< サムエル記Ⅰ 13 >

1 サウル三十歳にて王の位に即く彼二年イスラエルををさめたり
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 爰にサウル、イスラエル人三千を擇む其二千はサウルとともにミクマシおよびベテルの山地にあり其一千はヨナタンとともにベニヤミンのギベアにあり其餘の民はサウルおのおの其幕屋にかへらしむ
[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 ヨナタン、ゲバにあるペリシテ人の代官をころせりペリシテ人之れをきく是においてサウル國中にあまねくラツパを吹ていはしめけるはヘブル人よ聞くべし
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 イスラエル人皆聞けるに云くサウル、ペリシテ人の代官を撃りしかしてイスラエル、ペリシテ人の中に惡まると斯て民めされてサウルにしたがひギルガルにいたる
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 ペリシテ人イスラエルと戰はんとて集りけるが兵車三百騎兵六千にして民は濱の沙の多きがごとくなりき彼らのぼりてベテアベンにむかへるミクマシに陣をとれり
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 イスラエルの人苦められ其危きを見て皆巖穴に林叢に崗巒に高塔に坎阱にかくれたり
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 また或るヘブル人はヨルダンを渉りてガドとギレアデの地にいたる然るにサウルは尚ギルガルにあり民皆戰慄て之にしたがふ
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 サウル、サムエルの定めし期にしたがひて七日とどまりしがサムエル、ギルガルに來らず民はなれて散ければ
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 サウルいひけるは燔祭と酬恩祭を我にもちきたれと遂に燔祭をささげたり
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 燔祭をささぐることを終しときに視よサムエルいたるサウル安否を問はんとてこれをいで迎ふに
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 サムエルいひけるは汝何をなせしやサウルいひけるは我民の我をはなれてちりまた汝の定まれる日のうちに來らずしてペリシテ人のミクマシに集まれるを見しかば
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 ペリシテ人ギルガルに下りて我をおそはんに我いまだヱホバをなごめずといひて勉て燔祭をささげたり
“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 サムエル、サウルにいひけるは汝おろかなることをなせり汝その神ヱホバのなんぢに命じたまひし命令を守らざりしなり若し守りしならばヱホバ、イスラエルををさむる位を永く汝に定めたまひしならん
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 然どもいま汝の位たもたざるべしヱホバ其心に適ふ人を求めてヱホバ之に其民の長を命じたまへり汝がヱホバの命ぜしことを守らざるによる
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 かくてサムエルたちてギルガルよりベニヤミンのギベアにのぼりいたる
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 サウルおのれとともにある民をかぞふるに凡そ六百人ありき
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 サウルおよび其子ヨナタン並にこれとともにある民はベニヤミンのゲバに居りペリシテ人はミクマシに陣を張る
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 劫掠人三隊にわかれてペリシテ人の陣よりいで一隊はオフラの路にむかひてシユアルの地にいたり
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 一隊はベテホロンの道に向ひ一隊は曠野の方にあるゼボイムの谷をのぞむ境の路にむかふ
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 時にイスラエルの地のうち何處にも鐵工なかりき是はペリシテ人ヘブル人の劍あるひは槍を作ることを恐れたればなり
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 イスラエル人皆其耜鋤斧耒即ち耜鋤三歯鍬斧の錣に缺ありてこれを鍛ひ改さんとする時又は鞭を尖らさんとする時は常にペリシテ人の所にくだれり
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 是をもて戰の日にサウルおよびヨナタンとともにある民の手には劍も槍も見えず只サウルと其子ヨナクンのみ持り
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 茲にペリシテ人の先陣ミクマシの渡口に進む
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.

< サムエル記Ⅰ 13 >