1 Samuel 31
1 Afei, Filistifoɔ no ko tiaa Israel. Israelfoɔ no dwanee wɔ wɔn anim, na wɔkunkumm pii wɔ Gilboa bepɔ so.
Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2 Filistifoɔ no kɔɔ Saulo ne ne mmammarima so, kunkumm wɔn mu baasa a ɛyɛ Yonatan, Abinadab ne Malki-Sua.
The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.
3 Ɔko no mu yɛɛ den wɔ baabi a na Saulo wɔ hɔ. Filistifoɔ agyantofoɔ no bɛn no, na wɔpiraa no kɛse pa ara.
When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.
4 Saulo firi yea mu ka kyerɛɛ nʼakodeɛkurafoɔ no sɛ, “Twe wo akofena no, na fa wɔ me, na wɔn a wɔntwaa twetia no amfa wɔn akofena ammɛwɔ me, angu mʼanim ase.” Na nʼakodeɛkurafoɔ no suroo sɛ ɔbɛyɛ saa. Enti, Saulo twee ɔno ankasa akofena sinaa ne ho wɔ so.
Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run it through me, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5 Ɛberɛ a nʼakodeɛkurafoɔ no hunuu sɛ wawuo no, ɔno nso sinaa ne ho wɔ nʼankasa akofena no so, na ɔwu daa ne ho.
When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died with him.
6 Enti, Saulo ne ne mma mmarima baasa, nʼakodeɛkurafoɔ ne nʼakodɔm nyinaa totɔɔ saa ɛda no.
So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.
7 Ɛberɛ a Israelfoɔ a wɔwɔ Yesreel bɔnhwa no fa baabi ne Yordan agya no hunuu sɛ Israel akodɔm no adi nkoguo, na Saulo nso ne ne mmammarima no nso atotɔ no, wɔgyaa wɔn nkuro hɔ dwaneeɛ. Na Filistifoɔ no bɛtenaa hɔ.
When the Israelites along the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the army of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.
8 Adeɛ kyeeɛ a Filistifoɔ kɔyiyii atɔfoɔ no ho no, wɔhunuu Saulo ne ne mmammarima baasa no amu wɔ Gilboa bepɔ so.
The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9 Enti, wɔtwaa Saulo ti, yiyii nʼakodeɛ nyinaa. Afei, wɔbɔɔ Saulo wuo no dawuro wɔ wɔn abosomfie, ne ɔman no mu nyinaa.
They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temples of their idols and among their people.
10 Wɔde nʼakodeɛ no kɔguu Astoret asɔreeɛ so, na wɔkyekyeree nʼamu no fam kuropɔn Bet-San ɔfasuo ho.
They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.
11 Na Yabes Gileadfoɔ tee deɛ Filistifoɔ ayɛ Saulo no,
When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 wɔn akofoɔ twaa ɛkwan anadwo mu no nyinaa kɔɔ Bet-San kɔfaa Saulo ne ne mmammarima baasa no amu firii ɔfasuo no ho. Wɔde kɔɔ Yabes bɛhyee wɔn.
all their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.
13 Afei, wɔfaa wɔn nnompe kɔkoraa no odum dua no ase wɔ Yabes, na wɔdii mmuada nnanson.
Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
