1 Saamuʼeel 13
1 Saaʼol yeroo mootii taʼetti umuriin isaa waggaa soddoma ture; innis waggaa afurtamii lama Israaʼelin bulche.
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Saaʼol namoota kuma sadii Israaʼel keessaa filate; kumni lama Mikmaasii fi biyya gaaraa Beetʼeelitti Saaʼol wajjin, kumni tokko immoo biyya Beniyaam keessatti Gibeʼaatti Yoonaataan wajjin turan. Namoota kaan garuu gara mana mana isaaniitti deebise.
[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 Yoonaataan qubata waraana Filisxeemotaa kan Gibeʼaa keessa ture sana dhaʼe; Filisxeemonnis waaʼee kanaa dhagaʼan. Kana irratti Saaʼol, “Ibroonni hundinuu haa dhagaʼani!” jedhee biyyattii guutuu keessatti malakata afuufsise.
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 Israaʼel hundinuus oduu, “Saaʼol qubata waraana Filisxeemotaa dhaʼeera; Israaʼelis Filisxeemota biratti balfameera” jedhu dhagaʼan. Namoonnis Saaʼol duukaa buʼuuf Gilgaalitti walitti qabaman.
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 Filisxeemonnis Israaʼeloota waraanuuf gaariiwwan kuma soddoma, namoota gaarii oofan kuma jaʼaa fi loltoota akka cirracha galaanaa baayʼataniin hiriiran. Ol baʼaniis karaa baʼa Beet Aawwen iddoo Mikmaas jedhamu qubatan.
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 Namoonni Israaʼel yommuu akka haalli isaan keessa jiran sodaachisaa taʼee fi akka loltoonni isaanii sardamaa jiran arganitti holqa keessa, qoraattii keessa, kattaa keessa, bowwaa keessaa fi boolla keessa dhokatan.
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 Ibroonni tokko tokko immoo Yordaanos ceʼanii biyya Gaadii fi Giliʼaad dhaqan. Saaʼol garuu Gilgaalitti hafe; loltoonni isa wajjin turan hundinuus sodaadhaan hollachaa turan.
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 Innis akkuma yeroo Saamuʼeel murteesse sanaatti bultii torba eege; Saamuʼeel garuu gara Gilgaal hin dhufne; namoonni Saaʼolis bibittinnaaʼuu jalqaban.
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 Saaʼolis, “Aarsaa gubamuu fi aarsaa nagaa as naa fidaa” jedhe. Innis aarsaa gubamu ni dhiʼeesse.
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 Akkuma Saaʼol aarsaa dhiʼeessee xumureen Saamuʼeel dhufe. Saaʼolis isa simachuuf gad baʼe.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Saamuʼeel, “Ati maal gochuu kee ti?” jedhee gaafate. Saaʼolis deebisee akkana jedhe; “Ani yeroon akka sabni bibittinnaaʼe, akka ati yeroo murteeffametti hin dhufinii fi akka Filisxeemonni Mikmaasitti walitti qabaman argetti,
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 ‘Filisxeemonni Gilgaalitti natti dhufan; anis surraa Waaqayyoo hin kadhanne’ jedheen yaade. Kanaafuu aarsaa gubamu dhiʼeessuun dirqama natti taʼe.”
“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 Saamuʼeelis akkana jedhe; “Ati waan siif hin malle hojjete; ajaja Waaqayyo Waaqni kee siif kenne hin eegne; utuu ajaja isaa eegdee jiraattee inni mootummaa kee Israaʼel irratti jabeessee bara baraan ni dhaaba ture.
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 Amma garuu mootummaan kee jabaatee hin dhaabatu; Waaqayyo nama akka fedhii garaa isaa taʼe argateera; sababii ati ajaja Waaqayyoo hin eeginiif inni dura deemaa saba isaa godhatee isa muudateera.”
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 Ergasii Saamuʼeel Gilgaal dhiisee gara Gibeʼaa ishee biyya Beniyaam keessatti argamtuutti ol baʼe; Saaʼolis namoota isa wajjin turan ni lakkaaʼe. Baayʼinni isaaniis gara nama dhibba jaʼa ture.
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 Yeroo Filisxeemonni Mikmaas keessa qubatanii turanitti Saaʼol, ilmi isaa Yoonaataanii fi namoonni isaan wajjin turan biyya Beniyaam Gibeʼaa keessa turan.
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 Gareen weerartootaa iddoo sadiitti qoodamanii qubata Filisxeemotaatii baʼan. Gareen tokko gara Ofraa kan biyya Shuuʼaali keessa jiru sanaatti qajeele;
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 gareen lammaffaan karaa Beet Horoonitti, gareen sadaffaan immoo karaa daarii irraangadee Sulula Zebooʼiim kan fuullee gammoojjiitti geessu irra buʼe.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Sababii Filisxeemonni, “Ibroonni goraadee yookaan eeboo ofii isaaniitiif hin tumsiifatin!” jedhanii turaniif Israaʼel hunda keessatti namni sibiila tumu tokko iyyuu hin argamne.
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 Kanaafuu Israaʼeloonni hundi maarashaa isaanii, gasoo isaanii, dhagaraa fi haamtuu isaanii qarsiifachuuf gara Filisxeemotaatti gad buʼan.
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 Gatiin ittiin maarashaa fi gasoo qarsiifatan saqilii tokko irraa harka sadii keessaa harka lama; qorbii, dhagaraa fi meeshaa ittiin qotiyyoo tuttuqan qarsiifachuuf immoo saqilii tokko irraa harka sadii keessaa harka tokko kaffalu turan.
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 Kanaafuu guyyaa waraanaa Saaʼolii fi Yoonaataan malee loltuun tokko iyyuu goraadee yookaan eeboo hin qabu ture.
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 Gaafuma sana gareen Filisxeemotaa tokko gara malkaa Mikmaasitti gad buʼe.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
