1 Samuel 13
1 Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
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.
καὶ ἐκλέγεται Σαουλ ἑαυτῷ τρεῖς χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν ἐκ τῶν ἀνδρῶν Ισραηλ καὶ ἦσαν μετὰ Σαουλ δισχίλιοι ἐν Μαχεμας καὶ ἐν τῷ ὄρει Βαιθηλ χίλιοι ἦσαν μετὰ Ιωναθαν ἐν Γαβεε τοῦ Βενιαμιν καὶ τὸ κατάλοιπον τοῦ λαοῦ ἐξαπέστειλεν ἕκαστον εἰς τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ
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]!”
καὶ ἐπάταξεν Ιωναθαν τὸν Νασιβ τὸν ἀλλόφυλον τὸν ἐν τῷ βουνῷ καὶ ἀκούουσιν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι καὶ Σαουλ σάλπιγγι σαλπίζει εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν λέγων ἠθετήκασιν οἱ δοῦλοι
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.”
καὶ πᾶς Ισραηλ ἤκουσεν λεγόντων πέπαικεν Σαουλ τὸν Νασιβ τὸν ἀλλόφυλον καὶ ᾐσχύνθησαν Ισραηλ ἐν τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις καὶ ἀνεβόησαν ὁ λαὸς ὀπίσω Σαουλ ἐν Γαλγαλοις
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]).
καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι συνάγονται εἰς πόλεμον ἐπὶ Ισραηλ καὶ ἀναβαίνουσιν ἐπὶ Ισραηλ τριάκοντα χιλιάδες ἁρμάτων καὶ ἓξ χιλιάδες ἱππέων καὶ λαὸς ὡς ἡ ἄμμος ἡ παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν τῷ πλήθει καὶ ἀναβαίνουσιν καὶ παρεμβάλλουσιν ἐν Μαχεμας ἐξ ἐναντίας Βαιθων κατὰ νότου
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.
καὶ ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ εἶδεν ὅτι στενῶς αὐτῷ μὴ προσάγειν αὐτόν καὶ ἐκρύβη ὁ λαὸς ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις καὶ ἐν ταῖς μάνδραις καὶ ἐν ταῖς πέτραις καὶ ἐν τοῖς βόθροις καὶ ἐν τοῖς λάκκοις
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].
καὶ οἱ διαβαίνοντες διέβησαν τὸν Ιορδάνην εἰς γῆν Γαδ καὶ Γαλααδ καὶ Σαουλ ἔτι ἦν ἐν Γαλγαλοις καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἐξέστη ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ
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.
καὶ διέλιπεν ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας τῷ μαρτυρίῳ ὡς εἶπεν Σαμουηλ καὶ οὐ παρεγένετο Σαμουηλ εἰς Γαλγαλα καὶ διεσπάρη ὁ λαὸς αὐτοῦ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ
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].
καὶ εἶπεν Σαουλ προσαγάγετε ὅπως ποιήσω ὁλοκαύτωσιν καὶ εἰρηνικάς καὶ ἀνήνεγκεν τὴν ὁλοκαύτωσιν
10 And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς συνετέλεσεν ἀναφέρων τὴν ὁλοκαύτωσιν καὶ Σαμουηλ παραγίνεται καὶ ἐξῆλθεν Σαουλ εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτῷ εὐλογῆσαι αὐτόν
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.
καὶ εἶπεν Σαμουηλ τί πεποίηκας καὶ εἶπεν Σαουλ ὅτι εἶδον ὡς διεσπάρη ὁ λαὸς ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ σὺ οὐ παρεγένου ὡς διετάξω ἐν τῷ μαρτυρίῳ τῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι συνήχθησαν εἰς Μαχεμας
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].”
καὶ εἶπα νῦν καταβήσονται οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι πρός με εἰς Γαλγαλα καὶ τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ κυρίου οὐκ ἐδεήθην καὶ ἐνεκρατευσάμην καὶ ἀνήνεγκα τὴν ὁλοκαύτωσιν
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.
καὶ εἶπεν Σαμουηλ πρὸς Σαουλ μεματαίωταί σοι ὅτι οὐκ ἐφύλαξας τὴν ἐντολήν μου ἣν ἐνετείλατό σοι κύριος ὡς νῦν ἡτοίμασεν κύριος τὴν βασιλείαν σου ἕως αἰῶνος ἐπὶ Ισραηλ
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.”
καὶ νῦν ἡ βασιλεία σου οὐ στήσεται καὶ ζητήσει κύριος ἑαυτῷ ἄνθρωπον κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐντελεῖται κύριος αὐτῷ εἰς ἄρχοντα ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ὅτι οὐκ ἐφύλαξας ὅσα ἐνετείλατό σοι κύριος
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].
καὶ ἀνέστη Σαμουηλ καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἐκ Γαλγαλων εἰς ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ κατάλειμμα τοῦ λαοῦ ἀνέβη ὀπίσω Σαουλ εἰς ἀπάντησιν ὀπίσω τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ πολεμιστοῦ αὐτῶν παραγενομένων ἐκ Γαλγαλων εἰς Γαβαα Βενιαμιν καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο Σαουλ τὸν λαὸν τὸν εὑρεθέντα μετ’ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἑξακοσίους ἄνδρας
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.
καὶ Σαουλ καὶ Ιωναθαν υἱὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ λαὸς οἱ εὑρεθέντες μετ’ αὐτῶν ἐκάθισαν ἐν Γαβεε Βενιαμιν καὶ ἔκλαιον καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι παρεμβεβλήκεισαν εἰς Μαχεμας
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].
καὶ ἐξῆλθεν διαφθείρων ἐξ ἀγροῦ ἀλλοφύλων τρισὶν ἀρχαῖς ἡ ἀρχὴ ἡ μία ἐπιβλέπουσα ὁδὸν Γοφερα ἐπὶ γῆν Σωγαλ
18 One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
καὶ ἡ μία ἀρχὴ ἐπιβλέπουσα ὁδὸν Βαιθωρων καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἡ μία ἐπιβλέπουσα ὁδὸν Γαβεε τὴν εἰσκύπτουσαν ἐπὶ Γαι τὴν Σαβιν
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.
καὶ τέκτων σιδήρου οὐχ εὑρίσκετο ἐν πάσῃ γῇ Ισραηλ ὅτι εἶπον οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι μὴ ποιήσωσιν οἱ Εβραῖοι ῥομφαίαν καὶ δόρυ
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.
καὶ κατέβαινον πᾶς Ισραηλ εἰς γῆν ἀλλοφύλων χαλκεύειν ἕκαστος τὸ θέριστρον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ σκεῦος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕκαστος τὴν ἀξίνην αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ δρέπανον αὐτοῦ
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).
καὶ ἦν ὁ τρυγητὸς ἕτοιμος τοῦ θερίζειν τὰ δὲ σκεύη ἦν τρεῖς σίκλοι εἰς τὸν ὀδόντα καὶ τῇ ἀξίνῃ καὶ τῷ δρεπάνῳ ὑπόστασις ἦν ἡ αὐτή
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].
καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ πολέμου Μαχεμας καὶ οὐχ εὑρέθη ῥομφαία καὶ δόρυ ἐν χειρὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ μετὰ Σαουλ καὶ μετὰ Ιωναθαν καὶ εὑρέθη τῷ Σαουλ καὶ τῷ Ιωναθαν υἱῷ αὐτοῦ
23 Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐξ ὑποστάσεως τῶν ἀλλοφύλων τὴν ἐν τῷ πέραν Μαχεμας
