1 Samuel 9
1 Ada seorang yang kaya dan berwibawa dari suku Benyamin, namanya Kish. Ia anggota keluarga Bekhorat, cabang dari marga Afiah. Ayahnya Abiel dan neneknya Zeror.
There was a wealthy and influential man from the tribe of Benjamin, whose name was Kish son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Bekorath, son of Aphiah, a descendant of Benjamin.
2 Kish mempunyai anak laki-laki, namanya Saul, seorang pemuda yang tampan dan tegap. Tak seorang pun di seluruh Israel yang lebih tampan dari dia. Badannya juga lebih tinggi; rata-rata tinggi orang Israel hanya sampai pundaknya.
Kish had a son called Saul, the most handsome young man in all of Israel. He was head and shoulders taller than anyone else.
3 Pada suatu hari beberapa ekor keledai milik Kish hilang. Sebab itu berkatalah Kish kepada Saul, "Bawalah salah seorang pelayan, dan carilah keledai-keledai itu."
One time the donkeys of Saul's father Kish went astray. Kish told to his son Saul, “Please go and look for the donkeys. You can take one of the servants with you.”
4 Lalu Saul dan pelayannya menjelajahi daerah pegunungan Efraim dan tanah Salisa, tetapi tidak menemukan binatang-binatang itu. Kemudian mereka berjalan terus ke tanah Sahalim, tetapi keledai-keledai itu tidak ada juga di situ. Mereka mencarinya pula di wilayah Benyamin, tetapi sia-sia saja.
Saul searched the hill country of Ephraim and then the land of Shalishah, but didn't find the donkeys. He and the servant searched the region of Shaalim, but they weren't there. Then they searched the land of Benjamin, and they still couldn't find them.
5 Ketika mereka tiba di tanah Zuf, Saul berkata kepada pelayannya, "Mari kita pulang saja, jangan-jangan ayah lebih cemas memikirkan kita daripada keledai-keledai itu."
When they got to the land of Zuph, Saul told his servant, “Come on, let's go back, otherwise my father won't be worrying about the donkeys, but about us.”
6 Pelayan itu menjawab, "Tunggu dulu! Di kota ini ada seorang hamba Allah. Dia sangat dihormati orang karena apa yang dikatakannya selalu benar-benar terjadi. Mari kita pergi kepadanya, barangkali dia dapat memberitahu di mana keledai-keledai itu."
But the servant replied, “Hold on! There's a man of God here in this town. He's very well thought of, and everything he says comes true. Let's go and see him. Maybe he can tell us which way we should take.”
7 Kata Saul, "Jika kita pergi menemui dia, apakah yang akan kita berikan kepadanya? Bekal yang kita bawa sudah habis, dan kita tidak punya apa-apa untuk diberikan kepada hamba Allah itu, bukan?"
“But if we do go, what can we give him?” Saul replied. “All the bread in our bags is gone. We don't have anything to take to the man of God. What do we have with us?”
8 Pelayan itu menjawab, "Kebetulan masih ada padaku sekeping uang perak. Itu akan kuberikan kepada hamba Allah itu supaya ia mau memberitahu kepada kita di mana keledai-keledai itu."
“Look, I've got a quarter shekel of silver with me. I'll give it to the man of God so he can tell us the way we should take,” the servant told Saul.
9 "Baiklah!" jawab Saul. "Mari kita pergi." Lalu pergilah mereka ke kota, ke tempat hamba Allah itu. Ketika mereka mendaki bukit yang menuju ke kota itu, bertemulah mereka dengan beberapa gadis yang hendak menimba air di sumur. Lalu mereka bertanya kepada gadis-gadis itu, "Apakah petenung ada di kota?" (Pada zaman itu seorang nabi disebut petenung, jadi bilamana seorang ingin menanyakan sesuatu kepada Allah, dia berkata begini, "Marilah kita pergi kepada petenung.")
(In the old days in Israel, someone who went to inquire of God would say, “Come on, let's go to the seer,” because prophets used to be known as seers.)
“That's good,” Saul told his servant. “So let's go.” They went to the town where the man of God was.
As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water and asked them, “Is the seer here?”
12 "Ya, ada," jawab gadis-gadis itu, "baru saja ia berjalan mendahului kalian. Jika kalian cepat, mungkin kalian dapat menyusulnya. Ia baru datang ke kota karena hari ini di atas mezbah di bukit ada persembahan kurban untuk rakyat. Para undangan tidak akan makan sebelum ia datang, karena ia harus memberkati kurban itu dahulu. Jika kalian pergi sekarang, kalian akan menjumpainya sebelum ia mendaki bukit untuk makan."
“He is,” they replied, “up ahead of you. But you'll have to hurry. He's come to town today because the people are having a sacrifice at the high place.
When you enter the town you can find him before he goes up to eat at the high place. The people won't eat before he comes, because he has to bless the sacrifice. After that, those who've been invited will eat. If you leave now you'll catch him.”
