1 USamuyeli 9 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

USawuli ukhethwa ukuba abe yinkosi

¹ Kwakukhona indoda yakoBenjamini ibizo layo linguKishi, indodana kaAbiyeli, kaZerori, kaBekorathi, kaAfiya, owakoBenjamini; yayiyindoda enothileyo.

² Yayilendodana ibizo layo linguSawuli; ilijaha elihle; kwakungelamuntu omuhle kulayo phakathi kwabakoIsrayeli. Kusukela emahlombe akhe kusiya phezulu wayemude kulabo bonke abantu.

³ Obabhemi bakaKishi, uyise kaSawuli, balahleka. Ngakho uKishi wasesithi kuSawuli indodana yakhe: Thatha enye inceku, uhambe uyedinga obabhemi.

⁴ Badabula izintaba zakoEfrayimi, badabula ilizwe laseShalisha, kodwa kabababonanga. Basebedabula ilizwe laseShalima, kodwa babengekho lalapho. Basebedabula ilizwe lakoBenjamini, kodwa kabababonanga.

⁵ Kwathi sebefikile elizweni laseZufi, uSawuli wathi encekwini yakhe eyayilaye: Woza sibuyele, hlezi ubaba ayekele ukucabanga ngabobabhemi abesenqinekela thina.

⁶ Kodwa yona yathi kuye: Kukhona kulumuzi umuntu kaNkulunkulu, ungumuntu ohloniphekayo ngoba konke akutshoyo kuya kwenzeke. Asiye kuye; mhlawumbe angasitshela ngalokho esihamba ngakho.

⁷ USawuli wasesithi encekwini yakhe: Uba sisiya kuye, sizamphathelani lowomuntu na? Ngoba kakuselakudla emigodleni yethu; futhi kasilasipho esingasiphathela lowomuntu kaNkulunkulu. Silani na?

⁸ Inceku yabuya yamphendula uSawuli yathi: Ngilakho lapha okwesine kweshekeli lesiliva, ngizamnika khona lowomuntu kaNkulunkulu ukuba asitshele ngohambo lwethu.

⁹ — Endulo koIsrayeli lapho umuntu esiyabuza kuNkulunkulu, wayesithi: Woza siye kumboni; ngoba lo osethiwa ngumprofethi lamuhla kuqala kwakuthiwa ngumboni. —

¹⁰ USawuli wasesithi encekwini yakhe: Kuhle lokho; wozake sihambe. Basebehamba besiya emzini lapho kwakukhona lowomuntu kaNkulunkulu.

¹¹ Besakhwela umqanso womuzi bahlangana lamantombazana esiyakukha amanzi, bathi kuwo: Umboni ukhona na?

¹² Aphendula athi: Ukhona, nanguya ngaphambi kwenu. Phangisani kodwa; usand’ukufika ekhaya ngoba abantu balomhlatshelo lamuhla endaweni ephakemeyo yokukhonzela.

¹³ Lizamfumana lisangena nje ngekhaya engakayikudla endaweni ephakemeyo yokukhonzela; abantu kabayikudla engakafiki, ngoba nguye obusisa umhlatshelo, andubana badle abamenyiweyo. Hambanike, lizamfumana masinyane nje.

¹⁴ Basebesiya emzini; besangena emzini, bambona uSamuweli ehlangabezana labo esiya endaweni ephakemeyo yokukhonzela.

¹⁵ Ngosuku olungaphambili uSawuli engakafiki, iNkosi yamambulela uSamuweli yathi:

¹⁶ Kusasa ngalesisikhathi ngizathumela kuwe umuntu ovela elizweni lakoBenjamini, umgcobe abe ngumbusi wabantu bami uIsrayeli; uzakhulula abantu bami ezandleni zamaFilistiya. Ngibonile ukuhlupheka kwabantu bami, lokukhala kwabo kufinyelele kimi.

¹⁷ Kwathi uSamuweli ebona uSawuli, iNkosi yathi kuye: Nanguke umuntu ebengikhuluma ngaye kuwe. Nguye lo ozabusa abantu bami.

¹⁸ USawuli wasondela kuSamuweli ngasemnyango wathi: Akungitshele ukuba ingaphi indlu yomboni.

¹⁹ USamuweli wamphendula uSawuli wathi: Yimi umboni; hamba phambili uye endaweni ephakemeyo yokukhonzela, ngoba lamuhla uzakudla lami; kusasa ngizakukuyekela uhambe ngikutshele konke okusenhliziyweni yakho.

²⁰ Mayelana lobabhemi bakho asebelensuku ezintathu belahlekile, ungabe usazihlupha ngabo, ngoba sebebonakele. Kodwa kuyini abakukhalelayo bonke abakoIsrayeli na? Nguwe lendlu yonke yakwenu.

²¹ USawuli waphendula wathi: Kangisuye owakoBenjamini, isizwe esincinyane kulazo zonke izizwe zakoIsrayeli na? Lendlu yakwethu kayincinyane kulazo zonke izindlu zesizwe sakoBenjamini na? Phoke, ukhulumelani kimi ngalindlela na?

²² USamuweli wasemthatha uSawuli lenceku yakhe, wabangenisa endlini yokudlela, wabahlalisa endaweni engaphambi kwabamenyiweyo, ababengamatshumi amathathu.

²³ USamuweli wasesithi kumpheki: Letha isabelo senyama engikunike sona, ngakutshela ukuba usilondoloze.

²⁴ Umpheki wasethatha umlenze lesinqe, wakubeka phambi kukaSawuli. USamuweli wathi: Nanku obekelwe khona, kubekwe phambi kwakho. Dlana; ngoba bekubekelwe wena kuze kufike lesisikhathi ukuba udle labamenyiweyo. USawuli wadla loSamuweli ngalolosuku.

²⁵ Sebedlile endaweni ephakemeyo yokukhonzela bangena emzini, bamendlalela uSawuli phezulu ophahleni, walala khona.

²⁶ Nxa kusayo, uSamuweli wambiza uSawuli ophahleni wathi: Vuka ukuze ngikuqhube. Wasevuka uSawuli, baphumela phandle bobabili, yena loSamuweli.

²⁷ Sebesehlela ekucineni komuzi, uSamuweli wathi kuSawuli: Tshela inceku ukuba yedlule. Lapho isiyedlule, uSamuweli wasesithi: Wena akume lapha kancinyane, ukuze ngikutshele ilizwi likaNkulunkulu.