Igitabo cya mbere cya Samweli
13 Sawuli yabaye umwami wa Isirayeli afite imyaka . . .* Amaze imyaka ibiri ari umwami,+ 2 yatoranyije abagabo 3.000 mu Bisirayeli. Abagabo 2.000 muri bo bajyana na we i Mikimashi no mu karere k’imisozi miremire y’i Beteli, naho abandi 1.000 bajyana na Yonatani+ i Gibeya+ y’abakomoka kuri Benyamini, hanyuma abasigaye arabasezerera, buri wese ajya mu ihema rye. 3 Yonatani atera ingabo z’Abafilisitiya+ zari i Geba+ arazica, Abafilisitiya barabimenya. Sawuli ategeka ko bavuza ihembe+ mu gihugu cyose bavuga bati: “Nimwumve mwa Baheburayo mwe!” 4 Abisirayeli bose bumva inkuru ivuga iti: “Sawuli yateye ingabo z’Abafilisitiya arazica, none Abafilisitiya banze Abisirayeli cyane.” Nuko bahamagara abantu ngo bakurikire Sawuli i Gilugali.+
5 Abafilisitiya na bo bahurira hamwe kugira ngo barwanye Abisirayeli. Bazana amagare y’intambara 30.000, abagendera ku mafarashi 6.000 n’abasirikare benshi bangana n’umusenyi wo ku nkombe z’inyanja.+ Nuko barazamuka bashinga amahema i Mikimashi mu burasirazuba bwa Beti-aveni.+ 6 Abisirayeli babonye ko ibintu bibakomeranye, kuko Abafilisitiya bari babamereye nabi, bajya kwihisha mu buvumo,+ mu myobo, mu bitare, mu bisimu* ndetse no mu byobo by’amazi. 7 Hari n’Abaheburayo bambutse Yorodani bajya mu gihugu cy’abakomoka kuri Gadi n’icy’i Gileyadi.+ Ariko Sawuli we yari akiri i Gilugali kandi abantu bari basigaranye na we, baratitiraga kubera ubwoba. 8 Sawuli amara iminsi irindwi ategereje Samweli nk’uko yari yabimubwiye. Ariko Samweli ntiyaza i Gilugali maze abantu batangira kwigendera bata Sawuli. 9 Hanyuma Sawuli aravuga ati: “Nimunzanire igitambo gitwikwa n’umuriro n’ibitambo bisangirwa.”* Nuko ahita atamba igitambo gitwikwa n’umuriro.+
10 Ariko akimara gutamba igitambo gitwikwa n’umuriro, Samweli aba arahageze. Sawuli ajya guhura na we maze aramusuhuza. 11 Samweli aramubaza ati: “Ibyo wakoze ni ibiki?” Sawuli aramusubiza ati: “Nabitewe n’uko nabonye abantu batangiye kwigendera,+ mbona nawe ntuziye igihe twavuganye kandi n’Abafilisitiya bari barimo guhurira i Mikimashi.+ 12 Nuko ndatekereza nti: ‘ubu Abafilisitiya bagiye kunsanga i Gilugali, bandwanye kandi ntaragusha neza Yehova.’ Ni yo mpamvu numvise ngomba gutamba igitambo gitwikwa n’umuriro.”
13 Samweli abwira Sawuli ati: “Ibyo wakoze nta bwenge burimo. Ntiwumviye itegeko Yehova Imana yawe yagutegetse.+ Iyo uryumvira Yehova yari kuzatuma ubwami bwawe bukomeza gutegeka muri Isirayeli iteka ryose. 14 Ariko noneho ubwami bwawe buzamara igihe gito.+ Yehova azashaka umuntu ukora ibyo ashaka+ kandi Yehova azamuha inshingano yo kuyobora abantu be,+ kuko utumviye ibyo Yehova yagutegetse.”+
15 Samweli ava i Gilugali ajya i Gibeya y’abakomoka kuri Benyamini. Sawuli abara abantu bari basigaranye na we asanga ari nka 600.+ 16 Sawuli n’umuhungu we Yonatani n’abari basigaranye na bo baguma i Geba+ y’abakomoka kuri Benyamini. Abafilisitiya na bo bari barashinze amahema i Mikimashi.+ 17 Abasirikare b’Abafilisitiya bavaga mu nkambi yabo bakajya gutera Abisirayeli, ari amatsinda atatu. Itsinda rimwe ryanyuraga mu nzira ijya muri Ofura, mu karere ka Shuwali, 18 itsinda rya kabiri rikanyura mu nzira igana i Beti-horoni,+ naho itsinda rya gatatu rikanyura mu nzira igana ku mupaka uteganye n’ikibaya cya Seboyimu, ahagana mu butayu.
19 Mu gihugu cyose cya Isirayeli nta mucuzi wahabaga, kuko Abafilisitiya bari baravuze bati: “Abaheburayo ntibazigere bacura inkota cyangwa amacumu.” 20 Abisirayeli bose baramanukaga bakajya mu Bafilisitiya, kugira ngo batyaze amasuka yabo, amapiki, amashoka cyangwa imihoro. 21 Igiciro cyo gutyaza amasuka, amapiki, amasuka y’amenyo atatu, amashoka no gukwikira ibihosho,* cyari garama umunani* z’ifeza. 22 Igihe cyo kurwana cyageze nta n’umwe mu bantu bari kumwe na Sawuli na Yonatani wari ufite inkota cyangwa icumu.+ Sawuli n’umuhungu we Yonatani ni bo bonyine bari bafite intwaro.
23 Ingabo* z’Abafilisitiya zari zarashinze amahema mu mukoki w’i Mikimashi.+