1 Samuel 31
1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
AmaFilistiya alwa lo-Israyeli; abako-Israyeli babaleka, njalo abanengi bafela eNtabeni yase Gilibhowa.
2 The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.
AmaFilistiya axotshana kanzima loSawuli kanye lamadodana akhe, abulala amadodana akhe uJonathani, lo-Abhinadabi kanye loMalikhi-Shuwa.
3 When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.
Impi yatshisa macele wonke kuSawuli, njalo kwathi abatshoki bemitshoko sebemxhumile, bamlimaza kubi.
4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run it through me, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
USawuli wathi kumthwali wezikhali zakhe, “Hwatsha inkemba yakho ungigwaze, hlezi abantu laba abangasokanga bafike bangigwaze bangenze ihlazo.” Kodwa umphathi wezikhali zakhe wesaba, akaze akwenza lokho; ngakho uSawuli wathatha inkemba yakhe waziwisela phezu kwayo.
5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died with him.
Kwathi umphathi wezikhali ebona ukuthi uSawuli wayesefile, laye waziwisela phezu kwenkemba yakhe wafa kanye laye.
6 So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together that same day.
Ngakho uSawuli lamadodana akhe amathathu lomphathi wezikhali zakhe kanye labantu bakhe bonke bafa ndawonye ngalo lolosuku.
7 When the Israelites along the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the army of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.
Kwathi abako-Israyeli ababesekele isigodi lalabo ababengaphetsheya kweJodani bebona ukuthi ibutho lako-Israyeli lalibalekile lokuthi uSawuli kanye lamadodana akhe basebefile, batshiya imizi yabo babaleka. AmaFilistiya afika ahlala kuyo.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
Ngelanga elalandelayo, amaFilistiya esefikile ukuba akhuthuze abafileyo, afica uSawuli lamadodana akhe amathathu befile eNtabeni yase Gilibhowa.
9 They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temples of their idols and among their people.
Amquma ikhanda lakhe athatha lezikhali zakhe, basebethuma izithunywa kulolonke ilizwe lamaFilistiya ukuthi zimemezele lindaba ethempelini lezithombe zawo lasebantwini bakibo.
10 They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.
Abeka izikhali zakhe ethempelini lama-Ashithorethi. Kwathi isidumbu sakhe asibethela emdulini weBhethi-Shani.
11 When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
Kwathi abantu baseJabheshi Giliyadi sebezwile ngokwakwenziwe ngamaFilistiya kuSawuli,
12 all their men of valor set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they arrived at Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.
wonke amaqhawe abo alezibindi ahamba ubusuku bonke esiya eBhethi-Shani. Ethula isidumbu sikaSawuli lezamadodana akhe emdulini weBhethi-Shani aya eJabheshi, lapho azitshisela khona.
13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.
Athatha amathambo abo awembela ngaphansi kwesihlahla somthamarisiki eJabheshi, asezila insuku eziyisikhombisa.
