1 Samuela 13
1 Naʻe pule ʻa Saula ʻi he tau ʻe taha; pea hili ʻene pule ʻi he taʻu ʻe ua ki ʻIsileli,
Saul was no longer a young man when he became the king. He ruled Israel for 42 years.
2 Naʻe fili ʻe Saula ʻene kau tangata ʻe toko tolu afe mei ʻIsileli: naʻe ʻia Saula ʻi Mikimasi, pea ʻi he moʻunga ko Peteli ʻae toko ua afe, pea naʻe ʻia Sonatane ʻi Kipea ʻo Penisimani ʻae toko taha afe: pea ko hono toe ʻoe kakai naʻa ne fekau ke ʻalu ʻae tangata taki taha ki hono fale fehikitaki.
[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 Pea naʻe taaʻi ʻe Sonatane ʻae kolo tau ʻae kakai Filisitia ʻaia naʻe ʻi Kipea, pea naʻe fanongo ki ai ʻae kakai Filisitia. Pea naʻe ifi meʻalea ʻe Saula ʻi he potu fonua kotoa pē, ʻo ne pehē, Ke ongoʻi ʻe he kakai Hepelū.
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 Pea naʻe fanongo ʻa ʻIsileli kotoa pē ki he lea, kuo taaʻi ʻe Saula ha kolo tau ʻae kakai Filisitia, pea kuo fehiʻanekina ʻaupito ʻa ʻIsileli ʻi he ʻao ʻoe kakai Filisitia. Pea naʻe fekau ke fakataha ʻae kakai kia Saula ʻi Kilikali.
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 Pea naʻe kātoa fakataha ʻae kakai Filisitia ke tauʻi ʻa ʻIsileli, ko e ngaahi saliote ʻe tolu mano, mo e kau tangata heka hoosi ʻe toko ono afe, pea ko e kakai naʻe hangē ko e ʻoneʻone ʻi he matātahi honau tokolahi: pea naʻa nau ʻalu hake ʻo nofo ʻi Mikimasi, ʻi he potu hopoʻangalaʻā mei Pete-ʻAveni.
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 Pea ʻi he vakai ʻae kau tangata ʻIsileli kuo ʻākilotoa ʻakinautolu (he naʻe mamahi ʻae kakai), naʻe fakatoitoi ʻakinautolu ʻe he kakai ʻi he ngaahi ʻana, mo e ngaahi vaofihi, pea ʻi he ngaahi maka, mo e potu māʻolunga, pea ʻi he ngaahi luo.
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 Pea naʻe ʻalu ʻae kau Hepelū niʻihi ki he kauvai ʻe taha ʻo Sioatani ki he fonua ʻo Kata mo Kiliati, ka ko Saula naʻe kei ʻi Kilikali ia, pea naʻe muimui tetetete pe ʻae kakai kiate ia.
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 Pea naʻe tatali ia ʻi he ʻaho ʻe fitu ʻo fakatatau ki he ʻaho naʻe kotofa ʻe Samuela: ka naʻe ʻikai haʻu ʻa Samuela ki Kilikali; pea naʻe movetevete ʻae kakai ʻiate ia.
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 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Saula, “ʻOmi ki heni kiate au ʻae feilaulau tutu, mo e feilaulau fakalelei.” Pea naʻa ne ʻatu ʻae feilaulau tutu.
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 Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē, hili leva ʻene fakaʻosi ʻene ʻatu ʻae feilaulau tutu, vakai, kuo hoko mai ʻa Samuela; pea naʻe ʻalu atu ʻa Saula ke fakafetaulaki kiate ia, ke na feʻiloaki.
And just as he was finished burning those offerings, Samuel arrived. Saul went to greet him.
