Filius unius anni erat Saul cum regnare cœpisset: duobus autem annis regnavit super Israël.

Saul was (so many) years old when he began to reign, and he had reigned for two years over Israel

Saul was a child of one year when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel.

Et elegit sibi Saul tria millia de Israël: et erant cum Saul duo millia in Machmas, et in monte Bethel: mille autem cum Jonatha in Gabaa Benjamin: porro ceterum populum remisit unumquemque in tabernacula sua.

when he picked an army of three thousand men. Of these, two thousand were under his own command, around Machmas and the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand under Jonathan at Gabaa in Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent back to their homes.

And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel: and two thousand were with Saul in Machmas, and in mount Bethel: and a thousand with Jonathan in Gabaa of Benjamin, and the rest of the people he sent back every man to their dwellings.

Et percussit Jonathas stationem Philisthinorum quæ erat in Gabaa. Quod cum audissent Philisthiim, Saul cecinit buccina in omni terra, dicens: Audiant Hebræi.

But now Jonathan overpowered the Philistine garrison at Gabaa, and news of it was brought to the Philistines; whereupon Saul sounded an alarm all through the country, Hebrews, here is news for you!

And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines which was in Gabaa. And when the Philistines had heard of it, Saul sounded the trumpet over all the land, saying: Let the Hebrews hear.

Et universus Israël audivit hujuscemodi famam: Percussit Saul stationem Philisthinorum, et erexit se Israël adversus Philisthiim. Clamavit ergo populus post Saul in Galgala.

So the word went round that Saul had overpowered a Philistine garrison, and Israel was at war with the Philistines; and they raised their battle-cry under Saul’s command at Galgala.

And all Israel heard this report: Saul hath smitten the garrison of the Philistines: and Israel took courage against the Philistines. And the people were called together after Saul to Galgal.

Et Philisthiim congregati sunt ad præliandum contra Israël, triginta millia curruum, et sex millia equitum, et reliquum vulgus, sicut arena quæ est in littore maris plurima. Et ascendentes castrametati sunt in Machmas ad orientem Bethaven.

Meanwhile the Philistines mustered their forces to make war on Israel, their chariots thirty thousand, their horsemen six thousand strong, and the rest of their host countless as the sand by the sea. On they came, and encamped at Machmas, east of Bethaven.

The Philistines also were assembled to fight against Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and a multitude of people besides, like the sand on the sea shore for number. And going up they camped in Machmas, at the east of Bethaven.

Quod cum vidissent viri Israël se in arcto positos (afflictus enim erat populus), absconderunt se in speluncis, et in abditis, in petris quoque, et in antris, et in cisternis.

And now the Israelite folk found themselves hard pressed; and their evil plight drove them to take hiding in den and thicket, cave and cleft and pit;

And when the men of Israel saw that they were straitened, (for the people were distressed,) they hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in dens, and in pits.

Hebræi autem transierunt Jordanem in terram Gad et Galaad. Cumque adhuc esset Saul in Galgala, universus populus perterritus est qui sequebatur eum.

there were Hebrews, too, that fled across Jordan into Gad and Galaad. As for Saul, he stood his ground at Galgala, but it was a dispirited army that followed him.

And some of the Hebrews passed over the Jordan into the land of Gad and Galaad. And when Saul was yet in Galgal, all the people that followed him were greatly afraid.

Et expectavit septem diebus juxta placitum Samuelis, et non venit Samuel in Galgala, dilapsusque est populus ab eo.

For seven days he waited to keep tryst with Samuel, but still Samuel did not come; and meanwhile, men were deserting from his ranks;

And he waited seven days according to the appointment of Samuel, and Samuel came not to Galgal, and the people slipt away from him.

Ait ergo Saul: Afferte mihi holocaustum et pacifica. Et obtulit holocaustum.

so at last he bade them bring the victims for burnt-sacrifice and welcome-offering, and performed the sacrifice himself.

Then Saul said: Bring me the holocaust, and the peace offerings. And he offered the holocaust.

Cumque complesset offerens holocaustum, ecce Samuel veniebat: et egressus est Saul obviam ei ut salutaret eum.

And now, when the burnt-sacrifice was over, he saw Samuel coming, and went out to greet him.

And when he had made an end of offering the holocaust, behold Samuel came: and Saul went forth to meet him and salute him.

Locutusque est ad eum Samuel: Quid fecisti? Respondit Saul: Quia vidi quod populus dilaberetur a me, et tu non veneras juxta placitos dies, porro Philisthiim congregati fuerant in Machmas,

What is this thou hast done? Samuel asked. And he answered, I found that men were deserting from my ranks; thou hadst not kept the tryst, and already the Philistines had raised their standard at Machmas.

And Samuel said to him: What hast thou done? Saul answered: Because I saw that the people slipt from me, and thou wast not come according to the days appointed, and the Philistines were gathered together in Machmas,

dixi: Nunc descendent Philisthiim ad me in Galgala, et faciem Domini non placavi. Necessitate compulsus, obtuli holocaustum.

