1 USamuyeli 10
1 USamuyeli wasethatha umfuma wamafutha wawathela ekhanda likaSawuli wasemanga, esithi, “Uthixo kakugcobanga ukuba ngumbusi welifa lakhe na?
Then Samuel took a flask of oil, poured it on Saul’s head, kissed him, and said, “Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over His inheritance?
2 Ekusukeni kwakho kimi lamhla, uzahlangana lamadoda amabili eduze kwengcwaba likaRasheli, eliseZeliza esemngceleni wakoBhenjamini. Azakuthi kuwe, ‘Obabhemi obuyebadinga sebetholakele. Khathesi uyihlo kasacabangi ngabo kodwa usekhathazeka ngawe. Uyabuza esithi, “Ngizakwenzanjani ngendodana yami na?”’
When you leave me today, you will find two men at Rachel’s tomb in Zelzah on the border of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you seek have been found, and now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and started worrying about you, asking, “What should I do about my son?”’
3 Uzahamba-ke usuka lapho uze ufike esihlahleni esikhulu saseThabhori. Amadoda amathathu aya kuNkulunkulu eBhetheli azahlangana lawe khonapho. Enye izathwala amazinyane embuzi amathathu, enye izinkwa ezintathu lenye umgodla wewayini.
Then you will go on from there until you come to the Oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine.
4 Azakubingelela akuphe izinkwa ezimbili, ozazamukela kuwo.
They will greet you and give you two loaves of bread, which you will accept from their hands.
5 Emva kwalokho, uzakuya eGibhiya kaNkulunkulu lapho okulesilindo sebutho lamaFilistiya khona. Lapho usubanga emzini, uzahlangana lodwendwe lwabaphrofethi besehla bevela endaweni ephakemeyo, phambi kwabo kutshaywa imiqangala lamagedla lemifece kanye lemihubhe, njalo bazakuba bephrofetha.
After that you will come to Gibeah of God, where the Philistines have an outpost. As you approach the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place, preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres, and they will be prophesying.
6 UMoya kaThixo uzakwehlela phezu kwakho ngamandla, lawe uzaphrofetha labo, njalo uzaguqulwa ube ngomunye umuntu.
Then the Spirit of the LORD will rush upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be transformed into a different person.
7 Izibonakaliso lezi zingagcwaliseka, yenza loba yini okubona kufanele ukuba ukwenze, ngoba uNkulunkulu ulawe.
When these signs have come, do as the occasion demands, for God is with you.
8 Hamba ungandulele eGiligali. Ngizakuza kuwe impela ngizenikela umhlatshelo weminikelo yokutshiswa leminikelo yobuzalwane. Kodwa kuzamele ulinde insuku eziyisikhombisa ngize ngifike kuwe ngikutshele okumele ukwenze.”
And you shall go before me to Gilgal, and surely I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you are to do.”
9 Kwathi uSawuli ephenduka esesuka kuSamuyeli, uNkulunkulu waguqula inhliziyo kaSawuli, njalo zonke izibonakaliso lezi zagcwaliseka mhlalokho.
As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all the signs came to pass that day.
10 Bathi befika eGibhiya, udwendwe lwabaphrofethi lwabahlangabeza; uMoya kaNkulunkulu wehlela phezu kwakhe ngamandla, laye wahlanganyela ekuphrofitheni kwabo.
When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Then the Spirit of God rushed upon him, and he prophesied along with them.
11 Kwathi labo ababevele bemazi bembona esephrofitha labaphrofethi, babuzana besithi, “Kuyini kanti lokhu osekwenzakale endodaneni kaKhishi? USawuli laye ungomunye wabaphrofethi na?”
All those who had formerly known Saul and saw him prophesying with the prophets asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
12 Umuntu owayehlala lapho waphendula wathi, “Uyise wabo ngubani na?” Ngakho kwaba yisitsho ukuthi: “USawuli laye ungomunye wabaphrofethi na?”
