< Kings I 15 >
1 And Samuel said to Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint you king over Israel: and now hear the voice of the Lord.
USamuyeli wathi kuSawuli, “Mina yimi engathunywa nguThixo ukuthi ngikugcobe ukuba yinkosi yabantu bakhe u-Israyeli; ngakho-ke khathesi lalela ilizwi elivela kuThixo.
2 Thus said the Lord of hosts, Now will I take vengeance for what Amalec did to Israel, when he met him in the way as he came up out of Egypt.
Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo uSomandla: ‘Ama-Amaleki ngizawajezisa ngenxa yalokhu akwenzayo ku-Israyeli lapho abacathamela ekuphumeni kwabo eGibhithe.
3 And now go, and you shall strike Amalec and Hierim and all that belongs to him, and you shall not save anything of him alive, but you shall utterly destroy him: and you shall devote him and all his to [destruction], and you shall spare nothing belonging to him; and you shall kill both man and woman, and infant and suckling, and calf and sheep, and camel and ass.
Khathesi hamba uyehlasela ama-Amaleki uqede du konke okungokwawo. Ungawayekeli; bulala amadoda labafazi, abantwana lensane, inkomo lezimvu, amakamela kanye labobabhemi.’”
4 And Saul summoned the people, and he numbered them in Galgala, four hundred thousand regular troops, and Juda thirty thousand regular troops.
Ngakho uSawuli wabiza abantu wababuthanisa eThelayimi, izinkulungwane ezimbili zebutho lezinyawo kanye lamadoda azinkulungwane ezilitshumi avela koJuda.
5 And Saul came to the cities of Amalec, and laid wait in the valley.
USawuli waya edolobheni lase-Amaleki bacathama edongeni.
6 And Saul said to the Kinite, Go, and depart out of the midst of the Amalekites, lest I put you with them; for you dealt mercifully with the children of Israel when they went up out of Egypt. So the Kinite departed from the midst of Amalec.
Wasesithi kumaKheni, “Sukani, tshiyani ama-Amaleki ukuze ngingaliqothuli kanye lawo; ngoba lina latshengisa umusa kuwo wonke ama-Israyeli ekuphumeni kwawo eGibhithe.” Ngakho amaKheni asuka kuma-Amaleki.
7 And Saul struck Amalec from Evilat to Sur fronting Egypt.
Lapho-ke uSawuli wahlasela ama-Amaleki umango wonke kusukela eHavila kusiya eShuri, empumalanga kweGibhithe.
8 And he took Agag the king of Amalec alive, and he killed all the people and Hierim with the edge of the sword.
Wathumba u-Agagi inkosi yama-Amaleki ephila, kodwa bonke abantu bakhe wabaqothula ngokupheleleyo, ngenkemba.
9 And Saul and all the people saved Agag alive, and the best of the flocks, and of the herds, and of the fruits, of the vineyards, and of all the good things; and they would not destroy them: but every worthless and refuse thing they destroyed.
Kodwa uSawuli lebutho kabambulalanga u-Agagi lezimvu ezinhle lenkomo, amathole anonileyo lamawundlu lakho konke okwakukuhle. Lokhu babengafisi ukukuqeda ngokupheleleyo, konke okwakuseyiseka lokungelasizo bakuqeda du.
10 And the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying,
Ilizwi likaThixo laselifika kuSamuyeli lisithi,
11 I have repented that I have made Saul to be king: for he has turned back from following me, and has not kept my word. And Samuel was grieved, and cried to the Lord all night.
“Ngilusizi ngokuthi ngibeke uSawuli waba yinkosi, ngoba usengifulathele njalo kalandelanga imilayo yami.” USamuyeli wakhathazeka, wakhuleka kuThixo bonke lobobusuku.
12 And Samuel rose early and went to meet Israel in the morning, and it was told Saul, saying, Samuel has come to Carmel, and he has raised up help for himself: and he turned his chariot, and came down to Galgala to Saul; and, behold, he was offering up a whole burnt offering to the Lord, the chief of the spoils which he brought out of Amalec.
