War against the Philistines
2 Saul picked three thousand men, keeping two thousand of them with him in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel and sending one thousand with his son Jonathan to Gibeah, in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. The rest of the men Saul sent home.
3 Jonathan killed the Philistine commander in Geba, and all the Philistines heard about it. Then Saul sent messengers to call the Hebrews to war by blowing a trumpet throughout the whole country. 4 All the Israelites were told that Saul had killed the Philistine commander and that the Philistines hated them. So the people answered the call to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 The Philistines assembled to fight the Israelites; they had thirty thousand war chariots, six thousand cavalry troops, and as many soldiers as there are grains of sand on the seashore. They went to Michmash, east of Bethaven, and camped there. 6 Then they launched a strong attack against the Israelites, putting them in a desperate situation. Some of the Israelites hid in caves and holes or among the rocks or in pits and wells; 7 others crossed the Jordan River into the territories of Gad and Gilead.
Saul was still at Gilgal, and the people with him were trembling with fear. 8 He waited seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him to do, but Samuel still had not come to Gilgal. The people began to desert Saul, 9 so he said to them, “Bring me the burnt sacrifices and the fellowship sacrifices.” He offered a burnt sacrifice, 10 and just as he was finishing, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and welcome him, 11 but Samuel said, “What have you done?”
Saul answered, “The people were deserting me, and you had not come when you said you would; besides that, the Philistines are gathering at Michmash. 12 So I thought, ‘The Philistines are going to attack me here in Gilgal, and I have not tried to win the Lord's favor.’ So I felt I had to offer a sacrifice.”
13 “That was a foolish thing to do,” Samuel answered. “You have not obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. If you had obeyed, he would have let you and your descendants rule over Israel forever. 14 But now your rule will not continue. Because you have disobeyed him, the Lord will find the kind of man he wants and make him ruler of his people.”
15 Samuel left Gilgal and went on his way. The rest of the people followed Saul as he went to join his soldiers. They went from Gilgal to Gibeah in the territory of Benjamin. Saul inspected his troops, about six hundred men. 16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and their men camped in Geba in the territory of Benjamin; the Philistine camp was at Michmash. 17 The Philistine soldiers went out on raids from their camp in three groups: one group went toward Ophrah in the territory of Shual, 18 another went toward Beth Horon, and the other one went to the border overlooking Zeboim Valley and the wilderness.
19 There were no blacksmiths in Israel because the Philistines were determined to keep the Hebrews from making swords and spears. ( 20 The Israelites had to go to the Philistines to get their plows, hoes, axes, and sickles sharpened; 21 the charge was one small coin for sharpening axes and for fixing goads, and two coins for sharpening plows or hoes.) 22 And so on the day of battle none of the Israelite soldiers except Saul and his son Jonathan had swords or spears.
23 The Philistines sent a group of soldiers to defend Michmash Pass.
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.
