1 Samuel 13
New Catholic Bible
The Reign of Saul and the Introduction of David
Chapter 13
Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice. 1 Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he ruled over Israel for forty-two years. 2 Saul chose three thousand of the men of Israel for himself. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash in the hill country of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah in Benjamin. He sent the rest of the people to their homes.
3 Jonathan attacked an outpost of the Philistines at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. Saul had trumpets blown all throughout the land and proclaimed, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4 All of Israel heard the report: “Saul has attacked an outpost of the Philistines, and now Israel has become abhorrent to the Philistines.” The people were summoned to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 The Philistines were assembled to fight against Israel. They had thirty thousand chariots,[a] six thousand charioteers, and so many men that they seemed like the sand on the shore of the sea. They went up and camped outside of Michmash, to the east of Beth-haven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in trouble for the people were being hard pressed, they hid themselves in caves, in thickets, among the rocks, in cellars, and in cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews even crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.
Saul was still in Gilgal, and all of the people who were following him trembled with fear. 8 He waited for seven days, the time period that Samuel had established, and yet Samuel had not yet arrived. The people began to drift away. 9 [b]So Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offerings and the peace offerings,” and he offered up the burnt offerings. 10 Just as he finished offering up the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to greet him. 11 Samuel asked him, “What have you done?” Saul answered, “I did it because the people were drifting away from me, and you had not arrived at the established time, and the Philistines were assembled at Michmash. 12 I thought, ‘The Philistines are coming down against me at Gilgal, and I have not yet made entreaty to the Lord.’ I felt compelled to offer up a burnt offering.”
13 Samuel responded to Saul, “You have acted foolheartedly, you have not observed the command of the Lord, your God. If you had, the Lord would have established your reign over Israel forever. 14 But now your reign shall not endure because you have not observed what the Lord commanded you. The Lord has sought a man after his own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as leader over his people.”
15 Preparations for War. Samuel got up and left Gilgal for Gibeah in Benjamin. Saul counted those who were with him, and there were around six hundred men. 16 Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were with him stayed in Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped outside of Michmash.
17 Raiders went out from the camp in Michmash in three groups. One went toward Ophrah into the land of Shual, 18 another went toward Beth-horon, and the third went toward the border that lay over the Valley of Zeboim near the desert.
19 There were no blacksmiths in the land of Israel for the Philistines had reasoned, “Otherwise the Hebrews might make swords or spears.” 20 So all of the Israelites had to travel down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, their hoes, their axes, and their sickles sharpened. 21 The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares and hoes, and one-third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and pointing the goads.[c] 22 This is why on the day of the battle not a sword or a spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and Jonathan, his son, had them. 23 Now a force of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Michmash.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 13:5 Thirty thousand chariots: some of the Greek translations render it as “three thousand.”
- 1 Samuel 13:9 Saul became impatient and took matters in his own hands by offering sacrifice himself, instead of waiting for a priest as prescribed by the law. His disobedience did not sit well with Samuel or with the Lord.
- 1 Samuel 13:21 A very high price for this period.
1 Sa-mu-ên 13
New Vietnamese Bible
Nổi Dậy Chống Người Phi-li-tin
13 Ông Sau-lơ được ba mươi tuổi[a] khi lên ngôi vua, và cai trị dân Y-sơ-ra-ên được hai năm.
2 Vua Sau-lơ chọn 3,000 quân trong dân Y-sơ-ra-ên. Hai ngàn quân ở với vua Sau-lơ tại Mích-ma và vùng đồi núi Bê-tên, còn 1,000 quân kia ở với Giô-na-than tại Ghi-bê-a, thuộc lãnh thổ của bộ tộc Bên-gia-min. Số dân còn lại vua cho ai nấy trở về lều mình.
3 Giô-na-than giết quan tổng trấn Phi-li-tin đóng tại Ghê-ba.[b] Người Phi-li-tin nghe tin ấy. Vua Sau-lơ liền ra lệnh thổi tù và khắp xứ, kêu gọi: “Các người Hy-bá, hãy nghe đây!” 4 Khi toàn dân Y-sơ-ra-ên nghe tin vua Sau-lơ giết tổng trấn[c] Phi-li-tin và họ bị người Phi-li-tin căm thù, họ liền theo vua Sau-lơ và tập họp tại Ghinh-ganh.
