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,
Keloo meŋ keta Filisitinkoolu kamma
1 Sawulu ye sanji nankamu soto le, kabiriŋ a keta mansa ti, aduŋ a ye Banisirayila mara le fo sanji fula.
2 Sawulu ye kee wuli saba le tomboŋ Banisirayila kono. A ye kee wuli fula le tu a faŋo bulu Mikimasi aniŋ Beteli konkotundoo* kaŋ. A ye kee wuli kiliŋo niŋ a dinkewo Yonatani le bula, ì taata Kibeya, Benjamini bankoo kaŋ. Kewolu mennu tuta jee, a ye ì bula le, ì seyita ì la suwolu kono.
3 Yonatani niŋ a la moolu ye Filisitinkoolu la daakaa meŋ be Keba boyinkaŋ ne, aduŋ Filisitinkoolu bee ye a kuwo kalamuta le. Bituŋ Sawulu ye kiilaalu kii ka Hiburunkoolu* kumandi keloo la. Ì ye saakotoŋ binoo* le fee bankoo bee kaŋ. 4 Banisirayilankoolu bee ye a kalamuta le ko, Sawulu ye Filisitinkoolu la daakaa noo keloo la le, aduŋ Filisitinkoolu ye ì koŋ ne. Bituŋ moolu taata i danku Sawulu la kiliroo la, a ye meŋ ke Kilikali.
5 Filisitinkoolu benta, ka Banisirayilankoolu kelendi. Ì ye ì kelendi niŋ keleraŋ sareeti* wuli saba le la, keleraŋ sareeti borindilaalu, mennu taata fo moo wuli wooro, aniŋ sinna kelediŋolu, mennu be siyaariŋ ko bankumunkoo. Ì bee taata beŋ Mikimasi le Beti-Aweni tilibo karoo la. 6 Kabiriŋ Banisirayilankoolu ye a je ko, ì be bataa le kono, kaatu Filisitinkoolu ye ì dewundi baake le, ì ye i maabo berehuwolu kono, dinkoolu kono, bere konkoo kono, ŋaniŋolu teema, aniŋ koloŋolu kono. 7 Doolu teyita niŋ Yoridani Boloŋo le la, ka duŋ Kadu niŋ Kileyadi bankoo kaŋ.
Sawulu maŋ Samuweli la yaamaroo muta
Sawulu be nuŋ Kilikali le, aduŋ moolu mennu be nuŋ a fee silata le fo ì ka jarajara. 8 A ye i batu le fo tili woorowula, wo le mu waatoo ti, Samuweli ye meŋ dii a la. Bari ñiŋ waatoo siita le, Samuweli maŋ naa Kilikali, aduŋ Sawulu la kewolu ye a dati ka janjaŋ. 9 Bituŋ a ko ì ye ko, “Ali jani sadaa* aniŋ kayira sabatindiraŋ sadaalu* samba n ye naŋ.” A ye jani sadaa bondi. 10 A ye a baŋ doroŋ, Samuweli futata, bituŋ Sawulu taata ka taa a kontoŋ.
11 Samuweli ye a ñininkaa ko, “Ite ye muŋ ne ke teŋ?”
Sawulu ye a jaabi ko, “Kabiriŋ ŋa a je ko, kewolu mennu be m fee ka janjaŋ ne, aduŋ i ye waatoo meŋ fo, i maŋ naa wo la, wo koolaa fanaa Filisitinkoolu bee benta Mikimasi le, 12 bituŋ ŋa a miira ko, Filisitinkoolu be naa m boyinkaŋ na Kilikali le, aduŋ n lafita le, Yaawe ye m maakoyi. Bituŋ n wakiilita ka sadaa bo.”
13 Samuweli ko a ye ko, “I ye kuu fuuriŋo le ke. Yaawe* i la Alla ye yaamaroo meŋ dii i la, i maŋ a ke a ñaama. Niŋ i ye a ke nuŋ, a be a ke la le, i niŋ i koomalankoolu ye Banisirayila mara fo abadaa. 14 Bari saayiŋ i la mansayaa te tenteŋ na. Yaawe ye moo koteŋ ne ñini, a lafita meŋ na daajikoo la niŋ a sondomoo bee la, ka a la moolu mara, kaatu i maŋ a la yaamaroo muta.”
15 Samuweli bota Kilikali, a taata a la siloo la. Moolu mennu tuta jee ye Sawulu nooma a taatoo a la kelediŋolu yaa. Ì bota Kilikali, ì taata Kibeya meŋ be Benjamini tundoo kaŋ. Sawulu ye a la kewolu konti, aduŋ ì kaañanta moo keme wooro le fee.
Banisirayilankoolu pareeta keloo kamma
16 Sawulu niŋ a dinkewo Yonatani niŋ ì la moolu daakaata Keba le Benjamini bankoo kaŋ. Filisitinkoolu daakaata Mikimasi le. 17 Filisitinkoolu la kelediŋolu fintita ì la daakaa to, ka taa tiñaaroo niŋ suuñaaroo la. Ì kafu saba le taata. Kafu foloo taata Ofura maafaŋo la Suwali tundoo kaŋ, 18 kafu doo taata Beti-Horoni, labaŋo taata naanewo to, meŋ be Seboyimu wulumbaŋo niŋ keñewuloo* daala.
19 Numu te nuŋ Banisirayila muumee kono, kaatu Filisitinkoolu ko, “Hiburunkoolu maŋ ñaŋ na hawusaroolu* niŋ sooroolu dadaa la ì faŋolu ye.” 20 Banisirayilankoolu ka taa Filisitinkoolu le yaa ka ì la jooraŋolu, mennu be ko seneraŋolu, daboolu, teeraŋolu aniŋ faŋolu daa diyaa. 21 Ka teeraŋolu daa diyaa aniŋ kantarilaŋ dokoo, meŋ ye newo soto a neŋo to, ì ka kodiforo kuntundiŋo le joo, seneraŋolu niŋ daboolu kodiforo kuntundiŋ fula. 22 Keloo luŋo Banisirayilankoolu la kelediŋ te jee, meŋ ye hawusaroo niŋ sooroo soto fo Sawulu niŋ a dinkewo Yonatani.
23 Filisitinkoolu ye kelediŋ kafoo le kii ka taa Mikimasi maafaŋo la, ka siloo kanta, meŋ ka taa konkoolu teema.
