1 Samuel 13
1 Saul war fünfzig Jahre alt, als er König ward, und zwei Jahre hatte er über Israel geherrscht.
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Saul warb nun 3.000 aus Israel an. Bei Saul aber blieben 2.000 zu Mikmas und auf dem Gebirge Betels, 1.000 aber waren bei Jonatan zu Gibea Benjamins. Den Rest hatte er entlassen, jeden in sein Zeit.
[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 Da schlug Jonatan den Philistervogt in Geba. Die Philister aber erfuhren es. Nun hatte Saul im ganzen Land in das Horn stoßen und verkünden lassen: "Hören sollen es die auf der anderen Seite!"
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 So vernahm ganz Israel die Kunde: "Saul hat den Philistervogt geschlagen, und Israel ist bei den Philistern anrüchig geworden." Da ward das Volk aufgeboten und folgte Saul nach dem Gilgal.
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 Die Philister aber hatten sich zum Kampf gegen Israel versammelt, 30.000 Wagen und 6.000 Reiter sowie Fußvolk, an Menge gleich dem Sand am Meeresufer. So zogen sie herauf und lagerten zu Mikmas, östlich von Bet Awen.
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 Israels Männer aber merkten, daß sie in Not kämen; denn das Volk war bestürzt. So verbarg sich das Volk in Höhlen, Erdlöchern, Felsspalten, Grüften und Gruben.
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 Und zuletzt zogen sie über die Jordanfurten in das Land Gad und Gilead. Saul aber blieb immer noch im Gilgal, obwohl das ganze Volk sich heftig nach ihm sehnte.
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 Er wartete sieben Tage bis zu der Frist, die Samuel bestimmt hatte. Aber Samuel kam nicht nach dem Gilgal. Da verlief sich das Volk.
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 So sprach denn Saul: "Bringt mir das Brandopfer und die Mahlopfer!" Dann vollzog er das Brandopfer.
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 Eben war er mit dem Darbringen des Brandopfers fertig, da kam Samuel. Saul ging ihm nun entgegen, ihn zu begrüßen.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Da sprach Samuel: "Was hast du getan?" Saul sprach: "Ich habe gesehen, wie das Volk mir davongelaufen ist, und du bist nicht zur bestimmten Frist eingetroffen, obschon die Philister in Mikmas versammelt sind.
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 Da sprach ich: 'Nun werden die Philister gegen mich ins Gilgal ziehen, bevor ich den Herrn begütigt habe.' Und so überwand ich mich und brachte das Brandopfer dar."
“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 Da sprach Samuel zu Saul: "Du hast töricht gehandelt. Hättest du des Herrn, deines Gottes, Befehl, den er dir gegeben, befolgt, dann hätte der Herr dein Königtum über Israel für immer bestätigt.
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 So aber wird dein Königtum keinen Bestand haben. Der Herr hat sich schon einen Mann nach seinem Herzen ausgesucht, und ihn bestellte er zum Fürsten über sein Volk. Denn du hast nicht befolgt, was dir der Herr befohlen hat."
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 Dann erhob sich Samuel und ging aus dem Gilgal nach Gibea Benjamins hinauf. Da musterte Saul das Volk, das sich bei ihm fand, an 600 Mann.
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 Saul und sein Sohn Jonatan sowie das Volk, das sich bei ihm fand, weilten in Gibea Benjamin. Die Philister aber lagerten in Mikmas.
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 Da zog eine Plündererschar aus dem Philisterlager in drei Haufen. Der eine Haufe wandte sich nach dem Wege von Ophra ins Gebiet von 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 der andere nach dem von Betchoron und der dritte nach dem Wege über den Hügel, der über das Hyänental auf die Steppe schaut.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Im ganzen Lande Israel aber fand sich kein Schmied. Denn die Philister hatten gesagt: "Die Hebräer machen sich sonst Schwerter oder Lanzen!"
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 So mußte ganz Israel zu den Philistern hinabgehen, wenn jemand seine Pflugschar, seinen Karst, seine Axt und seinen Ochsenstachel schmieden lassen wollte.
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 Harte Steine dienten als Schneiden an den Pflugscharen, Karsten, Dreizacken, Äxten und zum Wetzen der Sicheln.
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 So hatte sich am Kampftage weder Schwert noch Lanze beim gesamten Kriegsvolk vorgefunden, das bei Saul und Jonatan war. Nur bei Saul und seinem Sohn Jonatan fanden sich solche.
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 Da rückte ein Philisterposten gegen den Paß von Mikmas vor.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
