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,
Ovafilisti tava homona oshilongo shaIsrael
1 Saul okwa li womido omilongo nhatu, eshi a ninga ohamba. Ndele ye eshi a pangela Israel omido mbali, 2 Saul e lihoololela ovalumenhu omayovi atatu muIsrael. Omayovi avali a li puSaul muMikmas nokeemhunda daBetel, neyovi limwe la li puJonatan muGibea shomuBenjamin. Ndelenee ovakwaita va xupa ko, e va lekela, keshe umwe a ye ketwali lavo.
3 Ndele Jonatan okwa taataa ongudu yovanangeli vOvafilisti oyo ya li muGeba, nOvafilisti ve shi uda. Opo nee Saul okwa shikifa enghuma loluvinga lodi yomhedi moshilongo ashishe ta ti: “Ovaheberi nave shi ude! 4 NOvaisraeli aveshe va uda tapa tongwa: Saul okwa taataa ongudu yovanangeli vOvafilisti, nOvaisraeli voovene yo ve shi ninga ve litondife kOvafilisti.” Osho ngaha ovakwaita va ifanwa va shikule Saul ndele va ongala muGilgal. 5 Ndele Ovafilisti va ongala va lwife Ovaisraeli. Omatemba oita omayovi atatu novalondi veenghambe, omayovi ahamano novaendi vokolupadi vahapu ve fike peheke pomunghulo wefuta. Vo ove uya ndele va onga onhanda puMikmas, koushilo waBet-Aven. 6 Ovalumenhu Ovaisraeli eshi va mona nokutya ove li moudjuu, osheshi ovanhu va fininikwa unene, ovanhu va hondama momakololo nomomangade omano nomomifya domamanya nomeendjibololo nomomambulukwena.
7 NOvaheberi va tauluka Jordan va ya medu laGad naGilead. Ndelenee Saul okwa li natango muGilgal pamwe novakwaita aveshe ava ve mu shikula nokukakama. 8 Ndele ye okwa teelela omafiku aheyali, efimbo olo la tongwa kuSamuel. Ndelenee Samuel eshi ine uya kuGilgal novanhu ve lihana po puye, 9 Saul ta ti: “Etelei nge exwikiloyambo nepanduloyambo.” Ndele ye okwa yamba exwikiloyambo. 10 Ndele opo tuu opo, ye eshi a yamba exwikiloyambo, Samuel e uya. Ndele Saul okwa ya e ke mu kunde. 11 Opo nee Samuel ta pula: “Owa ninga shike?” Ndele Saul ta ti: “Ame nda mona ovakwaita ve lihana po pwaame. Ndele ove eshi ino uya pefimbo la tongwa, nofimbo Ovafilisti va ongala muMikmas, 12 ame nda tya: ‘Paife eshi Ovafilisti tave uya kwaame muGilgal, fimbo inandi indila onghenda koshipala shOmwene.’ Onghee hano nde lipameka ndele nda yamba exwikiloyambo.” 13 Opo nee Samuel ta ti kuSaul: “Owa ninga nai. Ino diinina oshipango shOmwene Kalunga koye, osho Ye e shi ku lombwela. Osheshi ngeno hasho, ngeno Kalunga a pameka ouhamba woye muIsrael fiyo alushe. 14 Ndelenee paife ouhamba woye itau ka kalelela. Omwene okwe likongela omulumenhu pahokwe yomutima waye. NOmwene okwe mu ninga ohamba yoshiwana shaye, osheshi ove ino diinina osho Omwene e shi ku lombwela.”
Oluhepo lomuIsrael
15 Opo nee Samuel okwa fikama, a dja muGilgal ndele ta i kuGibea shomuBenjamin. Ndele Saul okwa talatala ovakwaita vaye ava va li puye, ve fike ngeno pomafele ahamano. 16 Fimbo Saul nomona waye omumati Jonatan novakwaita ava va li puvo, va kala muGeba shomuBenjamin nOvafilisti va onga onhanda muMikmas, 17 monhanda yOvafilisti mwa dja ongudu yovakwati voinima, omatanga atatu: Etanga limwe la ya nondjila yokuOfra kedu laSaul. 18 Netanga likwao la ya nondjila yokuBet-Horon, netanga etitatu la ya nondjila yokongaba oyo tai ende mefilu laSeboim ndee tai xulile mombuwa.
19 Moshilongo ashishe shaIsrael inamu monika nande omuhambwidi umwe, osheshi Ovafilisti va ya: “Ovaheberi vaha shiive okuhambula omaongamukonda nomauta.” 20 Onghee hano Ovaisraeli aveshe va li ve nokuya, keshe umwe, kOvafilisti a upike oipululo yavo nomatemo nomakuva noikashulifo yavo, 21 alushe eshi va pumbwa va upika etemo netemo loshipululo neefoloko neenyala nhatu nomakuva noihengo, kofuto yokamaliwa kanini. 22 Onghee hano mefiku lolwoodi momake ovakwaita aveshe inamu monika nande eongamukonda ile outa, ovakwaita ava va kala puSaul nopuJonatan. 23 Nongudu yovanangeli vOvafilisti va dja po va ya komhito yokuMikmas.
