1 USamuyeli 13
1 USawuli wayelomnyaka embusweni wakhe. Esebuse uIsrayeli okweminyaka emibili,
Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign; when he had reigned forty years over Israel,
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.
he chose three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with him in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the soldiers he sent home, each man to his tent.
3 UJonathani wasetshaya ibutho lenqaba yamaFilisti eyayiseGeba, lamaFilisti akuzwa. USawuli wasevuthela uphondo elizweni lonke esithi: AmaHebheru kawezwe.
Jonathan defeated the garrison of the Philistines that was at Geba and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.”
4 UIsrayeli wonke wezwa kuthiwa uSawuli utshayile ibutho lenqaba yamaFilisti lokuthi uIsrayeli laye waba levumba kumaFilisti. Abantu basebebizelwa ndawonye ukulandela uSawuli baye eGiligali.
All Israel heard that Saul had defeated the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become a rotten smell to the Philistines. Then the soldiers were summoned together 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 together to fight against Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand men to drive the chariots, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They came up and encamped 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 men of Israel saw that they were in trouble—for the people were distressed, the people hid in caves, in the underbrush, in rocks, in wells, and in pits.
7 LamaHebheru achapha iJordani, aya elizweni leGadi leGileyadi. Kodwa uSawuli wayelokhu eseGiligali, labantu bonke bathuthumela bemlandela.
Some of the Hebrews went over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. But Saul was still at Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 Waselinda insuku eziyisikhombisa, njengesikhathi esamiswa nguSamuweli; kodwa uSamuweli kafikanga eGiligali, labantu bahlakazeka besuka kuye.
He waited seven days, the time Samuel had set. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from Saul.
9 USawuli wasesithi: Sondezani kimi umnikelo wokutshiswa leminikelo yokuthula. Wasenikela umnikelo wokutshiswa.
Saul said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” Then he offered the burnt offering.
10 Kwasekusithi eseqede ukunikela umnikelo wokutshiswa, khangela, uSamuweli wafika; uSawuli wasephuma ukumhlangabeza ukuze ambingelele.
As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet him and to greet him.
11 USamuweli wasesithi: Wenzeni? USawuli wasesithi: Ngoba ngibone ukuthi abantu babehlakazeka besuka kimi, lawe ungafikanga ngesikhathi esimisiweyo sezinsuku, lokuthi amaFilisti asebuthene eMikimashi.
Then Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul replied, “When I saw that the people were leaving me, and that you did not come within the set time, and that the Philistines had assembled at Michmash,
12 Ngakho ngathi: Khathesi amaFilisti azangehlela eGiligali, ngingancenganga ubuso beNkosi. Ngasengizibamba ngamandla, nganikela umnikelo wokutshiswa.
I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of Yahweh.' So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”
13 USamuweli wasesithi kuSawuli: Wenze ngobuwula; kawuwugcinanga umlayo weNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho eyakulaya wona; ngoba khathesi iNkosi ibizawumisa umbuso wakho koIsrayeli kuze kube nininini.
Then Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly. You have not kept the command of Yahweh your God that he gave you. For then Yahweh would have established your rule over Israel 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 rule will not continue. Yahweh has sought out a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not obeyed what he commanded you.”
15 USamuweli wasesukuma wenyuka esuka eGiligali waya eGibeya yakoBhenjamini. USawuli wasebala abantu abaficwa belaye, phose abangamakhulu ayisithupha.
Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Then Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.
16 Njalo uSawuli loJonathani indodana yakhe labantu abaficwa belabo bahlala eGibeya yakoBhenjamini, kodwa amaFilisti amisa inkamba eMikimashi.
Saul, his son Jonathan, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin. But the Philistines camped at Michmash.
17 Abachithi basebephuma enkambeni yamaFilisti ngezigaba ezintathu; esinye isigaba saphendukela endleleni yeOfira, saya elizweni leShuwali;
Raiders came from the camp of the Philistines in three groups. One group turned toward Ophrah, to the land of Shual.
18 lesinye isigaba saphendukela endleleni yeBhethi-Horoni; lesinye isigaba saphendukela endleleni yomngcele okhangele esihotsheni seZeboyimi ngasenkangala.
Another group turned toward Beth Horon, and another group turned toward the border that overlooks the Valley of Zeboyim toward the wilderness.
19 Njalo kwakungatholakali mkhandi elizweni lonke lakoIsrayeli, ngoba amaFilisti athi: Hlezi amaHebheru enze izinkemba loba imikhonto.
No blacksmith could be found throughout all of Israel, because the Philistines said, “Otherwise the Hebrews would make swords or spears for themselves.”
20 UIsrayeli wonke-ke wehlela kumaFilisti ukulola, ngulowo lalowo isikali sakhe sekhuba, lemataka yakhe, lehloka lakhe, lesikela yakhe.
But all the men of Israel used to go down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plow points, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle.
21 Imbadalo yezikali zekhuba lamamataka lamafologwe alencijo ezintathu lamahloka lokulungisa izincijo yayiyipimi.
The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plow points, and the mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for sharpening axes and for straightening the goads.
22 Ngakho kwathi ngosuku lwempi kakutholakalanga inkemba loba umkhonto esandleni saloba ngubani wabantu ababeloSawuli lababeloJonathani; kodwa kwatholakala kuSawuli loJonathani indodana yakhe.
So on the day of battle, there were no swords or spears found in the hands of any of the soldiers who were with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
23 Lebutho lenqaba yamaFilisti laphuma laya emkhandlweni weMikimashi.
The garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.
