Samuel 1 13
1 Saul xɔ ƒe blaetɔ̃ esi wòzu fia eye wòɖu fia ƒe blaene-vɔ-eve, ɖe Israel dzi;
Saul was thirty when he became king, and he reigned over Israel for forty-two years.
2 etia aʋawɔla tɔxɛ akpe etɔ̃ tso Israel. Ekplɔ wo dometɔ akpe eve ɖe eɖokui ŋuti yi Mikmas kple Betel to la dzi eye wògblẽ akpe ɖeka mamlɛa ɖe Yonatan, Saul ƒe vi gbɔ le Benyamin ƒe anyigba dzi. Eɖo asrafo bubuawo ɖe aƒe me.
Saul had chosen three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand of them were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and another thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the army home.
3 Yonatan si Filistitɔwo ƒe dzɔlawo le Geba eye nya sia ɖi le Filistitɔwo ƒe anyigba blibo la dzi. Eye Saul ku aʋakpẽ le Israelnyigba blibo la dzi eye wòɖe gbeƒã be “Hebritɔwo katã nesee.”
Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrison at Geba. The Philistines soon heard about it, so Saul had the trumpet call to arms sounded throughout the land, saying, “Hebrews, pay attention!”
4 Ale Israel dukɔ la se nyadzɔdzɔ la be: Saul tsrɔ̃ Filistitɔwo ƒe dzɔlawo eye Israel zu nuɖianu na Filistitɔwo. Ale woyɔ Israel ƒe aʋakɔ blibo la ƒo ƒu ɖe Saul ŋu le Gilgal.
All of Israel heard the news, “Saul has attacked the Philistine garrison, and now Israel is like a bad smell to the Philistines!” So the whole army was called up to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 Filistitɔwo ƒo ƒu aʋakɔ gã aɖe si me tasiaɖam akpe etɔ̃ kple sɔdola akpe ade kple afɔzɔla siwo sɔ gbɔ abe ƒutake ene la nɔ be woawɔ aʋa kple Israel. Woƒu asaɖa anyi ɖe Mikmas, le Bet Aven ƒe ɣedzeƒe gome.
The Philistines gathered to fight against Israel. They had three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and soldiers as numerous as sand on the seashore. They advanced and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
6 Esi Israel ŋutsuwo kpɔ xaxa gã si me wonɔ kple ale si womimi woƒe aʋakɔ la ɖoe la, wosi yi ɖaɣla ɖe agadowo, avekɔewo, kpewo tome kple ʋewo me kple vudo siwo me tsi menɔ o la me.
When the Israelite men realized the tough situation they were in, and that the army was taking a beating, they hid themselves in caves, holes, rocks, pits, and cisterns.
7 Hebritɔ aɖewo gɔ̃ la tso Yɔdan tɔsisi la eye wosi yi Gad kple Gileadnyigbawo gɔ̃ hã dzi. Saul ya tsi Gilgal eye aʋakɔ siwo nɔ eŋu la dzo nyanyanya le vɔvɔ̃ ta.
Some of the Hebrews even crossed the Jordan into the territory of Gad and Gilead, but Saul stayed at Gilgal, and all the men with him were trembling with fear.
8 Elala ŋkeke adre abe ale si Samuel ɖoe nɛ ene, gake Samuel meva Gilgal o eye Saul ƒe asrafowo de asi kaka le eŋu me.
Saul waited there seven days for the time that Samuel had said, but Samuel did not arrive at Gilgal, and the army started to desert him.
9 Ale wògblɔ be, “Mitsɔ numevɔsa kple akpedavɔsa vɛ nam.” Ale Saul sa numevɔ la.
So Saul ordered, “Bring the burnt offering and the friendship offerings to me,” and he presented the burnt offering.
10 Esi wòwu vɔsawo nu vɔ tetee ko la, Samuel va do. Saul yi be yeakpee ado gbe nɛ.
Just as he finished presenting the burnt offering, he saw Samuel arrive. Saul went over to meet him and say hello.
11 Samuel biae be, “Nu kae nye esi nèwɔ?” Saul ɖo eŋu be, “Esi mekpɔ be nye aʋawɔlawo le kakam le ŋunye, evɔ mèva ɖo le ɣeyiɣi si nèɖo nam la dzi o, gawu la Filistitɔwo ƒu asaɖa anyi ɖe Mikmas.
