1 USamuyeli 31
1 AmaFilisti alwa-ke loIsrayeli; lamadoda akoIsrayeli abaleka phambi kwamaFilisti, awa efile entabeni yeGilibowa.
Later, the Philistines again fought against the Israelis. The Israelis ran away from them, and (many Israelis were killed/the Philistines killed many Israelis) on Gilboa Mountain.
2 AmaFilisti asenamathela kuSawuli lamadodana akhe; amaFilisti abulala uJonathani, loAbinadaba, loMaliki-Shuwa, amadodana kaSawuli.
The Philistines caught up with Saul and his three sons, and they killed [all three of] his sons, Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua.
3 Lempi yaba nzima kuSawuli, abatshoki bamfica, amadoda edandili; wasesiba lobuhlungu kakhulu ngabatshoki.
The fighting was very fierce around Saul. When the Philistine (archers/men with bows and arrows) caught up with Saul, they wounded him badly [with their arrows].
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 the man who was carrying his weapons, “Take out your sword and kill me with it, in order that these heathen Philistines will not be able to thrust their swords into me and make fun of me [while I am dying].” But the man who was carrying Saul’s weapons was terrified, and refused to do that. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. [The sword pierced his body and he died].
5 Lapho umthwali wezikhali zakhe ebona ukuthi uSawuli usefile, laye waziwisela phezu kwenkemba yakhe, wafa kanye laye.
When the man carrying his weapons saw that Saul was dead, he also threw himself on his own sword and died.
6 Wafa-ke uSawuli lamadodana akhe amathathu lomthwali wezikhali zakhe labo bonke abantu bakhe ngalolosuku ndawonye.
So Saul, three of his sons, and the man who carried Saul’s weapons, all died on that 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 Israeli people on the north side of the [Jezreel] Valley and on the east side of the Jordan [River] heard that the Israeli army had run away and that Saul and his sons had died, they left their towns and ran away. Then the Philistines came and occupied their towns.
8 Kwasekusithi kusisa lapho amaFilisti efika ukuhlubula ababuleweyo, afica uSawuli lamadodana akhe amathathu bewile entabeni yeGilibowa.
The next day, when the Philistines came to take away the weapons of the dead [Israeli soldiers], they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons on Gilboa Mountain.
9 Asequma ikhanda lakhe, ahlubula izikhali zakhe, athumela elizweni lamaFilisti inhlangothi zonke ukumemezela imibiko endlini yezithombe zabo lebantwini.
They cut off Saul’s head and took his weapons. Then they sent messengers throughout their land, to proclaim the news, in the temple where they kept their idols, and to the other people, [that their army had killed Saul].
10 Abeka izikhali zakhe endlini kaAshitarothi. Abophela isidumbu sakhe emdulini weBeti-Shani.
They put Saul’s weapons in the temple of [their goddess] Astarte. They also fastened the bodies of Saul [and his sons] to the wall [that surrounded] Beth-Shan [city].
11 Kwathi abahlali beJabeshi-Gileyadi sebezwile ngalokho amaFilisti akwenze kuSawuli,
When the people who lived in Jabesh in [the] Gilead [region] heard what the Philistines had done to Saul’s corpse,
12 asukuma wonke amaqhawe, ahamba ubusuku bonke, athatha isidumbu sikaSawuli lezidumbu zamadodana akhe emdulini weBeti-Shani, eza eJabeshi, azitshisa khona.
all their bravest soldiers walked all night to Beth-Shan. They took the corpses of Saul and his sons down from the city wall, and they took them back to Jabesh and burned the corpses there.
13 Asethatha amathambo abo, awangcwaba ngaphansi kwesihlahla setamarisiki eJabeshi, azila ukudla insuku eziyisikhombisa.
They took the bones and buried them under a [big] tamarisk tree. Then they (fasted/abstained from eating food) for seven days.
