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.
Ngwa ne Bafilisitiya
1 Saulo wakabe ana makole ali makumi matatu ha etangisa kubusa, ngono kabusa Iziraela makole mabili. 2 Saulo wakashalula balume bali zwiwulu zwitatu (3 000) mu Iziraela, bali zwiwulu zwibili (2 000) bakabe banaye ku Mikimashi ne ku shango ye matuthu ye Bhetele, ngono bali tjiwulu (1 000) bakabe bana Jonatani ku Gibiya mu Bhenjamini. Balume bakasala kabashandusila ku mizi yabo.
3 Jonatani wakakunda kampa ye babhayani be Bafilisitiya bakabe bali ku Gebha, ngono Bafilisitiya bakahwa ngekwako. Ngono Saulo kalidza lunyanga shango yose eti, “Bahebheru ngabahwe!” 4 Ndizo Baiziraela bose bakahwa kuti Saulo wakunda mphatho we babhayani be Bafilisitiya, nenge kuti Iziraela yatjibengiwa nge Bafilisitiya. Ngono bathu bakadang'wa kunobhatshana na Saulo ku Giligala.
5 Bafilisitiya bakakubunganila kubhayana ne Iziraela, bakabe bana koloyi dze ngwa dzili zwiwulu zwili makumi matatu (30 000) ne batathi be mbizi bali zwiwulu zwili zwitathatu (6 000) ne babhayani banjinji se nsetje umu phili ye gungwa. Bakatathila bakakubungana ku Mikimashi ku bhezhuba kwe Bhetiaveni. 6 Kwakati balume be Iziraela bebona kuti babe mu tjimo tjakamanikana, ngobe bathu bamanikana kwazo, bakabgwata mu makuhwu ne mu mwina ne mu shongwe ne mu zwikumbu ne mu matshime akakopogwa mu shongwe. 7 Bamwe Bahebheru ibo bakatjuluka gwizi gwe Jorodani bakayenda ku shango ye Gadi ne Giliyadi.
Saulo wakabe atji ku Giligala, ngono bathu bose bakantobela betetema. 8 Wakalinda kwe mazhuba ali kutendeka, tjili tjibaka tjakabe tjabigwa ndi Samuele, koga Samuele aazozha ku Giligali, ngono bathu bakatangisa palala. 9 Ndizo Saulo kabe eti, “Zhisani tjibhayilo tjinopisiwa ne tjibhayilo tje mbakiso.” Ngono kapisa tjibhayilo tjinopisiwa. 10 Wakati koga epedza kupisa tjibhayilo, Samuele kabe eswika, ngono Saulo kabhuda kunonshanganidza endumilisa. 11 Samuele kambhuzwa kati, “Apa wathamani kene?”
Saulo kadabila eti, “Ndakati ndibona kuti bathu banopalala bendisiya, ne kuti imwi amuzozha nge zhuba lamakabiga, ngono Bafilisitiya bakubungana ku Mikimashi, 12 azwidwa ati, ‘Ngwenu Bafilisitiya bawodelukila kundili ku Giligala, ngono andizokumbila bhatsho ya Yahwe.’ Ndizo azwisunga, athama tjibhayilo.”
13 Samuele kadwa Saulo kati, “Wathama bulengwe, auzolondolodza nlayo wa Yahwe Ndzimu uwo, wabakakulaulila, ngobe Yahwe babe bowosimisa mbuso uwo mu Iziraela nge kusingapele. 14 Koga ngwenu mbuso uwo autjowodwilila, naiko Yahwe batjizwishakila nlume upa moyo wabo, Yahwe bambiga kube ntungamili we bathu babo, ngobe iwe auzolondolodza nlayo wabo.”
15 Ndizo Samuele kamilika kazwiyendilazwe kudwa mu Giligala. Bamwe bathu bakatobela Saulo kungina mu babhayani, bakayenda kudwa mu Giligala kunoti ku Gibeya mu ntuthu we Bhenjamini. Saulo wakabala bathu baakabe anabo, bakabe bali balume bali mazana ali kutathatu (600). 16 Saulo ne nkololo uwe Jonatani ne bathu bakabe banabo bakabe begala mu Gebha mu ntuthu we Bhenjamini, Bafilisitiya ibo bakakubunganila ku Mikimashi. 17 Mu mishasha ye Bafilisitiya kwakabhuda makoko e babhayani matatu, goko limwe lakalinga kuyendila ku Ofira, ku shango ye Shuali, 18 limwe goko likalinga kuyendila ku Bhetihoroni, ngono limwe likalinga kuyendila ku n'gathu kudelukila ku nkuku we Zeboyimi kuyendila ku tjilambanyika.
19 Ipapo kwakabe kusina nthuli mu shango ye Iziraela yose, ngobe Bafilisitiya bakabe bati, “Bahebheru bangadwa bezwithamila makanu kene mathumu.” 20 Ndizo Baiziraela bakabe bogala beyenda benokuswisa zwikara zwabo ne bhosipiki ne mashathu ne sikili ku Bafilisitiya. 21 Themba ye kuswiwa kwe ikara ne bhosipiki yakabe ili zwikwamu zwibili mu butatu zwe shekele ne ikwamu tje butatu tje shekele kukuswa mashathu ne kululwamisa lukombo gunobhaya ng'ombe dzitethegwa. 22 Ndizo kwakati nge zhuba le ngwa, kukabe kusina bukanu kene thumo lingawang'wa mu luboko gwe mmwe we babhayani bakabe bana Saulo na Jonatani. Koga Saulo ne nkololo uwe Jonatani bakabe banazo.
23 Ipapo mphatho we babhayani be Bafilisitiya wakabe wabhudila kuzhe ku nkoto we Mikimashi.