< Kings I 13 >
1 And Saul chooses for himself three thousand men of the men of Israel: and there were with Saul two thousand who were in Machmas, and in mount Baethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gabaa of Benjamin: and he sent the rest of the people every man to his tent.
Saul aveva trent’anni quando cominciò a regnare; e regnò quarantadue anni sopra Israele.
Saul si scelse tremila uomini d’Israele: duemila stavano con lui a Micmas e sul monte di Bethel, e mille con Gionathan a Ghibea di Beniamino; e rimandò il resto del popolo, ognuno alla sua tenda.
3 And Jonathan struck Nasib the Philistine that lived in the hill; and the Philistines hear of it, and Saul sounds the trumpet through all the land, saying, The servants have despised [us].
Gionathan batté la guarnigione de’ Filistei che stava a Gheba, e i Filistei lo seppero; e Saul fe’ sonar la tromba per tutto il paese, dicendo: “Lo sappiano gli Ebrei!”
4 And all Israel heard say, Saul has struck Nasib the Philistine; now Israel had been put to shame before the Philistines; and the children of Israel went up after Saul in Galgala.
E tutto Israele sentì dire: “Saul ha battuto la guarnigione de’ Filistei, e Israele è venuto in odio ai Filistei”. Così il popolo fu convocato a Ghilgal per seguir Saul.
5 And the Philistines gather together to war with Israel; and then come up against Israel thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand by the seashore for multitude: and they come up, and encamp in Machmas, opposite Baethoron southward.
E il Filistei si radunarono per combattere contro Israele; aveano trentamila carri, seimila cavalieri, e gente numerosa come la rena ch’è sul lido del mare. Saliron dunque e si accamparono a Micmas, a oriente di Beth-Aven.
6 And the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait so that they could not draw near, and the people hid themselves in caves, and sheepfolds, and rocks, and ditches, and pits.
Or gl’Israeliti, vedendosi ridotti a mal partito, perché il popolo era messo alle strette, si nascosero nelle caverne, nelle macchie, tra le rocce, nelle buche e nelle cisterne.
7 And they that went over went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Galaad: and Saul was yet in Galgala, and all the people followed after him in amazement.
Ci furon degli Ebrei che passarono il Giordano, per andare nel paese di Gad e di Galaad. Quanto a Saul, egli era ancora a Ghilgal, e tutto il popolo che lo seguiva, tremava.
8 And he continued seven days for the appointed testimony, as Samuel told him, and Samuel came not to Galgala, and his people were dispersed from him.
Egli aspettò sette giorni, secondo il termine fissato da Samuele; ma Samuele non giungeva a Ghilgal, e il popolo cominciò a disperdersi e ad abbandonarlo.
9 And Saul said, Bring hither [victims], that I may offer whole burnt offerings and peace-offerings: and he offered the whole burnt offering.
Allora Saul disse: “Menatemi l’olocausto e i sacrifizi di azioni di grazie”; e offerse l’olocausto.
10 And it came to pass when he had finished offering the whole burnt offering, that Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to meet him, [and] to bless him.
E come finiva d’offrir l’olocausto, ecco che arrivò Samuele; e Saul gli uscì incontro per salutarlo.
11 And Samuel said, What have you done? and Saul said, Because I saw how the people were scattered from me, and you was not present as you purposed according to the set time of the days, and the Philistines were gathered to Machmas.
Ma Samuele gli disse: “Che hai tu fatto?” Saul rispose: “Siccome vedevo che il popolo si disperdeva e m’abbandonava, che tu non giungevi nel giorno stabilito, e che i Filistei erano adunati a Micmas, mi son detto:
12 Then I said, Now will the Philistines come down to me to Galgala, and I have not sought the face of the Lord: so I forced myself and offered the whole burnt offering.
Ora i Filistei mi piomberanno addosso a Ghilgal, e io non ho ancora implorato l’Eterno! Così, mi son fatto violenza, ed ho offerto l’olocausto”.
13 And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly; for you have not kept my command, which the Lord commanded you, as now the Lord would have confirmed your kingdom over Israel for ever.
Allora Samuele disse a Saul: “Tu hai agito stoltamente; non hai osservato il comandamento che l’Eterno, il tuo Dio, ti avea dato. L’Eterno avrebbe stabilito il tuo regno sopra Israele in perpetuo;
14 But now your kingdom shall not stand to you, and the Lord shall seek for himself a man after his own heart; and the Lord shall appoint him to be a ruler over his people, because you have not kept all that the Lord commanded you.
ma ora il tuo regno non durerà; l’Eterno s’è cercato un uomo secondo il cuor suo, e l’Eterno l’ha destinato ad esser principe del suo popolo, giacché tu non hai osservato quel che l’Eterno t’aveva ordinato”.
15 And Samuel arose, and departed from Galgala, and the remnant of the people went after Saul to meet [him] after the men of war, when they had come out of Galgala to Gabaa of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were found with him, about six hundred men.
Poi Samuele si levò e salì da Ghilgal a Ghibea di Beniamino, e Saul fece la rassegna del popolo che si trovava con lui; eran circa seicento uomini.
16 And Saul and Jonathan his son, and the people that were found with them, halted in Gabaa, of Benjamin; and they wept: and the Philistines had encamped in Machmas.
Or Saul, Gionathan suo figliuolo, e la gente che si trovava con essi occupavano Ghibea di Beniamino, mentre i Filistei erano accampati a Micmas.
17 And men came forth to destroy out of the land of the Philistines in three companies; one company turning by the way of Gophera toward the land of Sogal,
Dal campo de’ Filistei uscirono dei guastatori divisi in tre schiere: una prese la via d’Ofra, verso il paese di Shual;
18 and another company turning the way of Baethoron, and another company turning by the way of Gabae that turns aside to Gai of Sabim.
l’altra prese la via di Beth-Horon; la terza prese la via della frontiera che guarda la valle di Tseboim, verso il deserto.
19 And there was not found a smith in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make themselves sword or spear.
Or in tutto il paese d’Israele non si trovava un fabbro; poiché i Filistei aveano detto: “Vediamo che gli Ebrei non si facciano spade o lance”.
20 And all Israel went down to the Land of the Philistines to forge every one his reaping-hook and his tool, and every one his axe and his sickle.
E tutti gl’Israeliti scendevano dai Filistei per farsi aguzzare chi il suo vomero, chi la sua zappa, chi la sua scure, chi la sua vanga.
21 And it was near the time of vintage: and their tools were [valued at] three shekels for a plowshare, and there was the same rate for the axe and the sickle.
E il prezzo dell’arrotatura era di un pim per le vanghe, per le zappe, per i tridenti, per le scuri e per aggiustare i pungoli.
22 And it came to pass in the days of the war of Machmas, that there was not a sword or spear found in the hand of all the people, that were with Saul and Jonathan; but with Saul and Jonathan his son was there found.
Così avvenne che il dì della battaglia non si trovava in mano a tutta la gente, ch’era con Saul e con Gionathan, né spada né lancia; non se ne trovava che in man di Saul e di Gionathan suo figliuolo.
23 And there went out some from the camp of the Philistines to the place beyond Machmas.
E la guarnigione dei Filistei uscì ad occupare il passo di Micmas.