1 Samuel 31
1 Afei, Filistifo no ko tiaa Israel. Israelfo no guanee wɔ wɔn anim, na wokunkum pii wɔ Gilboa bepɔw so.
Later, the Philistines again fought against the Israelis. The Israelis ran away from them, and (many Israelis were killed/the Philistines killed many Israelis) on Gilboa Mountain.
2 Filistifo no kɔɔ Saulo ne ne mmabarima so, kunkum wɔn mu baasa a ɛyɛ Yonatan, Abinadab ne Malki-Sua.
The Philistines caught up with Saul and his three sons, and they killed [all three of] his sons, Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua.
3 Ɔko no mu yɛɛ den wɔ baabi a na Saulo wɔ hɔ. Filistifo agyantowfo no bɛn no, na wopiraa no kɛse pa ara.
The fighting was very fierce around Saul. When the Philistine (archers/men with bows and arrows) caught up with Saul, they wounded him badly [with their arrows].
4 Saulo fi yaw mu ka kyerɛɛ nʼakodekurafo no se, “Twe wʼafoa no, na fa wɔ me, na wɔn a wontwaa twetia no amfa wɔn afoa ammɛwɔ me, angu mʼanim ase.” Na nʼakodekurafo no suroo sɛ ɔbɛyɛ saa. Enti Saulo twee ɔno ankasa afoa sinaa ne ho wɔ so.
Saul said to the man who was carrying his weapons, “Take out your sword and kill me with it, in order that these heathen Philistines will not be able to thrust their swords into me and make fun of me [while I am dying].” But the man who was carrying Saul’s weapons was terrified, and refused to do that. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. [The sword pierced his body and he died].
5 Bere a nʼakodekurafo no huu sɛ wawu no, ɔno nso sinaa ne ho wɔ nʼankasa afoa no so, na owu kaa ne ho.
When the man carrying his weapons saw that Saul was dead, he also threw himself on his own sword and died.
6 Enti Saulo ne ne mma mmarima baasa, nʼakodekurafo ne nʼakofo nyinaa totɔɔ saa da no.
So Saul, three of his sons, and the man who carried Saul’s weapons, all died on that same day.
7 Bere a Israelfo a wɔwɔ Yesreel bon no fa baabi ne Yordan agya no huu sɛ Israel asraafo no adi nkogu, na Saulo nso ne ne mmabarima no nso atotɔ no, wogyaw wɔn nkurow hɔ guanee. Na Filistifo no bɛtenaa hɔ.
When the Israeli people on the north side of the [Jezreel] Valley and on the east side of the Jordan [River] heard that the Israeli army had run away and that Saul and his sons had died, they left their towns and ran away. Then the Philistines came and occupied their towns.
8 Ade kyee a Filistifo koyiyii atɔfo no ho no, wohuu Saulo ne ne mmabarima baasa no amu wɔ Gilboa bepɔw so.
The next day, when the Philistines came to take away the weapons of the dead [Israeli soldiers], they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on Gilboa Mountain.
9 Enti wotwaa Saulo ti, yiyii nʼakode nyinaa. Afei, wɔbɔɔ Saulo wu no dawuru wɔ wɔn abosomfi, ne ɔman no mu nyinaa.
They cut off Saul’s head and took his weapons. Then they sent messengers throughout their land, to proclaim the news, in the temple where they kept their idols, and to the other people, [that their army had killed Saul].
10 Wɔde nʼakode no koguu Astoret nsɔree so, na wɔkyekyeree nʼamu no fam kuropɔn Bet-San fasu ho.
They put Saul’s weapons in the temple of [their goddess] Astarte. They also fastened the bodies of Saul [and his sons] to the wall [that surrounded] Beth-Shan [city].
11 Na Yabes Gileadfo tee nea Filistifo ayɛ Saulo no,
When the people who lived in Jabesh in [the] Gilead [region] heard what the Philistines had done to Saul’s corpse,
12 wɔn akofo twaa kwan anadwo mu no nyinaa kɔɔ Bet-San kɔfaa Saulo ne ne mmabarima baasa no amu fii ɔfasu no ho. Wɔde kɔɔ Yabes bɛhyew wɔn.
all their bravest soldiers walked all night to Beth-Shan. They took the corpses of Saul and his sons down from the city wall, and they took them back to Jabesh and burned the corpses there.
13 Afei, wɔfaa wɔn nnompe kɔkoraa no odum dua no ase wɔ Yabes, na wodii mmuada nnanson.
They took the bones and buried them under a [big] tamarisk tree. Then they (fasted/abstained from eating food) for seven days.
