1 Samuel 13
1 Saul war ein Jahr König gewesen; und da er zwei Jahre über Israel regiert hatte,
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 erwählte er sich dreitausend Mann aus Israel. Zweitausend waren mit Saul zu Michmas und auf dem Gebirge zu Beth-El und eintausend mit Jonathan zu Gibea-Benjamin; das andere Volk aber ließ er gehen, einen jeglichen in seine Hütte.
[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 aber schlug die Schildwacht der Philister, die zu Gibea war. Das kam vor die Philister. Und Saul ließ die Posaune blasen im ganzen Land und sagen: Das laßt die Hebräer hören!
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 hörte sagen: Saul hat der Philister Schildwacht geschlagen, und Israel ist stinkend geworden vor den Philistern. Und alles Volk wurde zuhauf gerufen Saul nach gen 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 Da versammelten sich die Philister, zu streiten mit Israel, dreißigtausend Wagen, sechstausend Reiter und sonst Volk, so viel wie Sand am Rand des Meers, und zogen herauf und lagerten sich zu Michmas, gegen Morgen vor 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 Da das sahen die Männer Israels, daß sie in Nöten waren (denn dem Volk war bange), verkrochen sie sich in die Höhlen und Klüfte und Felsen und Löcher 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 Es gingen aber auch Hebräer über den Jordan ins Land Gad und Gilead. Saul aber war noch zu Gilgal, und alles Volk ward hinter ihm verzagt.
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 Da harrte er sieben Tage auf die Zeit, von Samuel bestimmt. Und da Samuel nicht kam gen Gilgal, zerstreute sich das Volk von ihm.
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 Da sprach Saul: Bringt mir her Brandopfer und Dankopfer. Und er opferte 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 Als aber das Brandopfer vollendet war, siehe, da kam Samuel. Da ging Saul hinaus ihm entgegen, ihn zu grüßen.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Samuel aber sprach: Was hast du getan? Saul antwortete: Ich sah, daß das Volk sich von mir zerstreute, und du kamst nicht zu bestimmter Zeit, und die Philister waren versammelt zu Michmas.
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 zu mir herabkommen gen Gilgal, und ich habe das Angesicht des HERRN nicht erbeten; da wagte ich's und opferte Brandopfer.
“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 aber sprach zu Saul: Du hast töricht getan und nicht gehalten des HERRN, deines Gottes, Gebot, das er dir geboten hat; denn er hätte dein Reich bestätigt über Israel für und für.
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 Aber nun wird dein Reich nicht bestehen. Der HERR hat sich einen Mann ersucht nach seinem Herzen; dem hat der HERR geboten, Fürst zu sein über sein Volk; denn du hast des HERRN Gebot nicht gehalten.
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 Und Samuel machte sich auf und ging von Gilgal gen Gibea-Benjamin. Aber Saul zählte das Volk, das bei ihm war, bei sechshundert 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 aber und sein Sohn Jonathan und das Volk, das bei ihm war, blieben zu Gibea-Benjamin. Die Philister aber hatten sich gelagert zu Michmas.
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 Und aus dem Lager der Philister zogen drei Haufen, das Land zu verheeren. Einer wandte sich auf die Straße gen Ophra ins Land 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 der andere wandte sich auf die Straße Beth-Horons; der dritte wandte sich auf die Straße, die da reicht bis an das Tal Zeboim an der Wüste.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Es ward aber kein Schmied im ganzen Lande Israel gefunden, denn die Philister gedachten, die Hebräer möchten sich Schwert und Spieß machen;
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 und ganz Israel mußte hinabziehen zu den Philistern, wenn jemand hatte eine Pflugschar, Haue, Beil oder Sense zu schärfen.
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 Und die Schneiden an den Sensen und Hauen und Gabeln und Beilen waren abgearbeitet und die Stachel stumpf geworden.
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 Da nun der Streittag kam, ward kein Schwert noch Spieß gefunden in des ganzen Volkes Hand, das mit Saul und Jonathan war; nur Saul und sein Sohn Jonathan hatten Waffen.
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 Und eine Wache der Philister zog heraus an den engen Weg von Michmas.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