USamuyeli wavuka ekuseni kakhulu ukuba ayebonana loSawuli, kodwa watshelwa ukuthi, “USawuli uye eKhameli. Uzibekele ilitshe lesikhumbuzo sakhe khonale wasephenduka esehlela eGiligali.”
13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said to him, Blessed [are] you of the Lord: I have performed all that the Lord said.
Kwathi uSamuyeli esemficile, uSawuli wathi, “Uthixo kakubusise! Sengikwenzile engikulaywe nguThixo.”
14 And Samuel said, What then [is] the bleating of this flock in my ears, and the sound of the oxen which I hear?
Kodwa uSamuyeli wathi, “Pho ukukhala kwezimvu ezindlebeni zami lokhu kuyini na? Kuyini ukubhonsa kwezinkomo lokhu engikuzwayo na?”
15 And Saul said, I have brought them out of Amalec, that which the people preserved, even the best of the sheep, and of the cattle, that it might be sacrificed to the Lord your God, and the rest have I utterly destroyed.
USawuli waphendula wathi, “Amabutho azilethe zivela kuma-Amaleki; agcine izimvu ezinhle lenkomo ukuba azenze umhlatshelo kuThixo uNkulunkulu wakho, kodwa ezinye sizikhucule.”
16 And Samuel said to Saul, Stay, and I will tell you what the Lord has said to me this night: and he said to him, Say on.
USamuyeli wathi kuSawuli, “Mana! Wothi ngikutshele okutshiwo nguThixo kimi ebusuku obedluleyo.” USawuli waphendula wathi, “Ngitshela.”
17 And Samuel said to Saul, Are you not little in his eyes, [though] a leader of one of the tribes of Israel? and [yet] the Lord anointed you to be king over Israel.
USamuyeli wasesithi, “Lanxa wazibona umncane, kawuzange ube yinhloko yezizwana zako-Israyeli na? Uthixo wakugcoba ukuba ube yinkosi ko-Israyeli.
18 And the Lord sent you on a journey, and said to you, Go, and utterly destroy: you shall kill the sinners against me, [even] the Amalekites; and you shall war against them until you have consumed them.
Njalo wakuthuma emsebenzini, esithi, ‘Hamba uyeqothula abantu labayana ababi, ama-Amaleki, uvuse impi labo uze ubaqede du.’
19 And why did not you listen to the voice of the Lord, but did haste to fasten upon the spoils, and did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord?
Pho kungani ungalalelanga uThixo? Kungani uzithathele impango wenza okubi phambi kukaThixo na?”
20 And Saul said to Samuel, Because I listened to the voice of the people: yet I went the way by which the Lord sent me, and I brought Agag the king of Amalec, and I destroyed Amalec.
USawuli wathi, “Kodwa mina ngimlalele uThixo. Ngihambile emsebenzini uThixo anginike wona. Ama-Amaleki ngiwaqede du, ngabuya lo-Agagi inkosi yawo.
21 But the people took of the spoils the best flocks and herds [out] of that which was destroyed, to sacrifice before the Lord our God in Galgal.
Amabutho athatha izimvu lenkomo empangweni, ezinhle zalezo ezazahlukaniselwe uNkulunkulu, ukuze zenziwe umhlatshelo kuThixo uNkulunkulu wakho eGiligali.”
22 And Samuel said, Does the Lord take pleasure in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in hearing the words of the Lord? behold, obedience [is] better than a good sacrifice, and hearkening than the fat of rams.
Kodwa uSamuyeli waphendula wathi: “Kambe uThixo uthokozela iminikelo yokutshiswa lemihlatshelo ngokunjengokulalela ilizwi likaThixo na? Ukulalela kungcono kulomhlatshelo, lokukhathalela kungcono kulamahwahwa enqama.
