1 KaSamuweli 13

¹USawule ebeneminyaka ezelwe, akuba ngukumkani, waba ngukumkani kumaSirayeli iminyaka emibini.

²USawule wazinyulela amawaka amathathu kumaSirayeli; amawaka amabini ayenoSawule eMikmas nakweleentaba laseBheteli, iwaka elinye laye linoYonatan eGibheha yakwaBhenjamin. Abantu abaseleyo wabandulula, baya elowo ententeni yakhe.

³UYonatan wayoyisa ikampu yamaFilisti eseGebha, eva amaFilisti. USawule wavuthela ngesigodlo ezweni lonke, esithi, Makeve amaHebhere.

⁴AmaSirayeli onke eva kusithiwa, USawule uyoyisile ikampu yamaFilisti; kananjalo amaSirayeli azinukisile kumaFilisti. Abantu bahlatyelwa umkhosi, beza bamlandela uSawule baya eGiligali.

⁵AmaFilisti azihlanganisela ukulwa namaSirayeli: iinqwelo zokulwa zaba ngamashumi omathathu amawaka, nabamahashe bangamawaka amathandathu, abantu bangangentlabathi eselunxwemeni lolwandle ukuba baninzi; anyuka ke amisa iintente eMikmas phambi kweBhetaven.

⁶Abona amadoda akwaSirayeli ukuba abandezelekile (kuba abantu bebefingiwe), abantu bazimela emiqolombeni, nasezimfanteni, nasezingxondorheni, nasemiweweni, nasemihadini.

⁷Ke kaloku kwawela amaHebhere eYordan, aya ezweni lakwaGadi nelaseGiliyadi. Ke yena uSawule ebeseseGiligali; abantu bonke bamlandela begubha.

⁸Walinda iintsuku zasixhenxe, ngokwexesha elibe limisiwe nguSamuweli, akafika uSamuweli eGiligali; bamphalala abantu bemka kuye.

⁹Wathi uSawule, Zisani kum idini elinyukayo nemibingelelo yoxolo. Wenyusa idini elinyukayo.

¹⁰Kwathi, xa agqibileyo ukulinyusa idini elinyukayo, nanko uSamuweli efika; waphuma uSawule waya kumkhawulela, ukuba ambulise.

¹¹Wathi uSamuweli, Yintoni le uyenzileyo? Wathi uSawule, Kungokuba bendibona abantu bendiphalala, besimka kum, nawe ungafiki ngexesha elibe limisiwe, namaFilisti ehlanganiselana eMikmas;

¹²ndathi, Kaloku amaFilisti aya kuda ehle eze kum eGiligali, ndingambongozanga uYehova; ndazinyanzela, ndalinyusa idini elinyukayo.

¹³Wathi uSamuweli kuSawule, Wenze ngobudenge; akuwugcinanga umthetho kaYehova uThixo wakho awakuwiselayo; ngokuba uYehova ange ebuzinzisile kaloku ubukumkani bakho kwaSirayeli, kude kuse ephakadeni.

¹⁴Ke ngoko ubukumkani bakho abusayi kuma. UYehova uzifunele indoda engantliziyo yakhe; wayimisa uYehova ukuba ibe yinganga yabantu bakhe; ngokuba akukugcinanga oko uYehova akuwisele umthetho ngako.

¹⁵Wesuka uSamuweli wenyuka, wemka eGiligali, waya eGibheha yakwaBhenjamin. USawule wababala abantu abafunyenwe benaye, bengamadoda akumakhulu amathandathu.

¹⁶USawule, noYonatan unyana wakhe, nabantu abafunyenwe benabo, bahlala eGibheha yakwaBhenjamin. AmaFilisti amisa iintente eMikmas.

¹⁷Kwaphuma amatutu emkhosini wamaFilisti, engamaqela amathathu: elinye iqela labheka ngendlela yaseOfra ezweni lakwaShuwali;

¹⁸elinye iqela labheka endleleni yaseBhete-horon; elinye iqela labheka endleleni yasemdeni ovelela umfula weTsebhoyim, uye entlango.

¹⁹Ke bekungekho mkhandi ezweni lonke lakwaSirayeli; ngokuba amaFilisti ebesithi, Aya kuze amaHebhere enze amakrele neentshuntshe.

²⁰AmaSirayeli onke abesihla aye kumaFilisti, alole elowo isikhali sakhe, nesitshetshe sepuluwa yakhe, nezembe lakhe, negaba lakhe,

²¹zakuba nezikhewu iintlangothi zamagaba, nezezitshetshe zeepuluwa, nezeefolokhwe, nezamazembe, nezokubaza iimviko.

²²Kwathi ke ngomhla wokulwa, akwafunyanwa krele nantshuntshe esandleni sabantu bonke ababenoSawule noYonatan; ke kuSawule noYonatan unyana wakhe bezikho.

²³Kwaphuma amaFilisti ekampini, aya engxingweni yaseMikmas.