1 Samuel 13
1 Como un hijo de un año era Saúl cuando comenzó a reinar; 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 se escogió tres mil de Israel; los dos mil estuvieron con Saúl en Micmas y en el monte de Bet-el, y los mil estuvieron con Jonatán en Gabaa de Benjamín; 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 había en el collado, y lo oyeron los filisteos. E hizo Saúl tocar trompeta por toda la tierra, diciendo: Oigan 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 oyó lo que se decía: Saúl ha herido la guarnición de los filisteos; y también que Israel olía mal a los filisteos. Y se juntó el pueblo en pos de Saúl en Gilgal.
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 del mar en multitud; y subieron, y asentaron campamento en Micmas, al oriente de Bet-avén.
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 aprieto), se escondió el pueblo en cuevas, en fosos, 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 a la tierra de Gad y de Galaad; y Saúl se estaba aún en Gilgal, y todo el pueblo iba tras 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; pero Samuel no venía a Gilgal, y el pueblo se le desertaba.
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 Saúl: Traedme holocausto y sacrificios pacíficos. Y ofreció 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 cuando él acababa de hacer el holocausto, he aquí Samuel que venía; y Saúl 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 Saúl respondió: Porque vi que el pueblo se me iba, y que tú no venías al plazo de los días, y que los filisteos estaban juntos en Micmas,
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 me dije: Los filisteos descenderán ahora contra mí a Gilgal, y yo no he rogado la faz del SEÑOR. Me esforcé, pues, 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 Saúl: Locamente has hecho; no guardaste el mandamiento del SEÑOR tu Dios, que él te había mandado; porque ahora el SEÑOR 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 estará: El SEÑOR se ha buscado varón según su corazón, al cual el SEÑOR ha mandado que sea capitán sobre su pueblo, por cuanto tú no has guardado lo que el SEÑOR 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 Gilgal a Gabaa de Benjamín. Y Saúl 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 Saúl, pues, y Jonatán su hijo, y el pueblo que con ellos se hallaba, se quedaron en Gabaa de Benjamín; mas los filisteos habían puesto su campamento en Micmas.
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 campamento de los filisteos tres escuadrones a destruir la tierra. Un escuadrón marchaba por el camino de Ofra hacia 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 Otro escuadrón marchaba hacia Bet-horón, y el tercer escuadrón marchaba hacia la región que mira al valle de Zeboim 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 herrero; porque los filisteos habían dicho: Para que por ventura 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 cual a amolar 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 para una ahijada que se hubiera de componer.
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 del pueblo que estaba con Saúl y con Jonatán, excepto Saúl 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 Micmas.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
