1 Samuel 13
1 Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
Saul mah saningto uk moe, Israel kaminawk nuiah saning hnetto thung siangpahrang ah oh pacoengah,
2 [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.
Saul mah Israel kaminawk sang thumto qoih; kami sang hnetto loe angmah hoi nawnto Mikmash hoi Bethel mae nuiah oh o, kami sangto loe Benjamin prae Gibeah vangpui ah Jonathan hoi nawnto ohsak. Kanghmat kaminawk loe angmacae im ah patoeh boih.
3 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]!”
Jonathan mah Geba vangpui ah kaom Philistin kaminawk to tuk; to tamthang to Philistinnawk mah thaih o. Saul mah prae thung ih Hebru kaminawk boih tahngai oh, tiah mongkah to uengsak.
4 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.”
Saul mah Philistinnawk to tuk pongah, Philistinnawk mah Israel kaminawk to panuet o ti, tiah Israel kaminawk mah thaih o naah, kaminawk nawnto amkhueng o moe, Saul abomh hanah Gilgal vangpui ah caeh o.
5 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]).
Philistinnawk loe Israel kaminawk tuk hanah hrang lakok sang quithumto, hrang angthueng kami sang tarukto maeto ah amkhueng o; misatuh kaminawk loe tuipui taeng ih savuet zetto pop o; nihcae loe caeh o tahang moe, Beth-Aven vangpui ni angyae bangah kaom, Mikmash vangpui ah atai o.
6 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.
Israel kaminawk mah kaicae loe raihaih thungah ni ka oh o boeh, tiah panoek o naah (kaminawk loe poek angpho o), to pacoengah kaminawk loe thlungkhaw thungah, thing kathah thungah, lungsong thungah, hmuensang nui hoi tangqom khaw thungah anghawk o.
7 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].
Thoemto Hebru kaminawk loe Jordan vapui angkat o moe, Gad hoi Gilead prae bangah caeh o. Saul loe Gilgal vangpui ah oh; kaminawk boih anih hnukah mawnhhaih hoiah bang o.
8 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.
Samuel mah khaeh ih atue baktih toengah, Saul mah ni sarihto thung zing; toe Samuel Gilgal ah angzo ai pongah, Saul ih kaminawk loe anghaeh o phang.
9 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].
To pongah Saul mah, Hmai angbawnhaih hoi angdaeh angbawnhaih sak hanah hmuen to kai khaeah na sin oh, tiah a naa. Anih mah hmai angbawnhaih to sak.
10 And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
Anih mah hmai angbawnhaih sak pacoengah, Samuel to phak; Saul loe caeh moe, Samuel to dawt.
11 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.
Samuel mah, Timaw na sak? tiah a naa. Saul mah, Kaminawk kai khae hoi anghaeh o phang boeh, nang loe na khaeh ih atue ah na pha ai, Philistinnawk doeh Mikmash vangpui ah atai o;
12 “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].”
Philistinnawk loe ka ohhaih Gilgal vangpui ah kai tuk hanah angzo o tih boeh; toe kai loe Angraeng khaeah ka hni ai vop bae hae, tiah ka poek pongah, ka tawt moe, hmai angbawnhaih ka sak halat boeh, tiah a naa.
13 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.
Samuel mah, Amthuhaih hoiah hmuen hae na sak, na Angraeng Sithaw mah paek ih lok to na pazui ai; na pazui nahaeloe Israel nuiah siangpahrang ah na ohhaih to dungzan khoek to cak tih.
14 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.”
Toe vaihi loe na prae hae cak poe mak ai boeh; Angraeng mah paek ih lok na pazui ai pongah, Angraeng mah angmah koeh ih kami to pakrong moe, angmah ih kaminawk zaehoikung to a qoih boeh, tiah a naa.
15 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].
To naah Samuel to angthawk, Gilgal vangpui to tacawt taak moe, Benjamin prae Gibeah vangpui ah caeh tahang. Saul mah angmah hoi nawnto kaom kaminawk to kroek naah, cumvai tarukto ni oh o.
16 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.
Philistin kaminawk Mikmash vangpui ah atai o naah, Saul hoi a capa Jonathan, anih taengah kaom kaminawk loe Benjamin prae Gibeah vangpui ah oh o.
17 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].
To pacoengah kami muk thaih abu thumtonawk loe Philistinnawk ataihaih ahmuen hoiah tacawt o, abu maeto loe Shual prae Ophrah vangpui bangah caeh o;
18 One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
kalah abu maeto loe Beth-Horon vangpui caehhaih loklam ah caeh o, thumto haih abu maeto loe praezaek caehhaih loklam ah kaom, Zeboim azawn ramri bangah caeh o.
19 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.
Israel prae thung boihah sum daengh kop kami maeto doeh om ai vop, to pongah Philistine kaminawk mah, Hebru kaminawk mah tayae hoi sumsen sah o thaih moeng tih, tiah a mawnh o.
20 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.
To pongah Israel kaminawk loe, laikok toksak naah patoh ih sum, kalen taoi, tahmawh kamsum taoi hoi cakanawk to taak hanah, Philistinnawk khaeah caeh o tathuk.
21 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).
To pacoengah laikok atokhaih hmuennawk, taoi, aha thumto kaom sumnawk, caka hoi tahmawh kamsum taoinawk to taak hanah, phoisa paek han angaih.
22 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].
To pongah misatukhaih niah, Saul hoi Jonathan ai ah loe, Saul taengah kaom kaminawk thungah mi doeh a ban ah haita hoi palaa sin kami om ai.
23 Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
Thoemto Philistin kaminawk loe Mikmash vangpui to poeng hanah caeh o.