“What have you done?” Samuel asked. Saul replied, “Well I saw my men were deserting me, and you hadn't arrived when you said you would, and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash to attack.
12 Eya ta mesusui be azɔ la, Filistitɔwo ava dze dzinye le Gilgal evɔ nyemebia amenuveve tso Yehowa gbɔ o! Esia zi dzinye eye mewɔ numevɔsa la.”
I said to myself, ‘The Philistines are about to attack me at Gilgal, and I haven't asked the Lord for his help.’ So I felt I had to present the burnt offering myself.”
13 Samuel gblɔ be, “Èwɔ bometsinu, mèlé Yehowa, wò Mawu la ƒe se si wòde na wò la me ɖe asi o. Nenye ɖe nèlé eme ɖe asi la, anye ne aɖo wò fiaɖuƒe la anyi le Israel hena ɣeyiɣiawo katã.
“You've been really stupid,” Samuel told him. “You haven't kept the commands of the Lord your God. If you had, the Lord would have made your kingdom over Israel secure forever.
14 Ke azɔ la, wò fiaɖuƒe mali ke o. Yehowa di ame si eƒe dzi di la na eɖokui eye wòɖoe eƒe dukɔ la ƒe kplɔlae elabena mèlé Yehowa ƒe sedede me ɖe asi o.”
But now your kingdom won't last. The Lord has found for himself a man who thinks like him, and has chosen him as ruler over his people, because you haven't kept the commands of the Lord.”
15 Tete Samuel dzo le Gilgal yi Gibea le Benyaminviwo ƒe anyigba dzi. Esi Saul xlẽ eƒe aʋawɔlawo la, ekpɔ be ame alafa ade koe susɔ!
Then Samuel left Gilgal. The rest of the soldiers followed Saul to meet the army, going from Gilgal to Geba in Benjamin. Saul counted the number of soldiers who were with him and there were about six hundred.
16 Saul kple Yonatan kple ame alafa ade siawo ƒu asaɖa anyi ɖe Gibea le Benyaminviwo ƒe anyigba dzi le esime Filistitɔwo ganɔ Mikmas.
Saul, his son Jonathan, and the soldiers with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, while the Philistines were camped at Michmash.
17 Filistitɔwo ƒe aʋalɔgo etɔ̃ ho tso woƒe asaɖa me be yewoayi aɖaha nuwo. Aʋalɔgo ɖeka ɖo ta Ofra le Sual nyigba dzi;
Three groups of raiders left the Philistine camp to go and attack. One group went towards Ophrah in the land of Shual,
18 aʋalɔgo evelia yi Bet Horon eye etɔ̃lia ɖo ta liƒo si le Zeboim ƒe balime te ɖe gbegbe la ŋu la dzi.
one towards Beth-horon, and one towards the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim by the wilderness.
19 Gbede aɖeke menɔ Israelnyigba blibo la dzi le ŋkeke mawo me o elabena Filistitɔwo gblɔ bena, ne menye nenema o la, Hebritɔwo ava tu yiwo alo akplɔwo!
There wasn't a blacksmith to be found anywhere in Israel, because the Philistines had said, “So that the Hebrews don't make swords and spears.”
20 Eya ta ɣe sia ɣi si Israelviwo di be yewoanyre yewoƒe agbleŋlɔnuwo, fiawo kple nuxanuwo la, wotsɔa wo yia Filistitɔwo ƒe gbedewo gbɔ.
All the Israelites had to go to the Philistines to sharpen their iron plowshares, pickaxes, axes, and sickles.
21 Nenye be wonyre agbleŋlɔnuawo la, woxea klosaloga gram enyi, nenema kee nye fi hã, ke woxea klosaloga gram ene ɖe gaflu kple fiawo hekpe ɖe nuŋɔnuwo nyenyre ŋuti.
The fee was two-thirds of a shekel for plowshares and pickaxes, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and cattle prods.
22 Ale yi alo akplɔ aɖeke menɔ Israel ƒe aʋakɔ blibo la si gbe ma gbe o negbe ɖekaɖeka siwo nɔ Saul kple Yonatan si ko.
So when it came to the day of battle none of the soldiers with Saul and Jonathan had swords or spears—only Saul and his son Jonathan had such weapons.
23 Azɔ Filistitɔwo ɖe asrafo aɖewo woyi ɖaxɔ mɔ si ɖo ta Mikmas.
A Philistine garrison had taken control of the pass at Michmash.
