1 USamuyeli 4 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

AmaFilistiya anqoba abakoIsrayeli; athatha umtshokotsho wesivumelwano

¹ Ilizwi likaSamuweli lalilamandla kuye wonke uIsrayeli. AbakoIsrayeli baphuma ukuyakulwa lamaFilistiya ayebahlasela; bamisa eEbenezeri, lamaFilistiya amisa eAfeki.

² Azihlela ukulwa loIsrayeli; kwathi lapho impi ibambana, uIsrayeli wehlulwa ngamaFilistiya abulalela egangeni amadoda angaba zinkulungwane ezine.

³ Kwathi lapho amabutho efika ezihonqweni, abadala bakoIsrayeli bathi: INkosi isibulaleleni lamhla phambi kwamaFilistiya na? Asiyethatha eShilo umtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi, siwulethe lapha ukuze ize phakathi kwethu isisize ezandleni zezitha zethu.

⁴ Ngakhoke basebethumela abantu eShilo, bathatha khona umtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi yamabandla, ehlezi phezu kwamakherubi; amadodana amabili kaEli, uHofini loFiniyasi, ayelapho lomtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaNkulunkulu.

⁵ Kwathi lapho umtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi ufika ezihonqweni, wonke uIsrayeli wahlokoma kakhulu kwaze kwaduma umhlabathi.

⁶ Lapho amaFilistiya esizwa umsindo wokuhlokoma athi: Ngowani umsindo wokuhlokoma okungaka ezihonqweni zamaHeberu na? Lapho esizwa kuthiwa umtshokotsho weNkosi ufikile ezihonqweni,

⁷ amaFilistiya esaba, athi: Unkulunkulu ufikile ezihonqweni. Athike: Maye babo! Ngoba kakuzanga kube khona okunje ngaphambili.

⁸ Maye babo! Ngubani ozakusophula ezandleni zalaba onkulunkulu abatshaya amaGibithe ngazo zonke izifo enkangala?

⁹ Manini sibindi, libe ngamadoda lina maFilistiya, ukuba lingabi yizigqili zamaHeberu njengoba abe yizigqili zenu. Wobani ngamadoda, lilwe.

¹⁰ Ngakho amaFilistiya alwa, abakoIsrayeli behlulwa, babalekela emizini yabo. Kwabulawa abanengi, ngoba kwafa koIsrayeli abayizinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amathathu abangamabutho.

¹¹ Wathunjwa umtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu, lamadodana womabili kaEli, uHofini loFiniyasi, abulawa.

¹² Kwaphuma empini umuntu wakoBenjamini, wagijimela eShilo ngalona lolosuku, izigqoko zakhe zidatshuliwe lekhanda lakhe ligcwele inhlabathi.

¹³ Ekufikeni kwakhe uEli wayehlezi esihlalweni sakhe eceleni kwendlela elindile, ngoba inhliziyo yakhe yayilovalo ngomtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu. Lowomuntu esengenile emzini wayibika indaba, kwakhala umuzi wonke.

¹⁴ Lapho uEli esizwa umsindo wokukhala wathi: Ngumsindo wani lowo na? Lowomunti waphangisa wayamtshela uEli.

¹⁵ UEli wayeseleminyaka engamatshumi aficamunwemunye lesificaminwembili ubudala, lamehlo akhe esenqundekile engasaboni.

¹⁶ Lowomuntu wathi kuEli: Nginguye ovela empini; ngibaleke empini lamhlanje. Yena wathi: Kuqhubeke njani, mntanami na?

¹⁷ Owaletha umbiko waphendula wathi: UIsrayeli amxotshile amaFilistiya, futhi abantu abanengi babulewe; amadodana akho womabili, uHofini loFiniyasi, afile; lomtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu uthunjiwe.

¹⁸ Wanela ukuphatha umtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu, uEli wawa ngesiphundu esihlalweni sakhe eceleni kwentuba, kwephuka intamo yakhe, wafa, ngoba wayesengumuntu omdala, enzima. Wayahlulele uIsrayeli iminyaka engamatshumi amane.

¹⁹ Umalokazana wakhe, umkaFiniyasi, wayekhulelwe, esezabeletha. Lapho esizwa kuthiwa umtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu uthunjiwe, lokuthi uyisezala lomkakhe bafile, waguqa phansi wabeletha, ngoba wayesehelelwa.

²⁰ Ngesikhathi sokufa kwakhe abesifazana ababembelethisa bathi kuye: Ungesabi, ngoba ubelethe indodana. Kodwa kaphendulanga loba ananze abakutshoyo.

²¹ Wamutha ibizo umntwana wathi ngulkabodi, okuyikuthi udumo lusukile koIsrayeli; ngoba umtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu uthunjiwe, langenxa yokufa kukayisezala lomkakhe.

²² Wathi: Udumo lusukile koIsrayeli ngoba umtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu uthunjiwe.