11 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Samuela, “Ko e hā ia kuo ke fai?” Pea pehē ʻe Saula, “Ko e meʻa ʻi heʻeku vakai kuo movete ʻae kakai meiate au, pea naʻe ʻikai te ke hoko mai ʻi he ngaahi ʻaho naʻe kotofa, pea kuo kātoa fakataha ʻae kau Filisitia ki Mikimasi:
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 Ko ia naʻaku pehē ai, ‘Ko eni ʻe hoko hifo kiate au ʻae kau Filisitia ki Kilikali, ka ʻoku teʻeki ai te u fai ʻae hū kia Sihova’: ko ia ne u kātaki ai au ʻo ʻatu ʻae feilaulau tutu.”
“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 Pea pehē ʻe Samuela kia Saula, “Kuo ke fai vale: kuo ʻikai te ke tauhi ʻae fekau ʻa Sihova ko ho ʻOtua, ʻaia naʻa ne fekau kiate koe: ka ne pehē, kuo fokotuʻumaʻu ʻe Sihova ho puleʻanga ki ʻIsileli ʻo taʻengata.
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 Ka ko eni ʻe ʻikai tuʻumaʻu ho puleʻanga: kuo fili ʻe Sihova ha tangata maʻana ʻo hangē ko hono loto ʻoʻona, pea kuo fekau ʻe Sihova kiate ia ke ʻeiki ia ki hono kakai, koeʻuhi naʻe ʻikai te ke tauhi ʻaia naʻe fekau ʻe Sihova kiate koe.”
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 Pea naʻe tuʻu hake ʻa Samuela, ʻo ʻalu mei Kilikali ki Kipea ʻo Penisimani. Pea naʻe lau ʻe Saula ʻae kakai naʻe ʻiate ia, ko e toko onongeau nai.
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 Pea ko Saula mo hono foha ko Sonatane, pea mo e kakai naʻe ʻiate kinaua, naʻa nau nofo ʻi Kipea ʻo Penisimani: ka naʻe ʻapitanga ʻae kakai Filisitia ʻi Mikimasi.
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 Pea naʻe haʻu ʻae vahe ʻe tolu ʻoe kau maumau mei he nofoʻanga tau ʻoe kau Filisitia: naʻe ʻalu ʻae kautau ʻe taha ki he hala ki Ofila, ki he fonua ko Suali:
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 Pea naʻe afe ʻae kautau ʻe taha ki he hala ki Pete-holoni: pea ʻalu ʻae kautau ʻe taha ki he hala ʻoe veʻe fonua ʻoku hanga atu ki he teleʻa ʻo Sipoimi ʻo hanga atu ki he toafa.
One group went [west] to Beth-Horon [city]. The third group went toward the [Israeli] border, above Zeboim Valley, near the desert.
19 Pea ko eni, naʻe ʻikai ʻiloʻi ha tufunga tuki ukamea ʻi he fonua kotoa pē ʻo ʻIsileli: he ne pehē ʻe he kau Filisitia, Telia naʻa tuki ʻe he kau Hepelū ʻae ngaahi heletā mo e tao maʻanautolu.
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 Ka naʻe ʻalu hifo ki he kau Filisitia ʻae kakai ʻIsileli kotoa pē, ke fakamata taki taha ʻae tangata hono huotoho, mo ʻene hele, mo ʻene toki, mo ʻene huo keli.
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 Ka naʻa nau maʻu ʻae kili fakamata ki he huo keli, pea ki he hele, mo e ngaahi huhuʻi pea mo e ngaahi toki, pea ke fakamata ʻae meʻa kini.
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 Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ʻi he ʻaho ʻoe tau, naʻe ʻikai ʻiloa ha heletā pe ha tao ʻi he nima ʻo ha tokotaha ʻi he kakai naʻe ʻia Saula mo Sonatane: ka ko Saula mo hono foha ko Sonatane, naʻe ʻilo ai ia.
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 Pea naʻe hiki kituʻa ʻae ʻapitanga ʻoe kau Filisitia ke ʻalu ki he potu ʻaluʻanga ki Mikimasi.
Before the battle started, some Philistia men went to (the pass/a narrow place between two cliffs) outside Micmash to guard it.
