< 1 Samuel 10 >
1 Afei, Samuel faa ngotoa a ngo wɔ mu hwie guu Saulo tirim, few nʼafono ho, kae se, “Mereyɛ eyi de akyerɛ sɛ Awurade apaw wo sɛ ɔkannifo ama ne man Israel.
Then Samuel took a small jar of olive oil and poured [some of] it on Saul’s head. Then he kissed Saul [on the cheek], and told him, “I am doing this because Yahweh has chosen you to be the leader of his Israeli people.
2 Sɛ wugyaw me ha nnɛ na worekɔ a, wubehyia mmarima baanu wɔ baabi a ɛbɛn Rahel da a ɛwɔ Selsa a ɛbɛn Benyamin hye no. Wɔbɛka akyerɛ wo se, ‘Mfurum a mutuu ho anammɔn kɔhwehwɛɛ wɔn no, wɔahu wɔn. Enti mprempren, wʼagya agyae wɔn ho dwene, na mmom, mo ho na ɔredwen. Ɔtaa bisa se, “Obi ahu me babarima no ana?”’
[And this will prove it to you]: When you leave me today, when you arrive near Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, in the area where the descendants of Benjamin live, you will meet two men. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys have been found, but now your father is worrying about you, and he is asking people, “Have you seen my son?’”
3 “Mudu dua kɛse bi a esi Tabor ho a, mubehyia mmarima baasa bi a wofi Bet-El rekɔ akɔsom Onyankopɔn. Ɔbaako so mmirekyi mma abiɛsa, ɔbaako nso so brodo mua abiɛsa, na nea ɔka ho no nso so nsa aboa nhoma kotoku baako.
When you arrive at the [large] oak tree at Tabor [town], you will see three men coming toward you. They will be on their way to [worship] God at Bethel [town]. One of them will be leading three young goats, one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and one will be carrying a container of wine.
4 Wobekyia mo, na wɔama mo brodo mua abien, na ɛsɛ sɛ mugye fi wɔn nkyɛn.
They will greet you, and they will offer you two of the loaves of bread. Accept them.
5 “Na sɛ mudu Onyankopɔn koko a ɛwɔ Gibea a Filistifo nsraadɔm abɔ pem wɔ hɔ no a, mubehu adiyifo asafodɔm sɛ wofi afɔremuka a ɛwɔ bepɔw no so hɔ resian ba. Ɛhɔ na mubehyia adiyifo asafo a wɔresian afi bepɔw no so hɔ reba na bɛnta ne mpintin ne mmɛn ne asanku di wɔn anim a wɔrehyɛ nkɔm.
When you arrive at the hill [where people worship] God near Gibeah [town], where there is the camp where the Philistine soldiers stay, you will meet a group of prophets who will be coming down from the altar on top of the hill. There will be people in front of them who will be playing [various musical instruments]: a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre. And all of them will be speaking messages that come directly from God.
6 Saa bere no, Onyankopɔn Honhom bɛba wo so wɔ tumi mu, na wo ne wɔn bɛhyɛ nkɔm. Wobɛsakra ayɛ onipa foforo.
At that time the Spirit of Yahweh will come upon you, and you also will speak messages that come directly from God. (You will be changed/The Spirit of Yahweh will change you), so that you will become like a different person.
7 Saa nsɛnkyerɛnne yi akyi no, yɛ nea wugye di sɛ eye biara, na Onyankopɔn bɛka wo ho.
After those things occur, do whatever you think is right to do, and God will (be with/help) you.
8 Afei, sian di mʼanim kɔ Gilgal na kɔtwɛn me wɔ hɔ nnanson. Mɛba abɛka wo ho wɔ hɔ, na yɛabɔ ɔhyew afɔre ne asomdwoe afɔre. Na sɛ midu hɔ a, mɛkyerɛ wo nea ɛsɛ sɛ woyɛ bio.”
Then go ahead of me, down to Gilgal [city], and wait for me there, for seven days. Then I will join you there, to burn sacrifices and offer other sacrifices to enable you to maintain fellowship with God. When I arrive there, I will tell you what [other] things you should do.”
9 Saulo dan ne ho pɛɛ sɛ ɔkɔ ara pɛ, Onyankopɔn sesaa ne koma, na Samuel nsɛnkyerɛnne nyinaa baa mu da no.
As Saul started to leave there, God changed Saul’s inner being. And all the things that Samuel had predicted happened on that day.
10 Bere a Saulo ne ne somfo no duu Gibea no, wohuu sɛ adiyifo no reba. Afei Onyankopɔn honhom baa Saulo so, na ɔno nso fii ase hyɛɛ nkɔm.
When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw some prophets who were [speaking messages that came directly from God. As the prophets were] approaching Saul and his servant, God’s Spirit came upon Saul powerfully, and he also began to speak messages from God.
11 Bere a ne nnamfonom tee saa asɛm yi no, wɔteɛɛ mu se, “Asɛm bɛn na moreka yi? Saulo nso abɛyɛ odiyifo? Ɛyɛɛ dɛn na Kis babarima tumi bɛyɛɛ odiyifo?”
When people who had known Saul previously heard him speaking messages from God as the prophets were doing, they said to each other, “What has happened to this son of Kish? Is he now really one of the (prophets/men who speak messages from God)?”
12 Nanso ɛhɔni bi kae se, “Sɛnea nʼagya te de, ɛmfa ho; obiara tumi bɛyɛ odiyifo.” Enti ɛbɛyɛɛ sɛnnahɔ se, “Enti Saulo nso abɛyɛ odiyifo?”