14 Jadi Saul dan pelayannya berjalan ke kota, dan ketika mereka masuk pintu gerbang, mereka berpapasan dengan Samuel yang sedang berjalan menuju tempat ibadat di bukit.
So they carried on their way up to the town. As they arrived there was Samuel going in the opposite direction. They met him on his way up to the high place.
15 Adapun sehari sebelum itu TUHAN memberi pesan kepada Samuel begini,
The day before Saul arrived, the Lord had told Samuel,
16 "Besok pagi kira-kira waktu begini, Aku akan menyuruh seorang dari suku Benyamin menemuimu. Lantiklah dia dengan upacara peminyakan untuk menjadi raja atas umat-Ku Israel. Ia akan menyelamatkan umat-Ku dari orang Filistin. Aku telah melihat penderitaan umat-Ku dan mendengar tangisan mereka meminta tolong."
“Around this time tomorrow I'm going to send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him as ruler over my people Israel, and he will rescue them from the Philistines. I have seen what's happening to my people and I have heard their cry for help.”
17 Ketika Samuel melihat Saul, TUHAN berkata kepadanya, "Inilah orang yang Kusebut kepadamu itu. Dia akan memerintah umat-Ku."
When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man I told you about. He is the one who is going to rule my people.”
18 Sementara itu Saul mendekati Samuel di dekat pintu gerbang, dan bertanya, "Maaf, Pak, di manakah rumah petenung itu?"
Saul went up to Samuel in the gateway and asked him, “Could you please tell me where the house of the seer is?”
19 Samuel menjawab, "Aku petenung itu. Pergilah mendahuluiku ke tempat ibadat di bukit, karena pada hari ini kamu akan makan bersamaku. Besok pagi-pagi segala pertanyaanmu akan kujawab, setelah itu bolehlah kamu pulang.
“I am the seer,” Samuel told Saul. “Go up ahead of me and we will eat together. Then in the morning I will answer all your questions and then send you on your way.
20 Tentang keledai-keledaimu yang hilang tiga hari yang lalu itu, jangan khawatir, karena sudah ditemukan. Lagipula, yang paling berharga di seluruh Israel akan diberikan kepadamu dan keluarga ayahmu."
About the donkeys you lost three days ago—don't worry about them because they've been found. But now—doesn't the hope of all of Israel rest on you and your family line?”
21 Saul menjawab, "Aku ini dari suku Benyamin, suku yang paling kecil di Israel, dan lagi keluargaku yang paling tidak berarti dalam suku itu. Jadi mengapa Bapak berkata begitu kepadaku?"
“But I'm from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least significant of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin!” Saul replied. “Why are you telling me this?”
22 Kemudian Samuel mengajak Saul dan pelayannya masuk ke dalam ruangan yang besar, lalu ia memberi tempat yang utama kepada mereka di depan para undangan yang jumlahnya kira-kira tiga puluh orang.
Then Samuel brought Saul and his servant into the hall, and sat them at the head of the thirty people who'd been invited.
23 Selanjutnya Samuel berkata kepada juru masak, "Hidangkanlah daging yang tadi kutitipkan kepadamu itu."
Samuel told the cook, “Bring the special piece of meat I gave you and told you to keep to one side.”
24 Kemudian juru masak itu mengambil bagian pilihan dari daging paha, lalu dihidangkannya di depan Saul. Samuel berkata, "Ini bagian yang kusisihkan untukmu supaya dapat kaumakan pada saat ini bersama dengan tamu-tamu lain. Silakan makan." Lalu makanlah Saul. Jadi pada hari itu Saul makan bersama dengan Samuel.
So the cook took the upper thigh of meat and what was with it and placed it before Saul. Then Samuel said, “See, this is what was kept to one side. It was reserved for you. Eat it, for it was kept for you for this particular time, right from when I said, ‘I have invited the people.’” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.
25 Setelah itu mereka turun dari tempat ibadat itu dan masuk ke kota. Saul diberi tempat tidur di atas rumah,
Once they had returned from the high place to the town, Samuel spoke with Saul on the roof of his house.
26 lalu ia tidur. Ketika fajar menyingsing, Samuel memanggil Saul yang ada di atap itu, katanya, "Bangunlah, mari kuantar kau pergi." Saul bangun, lalu berangkat bersama-sama Samuel.
At dawn the next day Samuel called out to Saul on the roof, “Get up! I need to send you on your way!” So Saul got up, and he went outside with Samuel.
27 Ketika mereka sampai di pinggir kota, berkatalah Samuel kepada Saul, "Suruhlah pelayan itu berjalan mendahului kita." Lalu pergilah pelayan itu, dan Samuel berkata lagi, "Berhentilah di sini sebentar, aku akan memberitahukan pesan Allah kepadamu."
As they approached the edge of town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell your servant to go on ahead of us. Once he's gone stay here for a while, because I have a message from God to give you.” So the servant went on ahead.
