< 1 Samuel 13 >

1 Saul war....Jahre alt, als er König wurde, und herrschte....Jahre über Israel.
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Saul wählte sich 3000 Mann aus Israel aus; davon waren 2000 bei Saul in Michmas und auf dem Gebirge von Bethel, 1000 aber bei Jonathan zu Gibea in Benjamin. Den Rest des Kriegsvolks entließ er, jedermann in seine Heimat.
[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 zerschlug Jonathan die Säule der Philister, die in Geba stand. Da vernahmen die Philister die Kunde: die Hebräer sind abgefallen. Saul aber hatte inzwischen im ganzen Land umher die Posaune blasen lassen,
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 und ganz Israel hatte die Kunde vernommen: Saul hat die Säule der Philister zerschlagen, und nun ist Israel in Verruf geraten bei den Philistern. Und das Kriegsvolk wurde aufgeboten, Saul nach dem Gilgal zu folgen,
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 während sich die Philister schon zum Kriege mit Israel gesammelt hatten, 3000 Wagen und 6000 Reiter und Fußvolk so zahlreich wie der Sand am Ufer des Meers, und nun heranrückten und sich bei Michmas lagerten, gegenüber von 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 Als nun die israelitische Mannschaft sah, daß sie in die Enge geriet, weil sie bedrängt wurde, da verkroch sich das Volk in Höhlen, Erdlöchern, Felsspalten, Kellern 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 ging über die Jordanfurten ins Land Gad und Gilead. Saul jedoch war noch im Gilgal; alles Kriegsvolk aber hatte ihn aus Angst verlassen.
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 dem Zeitpunkte, den Samuel bestimmt hatte; aber Samuel kam nicht nach dem Gilgal. Da sich aber die Leute von ihm verliefen,
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 gebot Saul: Bringt mir das Brandopfer und die Heilsopfer her! und vollzog das Opfer.
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 Als er aber mit dem Darbringen des Opfers zu Ende war, da plötzlich erschien Samuel. Saul ging ihm entgegen, um ihn zu begrüßen.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Samuel aber fragte: Was hast du gethan? Saul erwiderte: Ich sah, daß sich die Leute von mir verliefen; du aber trafst zur bestimmten Zeit nicht ein, obschon sich die Philister in Michmas versammelt hatten.
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 dachte ich: Nun werden die Philister gegen mich ins Gilgal herabziehen, ehe ich noch Jahwe begütigt habe, und faßte mir ein Herz und vollzog das Opfer.
“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 warst ein Thor; du hast den Befehl, den dir Jahwe, dein Gott, gab, nicht befolgt; denn nun hätte Jahwe 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. Jahwe hat sich einen Mann nach seinem Herzen gesucht und hat ihn zum Fürsten über sein Volk bestellt. Denn du hast nicht befolgt, was dir Jahwe befohlen hatte!
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 Da machte sich Samuel auf, verließ das Gilgal und ging seines Wegs. Der Rest des Kriegsvolks aber zog hinter Saul her den Kriegern entgegen. Als sie aber vom Gilgal nach Gibea in Benjamin gekommen waren, da musterte Saul das Kriegsvolk, das ihm zu Gebote stand - etwa 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 Jonathan verweilten mit den Leuten, die ihnen zu Gebote standen, zu Geba in Benjamin, während sich die Philister in Michmas gelagert hatten.
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 aus dem Lager der Philister eine plündernde Schar in drei Abteilungen aus:
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 Die eine Abteilung schlug die Richtung gegen Ophra hin nach dem Lande Sual ein, die andere Abteilung schlug die Richtung nach Beth Horon ein, die dritte schlug die Richtung nach dem Hügel ein, der über dem Hyänenthal auf die Steppe hinabschaut.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Ein Schmied aber fand sich im ganzen Lande Israel nicht (die Philister dachten nämlich: Die Hebräer möchten sich Schwerter oder Lanzen anfertigen!),
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 vielmehr mußte aus ganz Israel jedermann zu den Philistern hinab, wenn er seine Pflugschar, seinen Karst, seine Axt und seinen Ochsenstachel schärfen 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 - mit den Pflugscharen und den Karsten und den dreizinkigen Gabeln und den Äxten, und um den Ochsenstachel gerade zu machen.
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 fand sich denn am Tage der Schlacht bei dem ganzen Kriegsvolke, das Saul und Jonathan bei sich hatten, weder Schwert noch Spieß vor; Saul aber und seinem Sohne Jonathan standen sie zu Gebote.
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 Aber ein Posten der Philister rückte vor gegen den Paß von Michmas.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.

< 1 Samuel 13 >