I Samuelis 13
1 filius unius anni Saul cum regnare coepisset duobus autem annis regnavit super Israhel
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 et elegit sibi Saul tria milia de Israhel et erant cum Saul duo milia in Machmas et in monte Bethel mille autem cum Ionathan in Gabaath Beniamin porro ceterum populum remisit unumquemque in tabernacula sua
[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 et percussit Ionathan stationem Philisthim quae erat in Gabaa quod cum audissent Philisthim Saul cecinit bucina in omni terra dicens audiant Hebraei
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 et universus Israhel audivit huiuscemodi famam percussit Saul stationem Philisthinorum et erexit se Israhel adversum Philisthim clamavit ergo populus post Saul in Galgala
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 et Philisthim congregati sunt ad proeliandum contra Israhel triginta milia curruum et sex milia equitum et reliquum vulgus sicut harena quae est in litore maris plurima et ascendentes castrametati sunt in Machmas ad orientem Bethaven
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 quod cum vidissent viri Israhel se in arto sitos adflictus est enim populus absconderunt se in speluncis et in abditis in petris quoque et in antris et in cisternis
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 Hebraei autem transierunt Iordanem terram Gad et Galaad cumque adhuc esset Saul in Galgal universus populus perterritus est qui sequebatur eum
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 et expectavit septem diebus iuxta placitum Samuhel et non venit Samuhel in Galgala dilapsusque est populus ab eo
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 ait ergo Saul adferte mihi holocaustum et pacifica et obtulit holocaustum
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 cumque conplesset offerens holocaustum ecce Samuhel veniebat et egressus est Saul obviam ei ut salutaret eum
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 locutusque est ad eum Samuhel quid fecisti respondit Saul quia vidi quod dilaberetur populus a me et tu non veneras iuxta placitos dies porro Philisthim congregati fuerant in Machmas
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 dixi nunc descendent Philisthim ad me in Galgala et faciem Domini non placavi necessitate conpulsus obtuli holocaustum
“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 dixitque Samuhel ad Saul stulte egisti nec custodisti mandata Domini Dei tui quae praecepit tibi quod si non fecisses iam nunc praeparasset Dominus regnum tuum super Israhel in sempiternum
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 sed nequaquam regnum tuum ultra consurget quaesivit sibi Dominus virum iuxta cor suum et praecepit ei Dominus ut esset dux super populum suum eo quod non servaveris quae praecepit Dominus
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 surrexit autem Samuhel et ascendit de Galgalis in Gabaa Beniamin et recensuit Saul populum qui inventi fuerant cum eo quasi sescentos viros
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 et Saul et Ionathan filius eius populusque qui inventus fuerat cum eis erat in Gabaa Beniamin porro Philisthim consederant in Machmas
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 et egressi sunt ad praedandum de castris Philisthim tres cunei unus cuneus pergebat contra viam Ephra ad terram Saul
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 porro alius ingrediebatur per viam Bethoron tertius autem verterat se ad iter termini inminentis valli Seboim contra desertum
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 porro faber ferrarius non inveniebatur in omni terra Israhel caverant enim Philisthim ne forte facerent Hebraei gladium aut lanceam
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 descendebat ergo omnis Israhel ad Philisthim ut exacueret unusquisque vomerem suum et ligonem et securim et sarculum
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 retunsae itaque erant acies vomerum et ligonum et tridentum et securium usque ad stimulum corrigendum
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 cumque venisset dies proelii non est inventus ensis et lancea in manu totius populi qui erat cum Saul et cum Ionathan excepto Saul et Ionathan filio eius
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 egressa est autem statio Philisthim ut transcenderet in Machmas
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
