1 USamuweli wayesethatha umfuma wamafutha, wawathela ekhanda lakhe, wamanga, wathi: “Angithi uJehova ukugcobile ukuba ube ngumholi wefa lakhe na?
2 Nxa usumukile kimi namuhla, uyakufumana abantu ababili ngasethuneni likaRaheli emkhawulweni wakwaBenjamini eSelisa; bayakuthi kuwe: ‘Izimbongolo owawuye ukuzifuna zitholiwe; bheka, uyihlo uyekile izimbongolo, uyenqena ngani, ethi: “Ngiyakwenze njani ngomntanami na?” ’
3 “Nxa usukile khona uye phambili, uyakufika kulo i-oki* laseThabori; kuyakuhlangana nawe khona abantu abathathu bekhuphukela kuNkulunkulu eBethele, omunye ephethe amazinyane amathathu ezimbuzi, omunye ephethe izinkwa ezintathu, omunye ephethe imvaba yewayini;
4 bayakukubingelela, bakunike izinkwa ezimbili oyakuzamukela ezandleni zabo.
5 “Emva kwalokho uyakufika entabeni kaNkulunkulu, lapho likhona ikhanda lamaFilisti; kuyakuthi nxa usufikile khona emzini, uhlangane neviyo labaprofethi behla endaweni ephakemeyo benogubhu, nesigubhu, negenkle, nehabhu* phambi kwabo, beprofetha;
6 uMoya kaJehova uyakwehlela phezu kwakho, uyakuprofetha kanye nabo, uphenduke omunye umuntu.
7 Kuyakuthi lapho lezo zibonakaliso sezifikile kuwe, wenze esikufumanayo isandla sakho, ngokuba uNkulunkulu unawe.
8 “Uyakwehla phambi kwami ukuya eGiligali; bheka, ngiyakwehlela kuwe ukuba nginikele ngeminikelo yokushiswa, ngihlabe imihlatshelo yokuthula; uyakuhlala izinsuku eziyisikhombisa, ngize ngifike kuwe, ngikutshele oyakukwenza.”
9 Kwathi esefulathela emuka kuSamuweli, uNkulunkulu waphendukisa inhliziyo yakhe yaba ngenye; zonke lezo zibonakaliso zafika ngalona lolo suku.
10 Lapho sebefike khona entabeni, bheka, iviyo labaprofethi lahlangana naye; uMoya kaNkulunkulu wehlela phezu kwakhe, waprofetha phakathi kwabo.
11 Kwathi bonke ababemazi kuqala sebebona ukuthi waprofetha nabaprofethi, abantu bathi omunye komunye: “Kuyini lokhu okwehlele indodana kaKishi na? Kanti naye uSawule uphakathi kwabaprofethi na?”
12 Kwaphendula umuntu wakhona, wathi: “Ngubani uyise na?” Ngalokho kwaba yisaga ukuthi: “Naye uSawule uphakathi kwabaprofethi na?”
13 Eseqedile ukuprofetha wafika endaweni ephakemeyo.
14 Uyisekazi kaSawule wathi kuye nasencekwini yakhe: “Nike naya ngaphi na?”Wathi: “Besiye kufuna izimbongolo; lapho sesibonile ukuthi azikho, sase siya kuSamuweli.”
15 Uyisekazi kaSawule wathi: “Ake ningitshele: Utheni kini uSamuweli na?”
16 USawule wathi kuyisekazi: “Usitshele impela ukuthi izimbongolo zitholiwe.” Kepha indaba yombuso akhuluma ngayo uSamuweli akamtshelanga yona.
17 USamuweli wabizela abantu kuJehova eMispa;
18 wathi kubantu bakwa-Israyeli: “UJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli usho kanje, uthi: ‘Ngenyusa u-Israyeli eGibithe, nganophula esandleni sabaseGibithe nasesandleni sayo yonke imibuso eyanicindezelayo;’
19 kepha namuhla nimlahlile uNkulunkulu wenu, yena owanisindisa ezingozini zenu zonke nasezinsizini zenu, nishilo nathi: ‘Hhayi, kepha beka inkosi phezu kwethu.’ Ngalokho yimani phambi kukaJehova ngezizwe zenu nangezinkulungwane zenu.”
20 USamuweli wayesesondeza zonke izizwe zakwa-Israyeli, kwadliwa isizwe sakwaBenjamini.
21 Wayesesondeza isizwe sakwaBenjamini ngemindeni yabo, kwadliwa umndeni wakwaMatri; kwadliwa uSawule indodana kaKishi; kepha lapho bebemfuna, akafunyanwanga.
22 Babuye babuza uJehova ukuthi: “Usezakufika lowo muntu na?”UJehova waphendula wathi: “Bheka, ucashile empahleni.”
23 Bagijima, bamlanda khona; wema phakathi kwabantu, wayemude kunabo bonke abantu kusukela emahlombe kuya phezulu.
24 USamuweli wathi kubo bonke abantu: “Mbhekeni amkhethileyo uJehova ukuthi akakho onjengaye kubantu bonke.”Base bekhamuluka abantu bonke, bathi: “Mayime njalo inkosi.”
25 USamuweli wayesebatshela abantu amalungelo ombuso, wawaloba encwadini, wayibeka phambi kukaJehova. USamuweli wamukisa bonke abantu, yilowo nalowo waya ekhaya lakubo.
26 Naye uSawule waya ekhaya lakhe eGibeya; kwahamba naye impi ezinhliziyo zayo uNkulunkulu azithintile.
27 Kepha abantu ababi bathi: “Uyakusisindisa kanjani lowo na?” Bamdelela, abamnikanga isipho. Kepha wathula.