Samuel Judges Saul’s Sin
1Saul was 30 years old when he became king. He ruled over Israel for 42 years.
2Saul chose 3,000 of Israel’s men. Two thousand of them were with him at Mikmash and in the hill country of Bethel. One thousand were with Jonathan at Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. Saul sent the rest back to their homes.
3Some Philistine soldiers were stationed at Geba. Jonathan attacked them. The other Philistines heard about it. Saul announced, “Let the Hebrew people hear about what has happened!” He had trumpets blown all through the land. 4So all the Israelites heard the news. They were told, “Saul has attacked the Philistine army camp at Geba. Now the Philistines can’t stand the Israelites.” The Israelites were called out to join Saul at Gilgal.
5The Philistines gathered together to fight against Israel. They had 3,000 chariots and 6,000 chariot drivers. Their soldiers were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash. It was east of Beth Aven. 6The Israelites saw that their army was in deep trouble. So they hid in caves. They hid among bushes and rocks. They also hid in pits and empty wells. 7Some of them even went across the Jordan River. They went to the lands of Gad and Gilead.
Saul remained at Gilgal. All the troops with him were shaking with fear. 8He waited seven days, just as Samuel had told him to. But Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal. And Saul’s men began to scatter. 9So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the friendship offerings.” Then he offered up the burnt offering. 10Just as Saul finished offering the sacrifice, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to greet him.
11“What have you done?” asked Samuel.
Saul replied, “I saw that the men were scattering. I saw that the Philistines were gathering together at Mikmash. You didn’t come when you said you would. 12So I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down to attack me at Gilgal. And I haven’t asked the Lord for his blessing.’ So I felt I had to sacrifice the burnt offering.”
13“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You haven’t obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. If you had, he would have made your kingdom secure over Israel for all time to come. 14But now your kingdom won’t last. The Lord has already looked for a man who is dear to his heart. He has appointed him king of his people. That’s because you haven’t obeyed the Lord’s command.”
15Then Samuel left Gilgal and went up to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. Saul counted the men who were with him. The total number was about 600.
Israel Doesn’t Have Weapons
16Saul and his son Jonathan were staying in Gibeah in the land of Benjamin. The men who remained in the army were there with them. At the same time, the Philistines camped at Mikmash. 17Three groups of soldiers went out from the Philistine camp to attack Israel. One group turned and went toward Ophrah in the area of Shual. 18Another went toward Beth Horon. The third went toward the border that looked out over the Valley of Zeboim. That valley faces the desert.
19There weren’t any blacksmiths in the whole land of Israel. That’s because the Philistines had said, “The Hebrews might hire them to make swords or spears!” 20So all the Israelites had to go down to the Philistines. They had to go to them to get their plows, hoes, axes and sickles sharpened. 21It cost a fourth of an ounce of silver to sharpen a plow or a hoe. It cost an eighth of an ounce to sharpen a pitchfork or an axe. That’s also what it cost to put new tips on the large sticks used to drive oxen.
22So the Israelite soldiers went out to battle without swords or spears in their hands. That was true for all of Saul’s and Jonathan’s soldiers. Only Saul and his son Jonathan had those weapons.
Jonathan Attacks the Philistines
23A group of Philistine soldiers had gone out to the pass at Mikmash.
Israel Ne Filisti Akodi
1Bere a Saulo dii ade no, na wadi mfirihyia aduasa. Na odii ade mfirihyia aduanan abien.
2Saulo yii asraafo sononko bi a wɔn dodow yɛ mpensa fii Israel, na ɔmaa nkae no kɔɔ fie. Ɔfaa asraafo no mu mpenu kaa ne ho, de wɔn kɔɔ Mikmas ne bepɔw nsase a ɛwɔ Bet-El no so. Asraafo apem a wɔaka no kaa Saulo babarima Yonatan ho kɔɔ Gibea wɔ Benyamin asase so.
3Eyi akyi no, ankyɛ na Yonatan kɔtoaa Filistifo asraafo no dii wɔn so wɔ Geba. Asɛm no trɛw ntɛm so wɔ Filistifo no mu. Enti Saulo hyɛn torobɛnto wɔ Israel nyinaa se, “Hebrifo, monsɔre!” 4Israelfo nyinaa tee sɛ Saulo atɔre Filistifo asraafo a wɔwɔ Geba no ase, na ne saa nti, Israelfo ho ayɛ Filistifo no ahi. Enti Israel asraafo no nyinaa boaa wɔn ho ano bio hyiaa Saulo wɔ Gilgal.
