1 USamuyeli 10
1 USamuyeli wasethatha umfuma wamafutha wawathela ekhanda likaSawuli wasemanga, esithi, “Uthixo kakugcobanga ukuba ngumbusi welifa lakhe na?
Then took Samuel a flask of oil, and poured out upon his head, and kissed him, —and said—Is it not, that Yahweh hath anointed thee over his inheritance, as leader?
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 thou departest, to-day, from me, then shalt thou find two men by the grave of Rachel, within the boundary of Benjamin, in Zelzah, —and they will say unto thee, The asses are found, which thou wentest to seek, and lo! thy father hath abandoned caring for the asses, and is concerned for you, saying, What shall I do for 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 shalt thou pass on quickly from thence onwards, and come as far as the oak of Tabor, and there shall find thee there, three men going up unto God, at Bethel, —one, carrying three kids, and, another, carrying three cakes of bread, and, another, carrying a skin of wine;
4 Azakubingelela akuphe izinkwa ezimbili, ozazamukela kuwo.
then will they ask thee, of thy welfare, —and give thee two cakes of bread, which thou shalt receive at their hand.
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, shalt thou come unto the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines, —and it shall be, as thou comest in thither into the city, thou shalt light upon a band of prophets, coming down from the high place, and, before them, a harp, and a timbrel, and a flute, and a lyre, they having been moved to prophesy.
6 UMoya kaThixo uzakwehlela phezu kwakho ngamandla, lawe uzaphrofetha labo, njalo uzaguqulwa ube ngomunye umuntu.
Then will come suddenly upon thee, the Spirit of Yahweh, and thou shalt be moved to prophesy with them, —and shalt be changed into another man.
7 Izibonakaliso lezi zingagcwaliseka, yenza loba yini okubona kufanele ukuba ukwenze, ngoba uNkulunkulu ulawe.
And it shall be, when these signs shall come unto thee, then act thou for thyself, as thou shalt find occasion, for, God, is with thee.
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 thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal, for lo! I am coming down unto thee, to offer up ascending-offerings, to sacrifice peace-offerings, —seven days, shalt thou tarry, until I come unto thee, then will I let thee know what thou shalt do.
9 Kwathi uSawuli ephenduka esesuka kuSamuyeli, uNkulunkulu waguqula inhliziyo kaSawuli, njalo zonke izibonakaliso lezi zagcwaliseka mhlalokho.
And so it was, that, when he turned away to depart from Samuel, God gave him another heart, —and all these signs came to pass that day.
10 Bathi befika eGibhiya, udwendwe lwabaphrofethi lwabahlangabeza; uMoya kaNkulunkulu wehlela phezu kwakhe ngamandla, laye wahlanganyela ekuphrofitheni kwabo.
And, when they came thither to the hill, lo! a band of prophets coming to meet him, —then came suddenly upon him, the Spirit of God, and he was moved to prophesy in their midst.
11 Kwathi labo ababevele bemazi bembona esephrofitha labaphrofethi, babuzana besithi, “Kuyini kanti lokhu osekwenzakale endodaneni kaKhishi? USawuli laye ungomunye wabaphrofethi na?”
And it came to pass, that, all who knew him aforetime, looked, and lo! with the prophets, he did prophesy. So the people said, one to another—What, now, hath befallen the son of Kish? Is, even Saul, among the prophets?
12 Umuntu owayehlala lapho waphendula wathi, “Uyise wabo ngubani na?” Ngakho kwaba yisitsho ukuthi: “USawuli laye ungomunye wabaphrofethi na?”
Then responded one of that place, and said, But who is, their father? For this cause, it became a proverb, Is, even Saul, among the prophets?
13 Kwathi uSawuli eseyekele ukuphrofetha, wasesiya endaweni ephakemeyo.
And, when he had made an end of prophesying, he came 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.”
Then said Saul’s uncle unto him, and unto his young man—Whither have ye been? And he said, To seek the asses, and, when they were nowhere, to be seen, we came unto Samuel.
15 Uyise omncane kaSawuli wasesithi, “Ngitshela ukuthi uSamuyeli utheni kuwe.”
And Saul’s uncle said, —Do tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said to you.
16 USawuli waphendula wathi, “Uqinise kithi ukuthi obabhemi sebebonakele.” Kodwa kamtshelanga uyise omncane okwakutshiwo nguSamuyeli ngobukhosi.
And Saul said unto his uncle, He, told, us that the asses were found, —but, as to the matter of the kingdom, he told him not what Samuel had said.
17 USamuyeli wabizela abantu bako-Israyeli kuThixo eMizipha
Then Samuel called out the people, unto Yahweh, 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 unto the sons of Israel—Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel: I myself, brought up Israel, out of Egypt, —and rescued you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that distressed 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.”
Yet, ye, to-day, have rejected your God, who, himself, hath been giving you salvation from all your calamities and your distresses, and ye have said to him: A king, shalt thou set over us, —Now, therefore, present yourselves before Yahweh, by your tribes, and by your thousands.
20 Kwathi uSamuyeli esezilethe eduze zonke izizwana zako-Israyeli, isizwana sikaBhenjamini sakhethwa.
And, when Samuel had brought near all the tribes of Israel, then was taken the tribe of Benjamin.
21 Emva kwalokho waletha isizwana sikaBhenjamini phambili, usendo ngosendo, kwakhethwa usendo lukaMathiri. Ekucineni kwakhethwa uSawuli, indodana kaKhishi. Kodwa kwathi sebemdinga akaze abonakala.
And, when he had brought near the tribe of Benjamin, by their families, then was taken the family of Matri, —and, when he had brought near the family of Matri, man by man, then was taken Saul the son of Kish; so they sought him, but he was not to be found.
22 Ngakho babuza njalo kuThixo bathi, “Umuntu lo uke wafika lapha na?” UThixo wathi, “Ye, usezifihle phakathi kwezimpahla.”
Then asked they again of Yahweh, Hath there yet to come in hither a man? And Yahweh said, Lo! he, hath hid himself among the stores.
23 Bagijima bayamkhipha, njalo kwathi esemi phakathi kwabantu, wayemude kulabo bonke.
So they ran, and fetched him thence, and, when he presented himself in the midst of the people, then was he [seen to be] taller than any of the people, from his shoulders and upwards.
24 USamuyeli wasesithi ebantwini bonke, “Liyambona yini umuntu osekhethwe nguThixo? Kakho lamunye onjengaye phakathi kwabantu bonke bako-Israyeli.” Abantu baklabalala besithi, “Impilo ende enkosini!”
And Samuel said unto all the people—Have ye seen him whom Yahweh hath chosen, that there is none like him, among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said—Let the king live!
25 USamuyeli wachaza ebantwini imithetho yobukhosi. Wayiloba emqulwini wayibeka phambi kukaThixo. Emva kwalokho wabachitha abantu, ngulowo lalowo waya emzini wakhe.
Then Samuel declared unto the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a scroll, and laid it up before Yahweh. And Samuel sent away all the people, every man to his own house.
26 USawuli laye waya kibo eGibhiya ephelekezelwa ngabantu abangamaqhawe uNkulunkulu ayethinte inhliziyo zabo.
Yea, even Saul, went to his own house, at Gibeah, —and the valiant men whose heart God had moved went with him.
27 Kodwa ezinye izidlwangudlwangu zathi, “Umuntu lo angasikhulula kanjani na?” Zameyisa kazaze zamlethela zipho. Kodwa uSawuli wazithulela.
But, abandoned men, said—How can this one save us? So they treated him with contempt, and brought him no present, —but he was as one that was deaf.
