1 Ke kaloku uSamweli wabhekisa kuSawule wenjenje: “Ndim owathunywa *nguNdikhoyo ukuba ndikuthambise ube ngukumkani wabantu bakhe amaSirayeli. Phulaphula ke ngoku, uve udaba oluvela kuNdikhoyo. UNdikhoyo uThixo onamandla onke utsho ukuthi:
2 ‘Ama-Amaleki ndiza kuwohlwaya ngenxa yokuba ookhokho bawo bawalalela amaSirayeli xa wayevela eJiputa.
3 Yiya kuwahlasela ama-Amaleki, utshayele konke okukokwawo. Ungashiyi nto; ubulale indoda, umfazi, umntwana, nkqu nosana olu lwembala; kufe zinkomo, zigusha, zinkamela, kunye nezo donki zawo.’ ”
4 Wawuhlanganisela eTelayim wonke umkhosi wakhe uSawule, apho wafika wawumisa ngezintlu. Loo mkhosi wawungamakhulu amabini amawaka amajoni akwaSirayeli, kunye neshumi lamawaka lamajoni avela kwaJuda.
5 Wesuka apho naloo mkhosi, waya kulalela ama-Amaleki kufuphi nesixeko sawo, ezindongeni zomfula.
6 Wathi kumaKeni: “Phumani nimke phakathi kwama-Amaleki, ukuze ningachatshazelwa ligazi xa ndiwatshabalalisayo. Kaloku ookhokho benu baba novelwano kumaSirayeli ukufuduka kwawo eJiputa.” Emka ke amaKeni phakathi kwama-Amaleki.
7 Wawaswantsulisa uSawule ama-Amaleki, zinqoza okoko ukusuka eHavila kuye kutsho eShure ngasempumalanga yaseJiputa.
8 Wabanjwa ukumkani uAgagi, aza abulawa onke amanye ama-Amaleki.
9 USawule namadoda omkhosi wakhe bamyeka abambulala ukumkani uAgagi; iinkomo neegusha ezintle abazange bazibulale kunye namathole namatakane azo. Yonke into entle bayigcina, batshabalalisa nje imigqutsuba nezinto ezingenaxabiso kuphela.
10 Lafika ilizwi *likaNdikhoyo kuSamweli lisithi:
11 “Ndiyazisola ngokumenza ukumkani uSawule lo. Selenxaxhile kum ngokungawuthobeli umyalelo wam.” Wakhathazeka kakhulu uSamweli yile nto. Wahlala ubusuku bonke ezibika kuNdikhoyo.
12 Uvuke ekuseni uSamweli, waya kukhangela uSawule. Ufike kusithiwa: “USawule uye eKarmele, waza apho wamisa ilitye lesikhumbuzo sakhe, wedlula nalapho waya eGiligali.”
13 Walanda ekhondweni uSamweli, wada wamfumana, uSawule wathi: “Makakuthamsanqele uNdikhoyo, Samweli! Ndiwufezile umyalelo kaNdikhoyo!”
14 “Xa kunjalo, kokwantoni oku kukhala kweegusha ndikuvayo kunye nokunxakama kweenkomo?” ubuzile uSamweli.
15 Uthe uSawule ukuphendula: “Zezithinjwe ngamadoda omkhosi wam kuma-Amaleki. Zonke ezinye bazitshabalalisile; bagcina nje ezona zintle, ukuze bamenzele amadini ngazo uNdikhoyo uThixo wakho.”
16 “Khawume ke,” utshilo uSamweli, “ndikhe ndikuxelele ukuba utheni na kum uNdikhoyo phezolo.”“Ndixelele,” watsho uSawule.
17 USamweli wathi: “Naxa wena wawuzibona uphantsi, kodwa wenziwa intloko yezizwe zakwaSirayeli. Wathanjiswa nguNdikhoyo ukuba ube ngukumkani wamaSirayeli,
18 waza wakuyalela ukuba uye kutshabalalisa eziya zikhohlakali zama-Amaleki. Wakuxelela ukuba uze ulwe uwatshayele ade aphele onke kuthi tu.
19 Ke kutheni ungamthobelanga nje uNdikhoyo? Wenze into embi phambi koNdikhoyo ngokungxamela ukuthatha amaxhoba.”
20 “UNdikhoyo ndimthobele,” kutsho uSawule. “Ndiyile emfazweni ngokuthunywa nguye, ndambamba ukumkani uAgagi, kodwa ndawabulala onke amanye ama-Amaleki.
21 Ke amajoni akazibulalanga ezona zintle iigusha neenkomo; eze nazo apha eGiligali, ukuza kwenzela uNdikhoyo uThixo wakho amadini.”
22 Uqhube wenjenje uSamweli: “Ngaba yintoni emkholisayo uNdikhoyo: kukumthobela, okanye kukumenzela iminikelo namadini? Ukuthobela uNdikhoyo kubhetele kunokumenzela idini, nokuphulaphula kungcono kunamanqatha enkunzi!
23 Ukumvukela uNdikhoyo nqwa nobugqwirha. Kanti nempakamo ifana nqwa nokunqula izithixo ngobubi. Ngenxa yokuba wena ulikhabile ilizwi likaNdikhoyo, naye ke uNdikhoyo uyakukhiqa ekulawuleni.”
24 Uvakele selesithi uSawule kuSamweli: “Ndonile ngenene, kuba ndiphambukile kwilizwi likaNdikhoyo, ndayidela nemiyalelo yakho. Ndoyike umkhosi wam, ndenza ukuthanda kwawo.
25 Ndincede undixolele isono sam, undikhaphe, ndiye kuqubuda kuNdikhoyo.”
26 “Hayi, andizi kuhamba nawe. Kaloku wena ulikhabile ilizwi likaNdikhoyo, naye ke uNdikhoyo ukukhiqile ekulawuleni,” utshilo uSamweli.
27 Uthe gwiqi uSamweli, eza kumshiya apho. USawule yena wamthi hlasi ngesondo lengubo, yakrazuka.
28 Uthe ke uSamweli: “Namhlanje uNdikhoyo ulukrazule kuwe ulawulo lwamaSirayeli, walunika ummelwane wakho olungileyo kunawe.
29 USimakade uThixo kaSirayeli akaxoki yena, yaye akaguquguquki. Kaloku akangomntu ulala neli avuke neli.”
30 Waphendula uSawule wathi: “Ewe kambe, ndonile. Kodwa ke wena bonakalisa imbeko kum phambi kwezithwala-ndwe zamajoni am nangaphambi kwamaSirayeli. Ndikhaphe ndiye kuqubuda kuNdikhoyo uThixo wakho.”
31 Wamkhapha ke uSamweli, waza uSawule waqubuda kuNdikhoyo.
32 USamweli wathi: “Zisani uAgagi ukumkani wama-Amaleki apha kum.”Wasiwa uAgagi kuSamweli, ehamba eziva ekhululekile emoyeni, esithi: “Hayi noko, ixhala elikrakra lokufa ligqithile.”
33 Suka uSamweli wavakala esithi: “Ikrele lakho lishiye abazalikazi abaninzi bengenabantwana, nowakho ke ngoku unyoko uza kungabi namntwana.” Watsho emhlahla loo Agagi apho ngaphambi kukaNdikhoyo eGiligali.
34 Emva koko uSamweli wabuyela eRama, waza yena ukumkani uSawule waya kowabo eGibheya.
35 USamweli akazange abuye ambone ukumkani emva koko. Kambe ke wasoloko engcungcutheka ngenxa kaSawule. UNdikhoyo kaloku wayezisola ngokwenza kwakhe uSawule ukumkani.