Then a man who lived there replied, “And who is their father?” So the saying became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
13 Kwathi uSawuli eseyekele ukuphrofetha, wasesiya endaweni ephakemeyo.
And when Saul had finished prophesying, he went up to the high place.
14 Ngalesosikhathi uyise omncane kaSawuli wambuza kanye lenceku yakhe wathi, “Kanti kade lingaphi?” USawuli waphendula wathi, “Kade sidinga obabhemi. Kodwa kuthe sibona ukuthi kabatholakali, sasesisiya kuSamuyeli.”
Now Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where did you go?” “To look for the donkeys,” Saul replied. “When we saw they were not to be found, we went to Samuel.”
15 Uyise omncane kaSawuli wasesithi, “Ngitshela ukuthi uSamuyeli utheni kuwe.”
“Tell me,” Saul’s uncle asked, “what did Samuel say to you?”
16 USawuli waphendula wathi, “Uqinise kithi ukuthi obabhemi sebebonakele.” Kodwa kamtshelanga uyise omncane okwakutshiwo nguSamuyeli ngobukhosi.
And Saul replied, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about the kingship.
17 USamuyeli wabizela abantu bako-Israyeli kuThixo eMizipha
After this, Samuel summoned the people to the LORD at Mizpah
18 wathi kubo, “Nanku okutshiwo yiThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli: ‘Ngakhupha u-Israyeli eGibhithe, njalo ngalikhulula esandleni seGibhithe lakuyo yonke imibuso eyayilincindezela.’
and said to the Israelites, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hands of the Egyptians and of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.’
19 Kodwa khathesi selimalile uNkulunkulu wenu, olihlengayo ezingozini zenu zonke lasezinsizini. Njalo selithe, ‘Hatshi, sibekele inkosi ezasibusa.’ Ngakho-ke khathesi zibonakaliseni phambi kukaThixo ngezizwana zenu langezinsendo zenu.”
But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions, and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.”
20 Kwathi uSamuyeli esezilethe eduze zonke izizwana zako-Israyeli, isizwana sikaBhenjamini sakhethwa.
Thus Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was selected.
21 Emva kwalokho waletha isizwana sikaBhenjamini phambili, usendo ngosendo, kwakhethwa usendo lukaMathiri. Ekucineni kwakhethwa uSawuli, indodana kaKhishi. Kodwa kwathi sebemdinga akaze abonakala.
Then he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by its clans, and the clan of Matri was selected. Finally, Saul son of Kish was selected. But when they looked for him, they could not find him.
22 Ngakho babuza njalo kuThixo bathi, “Umuntu lo uke wafika lapha na?” UThixo wathi, “Ye, usezifihle phakathi kwezimpahla.”
So again they inquired of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” And the LORD replied, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.”
23 Bagijima bayamkhipha, njalo kwathi esemi phakathi kwabantu, wayemude kulabo bonke.
So they ran and brought Saul, and when he stood among the people, he was a head taller than any of the others.
24 USamuyeli wasesithi ebantwini bonke, “Liyambona yini umuntu osekhethwe nguThixo? Kakho lamunye onjengaye phakathi kwabantu bonke bako-Israyeli.” Abantu baklabalala besithi, “Impilo ende enkosini!”
Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 USamuyeli wachaza ebantwini imithetho yobukhosi. Wayiloba emqulwini wayibeka phambi kukaThixo. Emva kwalokho wabachitha abantu, ngulowo lalowo waya emzini wakhe.
Then Samuel explained to the people the rights of kingship. He wrote them on a scroll and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each to his own home.
26 USawuli laye waya kibo eGibhiya ephelekezelwa ngabantu abangamaqhawe uNkulunkulu ayethinte inhliziyo zabo.
Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and the men of valor whose hearts God had touched went with him.
27 Kodwa ezinye izidlwangudlwangu zathi, “Umuntu lo angasikhulula kanjani na?” Zameyisa kazaze zamlethela zipho. Kodwa uSawuli wazithulela.
But some worthless men said, “How can this man save us?” So they despised him and brought him no gifts; but Saul remained silent about it.
