1 USamuyeli 31
1 AmaFilisti alwa-ke loIsrayeli; lamadoda akoIsrayeli abaleka phambi kwamaFilisti, awa efile entabeni yeGilibowa.
Meanwhile the Philistines had attacked Israel, and the Israelite army ran away from them, and many were killed on Mount Gilboa.
2 AmaFilisti asenamathela kuSawuli lamadodana akhe; amaFilisti abulala uJonathani, loAbinadaba, loMaliki-Shuwa, amadodana kaSawuli.
The Philistines chased down Saul and his sons, killing Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.
3 Lempi yaba nzima kuSawuli, abatshoki bamfica, amadoda edandili; wasesiba lobuhlungu kakhulu ngabatshoki.
The fighting became very intense around Saul, and the arrows of the Philistine archers found their target, wounding Saul very badly.
4 USawuli wasesithi kumthwali wezikhali zakhe: Hwatsha inkemba yakho, ungigwaze ngayo, hlezi laba abangasokanga bafike bangigwaze, badlale kubi ngami. Kodwa umthwali wezikhali zakhe kavumanga, ngoba wesaba kakhulu. Ngakho uSawuli wathatha inkemba, waziwisela phezu kwayo.
Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Take your sword and kill me, or these heathen men will come and kill and torture me!” But the armor-bearer didn't want to do it because he was too afraid. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5 Lapho umthwali wezikhali zakhe ebona ukuthi uSawuli usefile, laye waziwisela phezu kwenkemba yakhe, wafa kanye laye.
When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died with him.
6 Wafa-ke uSawuli lamadodana akhe amathathu lomthwali wezikhali zakhe labo bonke abantu bakhe ngalolosuku ndawonye.
Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all the men with him, died the same day.
7 Lapho amadoda akoIsrayeli ayengaphetsheya kwesigodi layengaphetsheya kweJordani ebona ukuthi amadoda akoIsrayeli abalekile, lokuthi uSawuli lamadodana akhe sebefile, atshiya imizi, abaleka; amaFilisti asefika, ahlala kiyo.
When the Israelites who lived along the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan realized that the Israelite army had run away, and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and they also ran away. So the Philistines came and took them over.
8 Kwasekusithi kusisa lapho amaFilisti efika ukuhlubula ababuleweyo, afica uSawuli lamadodana akhe amathathu bewile entabeni yeGilibowa.
The next day, when the Philistines went to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons lying on Mount Gilboa.
9 Asequma ikhanda lakhe, ahlubula izikhali zakhe, athumela elizweni lamaFilisti inhlangothi zonke ukumemezela imibiko endlini yezithombe zabo lebantwini.
They cut off Saul's head, stripped him of his armor, and sent messengers throughout the country of the Philistines to announce the news in the temples of their idols and to their people.
10 Abeka izikhali zakhe endlini kaAshitarothi. Abophela isidumbu sakhe emdulini weBeti-Shani.
They placed his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and nailed his body to the town wall of Beth-shan.
11 Kwathi abahlali beJabeshi-Gileyadi sebezwile ngalokho amaFilisti akwenze kuSawuli,
However, when the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 asukuma wonke amaqhawe, ahamba ubusuku bonke, athatha isidumbu sikaSawuli lezidumbu zamadodana akhe emdulini weBeti-Shani, eza eJabeshi, azitshisa khona.
all their strong warriors set out, traveled all night, and took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. When they got back to Jabesh, they burned the bodies there.
13 Asethatha amathambo abo, awangcwaba ngaphansi kwesihlahla setamarisiki eJabeshi, azila ukudla insuku eziyisikhombisa.
Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.
