1 USamuyeli 13
1 USawuli wayelomnyaka embusweni wakhe. Esebuse uIsrayeli okweminyaka emibili,
Saul was thirty when he became king, and he reigned over Israel for forty-two years.
2 uSawuli wasezikhethela abayizinkulungwane ezintathu kwamaIsrayeli; njalo abayizinkulungwane ezimbili babeloSawuli eMikimashi lentabeni yeBhetheli, lenkulungwane yaba loJonathani eGibeya yakoBhenjamini; labaseleyo babantu wabayekela bahamba, ngulowo lalowo ethenteni lakhe.
Saul had chosen three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand of them were with Saul in Michmash and the hill country of Bethel, and another thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the army home.
3 UJonathani wasetshaya ibutho lenqaba yamaFilisti eyayiseGeba, lamaFilisti akuzwa. USawuli wasevuthela uphondo elizweni lonke esithi: AmaHebheru kawezwe.
Jonathan attacked the Philistine garrison at Geba. The Philistines soon heard about it, so Saul had the trumpet call to arms sounded throughout the land, saying, “Hebrews, pay attention!”
4 UIsrayeli wonke wezwa kuthiwa uSawuli utshayile ibutho lenqaba yamaFilisti lokuthi uIsrayeli laye waba levumba kumaFilisti. Abantu basebebizelwa ndawonye ukulandela uSawuli baye eGiligali.
All of Israel heard the news, “Saul has attacked the Philistine garrison, and now Israel is like a bad smell to the Philistines!” So the whole army was called up to join Saul at Gilgal.
5 AmaFilisti asebuthana ukuthi alwe loIsrayeli, inqola eziyizinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amathathu, labagadi bamabhiza abayizinkulungwane eziyisithupha, labantu abalingana letshebetshebe elisekhunjini lolwandle ngobunengi; enyuka amisa inkamba eMikimashi, empumalanga kweBeti-Aveni.
The Philistines gathered to fight against Israel. They had three thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and soldiers as numerous as sand on the seashore. They advanced and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.
6 Kwathi amadoda akoIsrayeli ebona ukuthi asekuminyezelweni, ngoba abantu bacindezelwa, abantu bacatsha embalwini lezixukwini zameva, lemadwaleni, lezinqabeni, lemigodini.
When the Israelite men realized the tough situation they were in, and that the army was taking a beating, they hid themselves in caves, holes, rocks, pits, and cisterns.
7 LamaHebheru achapha iJordani, aya elizweni leGadi leGileyadi. Kodwa uSawuli wayelokhu eseGiligali, labantu bonke bathuthumela bemlandela.
Some of the Hebrews even crossed the Jordan into the territory of Gad and Gilead, but Saul stayed at Gilgal, and all the men with him were trembling with fear.
8 Waselinda insuku eziyisikhombisa, njengesikhathi esamiswa nguSamuweli; kodwa uSamuweli kafikanga eGiligali, labantu bahlakazeka besuka kuye.
Saul waited there seven days for the time that Samuel had said, but Samuel did not arrive at Gilgal, and the army started to desert him.
9 USawuli wasesithi: Sondezani kimi umnikelo wokutshiswa leminikelo yokuthula. Wasenikela umnikelo wokutshiswa.
So Saul ordered, “Bring the burnt offering and the friendship offerings to me,” and he presented the burnt offering.
10 Kwasekusithi eseqede ukunikela umnikelo wokutshiswa, khangela, uSamuweli wafika; uSawuli wasephuma ukumhlangabeza ukuze ambingelele.
Just as he finished presenting the burnt offering, he saw Samuel arrive. Saul went over to meet him and say hello.
11 USamuweli wasesithi: Wenzeni? USawuli wasesithi: Ngoba ngibone ukuthi abantu babehlakazeka besuka kimi, lawe ungafikanga ngesikhathi esimisiweyo sezinsuku, lokuthi amaFilisti asebuthene eMikimashi.
“What have you done?” Samuel asked. Saul replied, “Well I saw my men were deserting me, and you hadn't arrived when you said you would, and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash to attack.