23 For sin is [as] divination; idols bring on pain and grief. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord also shall reject you from being king over Israel.
Ngoba ukuhlamuka kufana lesono sokuhlahlula, lobuqholo bufana lobubi bokukhonza izithombe. Ngoba ilizwi likaThixo ulalile, usekwalile njengenkosi.”
24 And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned, in that I have transgressed the word of the Lord and your direction; for I feared the people, and I listened to their voice.
USawuli wasesithi kuSamuyeli, “Ngenzile isono. Ngephule umlayo kaThixo leziqondiso zakho. Ngesabe abantu ngavumela okwabo.
25 And now remove, I pray you, my sin, and turn back with me, and I will worship the Lord your God.
Khathesi-ke ngiyakucela, thethelela isono sami ubuyele emuva lami, ukuze ngikhonze uThixo.”
26 And Samuel said to Saul, I will not turn back with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord will reject you from being king over Israel.
Kodwa uSamuyeli wathi kuye, “Angiyikubuyela emuva lawe. Ilizwi likaThixo ulalile, njalo uThixo usekwalile njengombusi wako-Israyeli!”
27 And Samuel turned his face to depart, and Saul caught hold of the skirt of his garment, and tore it.
Kwathi uSamuyeli ephenduka ukuba asuke, uSawuli wabamba umphetho wesembatho sakhe, sasesidabuka.
28 And Samuel said to him, The Lord has tore your kingdom from Israel out of your hand this day, and will give it to your neighbor who is better than you.
USamuyeli wathi kuye, “Uthixo usewudabule kuwe lamhla umbuso wako-Israyeli, njalo usewunike omunye wabomakhelwane bakho, lowo ongcono kulawe.
29 And Israel shall be divided to two: and [God] will not turn nor repent, for he is not as a man to repent.
Yena oyiNkazimulo ka-Israyeli kaqambi manga kumbe aguqule ingqondo yakhe, ngoba kasumuntu ukuba aguqule ingqondo yakhe.”
30 And Saul said, I have sinned; yet honor me, I pray you, before the elders of Israel, and before my people; and turn back with me, and I will worship the Lord your God.
USawuli waphendula wathi, “Ngenzile isono. Kodwa ake ungihloniphe phambi kwabadala babantu bami laphambi kuka-Israyeli; buyela lami, ukuze ngiyekhonza uThixo uNkulunkulu wakho.”
31 So Samuel turned back after Saul, and he worshipped the Lord.
Ngakho uSamuyeli wabuyela loSawuli wasekhonza uThixo.
32 And Samuel said, Bring me Agag the king of Amalec: and Agag came to him trembling; and Agag said Is death thus bitter?
USamuyeli wasesithi, “Ngilethelani u-Agagi inkosi yama-Amaleki.” U-Agagi waya kuye ngokwethemba ecabanga esithi, “Impela intukuthelo yokufa isiphelile.”
33 And Samuel said to Agag, As your sword has bereaved women of their children, so shall your mother be made childless among women: and Samuel killed Agag before the Lord in Galgal.
Kodwa uSamuyeli wathi, “Njengoba inkemba yakho yenze abesifazane baswela abantwana, ngokunjalo unyoko kazukuba lomntwana phakathi kwabesifazane.” USamuyeli wambulala u-Agagi phambi kukaThixo eGiligali.
34 And Samuel departed to Armathaim, and Saul went up to his house at Gabaa.
Emva kwalokho uSamuyeli wasuka waya eRama, kodwa uSawuli waya emzini wakhe eGibhiya yakoSawuli.
35 And Samuel did not see Saul again till the day of his death, for Samuel mourned after Saul, and the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.
USamuyeli kwaze kwaba lusuku lokufa kwakhe engazange ayembona uSawuli futhi, lanxa uSamuyeli wamlilela uSawuli. Uthixo wakhathazeka ngokuthi wayenze uSawuli waba yinkosi yako-Israyeli.