One of the men who lived there replied, “[Saul cannot be a prophet, because] all prophets receive their power to speak messages from God, not from their parents.” And that is why, [when people hear about a report of someone prophesying, they think about what happened to Saul and] say, “[We are surprised about that person becoming a prophet, like] we were surprised to hear that Saul had really become one of the prophets.”
13 Saulo gyaee adiyi no, ɔforoo bepɔw no kɔɔ afɔremuka no so.
When Saul finished speaking the messages that God gave him, he went to the place where the people offered sacrifices.
14 Oduu hɔ no, Saulo wɔfa bisaa no se, “Ɛhefa na wokɔe a dedaada yenhuu wo yi?” Saulo buae se, “Yɛkɔhwehwɛɛ mfurum a wɔayera no, nanso yɛanhu wɔn. Ɛno nti, yɛkɔɔ odiyifo Samuel nkyɛn kobisaa no faako a wɔwɔ.”
Later, Saul’s uncle [saw him there, and] asked him, “Where did you go?” Saul replied, “We went to look for the donkeys. When we could not find them, we came here to ask Samuel [if he could tell us where they were].”
15 Ne wɔfa no bisae se, “Saa? Na asɛm bɛn na ɔkae?”
Saul’s uncle replied, “What did Samuel tell you?”
16 Saulo buae se, “Ɔkae se, wɔahu mfurum no.” Nanso Saulo anka ankyerɛ ne wɔfa no sɛ Samuel asra no ngo sɛ wobesi no ɔhene.
Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about him becoming the king [of Israel].
17 Samuel frɛɛ Israelfo nyinaa baa Awurade anim wɔ Mispa,
[Later] Samuel summoned the people of Israel to gather at Mizpah to [hear a message from] Yahweh.
18 na ɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Sɛnea Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, se ni, ‘Mede Israelfo fii Misraim bae, na migyee mo fii Misraim tumi ne wɔn a wodi mo nya no nyinaa ase.’
After they arrived, he said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the God we Israeli people [worship], says: I brought you Israeli people out of Egypt. I rescued your [ancestors] from the power of the rulers of Egypt and from all the other kings who oppressed them.
19 Nanso ɛwɔ mu sɛ mayɛ bebree ama mo de, nso moapo me aka se, ‘Yɛpɛ ɔhene.’ Enti afei, momfa mo mmusuakuw ne mo mmusua mmra Awurade anim.”
I am the one who saves you from all your troubles and difficulties. But today you have rejected me, your God, and you have said, ‘We don’t care! Give us a king!’ So [I will do what you want]. Now have [representatives of] your tribes and [of] your clans stand here in the presence of Yahweh.’”
20 Samuel maa Israel mmusuakuw nyinaa bae no, Benyamin abusuakuw na woyii wɔn.
When those representatives came near to Samuel, [God indicated that] he had chosen someone from the tribe descended from Benjamin.
21 Afei ɔmaa Benyamin abusuakuw no mu afi nyinaa baa Awurade anim na woyii Matri abusua, na awiei no woyii Kis babarima Saulo. Na wɔhwehwɛɛ no no, na wonhu baabi a wafa.
Then Samuel told representatives of the tribe of Benjamin to come forward, and God indicated that [from that tribe] he had chosen someone from the family of Matri, and then God indicated that [from the family of Matri] he had chosen Saul, the son of Kish. But when they looked for Saul, they could not find him.
22 Enti wobisaa Awurade se, “Na ɔwɔ he?” Na Awurade buae se, “Yiw, ɔde ne ho ahintaw nneɛma mu.”
So they asked Yahweh, “Where is Saul?” Yahweh replied, “He is hiding among the army equipment.”
23 Enti wotuu mmirika kɔfaa no bae. Na obegyinaa nnipa no mu no na ne tenten bunkam fa obiara so.
So they quickly went there [and found him, ] and brought him [in front of all the people]. They could see that [truly] he was a head taller than anyone else.
24 Samuel ka kyerɛɛ nnipa no nyinaa se, “Ɔbarima a Awurade apaw no sɛ mo hene ni. Obiara nni Israel ha a ɔne no sɛ.” Afei, nnipa no nyinaa bɔ gyee so se, “Ɔhene nkwa so!”
Then Samuel said to all the people there, “This is the man whom Yahweh has chosen to be your king. Among all us Israeli people, there is no one like him!” Then all the people shouted, “We hope that this king will live a long time!”
25 Samuel kyerɛkyerɛɛ mmara a ɛbata saa ahenni no ho kyerɛɛ nnipa no. Ɔkyerɛw guu nhoma mmobɔwee so, de kɔtoo Awurade anim. Afei, Samuel gyaa ɔmanfo no kwan ma wɔkɔɔ wɔn afi mu.
Then Samuel told the people what things the king would force them to do, and all the things the king was required to do. He wrote all those things on a scroll, and then he put it in a sacred place in the temple. Then Samuel sent all the people home.
26 Saulo nso kɔɔ ne fi wɔ Gibea na nnipakuw bi a Onyankopɔn aka wɔn koma de wɔn ho bɛbɔɔ no.
When Saul returned to his home in Gibeah [town], a group of men decided to continually accompany Saul. They did that because God (motivated them/put it in their minds) to do that.
27 Nanso amumɔyɛfo bi kae se, “Ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na saa onipa yi atumi agye yɛn?” Wobuu no animtiaa a wɔammrɛ no akyɛde biara. Nanso Saulo ammua wɔn.
But some worthless men said, “(How can this man save us [from our enemies]?/This man will not be able to save us [from our enemies].)” [RHQ] They despised him, and refused to give him any gifts [to show that they would be loyal to him]. But Saul did not say anything [to rebuke them].