Βασιλειῶν Αʹ 13
Saul was thirty when he became king, and he reigned over Israel for forty-two years.
2 καὶ ἐκλέγεται Σαουλ ἑαυτῷ τρεῖς χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν ἐκ τῶν ἀνδρῶν Ισραηλ καὶ ἦσαν μετὰ Σαουλ δισχίλιοι ἐν Μαχεμας καὶ ἐν τῷ ὄρει Βαιθηλ χίλιοι ἦσαν μετὰ Ιωναθαν ἐν Γαβεε τοῦ Βενιαμιν καὶ τὸ κατάλοιπον τοῦ λαοῦ ἐξαπέστειλεν ἕκαστον εἰς τὸ σκήνωμα αὐτοῦ
Saul had chosen three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand of them were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and another thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the army home.
3 καὶ ἐπάταξεν Ιωναθαν τὸν Νασιβ τὸν ἀλλόφυλον τὸν ἐν τῷ βουνῷ καὶ ἀκούουσιν οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι καὶ Σαουλ σάλπιγγι σαλπίζει εἰς πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν λέγων ἠθετήκασιν οἱ δοῦλοι
Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrison at Geba. The Philistines soon heard about it, so Saul had the trumpet call to arms sounded throughout the land, saying, “Hebrews, pay attention!”
4 καὶ πᾶς Ισραηλ ἤκουσεν λεγόντων πέπαικεν Σαουλ τὸν Νασιβ τὸν ἀλλόφυλον καὶ ᾐσχύνθησαν Ισραηλ ἐν τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις καὶ ἀνεβόησαν ὁ λαὸς ὀπίσω Σαουλ ἐν Γαλγαλοις
All of Israel heard the news, “Saul has attacked the Philistine garrison, and now Israel is like a bad smell to the Philistines!” So the whole army was called up to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι συνάγονται εἰς πόλεμον ἐπὶ Ισραηλ καὶ ἀναβαίνουσιν ἐπὶ Ισραηλ τριάκοντα χιλιάδες ἁρμάτων καὶ ἓξ χιλιάδες ἱππέων καὶ λαὸς ὡς ἡ ἄμμος ἡ παρὰ τὴν θάλασσαν τῷ πλήθει καὶ ἀναβαίνουσιν καὶ παρεμβάλλουσιν ἐν Μαχεμας ἐξ ἐναντίας Βαιθων κατὰ νότου
The Philistines gathered to fight against Israel. They had three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and soldiers as numerous as sand on the seashore. They advanced and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
6 καὶ ἀνὴρ Ισραηλ εἶδεν ὅτι στενῶς αὐτῷ μὴ προσάγειν αὐτόν καὶ ἐκρύβη ὁ λαὸς ἐν τοῖς σπηλαίοις καὶ ἐν ταῖς μάνδραις καὶ ἐν ταῖς πέτραις καὶ ἐν τοῖς βόθροις καὶ ἐν τοῖς λάκκοις
When the Israelite men realized the tough situation they were in, and that the army was taking a beating, they hid themselves in caves, holes, rocks, pits, and cisterns.
7 καὶ οἱ διαβαίνοντες διέβησαν τὸν Ιορδάνην εἰς γῆν Γαδ καὶ Γαλααδ καὶ Σαουλ ἔτι ἦν ἐν Γαλγαλοις καὶ πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἐξέστη ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ
Some of the Hebrews even crossed the Jordan into the territory of Gad and Gilead, but Saul stayed at Gilgal, and all the men with him were trembling with fear.
8 καὶ διέλιπεν ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας τῷ μαρτυρίῳ ὡς εἶπεν Σαμουηλ καὶ οὐ παρεγένετο Σαμουηλ εἰς Γαλγαλα καὶ διεσπάρη ὁ λαὸς αὐτοῦ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ
Saul waited there seven days for the time that Samuel had said, but Samuel did not arrive at Gilgal, and the army started to desert him.
9 καὶ εἶπεν Σαουλ προσαγάγετε ὅπως ποιήσω ὁλοκαύτωσιν καὶ εἰρηνικάς καὶ ἀνήνεγκεν τὴν ὁλοκαύτωσιν
So Saul ordered, “Bring the burnt offering and the friendship offerings to me,” and he presented the burnt offering.
10 καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς συνετέλεσεν ἀναφέρων τὴν ὁλοκαύτωσιν καὶ Σαμουηλ παραγίνεται καὶ ἐξῆλθεν Σαουλ εἰς ἀπάντησιν αὐτῷ εὐλογῆσαι αὐτόν
Just as he finished presenting the burnt offering, he saw Samuel arrive. Saul went over to meet him and say hello.
11 καὶ εἶπεν Σαμουηλ τί πεποίηκας καὶ εἶπεν Σαουλ ὅτι εἶδον ὡς διεσπάρη ὁ λαὸς ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ καὶ σὺ οὐ παρεγένου ὡς διετάξω ἐν τῷ μαρτυρίῳ τῶν ἡμερῶν καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι συνήχθησαν εἰς Μαχεμας
“What have you done?” Samuel asked. Saul replied, “Well I saw my men were deserting me, and you hadn't arrived when you said you would, and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash to attack.
