サムエル記Ⅰ 13
1 サウルは三十歳で王の位につき、二年イスラエルを治めた。
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 さてサウルはイスラエルびと三千を選んだ。二千はサウルと共にミクマシ、およびベテルの山地におり、一千はヨナタンと共にベニヤミンのギベアにいた。サウルはその他の民を、おのおの、その天幕に帰らせた。
[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 ヨナタンは、ゲバにあるペリシテびとの守備兵を敗った。ペリシテびとはそのことを聞いた。そこで、サウルは国中に、あまねく角笛を吹きならして言わせた、「ヘブルびとよ、聞け」。
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 イスラエルの人は皆、サウルがペリシテびとの守備兵を敗ったこと、そしてイスラエルがペリシテびとに憎まれるようになったことを聞いた。こうして民は召されて、ギルガルのサウルのもとに集まった。
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 ペリシテびとはイスラエルと戦うために集まった。戦車三千、騎兵六千、民は浜べの砂のように多かった。彼らは上ってきて、ベテアベンの東のミクマシに陣を張った。
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 イスラエルびとは、ひどく圧迫され、味方が危くなったのを見て、ほら穴に、縦穴に、岩に、墓に、ため池に身を隠した。
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、あるヘブルびとはヨルダンを渡って、ガドとギレアデの地へ行った。しかしサウルはなおギルガルにいて、民はみな、ふるえながら彼に従った。
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 サウルは、サムエルが定めたように、七日のあいだ待ったが、サムエルがギルガルにこなかったので、民は彼を離れて散って行った。
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 そこでサウルは言った、「燔祭と酬恩祭をわたしの所に持ってきなさい」。こうして彼は燔祭をささげた。
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 その燔祭をささげ終ると、サムエルがきた。サウルはあいさつをしようと、彼を迎えに出た。
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 その時サムエルは言った、「あなたは何をしたのですか」。サウルは言った、「民はわたしを離れて散って行き、あなたは定まった日のうちにこられないのに、ペリシテびとがミクマシに集まったのを見たので、
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 わたしは、ペリシテびとが今にも、ギルガルに下ってきて、わたしを襲うかも知れないのに、わたしはまだ主の恵みを求めることをしていないと思い、やむを得ず燔祭をささげました」。
“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 サムエルはサウルに言った、「あなたは愚かなことをした。あなたは、あなたの神、主の命じられた命令を守らなかった。もし守ったならば、主は今あなたの王国を長くイスラエルの上に確保されたであろう。
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 しかし今は、あなたの王国は続かないであろう。主は自分の心にかなう人を求めて、その人に民の君となることを命じられた。あなたが主の命じられた事を守らなかったからである」。
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 こうしてサムエルは立って、ギルガルからベニヤミンのギベアに上っていった。サウルは共にいる民を数えてみたが、おおよそ六百人あった。
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 サウルとその子ヨナタン、ならびに、共にいる民は、ベニヤミンのゲバにおり、ペリシテびとはミクマシに陣を張っていた。
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 そしてペリシテびとの陣から三つの部隊にわかれた略奪隊が出てきて、一部隊はオフラの方に向かって、シュアルの地に行き、
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 一部隊はベテホロンの方に向かい、一部隊は荒野の方のゼボイムの谷を見おろす境の方に向かった。
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 そのころ、イスラエルの地にはどこにも鉄工がいなかった。ペリシテびとが「ヘブルびとはつるぎも、やりも造ってはならない」と言ったからである。
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 ただしイスラエルの人は皆、そのすきざき、くわ、おの、かまに刃をつけるときは、ペリシテびとの所へ下って行った。
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 すきざきと、くわのための料金は一ピムであり、おのに刃をつけるのと、とげのあるむちを直すのは三分の一シケルであった。
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 それでこの戦いの日には、サウルおよびヨナタンと共にいた民の手には、つるぎもやりもなく、ただサウルとその子ヨナタンとがそれを持っていた。
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 ペリシテびとの先陣はミクマシの渡りに進み出た。
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
