1 Samoela 13
1 Telo-polo taona Saoly, raha vao nanjaka; ary nanjaka roa taona tamin’ ny Isiraely izy.
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Ary Saoly nifantina telo arivo lahy tamin’ ny Isiraely, ka ny roa arivo lahy nitoetra teo aminy tany Mikmasy sy tany amin’ ny tany havoan’ i Betela, ary ny arivo lahy nitoetra teo amin’ i Jonatana tany Gibean’ ny Benjamina; fa ny olona sisa kosa samy nampodiny ho any an-dainy avy.
[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 Ary Jonatana namely ny miaramilan’ ny Filistina, izay tany Geba, ary ren’ ny Filistina izany. Ary Saoly nampitsoka anjomara teny amin’ ny tany rehetra ka nanao hoe Aoka handre ny Hebreo.
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 Dia ren’ ny Isiraely rehetra fa efa namely ny miaramilan’ ny Filistina Saoly, ka dia halan’ ny Filistina ny Isiraely. Dia nivory ny olona hanaraka an’ i Saoly ho any Gilgala.
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 Ary ny Filistina telo alina an-kalesy sy enina arivo an-tsoavaly ary vahoaka betsaka tahaka ny fasika eny amoron-dranomasina dia nivory hiady tamin’ ny Isiraely; dia nandeha izy ka nitoby tany Mikmasy atsinanan’ i Betavena.
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 Ary nony hitan’ ny lehilahy amin’ ny Isiraely fa poritra izy (fa efa ory indrindra ny olona), dia nijery tany an-johy sy tany amin’ ny kirihitrala sy tany, amin’ ny harambato sy tany amin’ ny fierena ary tany amin’ ny lavaka famorian-drano izy.
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 Ary ny Hebreo sasany dia lasa nita an’ i Jordana nankany amin’ ny tany Gada sy Gileada. Fa Saoly mbola tany Gilgala ihany, ary ny vahoaka rehetra nanaraka azy, nefa toran-kovitra be ihany.
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 Ary niandry hafitoana izy araka ny fotoana nataon’ i Samoela; fa Samoela tsy mbola tonga tany Gilgala; ary ny olona niely nandao an’ i Saoly.
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 Ary hoy Saoly: Ento etỳ amiko ny fanatitra dorana sy ny fanati-pihavanana; ka dia nanatitra ny fanatitra dorana izy.
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 Ary rehefa vita ny nanaterany ny fanatitra dorana, indro, tamy Samoela, ary nivoaka hitsena azy Saoly mba hiarahaba azy.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Dia hoy Samoela: Inona no nataonao? Ary hoy Saoly: Raha hitako fa niely nandao ahy ny olona, sady tsy tonga tamin’ ny fotoana ianao, ary tafangona tany Mikmasy ny Filistina,
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 dia hoy izaho: Hidina amin’ izao ny Filistina hamely ahy atỳ Gilgala, nefa tsy mbola nanao fifonana tamin’ i Jehovah aho; dia sahy ihany aho ka nanatitra ny fanatitra dorana.
“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 Ary hoy Samoela tamin’ i Saoly: Nanao adala ianao; tsy nitandrina ny didin’ i Jehovah Andriamanitrao izay nandidiany anao ianao; fa raha tsy izany, ankehitriny Jehovah dia ho nampitoetra ny fanjakanao amin’ ny Isiraely ho mandrakizay.
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 Koa izao dia tsy haharitra ny fanjakanao; Jehovah efa nitady lehilahy ho Azy araka ny fony, ary izay no voatendrin’ i Jehovah ho mpanapaka ny olony, satria tsy nitandrina izay nandidian’ i Jehovah anao ianao.
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 Dia niainga Samoela ka niala tany Gilgala hankany Gibean’ ny Benjamina. Ary Saoly nandamina ny olona izay teo aminy, dia tokony ho enin-jato lahy reny.
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 Ary raha mbola nitoetra tany Gibean’ ny Benjamina Saoly sy Jonatana zanany sy ny vahoaka teo amin’ izy roa lahy, ary ny Filistina kosa nitoby, tany Mikmasy.
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 dia nivoaka nanao telo toko ny mpandrava avy teo amin’ ny tobin’ ny Filistina: ny iray toko nizotra tamin’ ny lalana mankany Ofra ho any amin’ ny tany Solala;
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 ary ny iray toko nizotra ho any amin’ ny lalana mankany Beti-horona; ary ny iray toko kosa nizotra ho any amin’ ny lalana mankany amin’ ny fari-tany manatrika ny lohasaha Zeboïma tandrifin’ ny efitra.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Ary teny amin’ ny tanin’ ny Isiraely rehetra tsy nisy mpanefy; fa hoy ny Fifistina: Andrao manefy sabatra na lefona ny Hebreo.
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 Ka dia samy nidina ho any amin’ ny Filistina ny Isiraely rehetra hanasa ny fangadiny sy ny fiasàny sy ny famakiny ary ny fihadia-taniny.
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 Nefa nanana tsofa ihany izy handranitany ny fihadian-tany sy ny fiasàna sy ny telorantsana sy ny famaky ary handranitany ny fanindronan-omby.
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 Ary tamin’ ny andro niadiana dia tsy nisy sabatra na lefona hita teny an-tànan’ ny vahoaka rehetra izay eo amin’ i Saoly sy Jonatana; fa tamin’ i Saoly sy Jonatana zanany ihany no nisy.
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 Ary ny avy tao amin’ ny miaramilan’ ny Filistina nivoaka ho ao amin’ ny hadilanana mankany. Mikmasy.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
