1 Samueri 13
1 Sauro akanga ava namakore makumi matatu paakava mambo, uye akatonga Israeri kwamakore makumi mana namaviri.
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Sauro akasarudza varume vaIsraeri zviuru zvitatu; zviuru zviviri zvavo zvaiva naye paMikimashi nomunyika yamakomo yeBheteri, uye chiuru chimwe chete chaiva naJonatani paGibhea muBhenjamini. Vamwe vose akavadzosa kumisha yavo.
[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 Jonatani akarwisa boka ravarwi vavaFiristia vakanga vari paGebha, vaFiristia vakazvinzwa. Uye Sauro akaridza hwamanda munyika yose akati, “VaHebheru, inzwai!”
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 Uye Israeri yose yakanzwa nhau idzi dzokuti, “Sauro arwisa boka ravaFiristia, Israeri yava chinhu chinonyangadza pamberi pavaFiristia.” Zvino vanhu vakadanwa kuti vandobatana pamwe chete naSauro paGirigari.
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 VaFiristia vakaungana kuti varwise Israeri, vane zviuru zvitatu zvengoro, nezviuru zvitatu zvavachairi vengoro, navarwi vakawanda sejecha remhenderekedzo dzegungwa. Vakaenda vakandodzika misasa paMikimashi, kumabvazuva kweBhetiavheni.
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 Varume veIsraeri vakati vaona kuti zvinhu zvaipa uye kuti hondo yavo yakanga yamanikidzwa zvikuru, vakavanda mumapako nomumatenhere, pakati pamatombo, nomumakomba nomumigodhi yemvura.
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 Vamwe vaHebheru vakatoyambuka Jorodhani vakaenda kunyika yeGadhi neGireadhi. Sauro akasara paGireadhi uye varwi vose vaaiva navo vakadedera nokutya.
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 Akamira kwamazuva manomwe, nguva yakanga yatarwa naSamueri; asi Samueri haana kuuya kuGirigari, uye varwi vaSauro vakatanga kupararira.
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 Saka akati, “Ndiunzirei chipiriso chinopiswa nezvipiriso zvokuyananisa.” Ipapo Sauro akapa chipiriso chinopiswa.
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 Achingopedza kupa chipiriso, Samueri akasvika, Sauro akaenda kundomukwazisa.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Samueri akati, “Waiteiko?” Sauro akapindura achiti, “Pandaona kuti varume vava kupararira, uye kuti hamuna kusvika nenguva yakataurwa, uye kuti vaFiristia vava kuungana paMikimashi,
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 ndafunga kuti, ‘Zvino vaFiristia vachauya kuzondirwisa paGirigari, uye handisati ndatsvaka nyasha dzaJehovha.’ Naizvozvo ndazvimanikidza kuti ndipe chipiriso chinopiswa.”
“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 Samueri akati, “Waita zvoupenzi. Hauna kuchengeta murayiro wawakapiwa naJehovha Mwari wako; dai wanga wadaro, Jehovha angadai asimbisa umambo hwako pamusoro peIsraeri kwenguva yose.
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 Asi iye zvino umambo hwako hahuchagari; Jehovha azvitsvakira munhu anofadza mwoyo wake, akamugadza kuti ave mutungamiri wavanhu vake, nokuti hauna kuchengeta murayiro waJehovha.”
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 Uye Samueri akabva paGirigari akakwidza akaenda kuGibhea muBhenjamini, uye Sauro akaverenga varume vaakanga anavo. Vaikarosvika mazana matanhatu.
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 Sauro nomwanakomana wake Jonatani navarume vaakanga anavo, vaigara muGibhea muBhenjamini, asi vaFiristia vakanga vakadzika misasa paMikimashi.
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 Vapambi vakabuda mumisasa yavaFiristia vari mumapoka matatu. Rimwe boka rakananga kuOfira munharaunda yeShuari,
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 rimwe boka rakananga kuBhetihoroni, uye rechitatu rakananga kumuganhu wakatarisana noMupata weZebhoimi kurutivi rwerenje.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Zvino kwakanga kusina mupfuri munyika yeIsraeri nokuti vaFiristia vakanga vati, “Zvichida vaHebheru vangagadzira minondo kana mapfumo!”
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 Naizvozvo vaIsraeri vose vaidzika kuvaFiristia kuti vandorodzerwa miromo yamagejo, mapiki, matemo namajeko.
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 Muripo wokurodzesa miromo yamagejo, namapiki, waiva zvikamu zviviri kubva muzvitatu zveshekeri, uye muripo wokurodzesa forogo namatemo, nezvibayiso zvemombe waiva chikamu chimwe chete kubva muzvitatu cheshekeri.
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 Saka pazuva rokurwa hapana murwi waSauro naJonatani aiva nomunondo kana pfumo muruoko rwake; Sauro chete nomwanakomana wake Jonatani ndivo vaiva nazvo.
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 Zvino boka ravarwi ravaFiristia rakanga rabuda richienda kumupata weMikimashi.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
