫罗登基年四十岁；作以色列王二年的时候，
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 就从以色列中拣选了三千人：二千跟随扫罗在密抹和伯特利山，一千跟随约拿单在便雅悯的基比亚；其余的人扫罗都打发各回各家去了。
[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 约拿单攻击在迦巴的非利士人的防营，非利士人听见了。扫罗就在遍地吹角，意思说，要使希伯来人听见。
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 以色列众人听见扫罗攻击非利士人的防营，又听见以色列人为非利士人所憎恶，就跟随扫罗聚集在吉甲。
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 非利士人聚集，要与以色列人争战，有车三万辆，马兵六千，步兵像海边的沙那样多，就上来在伯·亚文东边的密抹安营。
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 以色列百姓见自己危急窘迫，就藏在山洞、丛林、石穴、隐密处，和坑中。
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 有些希伯来人过了约旦河，逃到迦得和基列地。扫罗还是在吉甲，百姓都战战兢兢地跟随他。
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 扫罗照着撒母耳所定的日期等了七日。撒母耳还没有来到吉甲，百姓也离开扫罗散去了。
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 扫罗说：“把燔祭和平安祭带到我这里来。”扫罗就献上燔祭。
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 刚献完燔祭，撒母耳就到了。扫罗出去迎接他，要问他好。
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 撒母耳说：“你做的是什么事呢？”扫罗说：“因为我见百姓离开我散去，你也不照所定的日期来到，而且非利士人聚集在密抹。
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 所以我心里说：恐怕我没有祷告耶和华。非利士人下到吉甲攻击我，我就勉强献上燔祭。”
“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 撒母耳对扫罗说：“你做了糊涂事了，没有遵守耶和华—你 神所吩咐你的命令。若遵守，耶和华必在以色列中坚立你的王位，直到永远。
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 现在你的王位必不长久。耶和华已经寻着一个合他心意的人，立他作百姓的君，因为你没有遵守耶和华所吩咐你的。”
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 撒母耳就起来，从吉甲上到便雅悯的基比亚。 扫罗数点跟随他的，约有六百人。
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 扫罗和他儿子约拿单，并跟随他们的人，都住在便雅悯的迦巴；但非利士人安营在密抹。
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 有掠兵从非利士营中出来，分为三队：一队往俄弗拉向书亚地去，
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 一队往伯·和 去，一队往洗波音谷对面的地境向旷野去。
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 那时，以色列全地没有一个铁匠；因为非利士人说，恐怕希伯来人制造刀枪。
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 以色列人要磨锄、犁、斧、铲，就下到非利士人那里去磨。
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 但有锉可以锉铲、犁、三齿叉、斧子，并赶牛锥。
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 所以到了争战的日子，跟随扫罗和约拿单的人没有一个手里有刀有枪的，惟独扫罗和他儿子约拿单有。
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 非利士人的一队防兵到了密抹的隘口。
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
