1 Samwiri 13
1 Sawulo yalina emyaka amakumi asatu we yaliira obwakabaka, n’afuga Isirayiri okumala emyaka amakumi ana.
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Sawulo yalonda abasajja enkumi ssatu okuva mu Isirayiri, enkumi ebbiri ku bo ne babeera naye e Mikumasi ku lusozi olw’e Beseri, n’abalala lukumi ne babeera ne Yonasaani e Gibea ekya Benyamini. Abasajja abalala bonna n’abasindika baddeyo ewaabwe.
[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 Yonasaani n’alumba olusiisira lw’Abafirisuuti eyali e Geba, Abafirisuuti ne bakiwulira. Awo Sawulo n’alagira, bafuuwe ekkondeere mu nsi yonna, ng’agamba nti, “Abaebbulaniya bawulire!”
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 Awo Isirayiri yenna bwe baawulira nga Sawulo awambye olusiisira lw’Abafirisuuti, ate nga Isirayiri yali efuuse ekyenyinyalwa eri Abafirisuuti, abantu ne balagirwa okwegatta ku Sawulo e Girugaali.
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 Abafirisuuti ne beekuŋŋaanya okulwana n’Abayisirayiri. Abafirisuuti baalina amagaali emitwalo esatu, n’abeebagala embalaasi kakaaga, n’abaserikale abeebigere ng’omuwendo gwabwe gwenkana ng’omusenyu ogw’oku nnyanja obungi. Ne bayambuka ne basiisira e Mikumasi, ku luuyi olw’ebuvanjuba olw’e Besaveni.
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 Abasajja Abayisirayiri bwe baalaba ng’embeera yaabwe mbi nnyo, n’eggye lyabwe nga linnyigirizibwa omulabe, ne beekweka mu mpuku, ne mu bisaka ne mu njazi, ne mu binnya.
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 Ne wabaawo n’abamu ku Baebbulaniya abaasomoka Yoludaani ne bagenda mu nsi ya Gaadi ne Gireyaadi. Sawulo ye n’asigala e Girugaali, n’abaserikale bonna be yali nabo, naye nga bajjudde okutya.
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 N’alinda okumala ennaku musanvu, ebbanga Samwiri lye yali amulaze, naye Samwiri n’atajjirawo e Girugaali, n’abasajja ba Sawulo ne batandika okumuvaako.
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 Sawulo kyeyava ayogera nti, “Mundeetere wano ekiweebwayo ekyokebwa n’ekiweebwayo olw’emirembe.” N’awaayo ekiweebwayo ekyokebwa.
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 Naye bwe yali yakamala okuwaayo ekiweebwayo ekyokebwa, Samwiri n’atuuka. Sawulo n’agenda okumwaniriza.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Samwiri n’amubuuza nti, “Kiki kino ky’okoze?” Sawulo n’addamu nti, “Bwe nnalabye ng’abasajja batandise okusaasaana, ate nga tozze mu kiseera kye walaga, ate nga n’Abafirisuuti bakuŋŋaanira e Mikumasi,
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 ne ndowooza nti, ‘Kaakano Abafirisuuti bagenda kukkirira okunnumba e Girugaali, nga sinnaba kwegayirira kufuna mukisa gwa Mukama, kyenvudde mpalirizibwa okuwaayo ekiweebwayo ekyokebwa.’”
“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 Samwiri n’agamba Sawulo nti, “Okoze kya busirusiru, obutakuuma kiragiro kya Mukama Katonda wo kye yakulagira. Singa wakikuumye, Mukama yandinywezezza obwakabaka bwo okufuga Isirayiri emirembe gyonna.
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 Naye kaakano obwakabaka bwo tebuliba bwa lubeerera. Mukama anoonyezzaayo omusajja alina omutima ogumunoonya era amulonze okuba omukulembeze w’abantu be, kubanga tokuumye kiragiro kya Mukama.”
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 Awo Samwiri n’ava e Girugaali n’ayambuka e Gibea mu Benyamini, Sawulo n’abala abasajja abaali naye, nga baawera nga lukaaga.
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 Sawulo ne mutabani we Yonasaani, n’abasajja abaali nabo baali basiisidde e Gebea ekya Benyamini, ate ng’Abafirisuuti bo basiisidde Mikumasi.
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 Abalabe ne bava mu nkambi y’Abafirisuuti mu bibinja bisatu, ekimu ne kyolekera Yofula, mu nsi ya Suwaali,
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 n’ekibinja ekirala ne kyolekera Besukolooni, n’ekyokusatu ne kyolekera ensalo etunuulidde ekiwonvu Zeboyimu okwolekera eddungu.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Mu nsi yonna eya Isirayiri temwali muweesi n’omu, kubanga Abafirisuuti baali baasalawo nti, “Si kulwa ng’Abaebbulaniya beeweeseza ebitala oba amafumu!”
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 Noolwekyo Abayisirayiri bonna baaserengetanga eri Abafirisuuti, okuwagala enkumbi zaabwe, n’ebiwabyo byabwe, n’embazzi zaabwe, ne najjolo zaabwe.
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 Baalinanga omuwendo gwe baasasulanga olw’okuwagala enkumbi ey’amannyo abiri n’ebiwabyo, nga gwa njawulo ku ogwo gwe baawangayo olw’okuwagala embazzi n’emiwunda.
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 Era ku lunaku olw’olutalo tewaali muserikale n’omu ku baali ne Sawulo ne Yonasaani, eyalina ekitala wadde effumu, okuggyako Sawulo ne mutabani we Yonasaani.
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 Waaliwo ekibinja eky’Abafirisuuti ekyali kigenze mu kifo ekyayitibwanga Mikumasi.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
