1 USamuyeli 7
1 Ngakho abantu baseKhiriyathi-Jeyarimi beza balithatha ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo. Balisa endlini ka-Abhinadabi eqaqeni bangcwelisa u-Eliyazari indodana yakhe ukuba agcine ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo.
[When] the men of Kiriath-Jearim [received that message, they] came to Beth-Shemesh and took the sacred chest of Yahweh. They took it to the house of Abinadab, which was on a hillside. They appointed Abinadab’s son Eleazar to take care of the chest.
2 Kwakuyisikhathi eside, iminyaka engamatshumi amabili isiyonke, ibhokisi lesivumelwano liseKhiriyathi-Jeyarimi. Njalo bonke abantu bako-Israyeli bakhala befuna uThixo.
The sacred chest stayed in Kiriath-Jearim for a long time—a total of 20 years. During that time all the people of Israel mourned [because it seemed that] Yahweh [had abandoned them] (OR, [and then they asked] Yahweh [to help them]).
3 USamuyeli wasesithi kuyo yonke indlu ka-Israyeli, “Nxa libuyela kuThixo ngezinhliziyo zenu zonke zehlukaniseni labonkulunkulu bezizweni labo-Ashithorethi lizinikele kuThixo njalo likhonze yena kuphela, uzalikhulula esandleni samaFilistiya.”
Then Samuel said to all the Israeli people, “If you truly [IDM] want to act like Yahweh’s people should, you must get rid of your statues of [the goddess] Astarte and the idols/statues of all the other foreign gods. You must decide to serve/worship only Yahweh. If you do that, he will rescue you from [the power of] [MTY] the Philistia people.”
4 Ngakho abako-Israyeli babalahla oBhali babo labo-Ashithorethi, bakhonza uThixo kuphela.
So the Israelis got rid of all their statues of the gods Baal and Astarte, and they worshiped only Yahweh.
5 USamuyeli wasesithi, “Buthanisani u-Israyeli wonke eMizipha mina ngizalikhulekela kuThixo.”
Then Samuel told them, “All you Israeli people must gather with me at Mizpah. Then I will pray to Yahweh for you.”
6 Kwathi sebebuthene eMizipha, bakha amanzi bawathela phambi kukaThixo. Ngalolosuku bazila njalo bavuma izono zabo khonapho besithi, “Sonile.” Njalo uSamuyeli wahlulela abantu bako-Israyeli eMizipha.
So they gathered at Mizpah, which was the town where Samuel previously was the leader of the Israeli people. They had a big ceremony there. They drew water [from a well], and poured the water on the ground while Yahweh watched. [To show that they were sorry for having worshiped idols], they did not eat any food on that day, and they confessed that they had sinned against Yahweh.
7 Kwathi amaFilistiya esizwa ukuthi u-Israyeli wayebuthene eMizipha, ababusi bamaFilistiya baya khona ukuyabahlasela. Kwathi abako-Israyeli bekuzwa, besaba ngenxa yamaFilistiya.
When the kings of the Philistia area heard that the Israeli people had gathered at Mizpah, they led their armies there to attack the Israelis. When the Israelis found out that the Philistia army was approaching them, they became very afraid.
8 Bathi kuSamuyeli, “Ungayekeli ukusikhalela kuThixo uNkulunkulu wethu ukuba asihlenge esandleni samaFilistiya.”
They told Samuel, “Pray to Yahweh to rescue us from the Philistia army [MTY], and do not stop pleading!”
9 USamuyeli wathatha iwundlu elimunyayo walinikela kuThixo njengomnikelo opheleleyo wokutshiswa. Wamkhulekela kuThixo u-Israyeli, uThixo wamphendula.
So Samuel took a very young lamb [and killed it] and offered it to Yahweh to be a sacrifice that was completely burned [on the altar]. Then he prayed and pleaded that Yahweh [would help] the Israelis, and Yahweh did help them.
10 Kwathi uSamuyeli enikela umnikelo wokutshiswa, amaFilistiya asondela eduze ukuba alwe lo-Israyeli. Kodwa mhlalokho uThixo waduma ngomdumo omkhulu emelane lamaFilistiya wawenza athuthumela kangangoba aze achithwachithwa phambi kwabako-Israyeli.
While Samuel was burning the offering, the Philistia army came near to attack the Israelis. But Yahweh caused it to thunder very loudly. The soldiers of the Philistia army became very frightened, and then they (became confused/did not know what to do). So the Israelis were able to defeat them.
11 Abantu bako-Israyeli bagijima bephuma eMizipha baxotshana lamaFilistiya bewabulala endleleni baze bayafika endaweni engaphansi kweBhethi-Khari.
The Israeli men ran out of Mizpah and pursued the Philistia soldiers almost to Beth-Car [town], and killed many Philistia soldiers while they were trying to run away.
12 USamuyeli wasethatha ilitshe walimisa phakathi kweMizipha leSheni. Walibiza ngokuthi yi-Ebhenezeri, esithi, “Kuze kube khathesi uThixo usisizile.”
After that happened, Samuel took a large stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah [towns]. He named the stone ‘Ebenezer’, [which means ‘stone of help’], because he said “Yahweh has helped us until the present time.”
13 Ngakho amaFilistiya anqotshwa njalo kawazange ahlasele ilizwe lako-Israyeli futhi. Kuyo yonke impilo kaSamuyeli, isandla sikaThixo sasimelane lamaFilistiya.
So the Philistia people were defeated, and for a long time they did not enter the Israeli land [to attack them] again. During the time that Samuel was alive, Yahweh powerfully protected [MTY] [the Israeli people] from [being attacked by] the Philistia army.
14 Amadolobho kusukela e-Ekroni kusiya eGathi ayethunjwe ngamaFilistiya ku-Israyeli abuyiselwa kuye, njalo u-Israyeli wakhulula ilizwe eliseduze emandleni amaFilistiya. Njalo kwaba lokuthula phakathi kuka-Israyeli lama-Amori.
The Israeli army was able to capture again the Israeli villages between Ekron and Gath that the Philistia army had captured before. The Israelis were also able to take again the other areas around those cities that the Philistia army had taken [from the Israelis] previously. And there was peace between the Israelis and the Amor people-group.
15 USamuyeli waqhubeka engumahluleli ka-Israyeli kuzozonke insuku zokuphila kwakhe.
Samuel continued to be the leader of the Israeli people until he died.
16 Iminyaka ngeminyaka wayenquma esuka eBhetheli aye eGiligali leMizipha, esahlulela u-Israyeli kuzozonke lezindawo.
As long as he was alive, every year he traveled back and forth between Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah [cities]. In those cities he listened to disputes between people and made decisions about them.
17 Kodwa wayehlezi ebuyela eRama lapho okwakulomuzi wakhe khona, lakhona wahlulela u-Israyeli. Njalo wakhela uThixo i-alithari.
After he listened to disputes and made decisions in each of those towns, he returned to his home at Ramah, and he would listen to people’s disputes there, also, [and make decisions about them]. And he built an altar at Ramah [to offer sacrifices] to Yahweh.
