< 1 Samuel 13 >

1 Saul sudah dewasa saat dia mulai memerintah sebagai raja, dan dia memerintah bangsa Israel selama kurang lebih empat puluh tahun.
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Dari pasukan Israel yang sudah berperang mengalahkan Amon, Saul memilih tiga ribu orang dari bangsa Israel untuk menjadi pasukan yang tetap siap untuk berperang. Dan dia menyuruh orang-orang yang tidak terpilih untuk kembali ke rumah mereka masing-masing. Dari tiga ribu tentara itu, dua ribu bertugas dengan dia di Mikmas dan seluruh daerah perbukitan Betel. Seribu orang lainnya bertugas dengan Yonatan, anaknya di Gibea, di wilayah Benyamin.
[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 Kemudian Yonatan dan pasukannya menyerang dan menghancurkan pos tentara Filistin di Geba. Berita penyerangan itu terdengar oleh orang Filistin lainnya. Oleh karena itu, Saul mengirim utusan-utusan dengan perintah, “Pergi ke seluruh daerah Israel. Bunyikanlah terompet dan berseru, ‘Biarlah seluruh rakyat bersiaga!’”
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 Maka semua orang Israel mendengar, “Saul sudah mengalahkan pos tentara Filistin di Geba. Dengan demikian orang Filistin pasti sangat membenci orang Israel.” Maka tentara Israel disuruh berkumpul dan mengikuti Saul di 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 Sementara itu, tentara Filistin sudah berkumpul untuk menyerang bangsa Israel di Mikmas, yang terletak di sebelah timur Bet Awen. Mereka datang dengan tiga ribu kereta perang, enam ribu pasukan berkuda, dan pasukan berjalan kaki yang sangat banyak, seperti pasir di pantai.
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 Ketika bangsa Israel melihat bahwa mereka sudah didesak mundur oleh musuh yang jumlahnya lebih banyak, maka banyak tentara Israel itu bersembunyi di dalam gua-gua, di antara semak-semak lebat, di celah-celah di antara batu-batu besar, di lubang-lubang tanah yang dalam, dan di dalam sumur-sumur yang kering.
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 Bahkan ada tentara yang melarikan diri sampai menyeberangi sungai Yordan lalu menuju wilayah Gad dan Gilead. Sementara itu, Saul sendiri masih berada di Gilgal bersama dengan anggota pasukannya yang gemetar ketakutan.
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 Saul menunggu selama tujuh hari, sesuai dengan waktu yang ditentukan oleh Samuel. Tetapi pada hari ketujuh Samuel belum juga datang ke Gilgal. Saul menyadari bahwa banyak dari pasukannya sedang meninggalkannya.
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 Akhirnya Saul berkata, “Bawakan kepada saya kurban yang dibakar habis dan kurban-kurban tanda damai itu.” Lalu Saul sendiri mempersembahkan kurban yang dibakar habis itu untuk meminta pertolongan TUHAN.
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 Begitu Saul selesai mempersembahkan kurban yang dibakar habis itu, Samuel tiba di Gilgal, dan Saul meninggalkan mezbah untuk menyambut dia.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Tetapi Samuel berkata, “Apa yang sudah kamu lakukan?!” Saul menjawab, “Saya melihat para tentara mulai meninggalkan saya, dan Bapak tidak datang sesuai dengan waktu yang Bapak tentukan. Lagipula tentara Filistin sudah berkumpul di Mikmas.
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 Oleh sebab itu, saya berpikir, ‘Orang Filistin akan menyerang kita di Gilgal dan saya belum meminta restu TUHAN.’ Jadi saya merasa harus mempersembahkan kurban yang dibakar habis.”
“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 Lalu Samuel berkata kepada Saul, “Kamu sudah bertindak sangat bodoh dengan tidak taat kepada TUHAN, Allahmu! Sesungguhnya, apabila kamu taat kepada perintah-Nya itu, TUHAN sudah berencana untuk menegakkan kerajaanmu atas Israel untuk selamanya!
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 Tetapi sekarang, kerajaanmu tidak akan bertahan. Oleh karena itu, TUHAN sudah memilih seorang yang memiliki hati sesuai keinginan-Nya, dan menetapkan orang itu untuk menjadi raja atas umat-Nya, karena kamu tidak taat kepada perintah yang TUHAN berikan kepadamu.”
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 meninggalkan Saul di Gilgal. Pasukan Filistin berkemah di Mikmas. Lalu Saul membawa semua tentara yang masih bersamanya dari Gilgal untuk bergabung dengan pasukan yang dipimpin Yonatan di Gibea, di wilayah Benyamin. Ketika jumlahnya dihitung, hanya ada sekitar enam ratus orang.
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].
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 Para tentara Filistin mengirim tiga kelompok dari Mikmas dengan tugas untuk menjarah. Satu kelompok berjalan menuju ke Ofra di daerah Syual.
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 Satu kelompok lagi menuju ke Bet Horon. Dan kelompok yang lainnya menuju ke perbatasan yang menghadap lembah Zeboim ke arah padang belantara.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Pada waktu itu tidak terdapat seorang pun dari Israel yang menjadi tukang besi, sebab orang Filistin berkata, “Jangan sampai Israel bisa membuat pedang dan tombak.”
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 Jadi, semua orang Israel terpaksa pergi ke Filistin jika ingin menajamkan mata bajak, beliung, kapak, dan sabit mereka.
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 Mereka harus membayar 8 gram uang perak untuk menajamkan mata bajak atau beliung, dan 4 gram uang perak untuk menajamkan kapak, sabit, dan ujung tongkat untuk mengendalikan ternak.
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 Maka pada hari peperangan tidak ada seorang pun di pihak bangsa Israel yang memiliki pedang atau tombak, kecuali Saul dan Yonatan.
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 Sementara itu, orang Filistin sudah mengirim satu kelompok pasukan pengawal mereka sampai ke perlintasan gunung di Mikmas.
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 >