Saul Disobeys the Lord
1 Saul was a young man when he became king, and he ruled Israel for two years. 2 Then he chose 3,000 men from Israel to be full-time soldiers and sent everyone else home. Two thousand of these troops stayed with him in the hills around Michmash and Bethel. The other 1,000 were stationed with Jonathan at Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin.
3 Jonathan led an attack on the Philistine army camp at Geba. The Philistine camp was destroyed, but the other Philistines heard what had happened. Then Saul told his messengers, “Go to every village in the country. Give a signal with the trumpet, and when the people come together, tell them what has happened.”
4 The messengers then said to the people of Israel, “Saul has destroyed the Philistine army camp at Geba. Now the Philistines really hate Israel, so every town and village must send men to join Saul's army at Gilgal.”
5 The Philistines called their army together to fight Israel. They had 3,000 chariots, 6,000 cavalry, and as many foot soldiers as there are grains of sand on the beach. They went to Michmash and set up camp there east of Beth-Aven.
6 The Israelite army realized that they were outnumbered and were going to lose the battle. Some of the Israelite men hid in caves or in clumps of bushes, and some ran to places where they could hide among large rocks. Others hid in tombs or in deep dry pits. 7 Still others went to Gad and Gilead on the other side of the Jordan River.
Saul stayed at Gilgal. His soldiers were shaking with fear, 8 and they were starting to run off and leave him. Saul waited there seven days, just as Samuel had ordered him to do, but Samuel did not come. 9 Finally, Saul commanded, “Bring me some animals, so we can offer sacrifices to please the Lord and ask for his help.”
Saul killed one of the animals, 10 and just as he placed it on the altar, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to welcome him.
11 “What have you done?” Samuel asked.
Saul answered, “My soldiers were leaving in all directions, and you didn't come when you were supposed to. The Philistines were gathering at Michmash, 12 and I was worried that they would attack me here at Gilgal. I hadn't offered a sacrifice to ask for the Lord's help, so I forced myself to offer a sacrifice on the altar fire.”
13 “That was stupid!” Samuel said. “You didn't obey the Lord your God. If you had obeyed him, someone from your family would always have been king of Israel. 14 But no, you disobeyed, and so the Lord won't choose anyone else from your family to be king. In fact, he has already chosen the one he wants to be the next leader of his people.” 15 Then Samuel left Gilgal.
Part of Saul's army had not deserted him, and he led them to Gibeah in Benjamin to join his other troops. Then he counted them and found that he still had 600 men. 16 Saul, Jonathan, and their army set up camp at Geba in Benjamin.
Jonathan Attacks the Philistines
The Philistine army was camped at Michmash. 17 Each day they sent out patrols to attack and rob villages and then destroy them. One patrol would go north along the road to Ophrah in the region of Shual. 18 Another patrol would go west along the road to Beth-Horon. A third patrol would go east toward the desert on the road to the ridge that overlooks Zeboim Valley.
19 The Philistines would not allow any Israelites to learn how to make iron tools. “If we allowed that,” they said, “those worthless Israelites would make swords and spears.”
20-21 Whenever the Israelites wanted to get an iron point put on a cattle prod, they had to go to the Philistines. Even if they wanted to sharpen plow-blades, picks, axes, sickles, and pitchforks they still had to go to them. And the Philistines charged high prices. 22 So, whenever the Israelite soldiers had to go into battle, none of them had a sword or a spear except Saul and his son Jonathan.
23 The Philistines moved their camp to the pass at Michmash,
الحرب على الفلسطيِّين
1 وملَكَ شاوُلُ أربعينَ سنَةً على بَني إِسرائيلَ. 2 واختارَ شاوُلُ ثَلاثَةَ آلافِ رَجُلٍ مِنْ بَني إِسرائيلَ، فكانَ معَهُ ألفانِ في مِخماسَ وجبَلِ بَيتِ إيلَ، وألفٌ معَ يوناثانَ في جَبعةَ بأرضِ بَني بنيامينَ وصرَفَ الباقينَ إلى خيامِهِم. 3 وقتَلَ يوناثانُ قائِدَ الفلِسطيِّينَ في جَبعةَ وسَمِـعَ الفلِسطيُّونَ بِذلِكَ. ونفَخَ شاوُلُ في البُوقِ، في البِلادِ كُلِّها، وقالَ: «لِـيَسمَعِ العِبرانِـيُّونَ». 4 وسَمِـعَ إِسرائيلُ أنَّ شاوُلَ قَتَلَ قائِدَ الفلِسطيِّينَ وأنَّ الفلِسطيِّينَ يَكرهونَهُم، فاجتَمَعوا وراءَ شاوُلَ في الجِلجالِ. 5 واحتَشَدَ الفلِسطيُّونَ لِمُحارَبةِ بَني إِسرائيلَ بِثلاثينَ ألفِ مركَبةٍ وسِتَّةِ آلافِ فارسٍ، وبِـجُنودٍ كرَملِ البحرِ، وصَعِدوا وعسكَروا في مِخماسَ شَرقيَّ بَيتِ آوِنَ. 6 فلمَّا رَأى رِجالُ إِسرائيلَ أنَّهُم في مأزَقٍ لأنَّ العَدُوَّ أطبَقَ علَيهِم، اختَبأوا في المَغاوِرِ والكُهوفِ والصُّخورِ والقُبورِ والآبارِ، 7 وعبَرَ بَعضُهُم الأردُنَّ إلى أرضِ جادَ وجلعادَ. وكانَ شاوُلُ بَعدُ مُقيما بالجِلجالِ، والّذينَ معَهُ كانوا يَرتَعِدونَ مِنَ الخوفِ.
