1 Samuel 13
1 Sọl gbara iri afọ atọ mgbe e mere ya eze. Ọ chịkwara dịka eze nʼala Izrel iri afọ anọ na abụọ.
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Sọl sitere nʼetiti ụmụ Izrel họpụta puku ndị ikom atọ ka ha bụrụ ndị agha ya. Sọl na puku abụọ nọ na Mikmash nʼala ugwu ugwu Betel. Otu puku nọnyeere Jonatan na Gibea, nʼala Benjamin. Ndị ikom ndị fọdụrụ ka o zighachiri, onye ọbụla nʼụlọ ha.
[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 Ma Jonatan busoro ndị agha Filistia nọ na Geba agha. Ndị Filistia nụkwara ihe banyere ya. Mgbe ahụ, Sọl nyere iwu ka e gbuo opi ike nʼala Izrel niile, kwuo sị, “Unu ndị Hibru niile, geenụ ntị.”
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 Ya mere, ụmụ Izrel niile nụrụ akụkọ ahụ nke kwuru sị, “Sọl ebusola ọmụma ụlọ ikwu ndị agha Filistia agha, nʼihi nke a, ndị Izrel niile abụrụla ndị a kpọrọ asị ugbu a nʼetiti ndị Filistia.” Ya mere, ndị agha Izrel niile pụtakwara soro Sọl gaa 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 Ndị Filistia nʼonwe ha chịkọtara ndị agha ha ibuso ndị Izrel agha. Ọnụọgụgụ ụgbọ agha ha dị puku atọ, ndị na-agba ịnyịnya ha nwere dị puku isii; ndị agha ha ndị ọzọ dị ukwu nʼọnụọgụgụ. Nʼezie, ha dị ukwuu dịka aja dị nʼọnụ osimiri. Ha manyere ụlọ ikwu ha na Mikmash nʼọwụwa anyanwụ Bet-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 Mgbe ndị agha Izrel hụrụ na ọnọdụ ha dị njọ nke ukwuu, hụkwa na ndị iro na-emegide ha, ha zoro onwe ha nʼọgba nkume, nʼime oke ọhịa, nʼetiti nkume, nʼime olulu na nʼime oghere ọbụla.
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 Ndị Hibru ụfọdụ gafere Jọdan ruo nʼala Gad na Gilead. Nʼoge a, Sọl nọ na Gilgal, ndị agha niile ya na ha nọ na-amakwa jijiji nʼihi ụjọ.
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 Samuel gwararịị Sọl ka o chere ya ruo abalị asaa, ma mgbe abalị asaa zuru Samuel abịaghị Gilgal. Nʼoge a, ndị agha Sọl malitere na-agbasasị.
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 Ya mere, Sọl kwuru sị, “Wetaranụ m ihe aja nsure ọkụ na nke aja udo.” Sọl chụkwara aja nsure ọkụ ahụ.
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 Ngwangwa ọ na-achụcha aja ndị ahụ, Samuel rutere, Sọl pụrụ izute ya, na ikele ya.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Samuel sịrị, “Gịnị bụ ihe a i mere?” Sọl zara, “Mgbe m hụrụ na ndị a na-agba aghara aghara, na-esite nʼebe m nọ na-agbapụ, mgbe m lere anya lee, ma ahụghị m ka ị na-abịa dịka i kwuru, mgbe m hụkwara ndị Filistia ka ha nọ na Mikmash, na-akwado ibuso anyị agha,
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 echeere m, ‘Ugbu a, ndị Filistia ga-arịdakwute m ibuso m agha na Gilgal, ma arịọbeghị m ihuọma Onyenwe anyị.’ Ya mere m, m jisie ike chụọ aja nsure ọkụ ahụ.”
“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 sịrị Sọl, “Ị kpara agwa onye nzuzu. I debeghị ihe Onyenwe anyị Chineke gị nyere gị nʼiwu idebe. A si na i mere nke a, ọ gaara eme ka alaeze gị guzosie ike nʼebe Izrel nọ ruo mgbe niile.
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 Ma ugbu a, alaeze gị agaghị adịgide. Onyenwe anyị achọpụtala otu nwoke dịka ọchịchọ obi ya si dị, ọ họpụtakwala ya ịbụ eze nke ndị ya; nʼihi na ị debeghị ihe Onyenwe anyị nyere gị nʼiwu.”
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 Samuel biliri hapụ Gilgal gaa Gibea nʼala Benjamin. Mgbe Sọl gụrụ ndị agha so ya, ọ chọpụtara na ha dị naanị narị isii.
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 Sọl na nwa ya nwoke Jonatan, na narị mmadụ isii ndị soo ha nọ na Geba nʼala Benjamin, ebe ndị Filistia mara ụlọ ikwu ha na 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 Ụfọdụ nʼime ndị agha Filistia kere onwe ha ụzọ atọ site nʼụlọ ikwu ndị Filistia pụta; otu ụzọ chere ihu nʼụzọ Ofra nʼakụkụ Shual,
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 nke ọzọ chere ihu ịga Bet-Horon, nke atọ chee ihu nʼụzọ oke ala dị na Ndagwurugwu Zeboiim, nke dị ọzara nso.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Nʼoge ahụ, e nweghị ike ịchọta otu ọkpụ ụzụ nʼala Izrel, nʼihi na ndị Filistia sịrị, “Ma ọ bụghị otu a, ndị Hibru ga-akpụtara onwe ha mma agha maọbụ ùbe.”
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 Izrel niile na-ejekwuru ndị Filistia maka ịmụ ọgụ igwuze ala ha, maọbụ mma oge ha, maọbụ anyụike ha, maọbụ mma ha ji ewe ihe ubi.
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 Ihe ha na-akwụ maka ịmụ ọgụ igwuze ala, na mma oge ha bụ ụzọ abụọ nke shekel e kere ụzọ atọ, maka ịmụ anyụike, na ndụdụ, ya na ịpị ndụdụ e ji achị ehi bụ, otu ụzọ nke shekel e kere ụzọ atọ.
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 Nke mere na ahụtaghị mma agha maọbụ ùbe ọbụla nʼaka ndị agha Izrel nʼụbọchị agha ahụ, ma ọ bụghị naanị nke dị nʼaka Sọl na Jonatan.
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 Ugbu a ndị Filistia e kewapụtara iche a pụọla gaa nʼụzọ warawara dị na Mikmash.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