5 Người Phi-li-tin cũng tập trung lực lượng để đánh dân Y-sơ-ra-ên. Chúng có 3,000[d] chiến xa gỗ, 6,000 kỵ binh, và bộ binh đông như cát biển. Chúng kéo lên đóng quân tại Mích-ma, phía đông Bết-a-ven. 6 Khi dân Y-sơ-ra-ên thấy tình thế nguy kịch vì bị quân thù siết chặt, họ trốn trong hang động, bụi rậm, gành đá, mồ mả, và hầm hố. 7 Một số người Hy-bá băng qua sông Giô-đanh, đến xứ Gát và Ga-la-át.
Vua Sau-lơ Bị Khiển Trách
Trong khi đó, vua Sau-lơ vẫn còn ở lại Ghinh-ganh, và mọi người theo vua đều run sợ. 8 Vua Sau-lơ chờ đợi bảy ngày theo lời ông Sa-mu-ên dặn, nhưng ông vẫn chưa đến Ghinh-ganh. Binh sĩ khởi sự rã ngũ. 9 Vua Sau-lơ truyền: “Hãy đem tế lễ toàn thiêu và tế lễ liên hoan đến cho ta.” Và vua dâng tế lễ toàn thiêu. 10 Vua vừa dâng tế lễ toàn thiêu xong thì ông Sa-mu-ên đến nơi. Vua Sau-lơ ra đón tiếp ông.
11 Ông Sa-mu-ên hỏi: “Vua làm gì vậy?” Vua Sau-lơ đáp: “Con thấy binh sĩ bỏ con đi tản mát, và ông cũng không đến theo như đã hẹn. Ngoài ra, quân Phi-li-tin đã tụ tập tại Mích-ma. 12 Bấy giờ con nghĩ quân Phi-li-tin chắc sẽ kéo xuống Ghinh-ganh đánh chúng con mà chúng con chưa cầu xin ơn CHÚA, nên con buộc lòng phải dâng tế lễ toàn thiêu.”
13 Ông Sa-mu-ên bảo vua Sau-lơ: “Vua cư xử thật dại dột vì vua không tuân giữ mạng lệnh mà CHÚA là Đức Chúa Trời vua đã truyền cho vua. Nếu vua vâng lời CHÚA, Ngài sẽ lập ngôi vua vững bền đời đời trên nước Y-sơ-ra-ên. 14 Nhưng bây giờ, ngôi vua sẽ không bền. CHÚA đã tìm cho Ngài một người theo ý Ngài, và CHÚA sẽ lập người đó lên lãnh đạo dân Ngài, vì vua không tuân giữ mạng lệnh CHÚA.”
15 Ông Sa-mu-ên đứng dậy, rời khỏi Ghinh-ganh, đi đường mình. Binh sĩ còn lại theo vua Sau-lơ đi từ Ghinh-ganh lên nhập với quân đội tại Ghi-bê-a, thuộc lãnh thổ Bên-gia-min.[e]
Binh Sĩ Y-sơ-ra-ên Không Có Vũ Khí
Vua Sau-lơ kiểm quân số còn lại với mình: khoảng 600 người. 16 Vua Sau-lơ với con trai là Giô-na-than, và đám quân còn lại đóng tại Ghê-ba[f] thuộc xứ Bên-gia-min, trong khi quân Phi-li-tin đóng tại Mích-ma. 17 Một đạo quân từ trại Phi-li-tin đi ra cướp phá, chia thành ba toán. Một toán đi về hướng Óp-ra, thuộc xứ Su-anh. 18 Toán thứ nhì đi về hướng Bết-hô-rôn, và toán thứ ba đi về hướng biên giới, trên con đường nhìn xuống trũng Linh-cẩu, về phía sa mạc.
