1 Samuel 31
1 Later, the Philistines again fought against the Israelis. The Israelis ran away from them, and (many Israelis were killed/the Philistines killed many Israelis) on Gilboa Mountain.
AmaFilistiya alwa lo-Israyeli; abako-Israyeli babaleka, njalo abanengi bafela eNtabeni yase Gilibhowa.
2 The Philistines caught up with Saul and his three sons, and they killed [all three of] his sons, Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua.
AmaFilistiya axotshana kanzima loSawuli kanye lamadodana akhe, abulala amadodana akhe uJonathani, lo-Abhinadabi kanye loMalikhi-Shuwa.
3 The fighting was very fierce around Saul. When the Philistine (archers/men with bows and arrows) caught up with Saul, they wounded him badly [with their arrows].
Impi yatshisa macele wonke kuSawuli, njalo kwathi abatshoki bemitshoko sebemxhumile, bamlimaza kubi.
4 Saul said to the man who was carrying his weapons, “Take out your sword and kill me with it, in order that these heathen Philistines will not be able to thrust their swords into me and make fun of me [while I am dying].” But the man who was carrying Saul’s weapons was terrified, and refused to do that. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. [The sword pierced his body and he died].
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 the man carrying his weapons saw that Saul was dead, he also threw himself on his own sword and died.
Kwathi umphathi wezikhali ebona ukuthi uSawuli wayesefile, laye waziwisela phezu kwenkemba yakhe wafa kanye laye.
6 So Saul, three of his sons, and the man who carried Saul’s weapons, all died on that same day.
Ngakho uSawuli lamadodana akhe amathathu lomphathi wezikhali zakhe kanye labantu bakhe bonke bafa ndawonye ngalo lolosuku.
7 When the Israeli people on the north side of the [Jezreel] Valley and on the east side of the Jordan [River] heard that the Israeli army had run away and that Saul and his sons had died, they left their towns and ran away. Then the Philistines came and occupied their towns.
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 take away the weapons of the dead [Israeli soldiers], they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on Gilboa Mountain.
Ngelanga elalandelayo, amaFilistiya esefikile ukuba akhuthuze abafileyo, afica uSawuli lamadodana akhe amathathu befile eNtabeni yase Gilibhowa.
9 They cut off Saul’s head and took his weapons. Then they sent messengers throughout their land, to proclaim the news, in the temple where they kept their idols, and to the other people, [that their army had killed Saul].
Amquma ikhanda lakhe athatha lezikhali zakhe, basebethuma izithunywa kulolonke ilizwe lamaFilistiya ukuthi zimemezele lindaba ethempelini lezithombe zawo lasebantwini bakibo.
10 They put Saul’s weapons in the temple of [their goddess] Astarte. They also fastened the bodies of Saul [and his sons] to the wall [that surrounded] Beth-Shan [city].
Abeka izikhali zakhe ethempelini lama-Ashithorethi. Kwathi isidumbu sakhe asibethela emdulini weBhethi-Shani.
11 When the people who lived in Jabesh in [the] Gilead [region] heard what the Philistines had done to Saul’s corpse,
Kwathi abantu baseJabheshi Giliyadi sebezwile ngokwakwenziwe ngamaFilistiya kuSawuli,
12 all their bravest soldiers walked all night to Beth-Shan. They took the corpses of Saul and his sons down from the city wall, and they took them back to Jabesh and burned the corpses 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 They took the bones and buried them under a [big] tamarisk tree. Then they (fasted/abstained from eating food) for seven days.
Athatha amathambo abo awembela ngaphansi kwesihlahla somthamarisiki eJabheshi, asezila insuku eziyisikhombisa.
