1 Samoela 13
1 Nifehe rai-taoñe t’i Saole, aa ie nifehe Israele roe taoñe,
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 le jinobo’ i Saole ty lahilahy telo arivo boake Israele ao. Nindre amy Saole e Mikmase naho ambohibohi’ i Betele ty ro’arivo, naho nindre am’ Ionatane e Gibeate-Beniamine ty arivo; songa nirahe’e mb’ an-kiboho’e añe ze ondaty sisa.
[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 Pinao’ Ionatane amy zao ty mpirai-lian-dahin-defoñe e Geba; le jinanji’ o nte Pilistio. Aa le pinopò’ i Saole amy tane iabiy i antsivay nanao ty hoe: mijanjiña ry nte-Evre.
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 Aa le jinanji’ Israele iaby te zinevo’ i Saole i mpirai-lian-te-Pilistiy, naho te mitrotròtse amo nte-Pilistio t’Israele. Aa le nifanontoñe amy Saole e Gilgale añe ondatio.
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 Nifamory ka o nte-Pilistio hialy amy Israele, sarete telo-ale naho mpiningi-tsoavala eneñ’ arivo naho ondaty mira amo faseñe añ’ olon-driakeo ty hamaro’e ro nionjom-beo nitobe e Mikmase atiñana’ i Bete-Avene ey.
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 Nioni’ o ana’ Israeleo te niampoheke—toe nalovilovy ondatio—sata’ ondatio ty nietak’ an-dakato, an-drongoñe, am-bato, an-kadaha, vaho an-koboñe ao.
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 Nitsake Iordaney ka ty ila’ o nte Evreo mb’an-tane Gade e Gilgale añe; fe mbe te Gilgale t’i Saole, vaho nititititike iaby o mpiama’eo.
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 Nihenekenek’ ao fito andro re ty amy namantaña’ i Samoeley; fe tsy niavy e Gilgale t’i Samoele; le nihabaratsiak’ ama’e ondatio.
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 Aa hoe t’i Saole: Endeso mb’amako mb’etoa i enga hisoroñañey naho o engam-panintsiñañeo; vaho nisoroña’e o engan-koroañeo.
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 Aa ie vaho nihenefe’e soroñe i engan-koroañe rey, hehe te pok’eo t’i Samoele; naho nimb’ama’e mb’eo t’i Saole hifanalaka ama’e hañontane aze.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Le hoe t’i Samoele: Ino o nanoe’oo? le hoe t’i Saole: Ie nitreako te niparaitak’ amako ondatio naho tsy niheo mb’eo irehe amy nifotoañañey, naho te mifanontoñe haname i Mikmase o nte-Pilistio,
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 le nataoko ty hoe: Hiambotrak’ amako e Gilgale amy zao o nte-Pilistio vaho mb’e tsy nihalaliako ìsoke am’Iehovà; aa le nanji-batan-draho nañenga i soroñey.
“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 Aa hoe t’i Samoele amy Saole: Nanao hadagolàñe; tsy nambena’o ty lili’ Iehovà Andrianañahare’o, i nandilia’e azoy; ie ho najado’ Iehovà ho nainai’e donia i fifehea’o Israeley.
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 Fe tsy hijadoñe i fifehea’oy; fa nitsoeke ondaty mindre arofo ama’e t’Iehovà vaho fa tinendre’ Iehovà ho mpifehe ondati’eo, amy te tsy nambena’o i nandilia’ Iehovà azoy.
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 Niongak’ amy zao t’i Samoele, nionjo boake Gilgale mb’e Gibeate-Beniamine. Niahe’ i Saole ondaty ama’eo te ni-enen-jato varañe.
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 le nañialo e Gibeate-Beniamine t’i Saole naho Ionatane ana’ey naho ondaty ama’eo; vaho nitobe e Mikmase ka o nte-Pilistio.
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 Niakatse an-tobe’ o nte-Pilistio amy zao ty mpijoy am-pirimboña’e telo: ty mpirai-lia’e raike nitsile mb’amy lala-migodañe mb’e Ofrà, mb’an-tane’ i Soale mb’eo;
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 nitolike mb’ amy Bete-korone ka ty mpirai-lia’e raike; vaho nitolike mb’añ’ efe-tane ahatalakesañe ty vava-tane Zeboime mb’ am-patram-bey mb’eo ty mpirai-lia’e raike.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Ie amy zao, tsy amam-panefe ndra raike ty an-tane Israele ao; ami’ty nanoe’ o nte-Pilistio ty hoe: Hera hanefe fibara ndra lefoñe o nte-Evreo,
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 fa nizotso mb’amo nte-Pilisty iabio ze hene ana’ Israele hanioñe ty lelan-dasarý naho ty fangaly, naho ty fekoñe, vaho ty fibìra.
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 Nitake roe-ampaha-telo’ ty sekele hanañira’e ty lelan-dasarý ndra ty fitrabahan-tane; naho ty ampaha-telo’e ho a o fekoñeo; vaho ho ami’ty fanañiran-kitro.
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 Aa ie amy andron-kotakotakey, leo fibara ndra lefoñe raike tsy nizoeñe am-pità’ o mpiamy Saole naho Ionataneo; naho tsy i nizoeñe amy Saole naho Ionataney avao.
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 Aa le nionjomb’ an-kebam-bohi’ i Mikmase mb’eo ty raik’ amo mpirai-lia’ o nte-Pilistioo.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