12 Ngakho ngathi: Khathesi amaFilisti azangehlela eGiligali, ngingancenganga ubuso beNkosi. Ngasengizibamba ngamandla, nganikela umnikelo wokutshiswa.
I said to myself, ‘The Philistines are about to attack me at Gilgal, and I haven't asked the Lord for his help.’ So I felt I had to present the burnt offering myself.”
13 USamuweli wasesithi kuSawuli: Wenze ngobuwula; kawuwugcinanga umlayo weNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho eyakulaya wona; ngoba khathesi iNkosi ibizawumisa umbuso wakho koIsrayeli kuze kube nininini.
“You've been really stupid,” Samuel told him. “You haven't kept the commands of the Lord your God. If you had, the Lord would have made your kingdom over Israel secure forever.
14 Kodwa khathesi umbuso wakho kawuyikuma. INkosi isizidingele umuntu ngokwenhliziyo yayo, njalo iNkosi isimlayile ukuthi abe ngumbusi phezu kwabantu bayo, ngoba kawugcinanga lokho iNkosi ekulaye khona.
But now your kingdom won't last. The Lord has found for himself a man who thinks like him, and has chosen him as ruler over his people, because you haven't kept the commands of the Lord.”
15 USamuweli wasesukuma wenyuka esuka eGiligali waya eGibeya yakoBhenjamini. USawuli wasebala abantu abaficwa belaye, phose abangamakhulu ayisithupha.
Then Samuel left Gilgal. The rest of the soldiers followed Saul to meet the army, going from Gilgal to Geba in Benjamin. Saul counted the number of soldiers who were with him and there were about six hundred.
16 Njalo uSawuli loJonathani indodana yakhe labantu abaficwa belabo bahlala eGibeya yakoBhenjamini, kodwa amaFilisti amisa inkamba eMikimashi.
Saul, his son Jonathan, and the soldiers with them were staying in Geba of Benjamin, while the Philistines were camped at Michmash.
17 Abachithi basebephuma enkambeni yamaFilisti ngezigaba ezintathu; esinye isigaba saphendukela endleleni yeOfira, saya elizweni leShuwali;
Three groups of raiders left the Philistine camp to go and attack. One group went towards Ophrah in the land of Shual,
18 lesinye isigaba saphendukela endleleni yeBhethi-Horoni; lesinye isigaba saphendukela endleleni yomngcele okhangele esihotsheni seZeboyimi ngasenkangala.
one towards Beth-horon, and one towards the border that looks down on the Valley of Zeboim by the wilderness.
19 Njalo kwakungatholakali mkhandi elizweni lonke lakoIsrayeli, ngoba amaFilisti athi: Hlezi amaHebheru enze izinkemba loba imikhonto.
There wasn't a blacksmith to be found anywhere in Israel, because the Philistines had said, “So that the Hebrews don't make swords and spears.”
20 UIsrayeli wonke-ke wehlela kumaFilisti ukulola, ngulowo lalowo isikali sakhe sekhuba, lemataka yakhe, lehloka lakhe, lesikela yakhe.
All the Israelites had to go to the Philistines to sharpen their iron plowshares, pickaxes, axes, and sickles.
21 Imbadalo yezikali zekhuba lamamataka lamafologwe alencijo ezintathu lamahloka lokulungisa izincijo yayiyipimi.
The fee was two-thirds of a shekel for plowshares and pickaxes, and a third of a shekel for sharpening the axes and cattle prods.
22 Ngakho kwathi ngosuku lwempi kakutholakalanga inkemba loba umkhonto esandleni saloba ngubani wabantu ababeloSawuli lababeloJonathani; kodwa kwatholakala kuSawuli loJonathani indodana yakhe.
So when it came to the day of battle none of the soldiers with Saul and Jonathan had swords or spears—only Saul and his son Jonathan had such weapons.
23 Lebutho lenqaba yamaFilisti laphuma laya emkhandlweni weMikimashi.
A Philistine garrison had taken control of the pass at Michmash.