8 فانتَظَرَ شاوُلُ سبعَةَ أيّامٍ، بِـحسَبِ الموعِدِ الّذي حَدَّدَهُ صَموئيلُ فلم يَجئْ صَموئيلُ إلى الجِلجالِ وبَدأ الشَّعبُ بِالتفرُّقِ عَنْ شاوُلَ. 9 فقالَ شاوُلُ: «هاتوا ليَ المُحرَقةَ وذبائِـحَ السَّلامةِ»، وقدَّمَ المُحرَقةَ. 10 فلمَّا فرَغَ مِنْ تَقديمِ المُحرَقةِ أقبَلَ صَموئيلُ، فخَرجَ شاوُلُ لِلقائِهِ والتَّسليمِ علَيهِ. 11 فسألَهُ صَموئيلُ: «ماذا فعَلتَ؟» فأجابَهُ شاوُلُ: «رَأيتُ الشَّعبَ يتَفرَّقونَ عنِّي، وأنتَ لم تَحضُرْ في الموعِدِ المُحَدَّدِ، والفلِسطيُّونَ مُحتَشِدونَ في مِخماسَ، 12 فقُلتُ الآنَ يَهجُمونَ عليَّ في الجِلجالِ قَبلَ أنْ ألتَمِسَ رِضى الرّبِّ، فوَجَدْتُ نفْسي مُضْطَرًّا إلى تَقديمِ المُحرَقةِ». 13 فقالَ لَه صَموئيلُ: «بِـحَماقةٍ تَصرَّفتَ، لأنَّكَ لم تَعمَلْ بِوَصيَّةِ الرّبِّ إلهِكَ. فلَو عَمِلْتَ بِها، لكانَ الرّبُّ ثبَّتَ مُلكَكَ على بَني إِسرائيلَ إلى الأبدِ. 14 فأمَّا الآنَ فلن يَدومَ مُلكُكَ، لأنَّ الرّبَّ اختارَ لَه رَجُلا يُرضيهِ، وأمرَهُ أنْ يكونَ رئيسا على شعبِهِ. فأنتَ لم تَعمَلْ بِما أمرَكَ الرّبُّ بهِ». 15 وقامَ صَموئيلُ وصَعِدَ مِنَ الجِلجالِ إلى جَبعَةَ في أرضِ بنيامينَ. وأحصى شاوُلُ عدَدَ الّذينَ معَهُ فكانوا سِتَّ مئةِ رَجُلٍ.
16 وكانَ شاوُلُ ويوناثانُ ابنُهُ ومَنْ معَهُما مِنَ الشَّعبِ مُعسكرِينَ في جَبعةَ بأرضِ بنيامينَ، والفلِسطيُّونَ مُعسكِرينَ في مِخماسَ. 17 فخرَجَ المُهاجِمونَ مِنْ مُعسكَرِ الفلِسطيِّينَ ثَلاثَ فِرَقٍ، الفرقةُ الواحدةُ توجَّهت في طريقِ عفرةَ إلى أرضِ شُوعالَ، 18 والفرقةُ الأخرى توجَّهت في طريقِ بـيتِ حورونَ، والثَّالثةُ إلى الحُدودِ المُشرِفةِ على وادي صَبوعيمَ نحوَ البرِّيَّةِ. 19 ولم يَكُنْ في كُلِّ أرضِ إِسرائيلَ حَدَّادٌ، لأنَّ الفلِسطيِّينَ ما أرادوا أنْ يصنَعَ العِبرانِـيُّونَ سَيفا أو رُمحا. 20 فكانَ على كُلِّ واحدٍ مِنْ بَني إِسرائيلَ أنْ يَنزِلَ إلى الفلِسطيِّينَ لِـيُحَدِّدَ سكِّينَتَهُ أو مِنجَلَهُ أو فأسَهُ أو مِعوَلَهُ. 21 وكانَت كِلفَةُ التَّحديدِ ثُلثَي مِثقالٍ لِلسِّككِ والمَناجِلِ وثُلثَ مِثقالٍ لِلفُؤُوسِ والمَناخِسِ. 22 فلمَّا جاءَ يومُ الحربِ لم يَكُنْ سَيفٌ ولا رُمحٌ في أيدي جميعِ الّذينَ يُحارِبونَ معَ شاوُلَ ويوناثانَ، ما عَدا شاوُلَ ويوناثانَ ابنَهُ. 23 وخرَجَت طَلائِـعُ الفلِسطيِّينَ إلى مَعبَرِ مِخماسَ.
