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.
Samweli Amkemea Sauli
1Sauli alikuwa na miaka thelathini, alipokuwa mfalme, akatawala Israeli miaka arobaini na miwili.
213:2 Neh 11:31; Isa 10:28; Amu 19:14; 1Sam 10:26Sauli alichagua watu 3,000 kutoka Israeli; miongoni mwa hao watu 2,000 walikuwa pamoja naye huko Mikmashi na katika nchi ya vilima ya Betheli, nao watu 1,000 walikuwa pamoja na Yonathani huko Gibea ya Benyamini. Watu waliosalia aliwarudisha nyumbani mwao.
313:3 1Sam 10:5; Yos 18:24; Law 25:6; Amu 3:27Yonathani akashambulia ngome ya Wafilisti huko Geba, nao Wafilisti wakapata habari hizo. Kisha Sauli akaamuru tarumbeta ipigwe nchi yote na kusema, “Waebrania na wasikie!” 413:4 Mwa 34:30Hivyo Israeli wote wakasikia habari kwamba: “Sauli ameshambulia ngome ya Wafilisti, nao sasa Israeli wamekuwa harufu mbaya kwa Wafilisti.” Basi watu waliitwa kuungana na Sauli huko Gilgali.
513:5 1Sam 17:1; Yos 11:4; Ufu 20:8; Yos 7:2Wafilisti wakakusanyika ili kupigana na Israeli, wakiwa na magari ya vita 3,000, waendesha magari ya vita 6,000 na askari wa miguu wengi kama mchanga wa ufuoni mwa bahari. Walipanda na kupiga kambi huko Mikmashi, mashariki ya Beth-Aveni. 613:6 1Sam 14:11, 22; Amu 6:2; Eze 33:27Watu wa Israeli walipoona kuwa hali yao ni ya hatari na kuwa jeshi lao limesongwa sana, wakajificha katika mapango na katika vichaka, katikati ya miamba, kwenye mashimo na kwenye mahandaki. 713:7 Hes 32:33; Mwa 35:5; Kut 19:16Hata baadhi ya Waebrania wakavuka Yordani mpaka nchi ya Gadi na Gileadi.
Sauli akabaki huko Gilgali, navyo vikosi vyote vilivyokuwa pamoja naye vilikuwa vikitetemeka kwa hofu. 813:8 1Sam 10:8Akangoja kwa siku saba, muda uliowekwa na Samweli; lakini Samweli hakuja Gilgali, nao watu wa Sauli wakaanza kutawanyika. 913:9 Kum 12:5-14; 2Sam 24:25; 1Fal 3:4; 2Nya 26:16; Mit 15:8; 21:3, 27; Ebr 5:4Basi akasema, “Nileteeni hapa sadaka ya kuteketezwa na sadaka za amani.” Naye Sauli akatoa sadaka ya kuteketezwa. 1013:10 1Sam 15:13; 25:14; Rut 2:4Mara alipomaliza kutoa hiyo sadaka, Samweli akatokea, naye Sauli akaondoka kwenda kumlaki.
11Samweli akamuuliza, “Umefanya nini?”
Sauli akajibu, “Nilipoona kwamba watu wanatawanyika, na kwamba hukuja wakati uliopangwa na kwamba Wafilisti walikuwa wakikusanyika huko Mikmashi, 1213:12 Yos 10:43; Kum 4:29; Za 119:58; Yer 26:19nikawaza, ‘Sasa Wafilisti watateremka dhidi yangu huko Gilgali nami sijaomba kibali kwa Bwana.’ Hivyo nikalazimika kutoa sadaka ya kuteketezwa.”
1313:13 2Nya 16:9; Yos 22:16; 1Sam 15:23, 24; 2Sam 7:15; 1Nya 10:13; Za 72:5; 1Fal 18:18; Ay 34:18; Mit 19:3; Mt 14:3, 4; Law 17:1; Hes 18:7Samweli akasema, “Umetenda kwa upumbavu. Hukuyashika maagizo ya Bwana Mungu wako aliyokupa. Kama ungelitii, angeudumisha ufalme wako juu ya Israeli kwa wakati wote. 1413:14 1Sam 15:28; 18:8; 24:20; 1Nya 10:14; Mdo 7:46; 13:12; 2Sam 6:21; 1Sam 25:10; 2Sam 5:2; Za 18:43; Isa 16:5; 55:4; Yer 30:9; Eze 34:23-24; 37:24; Dan 9:25; Hos 3:5; Mik 5:2; 1Sam 15:26; 16; 1; 2Sam 12:6; 1Fal 13:21Lakini sasa ufalme wako hautadumu; Bwana amemtafuta mtu aupendezaye moyo wake, na amemchagua awe kiongozi wa watu wake, kwa sababu hukuyatii maagizo ya Bwana.”
1513:15 1Sam 14:2Kisha Samweli akaondoka Gilgali, akapanda Gibea ya Benyamini, naye Sauli akawahesabu watu aliokuwa nao. Jumla yao walikuwa watu 600.
Israeli Bila Silaha
1613:16 Yos 18:24Sauli, mwanawe Yonathani na watu waliokuwa pamoja nao walikuwa wakiishi huko Gibea ya Benyamini, wakati Wafilisti wakiwa wamepiga kambi huko Mikmashi. 1713:17 1Sam 14:15; Yos 18:23Makundi ya wavamiaji walikuja kutoka kambi ya Wafilisti katika vikosi vitatu. Kikosi kimoja kilielekea Ofra karibu na Shuali, 1813:18 Yos 10:10; Neh 11:34; Yos 18:13-14; 1Nya 6:68; 2Nya 8:5kikosi kingine kilielekea Beth-Horoni, nacho kikosi cha tatu kilielekea kwenye nchi ya mpakani ielekeayo Bonde la Seboimu linalotazamana na jangwa.
1913:19 Mwa 4:22; Hes 25:7; Yer 24:1; 2Fal 24:14Hapakuwa na mhunzi ambaye angeweza kupatikana katika nchi yote ya Israeli, kwa sababu Wafilisti walikuwa wamesema, “Waebrania wasije wakatengeneza panga au mikuki!” 20Hivyo Waisraeli wote huteremka kwa Wafilisti ili kunoa majembe ya plau, majembe ya mkono, mashoka na miundu. 21Bei ilikuwa fedha theluthi mbili za shekeli13:21 Theluthi mbili za shekeli za fedha ni sawa na gramu 8. kunoa majembe ya plau na majembe ya mkono, na theluthi moja ya shekeli13:21 Theluthi moja ya shekeli ya fedha ni sawa na gramu 4. kwa nyuma, mashoka na michokoo.
2213:22 1Nya 9:39; Hes 25:7; 1Sam 14:6; 17:47; Zek 4:6; Amu 5:8Kwa hiyo siku ya vita hakuna askari yeyote aliyekuwa kambini na Sauli na Yonathani ambaye alikuwa na upanga wala mkuki mkononi mwake; Sauli tu na mwanawe Yonathani ndio waliokuwa navyo.
Yonathani Awashambulia Wafilisti
2313:23 1Sam 14:4Basi kikosi cha Wafilisti kilikuwa kimetoka kuelekea njia iendayo Mikmashi.
