1 Samuel 13
1 Saül avait un an, lorsqu’il commença à régner, et il régna pendant deux ans sur Israël.
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Et il se choisit trois mille hommes d’Israël; or, il y en avait deux mille avec Saül à Machmas, et sur la montagne de Béthel, et mille avec Jonathas à Gabaa-Benjamin; pour le reste du peuple, il renvoya chacun dans son tabernacle.
[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 Et Jonathas battit la garnison des Philistins, qui était à Gabaa. Lorsque les Philistins l’eurent appris, Saül sonna de la trompette dans tout le pays, 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 Or tout Israël apprit cette nouvelle: Saül a battu la garnison des Philistins; et Israël se leva contre les Philistins. Le peuple cria donc après Saul à 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 Et les Philistins s’assemblèrent pour combattre contre Israël, avec trente mille chariots, six mille cavaliers et le reste de la multitude, semblable au sable nombreux qui est sur le rivage de la mer. Et, montant, ils campèrent à Machmas, vers l’orient de Béthaven.
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 ainsi resserrés (car le peuple était affligé), ils se cachèrent dans les cavernes, dans les lieux retirés, dans les rochers même, dans les antres et dans les citernes.
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 Mais les Hébreux passèrent le Jourdain et vinrent dans la terre de Gad et de Galaad. Et comme Saül était à Galgala, tout le peuple qui le suivait, était épouvanté.
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 Et il attendit durant sept jours, selon l’ordre de Samuel, et Samuel ne vint point à Galgala, et le peuple se détacha de Saül.
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 Saul dit: Apportez-moi l’holocauste et les hosties pacifiques. Et 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 Et comme il achevait d’offrir l’holocauste, voilà que Samuel arrivait; et Saul sortit au devant de lui pour le saluer.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Et Samuel lui demanda: Qu’avez-vous fait? Saül répondit: Parce que j’ai vu que le peuple se détachait de moi, et que vous n’étiez pas venu, selon les jours marqués, mais que les Philistins s’étaient assemblés à Machmas,
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 dit: Maintenant les Philistins descendront vers moi à Galgala, et je n’ai point apaisé la face du Seigneur. Poussé par la nécessité, 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 Et Samuel dit à Saul: Vous avez agi en insensé, et vous n’avez pas gardé les commandements du Seigneur votre Dieu, qu’il vous a prescrits. Si vous n’aviez point fait cela, le Seigneur aurait déjà maintenant établi votre 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 votre règne ne subsistera plus désormais. Le Seigneur s’est cherché un homme selon son cœur; et le Seigneur lui a ordonné d’être chef sur son peuple, parce que vous n’avez pas observé ce qu’a ordonné le Seigneur.
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 Or, Samuel se leva, et monta de Galgala à Gabaa-Benjamin. Et le reste du peuple, monta après Saül au-devant du peuple des Philistins qui les attaquait, tandis qu’ils venaient de Galgala à Gabaa sur la colline de Benjamin. Et Saül fit la revue du peuple, qui se trouvait avec lui au nombre d’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 Ainsi Saül et Jonathas, son fils, et tout le peuple qui se trouvait avec eux, étaient à Gabaa-Benjamin; mais les Philistins s’étaient postés à Machmas.
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 Alors sortirent pour piller trois bataillons de Philistins. Un bataillon allait en face de la voie d’Ephra, vers la terre de Sual;
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 Mais l’autre s’avançait par la voie de Béthoron, et le troisième avait tourné vers le chemin du territoire qui domine la vallée de Séboïm, contre 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 Or, il ne se trouvait point de forgeron dans toute la terre d’Israël; car les Philistins avaient pris ces mesures, de peur que les Hébreux ne fissent des glaives 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 Tout Israël descendait donc chez les Philistins, pour aiguiser chacun son soc de charrue, son boyau, sa cognée et son sarcloir.
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 C’est pourquoi les tranchants des socs de charrue, des hoyaux, des fourches et des cognées étaient émoussés jusqu’à la pointe qu’il fallait redresser.
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 Et lorsque fut venu le jour du combat, il ne se trouva ni épée, ni lance dans la main de tout le peuple qui était avec Saül et Jonathas, excepté dans celle de Saül et de Jonathas, son fils.
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 Or, la garnison des Philistins sortit, pour passer vers Machmas.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