12 καὶ εἶπα νῦν καταβήσονται οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι πρός με εἰς Γαλγαλα καὶ τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ κυρίου οὐκ ἐδεήθην καὶ ἐνεκρατευσάμην καὶ ἀνήνεγκα τὴν ὁλοκαύτωσιν
I said to myself, ‘The Philistines are about to attack me at Gilgal, and I haven't asked the Lord for his help.’ So I felt I had to present the burnt offering myself.”
13 καὶ εἶπεν Σαμουηλ πρὸς Σαουλ μεματαίωταί σοι ὅτι οὐκ ἐφύλαξας τὴν ἐντολήν μου ἣν ἐνετείλατό σοι κύριος ὡς νῦν ἡτοίμασεν κύριος τὴν βασιλείαν σου ἕως αἰῶνος ἐπὶ Ισραηλ
“You've been really stupid,” Samuel told him. “You haven't kept the commands of the Lord your God. If you had, the Lord would have made your kingdom over Israel secure forever.
14 καὶ νῦν ἡ βασιλεία σου οὐ στήσεται καὶ ζητήσει κύριος ἑαυτῷ ἄνθρωπον κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐντελεῖται κύριος αὐτῷ εἰς ἄρχοντα ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ὅτι οὐκ ἐφύλαξας ὅσα ἐνετείλατό σοι κύριος
But now your kingdom won't last. The Lord has found for himself a man who thinks like him, and has chosen him as ruler over his people, because you haven't kept the commands of the Lord.”
15 καὶ ἀνέστη Σαμουηλ καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἐκ Γαλγαλων εἰς ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ κατάλειμμα τοῦ λαοῦ ἀνέβη ὀπίσω Σαουλ εἰς ἀπάντησιν ὀπίσω τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ πολεμιστοῦ αὐτῶν παραγενομένων ἐκ Γαλγαλων εἰς Γαβαα Βενιαμιν καὶ ἐπεσκέψατο Σαουλ τὸν λαὸν τὸν εὑρεθέντα μετ’ αὐτοῦ ὡς ἑξακοσίους ἄνδρας
Then Samuel left Gilgal. The rest of the soldiers followed Saul to meet the army, going from Gilgal to Geba in Benjamin. Saul counted the number of soldiers who were with him and there were about six hundred.
16 καὶ Σαουλ καὶ Ιωναθαν υἱὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ὁ λαὸς οἱ εὑρεθέντες μετ’ αὐτῶν ἐκάθισαν ἐν Γαβεε Βενιαμιν καὶ ἔκλαιον καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι παρεμβεβλήκεισαν εἰς Μαχεμας
Saul, his son Jonathan, and the soldiers with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, while the Philistines were camped at Michmash.
17 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν διαφθείρων ἐξ ἀγροῦ ἀλλοφύλων τρισὶν ἀρχαῖς ἡ ἀρχὴ ἡ μία ἐπιβλέπουσα ὁδὸν Γοφερα ἐπὶ γῆν Σωγαλ
Three groups of raiders left the Philistine camp to go and attack. One group went towards Ophrah in the land of Shual,
18 καὶ ἡ μία ἀρχὴ ἐπιβλέπουσα ὁδὸν Βαιθωρων καὶ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἡ μία ἐπιβλέπουσα ὁδὸν Γαβεε τὴν εἰσκύπτουσαν ἐπὶ Γαι τὴν Σαβιν
one towards Beth-horon, and one towards the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim by the wilderness.
19 καὶ τέκτων σιδήρου οὐχ εὑρίσκετο ἐν πάσῃ γῇ Ισραηλ ὅτι εἶπον οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι μὴ ποιήσωσιν οἱ Εβραῖοι ῥομφαίαν καὶ δόρυ
There wasn't a blacksmith to be found anywhere in Israel, because the Philistines had said, “So that the Hebrews don't make swords and spears.”
20 καὶ κατέβαινον πᾶς Ισραηλ εἰς γῆν ἀλλοφύλων χαλκεύειν ἕκαστος τὸ θέριστρον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ σκεῦος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕκαστος τὴν ἀξίνην αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ δρέπανον αὐτοῦ
All the Israelites had to go to the Philistines to sharpen their iron plowshares, pickaxes, axes, and sickles.
21 καὶ ἦν ὁ τρυγητὸς ἕτοιμος τοῦ θερίζειν τὰ δὲ σκεύη ἦν τρεῖς σίκλοι εἰς τὸν ὀδόντα καὶ τῇ ἀξίνῃ καὶ τῷ δρεπάνῳ ὑπόστασις ἦν ἡ αὐτή
The fee was two-thirds of a shekel for plowshares and pickaxes, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and cattle prods.
22 καὶ ἐγενήθη ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τοῦ πολέμου Μαχεμας καὶ οὐχ εὑρέθη ῥομφαία καὶ δόρυ ἐν χειρὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ τοῦ μετὰ Σαουλ καὶ μετὰ Ιωναθαν καὶ εὑρέθη τῷ Σαουλ καὶ τῷ Ιωναθαν υἱῷ αὐτοῦ
So when it came to the day of battle none of the soldiers with Saul and Jonathan had swords or spears—only Saul and his son Jonathan had such weapons.
23 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν ἐξ ὑποστάσεως τῶν ἀλλοφύλων τὴν ἐν τῷ πέραν Μαχεμας
A Philistine garrison had taken control of the pass at Michmash.
