1 USamuyeli 13 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

UIsrayeli ulwa lamaFilistiya

¹ USawuli waba yinkosi — wabusa uIsrayeli —

² USawuli wakhetha koIsrayeli abantu abayizinkulungwane ezintathu; abayizinkulungwane ezimbili babe laye eMikimashi lasezintabeni zaseBetheli, lenkulungwane yaba loJonathani eGibeya elakoBenjamini; abanye wababuyisela emakhaya.

³ UJonathani wabulala induna yamaFilistiya eyayiseGeba, lamaFilistiya akuzwa lokho. USawuli wakhalisa uphondo elizweni lonke esithi: AmaHeberu kawezwe.

⁴ Bonke abakoIsrayeli bezwa kuthiwa uSawuli ubulele induna yamaFilistiya lokuthi uIsrayeli useyisinengiso kumaFilistiya. Abantu bonke babizwa ukulandela uSawuli eGiligali.

⁵ AmaFilistiya abuthana ukuba alwe loIsrayeli, ayelenqola zokulwa eziyizinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amathathu, labagadi bamabhiza abayizinkulungwane eziyisithupha, lamabutho alingana letshebetshebe elisokhunjini lolwandle ngobunengi; afika, amisa eMikimashi, ngasempumalanga kweBeti‐Aveni.

⁶ Kwathi abantu bakoIsrayeli bebona ukuthi basebunzimeni — ngoba beminyezelwa kakhulu — bacatsha embalwini, lasemilindini, lasemaweni, lasemalibeni, lasemigodini.

⁷ Abanye bachapha iJordani, bawelela eGadi leGileyadi. USawuli wayelokhu eseGiligali, labantu bonke bamlandela bethuthumela.

⁸ Walinda khona insuku eziyisikhombisa, isikhathi esamiswa nguSamuweli; kodwa uSamuweli kafikanga eGiligali, labantu basebeqala ukumtshiya uSawuli.

⁹ Ngakho uSawuli wasesithi: Lethani kimi umnikelo wokutshiswa leminikelo yokuthula. Wanikela umnikelo wokutshiswa.

¹⁰ Kwathi esanda’kuqeda ukunikela umnikelo wokutshiswa, wasefika uSamuweli; uSawuli waphuma ukumhlangabeza ukuba ambingelele.

¹¹ USamuweli wathi: Usuwenzeni na? USawuli wathi: Ngithe ngibona abantu sebeqala ukungitshiya, lawe ungasafikanga ngensuku ezimisiweyo, lokuthi amaFilistiya asebuthene eMikimashi,

¹² ngacabanga ukuthi amaFilistiya azangehlela eGiligali ngingacelanga umusa eNkosini. Ngasengizibamba ngamandla, nganikela umnikelo wokutshiswa.

¹³ USamuweli wathi kuSawuli: Wenze ubuthutha; kawuwugcinanga umlayo weNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho eyakulaya wona; ngoba iNkosi ibizakuwumisa kokuphela umbuso wakho koIsrayeli.

¹⁴ Kodwa khathesi umbuso wakho kawuyikuqhubeka. INkosi isizifunele umuntu emthandayo, isimbekile waba ngumbusi wabantu bayo, ngoba wena kawugcinanga umlayo wayo.

¹⁵ USamuweli wasesuka eGiligali, wahamba. Abantu bamlandela uSawuli owayebuyela emabuthweni akhe. Basuka eGiligali baya eGibeya elakoBenjamini. USawuli wasebala abantu ababelaye, babengamakhulu ayisithupha.

¹⁶ USawuli lendodana yakhe uJonathani, labantu ababelabo bahlala eGeba elakoBenjamini; kodwa amaFilistiya amisa eMikimashi.

¹⁷ Abaphangi baphuma ezihonqweni zamaFilistiya ngezigaba ezintathu; esinye isigaba saqonda eOfira, elizweni laseShuwali,

¹⁸ esinye saqonda eBeti‐Horoni, esinye saqonda emngceleni okhangelene lesihotsha saseZeboyimi ngasenkangala.

¹⁹ Kwakungasekho mkhandi elizweni lonke lakoIsrayeli, ngoba amaFilistiya azimisela ukuba amaHeberu angazenzeli imihedla lemikhonto.

²⁰ Bonke abantu bakoIsrayeli babesiya kumaFilistiya ukulola amakhuba abo, lemataka zabo, lamahloka abo, lamasikela abo.

²¹ Imali yokulola ikhuba lemataka yayiluhlamvu lwemali, leyokulola lokuphisela incijo iyingxenye yesithathu yeshekeli.

²² Ngakho lapho impi iqalisa, kwakungelamantu owayelomhedla loba umkhonto kulabo ababeloSawuli loJonathani; kwakunguSawuli lendodana yakhe uJonathani kuphela ababelayo.

²³ AmaFilistiya akhupha ibutho ukuvimba intuba yaseMikimashi.