5Filistifo boaboaa nsraadɔm kɛse pa ara ano a wokura nteaseɛnam mpensa, apɔnkɔsotefo mpem asia ne asraafo a wɔn dodow te sɛ mpoano nwea ano. Wɔkyeree nsraban wɔ Mikmas wɔ Bet-Awen apuei fam. 6Bere a Israel mmarima no huu atamfo no nsraadɔm mpempem no, wɔn ho dwudwoe; nti wɔyɛɛ sɛ wɔbɛkɔ akohintaw wɔn ho wɔ abodan, mmoa, abotan, aboda ne nsukorae mu. 7Ebinom twaa Asubɔnten Yordan guan kɔɔ Gad ne Gilead asase so. Saa bere no, na Saulo wɔ Gilgal a ne mmarima a wɔka ne ho no wɔ ahopopo ne osuro mu. 8Odii nnanson wɔ hɔ sɛnea Samuel hyɛɛ no sɛ onni no; nanso Samuel de, wamma Gilgal, na Saulo huu sɛ mmarima no rebɔ ahwete. 9Enti ɔhyɛe se, “Momfa ɔhyew afɔre ne asomdwoe afɔre no mmrɛ me.” Na Saulo ankasa bɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre no. 10Ɔrewie afɔre no bɔ ara pɛ, na Samuel koduu hɔ. Enti Saulo pue kohyiaa no maa no akwaaba.
11Samuel bisaa no se, “Dɛn na woayɛ yi?”
Saulo buae se, “Mihuu sɛ mmarima no rehwete, na womma no, na Filistifo no nso reboa wɔn ho ano wɔ Mikmas no, 12medwenee se, ‘Afei de, Filistifo no besian abɛtoa me wɔ Gilgal, nanso mimmisaa Awurade nkyɛn adom ɛ.’ Enti metee nka sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ mebɔ ɔhyew afɔre ansa na woaba.” 13Na Samuel kae se, “Woadi nkwaseasɛm. Woanni mmara a Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn, hyɛɛ wo no so. Sɛ wudii so a, anka obetim wʼahenni ase wɔ Israel afebɔɔ. 14Na mprempren, wʼahenni no rentim. Awurade apɛ ɔbarima bi a ɔyɛ ne koma apɛde na wayi no sɛ ne nkurɔfo ɔkannifo, efisɛ woanni Awurade mmara no so.”
15Na Samuel fii Gilgal kɔɔ Gibea wɔ Benyamin. Saulo kan mmarima a na wɔka ne ho no, na wɔn ano si bɛyɛ ahansia. 16Na Saulo ne ne babarima Yonatan ne mmarima a wɔka ne ho no te Geba a ɛbɛn Gibea wɔ Benyamin asase so. Saa bere no na Filistifo no akyere nsraban wɔ Mikmas. 17Afowfo akuw abiɛsa fii Filistifo nsraban mu. Kuw baako de nʼani kyerɛɛ Ofra kwan so, kɔɔ Sual mpɔtam hɔ. 18Afoforo faa Bet-Horon kwan so na wɔn a wɔka ho no nso faa ɔhye a ɛkyerɛ Seboim bon no kwan so, kɔɔ sare so fam.
19Saa bere no, na ɔtomfo biara nni Israel asase no so baabiara. Filistifo no amma atomfo no kwan, efisɛ wose, “Anyɛ saa a atomfo no bɛbɔ afoa ne mpeaw ama Hebrifo no.” 20Enti na Israelfo no nyinaa kɔ Filistifo nkyɛn kɔsesew wɔn funtum nnade, nsɔw, mmonnua ne dɔtetu nnade ano. 21(Na wogye funtum nnade ne asosɔw a wɔsew no biara ho dwetɛ gram awotwe, na sɛ wɔsew mmonnua anaa mmoaka nnade a, wogye dwetɛ gram anan.) 22Ɛno nti na Israelfo no mu biara nni afoa anaa peaw, gye sɛ Saulo ne Yonatan.
23Saa bere no mu, na Filistifo asraafo no fa bi akɔ akɔfa ɔtempɔn a ɛda Mikmas no.
