1 uSamuweli 13
13
Impi namaFilisti
1USawule wabusa umnyaka; esebusile iminyaka emibili kwa-Israyeli.
2USawule wazikhethela abantu abayizinkulungwane ezintathu kwa-Israyeli; izinkulungwane ezimbili zazinoSawule eMikimashi nasentabeni yaseBethele, nenkulungwane yayinoJonathani eGibeya lakwaBenjamini; abanye abantu wabamukisa, kwaba yilowo nalowo etendeni lakhe.
3UJonathani wachitha ikhanda lamaFilisti elaliseGeba, amaFilisti akuzwa. USawule wabetha icilongo ezweni lonke, wathi: “Makezwe amaHeberu.” 4Wonke u-Israyeli wezwa kuthiwa uSawule uchithile ikhanda lamaFilisti nokuthi u-Israyeli uyanengeka kuwo amaFilisti. Abantu babuthwa ukuba bamlandele uSawule, baye eGiligali.
5AmaFilisti abuthana ukuba alwe no-Israyeli: izinqola eziyizinkulungwane ezingamashumi amathathu, nabamahhashi abayizinkulungwane eziyisithupha, nabantu abangangesihlabathi esisogwini lolwandle ngobuningi; benyuka bamisa eMikimashi ngasempumalanga kwaseBeti Aveni. 6Lapho abantu bakwa-Israyeli bebona ukuthi basengcingweni, ngokuba bacindezelwa kakhulu, abantu bacasha emihumeni, nasemahlozini, nasemaweni, nasezinqabeni, nasemigodini. 7NamaHeberu ayewelile iJordani ukuya ezweni lakwaGadi nakwelakwaGileyadi; kepha uSawule wayeseseGiligali; abantu bonke bamlandela bethuthumela.
USawule unikela ngokungengamthetho
8 Wahlala izinsuku eziyisikhombisa njengesikhathi esimisiwe nguSamuweli, kepha uSamuweli akafikanga eGiligali; abantu bahlakazeka kuye. 9USawule wayesethi: “Lethani kimi umnikelo wokushiswa neminikelo yokuthula.” Wanikela ngomnikelo wokushiswa. 10Kwathi eseqedile ukunikela ngomnikelo wokushiswa, bheka, uSamuweli wafika; uSawule waphuma ukumhlangabeza ukuba ambingelele.
11USamuweli wathi: “Wenzeni na?”
USawule wathi: “Njengokuba ngabona ukuthi abantu bahlakazekile kimi, nokuthi awufikanga ngesikhathi esimisiweyo, nokuthi amaFilisti abuthene eMikimashi, 12ngathi: ‘Manje amaFilisti ayakwehlela kimi eGiligali ngingakhulekanga;’ ngase ngiziphoqa, nganikela ngomnikelo wokushiswa.”
13USamuweli wathi kuSawule: “Wenze ngobuwula, awugcinanga umyalo kaJehova uNkulunkulu wakho akuyala ngawo, ngokuba uJehova ubeseyakuqinisa umbuso wakho kwa-Israyeli kuze kube phakade. 14 Kepha manje umbuso wakho awuyikuqhubeka; uJehova usezifunele umuntu ngokwenhliziyo yakhe; uJehova ummisile abe ngumholi wabantu bakhe, ngokuba ungagcinanga lokho uJehova akuyala ngakho.”
15 USamuweli wayesesuka, wakhuphuka eGiligali, waya eGibeya lakwaBenjamini. USawule wabala abantu abafumaniseka bekuye, kungathi abantu abangamakhulu ayisithupha.
16OSawule noJonathani indodana yakhe nabantu ababe naye bahlala eGeba lakwaBenjamini, kepha amaFilisti amisa eMikimashi. 17Abaphangi baphuma ekamu* lamaFilisti ngezigaba ezintathu; esinye isigaba sahamba ngendlela eya e-Ofira ezweni laseShuhali; 18esinye isigaba sahamba ngendlela eya eBeti Horoni; esinye isigaba sahamba ngendlela eya emkhawulweni obheka esigodini saseSeboyimi ngasehlane.
19 Kwakungekho mkhandi ezweni lonke lakwa-Israyeli, ngokuba amaFilisti athi: “Funa amaHeberu azenzele izinkemba nemikhonto.” 20Bonke abakwa-Israyeli behlela kuwo amaFilisti, kwaba yilowo nalowo ukuba alole umese wakhe, nempumulo yakhe, nembazo yakhe, nesikela lakhe; 21imali yayiyipimi* ngezimpumulo nangezimfoloko, nenxenye yesithathu yeshekeli* ngezimbazo nangokulungisa izincijo zezinkabi.
22Kwathi ngosuku lokulwa akwabakho nkemba namkhonto esandleni samuntu owayenoSawule noJonathani; kodwa koSawule noJonathani indodana yakhe kwakukhona.
23Ikhanda lamaFilisti laphuma, laya ngasentubeni yaseMikimashi.
Okuqokiwe okwamanje:
1 uSamuweli 13: ZUL59
Qhakambisa
Dlulisela
Kopisha
Ufuna ukuthi okuvelele kwakho kugcinwe kuwo wonke amadivayisi akho? Bhalisa noma ngena ngemvume
© Bible Society of South Africa 1959, 1997. Used with permission. All rights reserved.