1 Samuel 13
1 Saül avait trente ans lorsqu'il devint roi, et il régna sur Israël pendant quarante-deux ans.
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Saül choisit pour lui trois mille hommes d'Israël, dont deux mille étaient avec Saül à Micmasch et sur la montagne de Béthel, et mille étaient avec Jonathan à Guibea de Benjamin. Il envoya le reste du peuple dans ses tentes.
[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 Jonathan frappa la garnison des Philistins qui était à Guéba, et les Philistins l'apprirent. Saül fit sonner la trompette dans tout le pays, en disant: « Que les Hébreux entendent! »
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 Tout Israël apprit que Saül avait frappé la garnison des Philistins, et aussi qu'Israël était considéré comme une abomination par les Philistins. Le peuple se rassembla après Saül à Guilgal.
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 Les Philistins se rassemblèrent pour combattre Israël: trente mille chars, six mille cavaliers, et un peuple nombreux comme le sable qui est au bord de la mer. Ils montèrent et campèrent à Micmasch, à l'orient de Beth Aven.
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 Lorsque les hommes d'Israël virent qu'ils étaient en difficulté (car le peuple était en détresse), alors le peuple se cacha dans des cavernes, dans des fourrés, dans des rochers, dans des tombeaux et dans des fosses.
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 Une partie des Hébreux avait traversé le Jourdain pour se rendre au pays de Gad et de Galaad; quant à Saül, il était encore à Guilgal, et tout le peuple le suivait en tremblant.
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 Il resta sept jours, selon le temps fixé par Samuel; mais Samuel n'était pas venu à Guilgal, et le peuple se dispersait devant lui.
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 Saül dit: « Apportez-moi ici l'holocauste et les sacrifices de paix. » Il offrit l'holocauste.
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 Dès qu'il eut achevé d'offrir l'holocauste, voici que Samuel arriva; Saül sortit à sa rencontre pour le saluer.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Samuel dit: « Qu'as-tu fait? » Saül dit: « Parce que j'ai vu que le peuple s'était dispersé loin de moi, que tu n'étais pas venu dans les jours fixés, et que les Philistins s'étaient rassemblés à Michmash,
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 j'ai donc dit: « Maintenant les Philistins vont descendre sur moi jusqu'à Gilgal, et je n'ai pas imploré la faveur de Yahvé. Je me suis donc forcé et j'ai offert l'holocauste. »
“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 Samuel dit à Saül: « Tu as fait une folie. Tu n'as pas observé le commandement de l'Éternel, ton Dieu, qu'il t'avait donné; car maintenant l'Éternel aurait établi ton règne sur Israël pour toujours.
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 Mais maintenant, ton règne ne durera pas. L'Éternel s'est cherché un homme selon son cœur, et l'Éternel l'a établi prince sur son peuple, parce que vous n'avez pas gardé ce que l'Éternel vous avait commandé. »
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 Samuel se leva et alla de Guilgal à Guibea de Benjamin. Saül compta le peuple qui était présent avec lui, soit environ six cents hommes.
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 Saül, Jonathan, son fils, et le peuple qui était avec eux, restèrent à Guéba de Benjamin; mais les Philistins campaient à Micmash.
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 Les pillards sortirent du camp des Philistins en trois compagnies: une compagnie prit le chemin qui mène à Ophra, au pays de Shual;
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 une autre compagnie prit le chemin de Beth Horon; et une autre compagnie prit le chemin de la frontière qui regarde la vallée de Zeboïm vers le désert.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Il n'y avait pas de forgeron dans tout le pays d'Israël, car les Philistins avaient dit: « De peur que les Hébreux ne se fabriquent des épées ou des lances ».
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 Mais tous les Israélites descendirent chez les Philistins, chacun aiguisant son soc, sa hache et sa faucille.
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 Le prix était d'un payim par personne pour aiguiser les socs, les socs de charrue, les fourches, les haches et les aiguillons.
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 Au jour du combat, on ne trouva ni épée ni lance dans la main d'aucun des gens qui étaient avec Saül et Jonathan, mais Saül et Jonathan, son fils, les avaient.
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 La garnison des Philistins sortit au col de Micmash.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
