1 Samuweli
13 USawule wayeneminyaka [?] ubudala ukuqalisa kwakhe ukulawula,+ yaye wamlawula uSirayeli kangangeminyaka emibini. 2 USawule ke wazinyulela amadoda angamawaka amathathu kwaSirayeli; yaye amawaka amabini aba kunye noSawule eMikimashe+ nakummandla weentaba waseBheteli, iwaka laba kunye noYonatan+ eGibheya+ yakwaBhenjamin, abanye abantu wabandulula, ngamnye waya ententeni yakhe. 3 Wandula ke uYonatan waxabela ekampini yomkhosi+ wamaFilisti+ eyayiseGebha;+ yaye ke amaFilisti akuva oko. Ke yena uSawule, wathi makuvuthelwe isigodlo+ kulo lonke ilizwe, esithi: “AmaHebhere makeve!” 4 Kwaye wonke uSirayeli weva kuxelwa oku: “USawule uxabele ekampini yomkhosi wamaFilisti, ke ngoku uSirayeli unuka kakubi+ phakathi kwamaFilisti.” Ngoko babizelwa ndawonye bonke abantu ukuba balandele uSawule ukuya eGiligali.+
5 NamaFilisti aqokelelana ndawonye ukuze alwe noSirayeli, iinqwelo zokulwa+ ezingamashumi amathathu amawaka nabakhweli-mahashe abangamawaka amathandathu nabantu abanjengentlabathi eselunxwemeni lolwandle ukuba baninzi;+ aza enyuka aya kumisa inkampu eMikimashe ngasempuma yeBhete-aven.+ 6 Aza azibonela namadoda akwaSirayeli ukuba asezingxakini ezinkulu,+ ngenxa yokuba abantu babebandezelekile; abantu bazifihla emiqolombeni+ nasemigongxweni nasezingxondorheni nasemagumbini aphantsi komhlaba nasemihadini yamanzi. 7 AmaHebhere ada awela neYordan+ esiya kwilizwe lakwaGadi+ naseGiliyadi. Kodwa uSawule yena wayeseseGiligali, yaye bonke abantu babengcangcazela ngoxa bemlandela.+ 8 Waza waqhubeka elindile kangangeentsuku ezisixhenxe zexesha elimisiweyo awayelitshilo uSamuweli;+ uSamuweli ke akafikanga eGiligali, nabantu babechithachitheka besimka kuye. 9 Ekugqibeleni uSawule wathi: “Sondezani kum umbingelelo otshiswayo nemibingelelo yobudlelane.” Wanikela umbingelelo otshiswayo.+
10 Kwathi kamsinya nje akugqiba ukunikela umbingelelo otshiswayo, ewe, nanko uSawuweli efika. Ngoko waphuma uSawule esiya kumhlangabeza aze amsikelele.+ 11 Ngoko wathi uSamuweli: “Yintoni na le uyenzileyo?”+ USawule wathi: “Ndibone abantu besasazeka besimka kum,+ yaye nawe—akufikanga ngemihla emiselweyo,+ namaFilisti ebeqokelelana ndawonye eMikimashe,+ 12 ngoko ndazixelela ukuba,+ ‘Ke kaloku amaFilisti aya kuhla eze kum eGiligali, ndibe ndingambongazanga uYehova.’ Ngoko ndazinyanzela+ ndaza ndanikela umbingelelo otshiswayo.”
13 USamuweli wathi kuSawule: “Wenze ngobudenge.”+ Akuwugcinanga umyalelo+ kaYehova uThixo wakho akuyalele wona,+ ngenxa yokuba, ukuba ubuwugcinile, uYehova ngebuqinisile ubukumkani bakho phezu koSirayeli ukusa kwixesha elingenammiselo. 14 Ke ngoku ubukumkani bakho abuyi kuhlala.+ Ngokuqinisekileyo uYehova uya kuzifumanela indoda evunyiweyo yintliziyo yakhe;+ yaye uYehova uya kuyimisela ibe yinkokeli+ phezu kwabantu bakhe, ngenxa yokuba akukugcinanga oko uYehova akuyalele kona.”+
15 Wesuka ke uSamuweli wenyuka evela eGiligali esiya eGibheya yakwaBhenjamin, noSawule wababala abantu, abo babesafumaneka bekunye naye, malunga namadoda angamakhulu amathandathu.+ 16 Yaye uSawule noYonatan nabantu abafunyanwayo besekunye nabo babehlala eGebha+ yakwaBhenjamin. Wona ke amaFilisti, ayemise inkampu eMikimashe.+ 17 Kwaza kwaphuma enkampini yamaFilisti umkhosi wabaphangi bengamabutho amathathu.+ Elinye ibutho lajika ngendlela yaseOfra,+ lisiya kwilizwe lakwaShuwali, 18 laza elinye ibutho lajika ngendlela yaseBhete-horon,+ nelesithathu ibutho lajika ngendlela eya emdeni okhangelene nentlambo yaseTsebhoyim, ukuya ngasentlango.
19 Ke kaloku kwakungafumaneki mkhandi kulo lonke ilizwe lakwaSirayeli, ngenxa yokuba amaFilisti ayethe: “Ukuze amaHebhere angenzi krele okanye mkhonto.”+ 20 Kwaye onke amaSirayeli ayesihla aye kumaFilisti ukuze ngamnye alolelwe ikhuba lakhe okanye ipeki yakhe okanye izembe lakhe okanye irhengqa lakhe.+ 21 Yaye ixabiso lokulola amakhuba neepeki nezixhobo ezimazinyo mathathu namazembe nokubaza iimviko laliba yipim.+ 22 Kwaza ke ngemini yedabi akwafunyanwa krele+ okanye mkhonto esandleni sakhe nabani na ebantwini ababekunye noSawule noYonatan; kodwa kwafunyanwa elikaSawule+ nelikaYonatan unyana wakhe.
23 Ke kaloku kwaphuma+ amaFilisti enkampini aya engxingweni yaseMikimashe.+