1 Samuel 13
1 Ɛberɛ a Saulo dii adeɛ no, na wadi mfirinhyia aduasa. Na ɔdii adeɛ mfirinhyia aduanan mmienu.
Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years.
2 Saulo yii akodɔm sononko bi a wɔn dodoɔ yɛ mpensa firii Israel, na ɔmaa nkaeɛ no kɔɔ efie. Ɔfaa akodɔm no mu mpenu kaa ne ho, de wɔn kɔɔ Mikmas ne bepɔ nsase a ɛwɔ Bet-El no so. Akodɔm apem a aka no kaa Saulo babarima Yonatan ho kɔɔ Gibea wɔ Benyamin asase so.
He chose for himself three thousand men of Israel: Two thousand were with Saul at Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. And the rest of the troops he sent away, each to his own home.
3 Yei akyi no, ankyɛre, Yonatan kɔtuaa Filistifoɔ asraafoɔ no dii wɔn so wɔ Geba. Asɛm no trɛɛ ntɛm so wɔ Filistifoɔ no mu. Enti Saulo hyɛn torobɛnto wɔ Israel nyinaa sɛ, “Hebrifoɔ, monsɔre!”
Then Jonathan attacked the Philistine outpost at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. So Saul blew the ram’s horn throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”
4 Israelfoɔ nyinaa tee sɛ Saulo atɔre Filistifoɔ asraafoɔ a wɔwɔ Geba no ase, na ne saa enti, Israelfoɔ ho ayɛ Filistifoɔ no ahi. Enti, Israel akodɔm no nyinaa boaa wɔn ho ano bio hyiaa Saulo wɔ Gilgal.
And all Israel heard the news: “Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel has become a stench to the Philistines!” Then the people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 Filistifoɔ boaboaa asraadɔm kɛseɛ pa ara ano a wɔkura nteaseɛnam mpensa, apɔnkɔsotefoɔ mpem nsia ne akodɔm a wɔn dodoɔ te sɛ mpoano anwea ano. Wɔkyeree sraban wɔ Mikmas wɔ Bet-Awen apueeɛ fam.
Now the Philistines assembled to fight against Israel with three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
6 Ɛberɛ a Israel mmarima no hunuu atamfoɔ no akodɔm mpempem no, wɔn ho dwodwoeɛ enti, wɔyɛɛ sɛ wɔbɛkɔ akɔsuma wɔn ho wɔ abodan, mmena, abotan, aboda ne nsukoraeɛ mu.
Seeing that they were in danger because their troops were hard-pressed, the men of Israel hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in cellars and cisterns.
7 Ebinom twaa Asubɔnten Yordan dwane kɔɔ Gad ne Gilead asase so. Saa ɛberɛ no, na Saulo wɔ Gilgal a ne mmarima a wɔka ne ho no wɔ ahopopoɔ ne suro mu.
Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul, however, remained at Gilgal, and all his troops were quaking in fear.
8 Ɔdii nnanson wɔ hɔ sɛdeɛ Samuel hyɛɛ no sɛ ɔnni no; nanso, Samuel deɛ, wamma Gilgal, na Saulo hunuu sɛ mmarima no rebɔ pete.
And Saul waited seven days for the time appointed by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the troops began to desert Saul.
9 Enti, ɔhyɛɛ sɛ, “Momfa ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ ne asomdwoeɛ afɔdeɛ no mmrɛ me.” Na Saulo ankasa bɔɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ no.
So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And he offered up the burnt offering.
10 Ɔrewie afɔdeɛ no bɔ ara pɛ, na Samuel kɔduruu hɔ. Enti, Saulo pue kɔhyiaa no maa no akwaaba.
