1 Samuel 13
1 Hijo de un año era Saul cuando reinó: y dos años reinó sobre Israel.
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Cuando Saul se escogió tres mil de Israel, los dos mil estuvieron con Saul en Macmas, y en el monte de Bet-el, y los mil estuvieron con Jonatán en Gabaa de Ben-jamín: y envió a todo el otro pueblo cada uno a sus tiendas.
[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 Y Jonatán hirió la guarnición de los Filisteos, que estaba en el collado, y oyéron lo los Filisteos, y Saul hizo tocar trompeta por toda la tierra, diciendo: Oígan lo los Hebreos.
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 Y todo Israel oyeron que se decía: Saul ha herido la guarnición de los Filisteos; y también que Israel olía mal a los Filisteos: y el pueblo se juntó en pos de Saul en Galgal.
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 Entonces los Filisteos se juntaron para pelear con Israel, treinta mil carros, y seis mil caballos, y pueblo como la arena que está a la orilla de la mar en multitud: y subieron, y asentaron campo en Macmas al oriente de Bet-aven.
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 Mas los hombres de Israel viéndose puestos en estrecho, (porque el pueblo estaba en estrecho, ) el pueblo se escondió en cuevas, en fosas, en peñascos, en rocas, y en cisternas.
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 Y algunos de los Hebreos pasaron el Jordán en la tierra de Gad y de Galaad: y Saul se estaba aun en Galgal, y todo el pueblo iba tras de él temblando.
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 Y él esperó siete días, conforme al plazo que Samuel había dicho, y Samuel no venía a Galgal, y el pueblo se le iba.
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 Entonces dijo Saul: Traédme holocausto, y sacrificios pacíficos. Y sacrificó el holocausto.
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 Y como él acababa de hacer el holocausto, he aquí Samuel que venía: y Saul le salió a recibir para saludarle.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Entonces Samuel dijo: ¿Qué has hecho? Y Saul respondió: Porque ví que el pueblo se me iba, y que tú no venías al plazo de los días, y que los Filisteos estaban juntos en Macmas;
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 Dije en mí: Los Filisteos descenderán ahora a mí en Galgal, y yo no he rogado a la faz de Jehová. Y esforcéme, y ofrecí holocausto.
“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 Entonces Samuel dijo a Saul: Locamente has hecho, que no guardaste el mandamiento de Jehová tu Dios, que él te había mandado. Porque ahora Jehová hubiera confirmado tu reino sobre Israel para siempre.
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 Mas ahora tu reino no será durable. Jehová se ha buscado varón según su corazón, al cual Jehová ha mandado, que sea capitán sobre su pueblo, por cuanto tú no has guardado lo que Jehová te mandó.
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 Y levantándose Samuel subió de Galgal en Gabaa de Ben-jamín: y Saul contó el pueblo, que se hallaba con él, como seiscientos hombres.
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 Y Saul y Jonatán su hijo, y el pueblo que se hallaba con ellos, se quedaron en Gabaa de Ben-jamín: y los Filisteos habían puesto su campo en Macmas.
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 Y salieron del campo de los Filisteos tres escuadrones a correr la tierra. El un escuadrón marchaba por el camino de Efra a la tierra de Sual.
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 El otro escuadrón marchaba hacia Bet-orón, y el tercer escuadrón marchaba hacia la región que mira al valle de Seboim hacia el desierto.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Y en toda la tierra de Israel no se hallaba oficial; que los Filisteos habían dicho entre sí: Para que los Hebreos no hagan espada, o lanza.
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 Y así todos los de Israel descendían a los Filisteos cada uno a aguzar su reja, su azadón, su hacha, o su sacho,
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 Y cuando se hacían bocas en las rejas, o en los azadones, o en las horquillas, o en las hachas, hasta un aguijón que se había de adobar.
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 Así aconteció que el día de la batalla no se halló espada, ni lanza en la mano de ninguno de todo el pueblo, que estaba con Saul y con Jonatán, sino fueron Saul y Jonatán su hijo que las tenían.
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 Y la guarnición de los Filisteos salió al paso de Macmas.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
