1 Samuel 31
1 Afei, Filistifoɔ no ko tiaa Israel. Israelfoɔ no dwanee wɔ wɔn anim, na wɔkunkumm pii wɔ Gilboa bepɔ 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 Filistifoɔ no kɔɔ Saulo ne ne mmammarima so, kunkumm 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. Filistifoɔ agyantofoɔ no bɛn no, na wɔpiraa 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 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.
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 Ɛberɛ a nʼakodeɛkurafoɔ no hunuu sɛ wawuo no, ɔno nso sinaa ne ho wɔ nʼankasa akofena no so, na ɔwu daa 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, nʼakodeɛkurafoɔ ne nʼakodɔm nyinaa totɔɔ saa ɛda no.
So Saul, three of his sons, and the man who carried Saul’s weapons, all died on 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 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 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 take away the weapons of the dead [Israeli soldiers], they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on Gilboa Mountain.
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 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 nʼakodeɛ no kɔguu Astoret asɔreeɛ so, na wɔkyekyeree nʼamu no fam kuropɔn Bet-San ɔfasuo 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 Gileadfoɔ tee deɛ Filistifoɔ 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 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 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 wɔdii mmuada nnanson.
They took the bones and buried them under a [big] tamarisk tree. Then they (fasted/abstained from eating food) for seven days.
