Eyokuqala KaSamuweli
13 USawule wayeneminyaka eyi- . . .* ukuqala kwakhe ukuba ngukumkani,+ yaye wawalawula iminyaka emibini amaSirayeli. 2 USawule wakhetha amadoda ayi-3 000 kumaSirayeli, ayi-2 000 kuwo ayekunye naye eMikimashe nakummandla weentaba waseBheteli, ayi-1 000 ekunye noYonatan+ eGibheya+ yakwaBhenjamin. Wonke omnye umntu wathi makahambe, ngamnye aye ententeni yakhe. 3 Emva koko uYonatan waxabela umkhosi wamaFilisti+ owawuseGebha,+ yaye amaFilisti ayiva loo nto. USawule wathi makuvuthelwe uphondo+ kulo lonke ilizwe, kuthiwe: “AmaHebhere mawamamele!” 4 Wonke uSirayeli waziva iindaba zokuba: “USawule uxabele umkhosi wamaFilisti, ibe ke ngoku uSirayeli uyazondwa ngamaFilisti.” Ngoko abantu bayalelwa ukuba bonke balandele uSawule, kuyiwe eGiligali.+
5 AmaFilisti aqokelelana ukuze alwe noSirayeli. Eza neenqwelo zokulwa eziyi-30 000, nabakhweli-mahashe abayi-6 000, nomkhosi owawumninzi oku kwesanti eselunxwemeni lolwandle.+ AmaFilisti enyuka aya kumisa inkampu eMikimashe, ngasempuma yeBhete-aven.+ 6 Amadoda akwaSirayeli aqonda ukuba aziqalele uqhushululu. Kuba babekwembi ingxaki, abantu bazifihla emiqolombeni,+ emigongxweni, emaweni, koovimba nasemaquleni. 7 Amanye amaHebhere ada awela iYordan esiya kwilizwe lakwaGadi naseGiliyadi.+ Kodwa uSawule yena wayeseseGiligali, yaye bonke abantu ababemlandela babesoyika kakhulu. 8 USawule wahlala elindile iintsuku ezisixhenxe, xesha elo elalibekwe* nguSamuweli, kodwa uSamuweli akafikanga eGiligali, yaye nabantu babechithachitheka, bemshiya. 9 Ekugqibeleni uSawule wathi: “Zisani kum umbingelelo otshiswayo nemibingelelo yobuhlobo.” Ngoko wanikela umbingelelo otshiswayo.+
10 Uthe nje akugqiba ukunikela umbingelelo otshiswayo, nanko uSamuweli efika. Ngoko uSawule waya kuye, emkhawulela ukuze amamkele. 11 Emva koko uSamuweli wathi: “Yintoni le uyenzileyo?” USawule wathi: “Ndiye ndabona abantu bendishiya,+ nawe ungafiki ngexesha ebelibekiwe, namaFilisti ngapha abe eqokelelana eMikimashe.+ 12 Ngoko ndiye ndazixelela ukuba, ‘Ngoku amaFilisti aza kwehla azokulwa nam eGiligali, ndibe ndingekamceli uYehova ukuba asincede.’* Ndizive ndinyanzelekile ukuba ndinikele umbingelelo otshiswayo.”
13 Ngoko uSamuweli wathi kuSawule: “Wenze ubudenge.” Awuwuthobelanga umyalelo awakunika wona uYehova uThixo wakho.+ Ukuba ubuwuthobele, uYehova ebeza kubangela ukuba wena nenzala yakho nilawule uSirayeli ngonaphakade. 14 Ke ngoku ubukumkani bakho abuzukuhlala xesha lide.+ UYehova uza kufumana indoda ethandwayo yintliziyo yakhe,+ yaye uYehova uza kuyibeka ibe yinkokheli yabantu bakhe,+ kuba wena awuwathobelanga amazwi uYehova akuyalele wona.”+
15 Emva koko uSamuweli waphakama wemka eGiligali, waya eGibheya yakwaBhenjamin, waza yena uSawule wabala abantu. Abo babekunye naye babemalunga namadoda ayi-600.+ 16 USawule, unyana wakhe uYonatan nabantu ababesekunye nabo babehleli eGebha+ yakwaBhenjamin, wona amaFilisti emise inkampu eMikimashe.+ 17 Kwakuye kuphume enkampini yamaFilisti amajoni, awayesiba ngamaqela amathathu. Elinye iqela lalithatha indlela eya eOfra, liye eShuwali, 18 elinye lithathe indlela eya eBhete-horon,+ elesithathu iqela lalithatha indlela eya kumda omelene nentlambo yaseTsebhoyim, ukuya ngasentlango.
19 Ngelo xesha wayengekho umntu okhanda iintsimbi kulo lonke ilizwe lakwaSirayeli, ngenxa yokuba amaFilisti ayethe: “Asifuni amaHebhere azenzele amakrele okanye imikhonto.” 20 Ngoko onke amaSirayeli ayefanele aye kumaFilisti ukuze alolelwe amakhuba, iipeki, amazembe okanye amarhengqa. 21 Ixabiso lokulola amakhuba, iipeki, izixhobo ezinamazinyo amathathu, amazembe nokulungisa iimviko, laliba yipim.* 22 Kodwa ngemini yedabi, yayinguSawule noYonatan unyana wakhe kuphela ababenezixhobo zokulwa.+
23 Ngelo xesha umkhosi wamaFilisti waya kwingxingwa yaseMikimashe.+