1 AmaFilisti ke ayesilwa namaSirayeli; asaba amadoda akwaSirayeli phambi kwamaFilisti, awa angxwelerhiweyo ezintabeni zeGilibhowa.
2 AmaFilisti athana mbende noSawule noonyana bakhe; amaFilisti ambulala uYonatan, noAbhinadabhi, noMalekishuwa, oonyana bakaSawule.
3 Kwaba nzima ukulwa kuSawule; bamfumana abatoli, amadoda anesaphetha, wathuthumela kakhulu ngenxa yabatoli.
4 Wathi uSawule kumphathi weentonga zakhe, Rhola ikrele lakho, undihlabe ngalo, hleze aba bangalukileyo beze bandihlabe amahlanza, bafekethe ngam. Ke umphathi weentonga zakhe akavumanga; ngokuba ebesoyika kunene. Walithabatha ke uSawule ikrele, wawa phezu kwalo.
5 Wabona umpathi weentonga zakhe ukuba ufile uSawule, wawa naye phezu kwekrele lakhe, wafa kunye naye.
6 Wafa ke uSawule, noonyana bakhe bobathathu, nomphathi weentonga zakhe, namadoda akhe onke ngaloo mini, ndaweni-nye.
7 Abona amadoda akwaSirayeli, abengaphesheya kwentili, nabengaphesheya kweYordan, ukuba asabile amadoda akwaSirayeli, ufile uSawule noonyana bakhe. Ayishiya imizi leyo, asaba; eza amaFilisti, ahlala kuyo.
8 Kwathi ngengomso amaFilisti eza kubhunyula ababebulewe. Amfumana uSawule noonyana bakhe bobathathu, bewile ezintabeni zeGilibhowa.
9 Amnqumla intloko, aziphanga iintonga zakhe, athumela elizweni lamaFilisti ngeenxa zonke, ukuba kushunyayelwe iindaba ezilungileyo ezindlwini zezithixo zawo nasebantwini.
10 Azibeka iintonga zakhe ezindlwini zooAshtaroti;* awubuthelela umzimba wakhe eludongeni lwaseBhete-shan.
11 Beva abemi baseYabheshe yaseGiliyadi akwenzileyo amaFilisti kuSawule;
12 esuka onke amadoda anobukroti, ahamba ubusuku bonke, awuthabatha umzimba kaSawule, nemizimba yoonyana bakhe, eludongeni lwaseBhete-shan; eza eYabheshe, ayitshisa khona.
13 Awathabatha amathambo abo, awangcwabela phantsi komtamariske* eYabheshe; azila ukudla iintsuku zasixhenxe.