Can I let the Philistines sweep down on me here in Galgala, thought I, without first winning the Lord’s favour? So I offered the burnt-sacrifice; there was no other way.

I said: Now will the Philistines come down upon me to Galgal, and I have not appeased the face of the Lord. Forced by necessity, I offered the holocaust.

Dixitque Samuel ad Saul: Stulte egisti, nec custodisti mandata Domini Dei tui quæ præcepit tibi. Quod si non fecisses, jam nunc præparasset Dominus regnum tuum super Israël in sempiternum:

But Samuel told him, This was great folly in thee, so to transgress the commands which the Lord thy God had given thee. But for this, the Lord would have destined thee, here and now, to found a line of kings that should have ruled Israel for ever.

And Samuel said to Saul: Thou hast done foolishly, and hast not kept the commandments of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee. And if thou hadst not done thus, the Lord would now have established thy kingdom over Israel for ever.

sed nequaquam regnum tuum ultra consurget. Quæsivit Dominus sibi virum juxta cor suum: et præcepit ei Dominus ut esset dux super populum suum, eo quod non servaveris quæ præcepit Dominus.

Now thy dynasty shall fall with thee; the Lord has found a man to fulfil his purposes, and rule his people instead of thee; such is the reward of disobedience.

But thy kingdom shall not continue. The Lord hath sought him a man according to his own heart: and him hath the Lord commanded to be prince over his people, because thou hast not observed that which the Lord commanded.

Surrexit autem Samuel, et ascendit de Galgalis in Gabaa Benjamin. Et reliqui populi ascenderunt post Saul obviam populo, qui expugnabant eos venientes de Galgala in Gabaa, in colle Benjamin. Et recensuit Saul populum qui inventi fuerant cum eo, quasi sexcentos viros.

With that, Samuel left him, returning from Galgala to Gabaa in Benjamin. From Galgala, too, Saul and the forces that remained with him went up to Gabaa and the hill-country of Benjamin, to meet the attack; when he counted the roll, there were only some six hundred men to be found in his company.

And Samuel arose and went up from Galgal to Gabaa of Benjamin. And the rest of the people went up after Saul, to meet the people who fought against them, going from Galgal to Gabaa in the hill of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people, that were found with him, about six hundred men.

Et Saul et Jonathas filius ejus, populusque qui inventus fuerat cum eis, erat in Gabaa Benjamin: porro Philisthiim consederant in Machmas.

There, at Gabaa, Saul and his son Jonathan encamped with their followers, while the Philistines confronted them at Machmas.

And Saul and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present with them, were in Gabaa of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Machmas.

Et egressi sunt ad prædandum de castris Philisthinorum tres cunei. Unus cuneus pergebat contra viam Ephra ad terram Sual:

Meanwhile, there were three parties of the Philistine army that went out to find plunder; one of them to the Sual country, on the way to Ephra,

And there went out of the camp of the Philistines three companies to plunder. One company went towards the way of Ephra to the land of Sual;

porro alius ingrediebatur per viam Beth-horon: tertius autem verterat se ad iter termini imminentis valli Seboim contra desertum.

one by the Bethoron road, and one by the frontier path that looks down on the valley of Seboim, going out towards the desert.

And another went by the way of Beth-horon, and the third turned to the way of the border, above the valley of Seboim towards the desert.

Porro faber ferrarius non inveniebatur in omni terra Israël: caverant enim Philisthiim, ne forte facerent Hebræi gladium aut lanceam.

(At this time, there were no workers in metal left in the whole of Israel; the Philistines had taken good care that the Hebrews should not be able to make sword or spear.

Now there was no smith to be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had taken this precaution, lest the Hebrews should make them swords or spears.

Descendebat ergo omnis Israël ad Philisthiim, ut exacueret unusquisque vomerem suum, et ligonem, et securim, et sarculum.

When a man would sharpen share or spade, axe or hoe, in whatever part of the country he lived, he must go down into the Philistine lands to do it.

So all Israel went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his ploughshare, and his spade, and his axe, and his rake.

Retusæ itaque erant acies vomerum, et ligonum, et tridentum, et securium, usque ad stimulum corrigendum.

Blunted were share and spade, fork and axe; even the goads needed to be straightened;

So that their shares, and their spades, and their forks, and their axes were blunt, even to the goad, which was to be mended.

Cumque venisset dies prælii, non est inventus ensis et lancea in manu totius populi qui erat cum Saule et Jonatha, excepto Saul et Jonatha filio ejus.

and in times of battle Saul and his son Jonathan were the only men in the army that carried sword or lance.)

And when the day of battle was come, there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan, except Saul and Jonathan his son.

Egressa est autem statio Philisthiim, ut transcenderet in Machmas.

There was, too, a detachment of the Philistines that guarded the pass to Machmas.

And the army of the Philistines went out in order to advance further in Machmas.