1 USamuyeli 31
1 AmaFilisti alwa-ke loIsrayeli; lamadoda akoIsrayeli abaleka phambi kwamaFilisti, awa efile entabeni yeGilibowa.
Now the Philistines fought against Israel. The men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down dead on Mount Gilboa.
2 AmaFilisti asenamathela kuSawuli lamadodana akhe; amaFilisti abulala uJonathani, loAbinadaba, loMaliki-Shuwa, amadodana kaSawuli.
The Philistines closely pursued Saul and his sons. The Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua, his sons.
3 Lempi yaba nzima kuSawuli, abatshoki bamfica, amadoda edandili; wasesiba lobuhlungu kakhulu ngabatshoki.
The battle went heavily against Saul, and the archers overtook him. He was in severe pain because of them.
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.
Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it. Otherwise, these uncircumcised will come and abuse me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was very 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 likewise fell on his sword and died with him.
6 Wafa-ke uSawuli lamadodana akhe amathathu lomthwali wezikhali zakhe labo bonke abantu bakhe ngalolosuku ndawonye.
So Saul died, his three sons, and his armor bearer—these men all died together 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 men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled, and the Philistines came and lived in them.
8 Kwasekusithi kusisa lapho amaFilisti efika ukuhlubula ababuleweyo, afica uSawuli lamadodana akhe amathathu bewile entabeni yeGilibowa.
It came about on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9 Asequma ikhanda lakhe, ahlubula izikhali zakhe, athumela elizweni lamaFilisti inhlangothi zonke ukumemezela imibiko endlini yezithombe zabo lebantwini.
They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent messengers into the land of the Philistines throughout to carry the news to their idols' temples and to the people.
10 Abeka izikhali zakhe endlini kaAshitarothi. Abophela isidumbu sakhe emdulini weBeti-Shani.
They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the city wall of Beth Shan.
11 Kwathi abahlali beJabeshi-Gileyadi sebezwile ngalokho amaFilisti akwenze kuSawuli,
When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard of 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 the fighting men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan. They went to Jabesh and burned them there.
13 Asethatha amathambo abo, awangcwaba ngaphansi kwesihlahla setamarisiki eJabeshi, azila ukudla insuku eziyisikhombisa.
Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.
