1 Sama’ila 13
1 Shawulu yana da shekara talatin sa’ad da ya zama sarki, ya kuma yi sarautar Isra’ila shekara arba’in da biyu.
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Sai ya zaɓi sojoji dubu uku daga jama’ar Isra’ila. Ya keɓe dubu biyu su kasance tare da shi a Mikmash da kuma a tuddan yankin Betel. Ya kuma bar dubu ɗaya tare da ɗansa Yonatan a Gibeya a yankin zuriyar Benyamin. Sauran sojojin kuwa Shawulu ya sallame su su koma gidajensu.
[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 Yonatan ya kai wa Filistiyawa hari a Geba, sai Filistiyawa suka sami labarin. Sai Shawulu ya sa aka busa ƙaho ko’ina a ƙasar ya ce, “Bari Ibraniyawa su ji!”
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 Haka kuwa dukan Isra’ila suka ji labari cewa, “Shawulu ya kai hari a ƙasar Filistiyawa, yanzu Isra’ila ta zama abin ƙi ga Filistiyawa.” Aka kira mutane su haɗu da Shawulu a 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 Sai Filistiyawa suka taru don su yi yaƙi da Isra’ilawa. Suka fito da kekunan-dawakan yaƙi dubu talatin, da masu hawan dawakai dubu shida, da sojoji masu yawa kamar yashi a bakin teku. Suka tafi Mikmash a gabashin Bet-Awen, suka kafa sansani a can.
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 Sa’ad da Filistiyawa suka fāɗa wa Isra’ilawa da yaƙi mai tsanani, suka sa su cikin wani hali mai wuya, sai Isra’ilawa suka ɓuya a kogwanni, da ciyayi, da duwatsu, da ramummuka, da rijiyoyi.
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 Waɗansunsu ma suka haye Urdun zuwa ƙasar Gad da Gileyad. Shawulu ya zauna Gilgal, dukan ƙungiyoyi sojojin da suke tare da shi suka yi rawan jiki don tsoro.
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 Ya jira har kwana bakwai bisa ga lokacin da Sama’ila ya bayar. Amma Sama’ila bai zo Gilgal ba, mutanen Shawulu suka fara watsewa.
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 Sai ya ce, “Ku kawo mini hadaya ta ƙonawa da hadaya ta salama.” Sai Shawulu ya miƙa hadaya ta ƙonawa.
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 Daidai yana gama miƙa hadaya ke nan sai Sama’ila ya iso. Shawulu kuma ya fito domin yă yi masa maraba.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Sama’ila ya ce, “Me ke nan ka yi?” Shawulu ya ce, “Sa’ad da na ga mutane suna watsewa, kai kuwa ba ka zo cikin lokaci ba, ga Filistiyawa kuma suna taruwa a Mikmash,
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 sai na yi tunani cewa, ‘Yanzu Filistiyawa za su gangaro su fāɗa mini a Gilgal, ga ni kuma ban riga na nemi nufin Ubangiji ba.’ Shi ya sa ya zama mini tilas in miƙa hadaya ta ƙonawa.”
“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 Sama’ila ya ce, “Ka yi wauta da ba ka bi umarnin da Ubangiji Allahnka ya ba ka ba. Da ka yi haka da Ubangiji ya tabbatar maka da sarautar Isra’ila har abada.
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 Amma yanzu, masarautarka ba za tă dawwama ba, Ubangiji ya riga ya sami wani wanda zuciyarsa ke ƙauna, ya naɗa shi shugaban mutanensa gama ba ka bi umarnin Ubangiji ba.”
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 Sama’ila ya tashi daga Gilgal ya tafi Gibeya a ƙasar Benyamin. Shawulu kuma ya ƙidaya mutanen da suke tare da shi, yawansu ya kai wajen mutum ɗari shida.
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 Shawulu da ɗansa Yonatan da mutanen da suke tare da shi suka zauna a Geba ta Benyamin. Sa’an nan Filistiyawa suka yi sansani a Mikmash.
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 Rundunar mayaƙa uku suka fito daga sansani Filistiyawa. Ɗaya ta nufi Ofra, zuwa ƙasar Shuwal.
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 Runduna guda kuma ta nufi Bet-Horon, ɗayan kuwa ta nufi iyakar da take fuskantar Kwarin Ziboyim wajen jeji.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Ba a sami maƙeri ɗaya a dukan ƙasar Isra’ila ba domin Filistiyawa sun ce, “In ba haka ba Ibraniyawa za su ƙera wa kansu takuba ko māsu.”
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 Saboda haka dukan Isra’ila sukan gangara zuwa wajen Filistiyawa domin su gyara bakin garemaninsu, da fartanansu, da gaturansu, da kuma laujunansu.
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 Duk lokacin da za su gyara bakin garmansu da fartanyarsu sai sun biya tsabar azurfa biyu. Haka ma idan za su gyara gatari ko bakunan abin korar shanun noma sai sun biya tsabar azurfa ɗaya.
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 A ranar da yaƙi ya tashi, ba a sami wanda yake da takobi ko māshi ba a cikin mutanen da suke tare da Shawulu da Yonatan. Sai dai Shawulu da ɗansa Yonatan kaɗai.
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 Ana nan sai sojojin Filistiyawa suka fita zuwa mashigin Mikmash.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