Just as he finished offering the burnt offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
11 Samuel bisaa no sɛ, “Ɛdeɛn na woayɛ yi?” Saulo buaa sɛ, “Mehunuu sɛ mmarima no rehwete, na womma no, na Filistifoɔ no nso reboa wɔn ho ano wɔ Mikmas no,
“What have you done?” Samuel asked. And Saul replied, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me, and that you did not come at the appointed time and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash,
12 medwenee sɛ, ‘Afei deɛ, Filistifoɔ no bɛsiane abɛtoa me wɔ Gilgal, nanso memmisaa Awurade nkyɛn adom.’ Enti, metee nka sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ mebɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ ansa na woaba.”
I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will descend upon me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the LORD.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”
13 Na Samuel kaa sɛ, “Woadi nkwaseasɛm. Woanni mmara a Awurade, wo Onyankopɔn, hyɛɛ wo no so. Sɛ wodii so a, anka ɔbɛtim wʼahennie ase wɔ Israel afebɔɔ.
“You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.
14 Na seesei, wʼahennie no rentim. Awurade apɛ ɔbarima bi a ɔyɛ nʼakoma apɛdeɛ na wɔayi no sɛ ne nkurɔfoɔ ɔkannifoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ, woanni Awurade mmara no so.”
But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought a man after His own heart and appointed him ruler over His people, because you have not kept the command of the LORD.”
15 Na Samuel firii Gilgal kɔɔ ne baabi na akodɔm no nkaeɛ no ne Saulo kɔhyiaa atamfoɔ no. Wɔfiri Gilgal kɔɔ Gibea a ɛwɔ Benyamin asase so. Saulo kanee mmarima a na wɔka ne ho no, na wɔn ano si aha nsia.
Then Samuel set out from Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in Benjamin. And Saul numbered the troops who were with him, about six hundred men.
16 Na Saulo ne ne babarima Yonatan ne mmarima a ɛka ne ho no te Geba a ɛbɛn Gibea wɔ Benyamin asase so. Saa ɛberɛ no na Filistifoɔ no akyere sraban wɔ Mikmas.
Now Saul and Jonathan his son and the troops with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Michmash.
17 Ntohyɛsofoɔ akuo mmiɛnsa firii Filistifoɔ sraban mu. Ekuo baako de nʼani kyerɛɛ Ofra ɛkwan so, kɔɔ Sual mpɔtam hɔ.
And raiders went out of the Philistine camp in three divisions. One headed toward Ophrah in the land of Shual,
18 Afoforɔ faa Bet-Horon kwan so ɛnna wɔn a wɔka ho nso faa ɛhyeɛ a ɛkyerɛ Seboim bɔnhwa no kwan so, kɔɔ ɛserɛ so fam.
another toward Beth-horon, and the third down the border road overlooking the Valley of Zeboim facing the wilderness.
19 Saa ɛberɛ no, na ɔtomfoɔ biara nni Israel asase no so baabiara. Filistifoɔ no amma atomfoɔ no kwan, ɛfiri sɛ, wosusuu sɛ atomfoɔ no bɛbɔ akofena ne mpea ama Hebrifoɔ no.
And no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews must not be allowed to make swords or spears.”
20 Enti, na Israelfoɔ no nyinaa kɔ Filistifoɔ nkyɛn kɔse wɔn funtum nnadeɛ, nsɔ, nkuma ne dɔtetuo nnadeɛ ano.
Instead, all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares, mattocks, axes, and sickles.
21 (Na wɔgye funtum nnadeɛ ne asosɔ a wɔse no biara ho dwetɛ gram nwɔtwe, na sɛ wɔse mmonnua anaa nnadeɛ a, wogye dwetɛ gram ɛnan.)
The charge was a pim for sharpening a plowshare or mattock, a third of a shekel for sharpening a pitchfork or an axe, and a third of a shekel for repointing an oxgoad.
22 Ɛno enti na Israelfoɔ no mu biara nni akofena anaa pea, gye sɛ Saulo ne Yonatan.
So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hands of the troops with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.
23 Saa ɛberɛ no mu, na Filistifoɔ asraafoɔ no fa bi akɔ akɔfa tempɔn a ɛda Mikmas no.
And a garrison of the Philistines had gone out to the pass at Michmash.
