1 Samuel 13

1 Saul was a child of o yeer whanne he bigan to regne; forsothe he regnede on Israel twei yeer.

Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.

2 And Saul chees to hym thre thousynde of Israel, and twei thousynde weren with Saul in Machynas, in the hil of Bethel; forsothe a thousynde weren with Jonathas in Gabaath of Beniamyn; sotheli he sente ayen the tother puple ech man in to `hise tabernaclis.

[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 And Jonathas smoot the stacioun of Filisteis, that was in Gabaa. And whanne Filisteis hadden herd this, Saul sownede with a clarioun in al the lond, and seide, Ebreys here.

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 And al Israel herde siche a fame, Saul smoot the stacioun of Filisteis; and Israel reiside hym silf ayens Filisteis; therfor the puple criede after Saul in Galgala.

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 And Filisteis weren gaderid to fiyte ayens Israel; `of Filisteis weren thretti thousynde of charis, and sixe thousynde of knyytis, and the tother comyn puple, as grauel `which is ful myche in the brynke of the see; and thei stieden, and settiden tentis in Machynas, at the eest of Bethauen.

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 And whanne men of Israel hadden seyn this, that thei weren set in streiytnesse, for the puple was turmentid, thei hidden hem silf in dennes, and in priuey places, and in stonys, and in dychis, and in cisternes.

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 Sotheli Ebreis passiden Jordan in to the lond of Gad and of Galaad. And whanne Saul was yit in Galgala, al the puple was aferd that suede hym.

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 And seuene daies he abood Samuel bi couenaunt, and Samuel cam not in to Galgala; and the puple yede a wei fro Saul.

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 Therfor Saul seide, Brynge ye to me brent sacrifice, and pesible sacrifices; and he offride brent sacrifice.

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 And whanne he hadde endid offrynge brent sacrifice, lo! Samuel cam; and Saul yede out ayens hym, to greete Samuel.

And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.

11 And Samuel spak to hym, What hast thou do? Saul answeride, For Y siy that the puple yede awei fro me, and thou camest not bi the daies of couenaunt; certis Filisteis weren gaderid in Machynas;

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 Y seide, Now Filisteis schulen come doun to me in to Galgala, and Y haue not plesyd the face of the Lord; Y was compellid bi nede, and Y offryde brent sacrifice to the Lord.

“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 And Samuel seide to Saul, Thou hast do folili, and thou `keptist not the heestis of thi Lord God, whiche he comaundide to thee; and if thou haddist not do this thing, riyt now the Lord hadde maad redi thi rewme on Israel with outen ende;

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 but thi rewme schal not rise ferthere. The Lord hath souyt a man to hym silf after his herte; and the Lord comaundide to hym, that he schulde be duyk on his puple, for thou keptist not tho thingis whiche the Lord comaundide.

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 Forsothe Samuel roos, and stiede fro Galgala in to Gabaa of Beniamyn; and the `residue puplis stieden after Saul ayens the puple which fouyten ayens hem; and thei camen fro Galgala in to Gabaa, in the hil of Beniamyn. And Saul noumbride the puple, that weren foundun with hym as sixe hundrid men.

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 And Saul, and Jonathas his sone, and the puple that was foundun with hem, was in Gabaa of Beniamyn; forsothe Filisteis saten togidere in Machynas.

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 And thre cumpanyes yeden out of the `castels of Filisteis to take prey; o cumpany yede ayens the weie of Effraym to the lond of Saul;

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 sothely an other cumpeny entride bi the weie of Bethoron; forsothe the thridde cumpenye turnede it silf to the weie of the terme in the lond of Sabaa; and that terme neiyeth to the valey of Seboym ayens the deseert.

One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.

19 Forsothe `no smyyth of yrun was foundun in al the lond of Israel; for Filisteis `weren war, ether eschewiden, lest perauenture Ebreis maden a swerd ether a spere.

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 Therfor al Israel yede doun to Filisteis, that ech man schulde scharpe his schar, and picoise, and ax, `and sarpe;

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 `and so alle egis weren bluntid `of scharris, and of picoisis, and of `forkis of thre teeth, and of axis, `til to a pricke to be amendid.

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 And whanne the dai of batel cam, no swerd and spere was foundun in the hond of al the puple that was with Saul and Jonathas, outakun Saul, and Jonathas his sone.

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 Forsothe the stacioun of Filisteis yede out, that it schulde passe in to Machynas.

Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.