19 Bấy giờ, trong cả xứ Y-sơ-ra-ên không tìm được một người thợ rèn, vì người Phi-li-tin tự bảo: “Phải cấm, không cho bọn Hy-bá rèn gươm hoặc giáo.” 20 Toàn dân Y-sơ-ra-ên đều phải xuống mướn người Phi-li-tin mài lưỡi cày, cuốc, rìu, hoặc lưỡi hái.[g] 21 Tiền công mài lưỡi cày và lưỡi cuốc là hai phần ba sê-ken[h] bạc,[i] mài chĩa ba, rìu, và gậy thúc bò là một phần ba sê-ken bạc.[j] 22 Vì thế, trong ngày giao tranh, không một người lính nào của vua Sau-lơ hoặc Giô-na-than có được trong tay một cây gươm cây giáo gì cả. Chỉ vua Sau-lơ và con trai vua là Giô-na-than mới có.
23 Một toán quân trong đồn Phi-li-tin kéo ra đèo Mích-ma.
Footnotes
- 13:1 Dịch theo LXX. Nt: không ghi rõ bao nhiêu tuổi
- 13:3 LXX, Tg: Ghi-bê-a
- 13:4 Hoặc “đánh đồn.”
- 13:5 Dịch theo LXX, Syr; nt: ba mươi ngàn
- 13:15 Dịch theo LXX; nt: ông Sa-mu-ên đi từ Ghinh-ganh lên Ghi-bê-a thuộc xứ Bên-gia-min
- 13:16 Ghi-bê-a và Ghê-ba có thể là hai cách gọi cùng một địa phận
- 13:20 Dịch theo LXX; nt: lưỡi cày
- 13:21 Khoảng 8g
- 13:21 Nt: Khoảng 4g
- 13:21 Nt: không rõ nghĩa
1 Samuel 13
King James Version
13 Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,
2 Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel; whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.
3 And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear.
4 And all Israel heard say that Saul had smitten a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel also was had in abomination with the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Gilgal.
5 And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they came up, and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Bethaven.
6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.
7 And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.
9 And Saul said, Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering.
10 And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him.
11 And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash;
12 Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.
13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.
15 And Samuel arose, and gat him up from Gilgal unto Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred men.
16 And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, abode in Gibeah of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.
17 And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual:
18 And another company turned the way to Bethhoron: and another company turned to the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19 Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears:
20 But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock.
21 Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.
22 So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.
23 And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the passage of Michmash.
1 Samuel 13
New King James Version
Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice
13 Saul [a]reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, 2 Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in (A)Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with (B)Jonathan in (C)Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.
3 And Jonathan attacked (D)the garrison of the Philistines that was in (E)Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” 4 Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become [b]an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.
5 Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, [c]thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people (F)as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of (G)Beth Aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people (H)hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. 7 And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the (I)land of Gad and Gilead.
As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 8 (J)Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. 10 Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might [d]greet him.
11 And Samuel said, “What have you done?”
Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12 then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”
13 And Samuel said to Saul, (K)“You have done foolishly. (L)You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 (M)But now your kingdom shall not continue. (N)The Lord has sought for Himself a man (O)after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have (P)not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
15 Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of [e]Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with him, (Q)about six hundred men.
No Weapons for the Army
16 Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people present with them remained in [f]Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines encamped in Michmash. 17 Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned onto the road to (R)Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18 another company turned to the road to (S)Beth Horon, and another company turned to the road of the border that overlooks the Valley of (T)Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19 Now (U)there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” 20 But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; 21 and the charge for a sharpening was a [g]pim for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads. 22 So it came about, on the day of battle, that (V)there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.
23 (W)And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
Footnotes
- 1 Samuel 13:1 Heb. is difficult; cf. 2 Sam. 5:4; 2 Kin. 14:2; see also 2 Sam. 2:10; Acts 13:21
- 1 Samuel 13:4 odious
- 1 Samuel 13:5 So with MT, LXX, Tg., Vg.; Syr. and some mss. of LXX three thousand
- 1 Samuel 13:10 Lit. bless him
- 1 Samuel 13:15 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. add And the rest of the people went up after Saul to meet the people who fought against them, going from Gilgal to Gibeah in the hill of Benjamin.
- 1 Samuel 13:16 Heb. Geba
- 1 Samuel 13:21 About two-thirds shekel weight
New Vietnamese Bible. Used by permission of VBI (www.nvbible.org)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
