1 USawule ebeneminyaka ezelwe, akuba ngukumkani, waba ngukumkani kumaSirayeli iminyaka emibini.
2 USawule wazinyulela amawaka amathathu kumaSirayeli; amawaka amabini ayenoSawule eMikmas nakweleentaba laseBheteli, iwaka elinye laye linoYonatan eGibheha yakwaBhenjamin. Abantu abaseleyo wabandulula, baya elowo ententeni yakhe.
3 UYonatan wayoyisa ikampu yamaFilisti eseGebha, eva amaFilisti. USawule wavuthela ngesigodlo ezweni lonke, esithi, Makeve amaHebhere.
4 AmaSirayeli onke eva kusithiwa, USawule uyoyisile ikampu yamaFilisti; kananjalo amaSirayeli azinukisile kumaFilisti. Abantu bahlatyelwa umkhosi, beza bamlandela uSawule baya eGiligali.
5 AmaFilisti azihlanganisela ukulwa namaSirayeli: iinqwelo zokulwa zaba ngamashumi omathathu amawaka, nabamahashe bangamawaka amathandathu, abantu bangangentlabathi eselunxwemeni lolwandle ukuba baninzi; anyuka ke amisa iintente eMikmas phambi kweBhetaven.
6 Abona amadoda akwaSirayeli ukuba abandezelekile (kuba abantu bebefingiwe), abantu bazímela emiqolombeni, nasezimfanteni, nasezingxondorheni, nasemiweweni, nasemihadini.
7 Ke kaloku kwawela amaHebhere eYordan, aya ezweni lakwaGadi nelaseGiliyadi. Ke yena uSawule ebeseseGiligali; abantu bonke bamlandela begubha.
8 Walinda iintsuku zasixhenxe, ngokwexesha elibe limisiwe nguSamuweli, àkafika uSamuweli eGiligali; bamphalala abantu bemka kuye.
9 Wathi uSawule, Zisani kum idini elinyukayo nemibingelelo yoxolo. Wenyusa idini elinyukayo.
10 Kwathi, xa agqibileyo ukulinyusa idini elinyukayo, nanko uSamuweli efika; waphuma uSawule waya kumkhawulela, ukuba ambulise.
11 Wathi uSamuweli, Yintoni le uyenzileyo? Wathi uSawule, Kungokuba bendibona abantu bendiphalala, besimka kum, nawe ungàfiki ngexesha elibe limisiwe, namaFilisti ehlanganiselana eMikmas;
12 ndathi, Kaloku amaFilisti aya kuda ehle eze kum eGiligali, ndingambongozanga uYehova; ndazinyanzela, ndalinyusa idini elinyukayo.
13 Wathi uSamuweli kuSawule, Wenzé ngobudenge; akuwugcinanga umthetho kaYehova uThixo wakho awakuwiselayo; ngokuba uYehova ange ebuzinzisile kaloku ubukumkani bakho kwaSirayeli, kude kuse ephakadeni.
14 Ke ngoko ubukumkani bakho abusayi kuma. UYehova uzifunele indoda engantliziyo yakhe; wayimisa uYehova ukuba ibe yingànga yabantu bakhe; ngokuba akukugcinanga oko uYehova akuwisele umthetho ngako.
15 Wesuka uSamuweli wenyuka, wemka eGiligali, waya eGibheha yakwaBhenjamin. USawule wababala abantu abafunyenwe benaye, bengamadoda akumakhulu amathandathu.
16 USawule, noYonatan unyana wakhe, nabantu abafunyenwe benabo, bahlala eGibheha yakwaBhenjamin. AmaFilisti amisa iintente eMikmas.
17 Kwaphuma amatutu emkhosini wamaFilisti, engamaqela amathathu: elinye iqela labheka ngendlela yaseOfra ezweni lakwaShuwali;
18 elinye iqela labheka endleleni yaseBhete-horon; elinye iqela labheka endleleni yasemdeni ovelela umfula weTsebhoyim, uye entlango.
19 Ke bekungekho mkhandi ezweni lonke lakwaSirayeli; ngokuba amaFilisti ebesithi, Aya kuze amaHebhere enze amakrele neentshuntshe.
20 AmaSirayeli onke abesihla aye kumaFilisti, alole elowo isikhali sakhe, nesitshetshe sepuluwa yakhe, nezembe lakhe, negaba lakhe,
21 zakuba nezikhewu iintlangothi zamagaba, nezezitshetshe zeepuluwa, nezeefolokhwe, nezamazembe, nezokubaza iimviko.
22 Kwathi ke ngomhla wokulwa, akwafunyanwa krele nantshuntshe esandleni sabantu bonke ababenoSawule noYonatan; ke kuSawule noYonatan unyana wakhe bezikho.
23 Kwaphuma amaFilisti ekampini, aya engxingweni yaseMikmas.