1 KaSamweli 4 FHB Father's Heart Bible™

4 ¹Ilizwi likaSamuweli lafika kuwo onke amaSirayeli. Aphuma amaSirayeli esiya kulwa namaFilisti, amisa e-Ebhenezere; wona amaFilisti amisa eAfeki.

²AmaFilisti akha izintlu malunga namaSirayeli; yanaba imfazwe, aza amaSirayeli oyiswa ngamaFilisti, awabulala malunga namawaka amane amadoda emfazweni. ³Babuyela abantu eminqubeni, amadoda amakhulu amaSirayeli abuza athi: “Yini na ukuba uBawo wethu asiyekele ukuba soyiswe ngamaFilisti namhlanje? Masiyithabathe ityeya yomnqophiso kaBawo wethu eShilo, ize size phakathi kwethu, isisindise esandleni seentshaba zethu.”

⁴Abantu bathumela eShilo, bazisa ityeya yomnqophiso kaBawo wethu wemikhosi yasemazulwini, ohleli phezu kweekerubhi. Babekhona noonyana bakaEli bobabini, uHofeni noPinehasi, nayo ityeya yomnqophiso kaBawo wethu. ⁵Yathi yakufika eminqubeni ityeya yomnqophiso kaBawo wethu, onke amaSirayeli aduma kakhulu, laza langcangcazela ihlabathi. ⁶Eva amaFilisti ukuduma oko, athi: “Sesani na esi sithonga sikhulu eminqubeni yamaHebhere?” Aza azi ukuba ityeya kaBawo wethu ifikile eminqubeni. ⁷Oyika amaFilisti, kuba athi: “Ufikile uthixo eminqubeni!” Athi: “Yeha thina, ayithanga yenziwe le nto ngaphambili. ⁸Yeha thina! Ngubani na oya kusisindisa esandleni sabo thixo banamandla? Ngabo aba oothixo ababulala amaYiputa ngazo zonke izibetho entlango. ⁹Yomelelani, maFilisti! Yibani ngamadoda, hleze nikhonze amaHebhere njengoko anikhonzayo nani. Yibani ngamadoda, nilwe!” ¹⁰Alwa amaFilisti; oyiswa amaSirayeli, asaba elowo waya ententeni yakhe. Lwaba lukhulu kunene uxabelo: kwawa amawaka angamashumi amathathu omqikela wakwaSirayeli. ¹¹Ityeya kaBawo wethu yathinjwa, baza bafa noonyana bakaEli bobabini, uHofeni noPinehasi.

UEli Uyawa, Luyemka Uzuko

¹²Kwabaleka indoda engumBhenjamin iphuma eluhlwini lwemfazwe, yaya eShilo ngaloo mini, iingubo zayo zikrazukile, uthuli lusentloko yayo. ^a a v12 Ukukrazula iingubo zomntu nokuthela uthuli entloko yayizizimpawu zamandulo zokuba buhlungu kakhulu nokuzila. ¹³Yakufika, uEli ebehleli esihlalweni sakhe ngasendleleni, ekhangele, kuba intliziyo yakhe ibithuthumela ngenxa yetyeya kaBawo wethu. Indoda yangena emzini, yakuxela oko, waza wonke umzi wakhala. ¹⁴Uthe uEli akusiva isandi sokukhala, wabuza: “Sesani na esi sandi singxolayo?” Yaza indoda yakhawuleza, yafika yaxelela uEli.

¹⁵Ke yena uEli wayeneminyaka emashumi asithoba anesibhozo ubudala bakhe; aba norhatyazo amehlo akhe, kangangokuba engasaboni. ¹⁶Yathi indoda kuEli: “Ndivela emfazweni, ndibaleke eluhlwini lwemfazwe namhlanje.” Wathi yena: “Kwenzeke ntoni na, nyana wam?”

¹⁷Waphendula umthunywa wathi: “Asabile amaSirayeli phambi kwamaFilisti; kananjalo kuxatyelwe kakhulu phakathi kwabantu; kananjalo oonyana bakho bobabini, uHofeni noPinehasi, bafile; nayo ityeya kaBawo wethu ithinjiwe.”

¹⁸Uthe akuyikhankanya ityeya kaBawo wethu, uEli wawa ngomva esihlalweni sakhe ngasesangweni, waphuka intamo, wafa, kuba ebelixhego, enzima. Ebewalawule amaSirayeli iminyaka emashumi mane.

¹⁹Umolokazana wakhe, umkaPinehasi, ebemithi, eza kuzala. Uthe akuva ukuba ityeya kaBawo wethu ithinjiwe, nokuba uyisezala nendoda yakhe bafile, wagoba wazala, kuba waphela ngamarhiwu. ²⁰Uthe akuba selesifa, abafazi ababekhona athi kuye: “Musa ukoyika, kuba uzele unyana.” Kodwa akaphendulanga, akaqwalasela. ²¹Wamthiya umntwana igama elinguIkabhodi, esithi: “Lumkile uzuko kwaSirayeli” — ngenxa yokuthinjwa kwetyeya kaBawo wethu, nangenxa kayisezala nendoda yakhe. ^b b v21 Igama elinguIkabhodi lithetha ukuthi “akukho zuko” — isikhalo somama sokuba uzuko lukaBawo wethu lumkile kwaSirayeli kunye netyeya. ²²Wathi: “Lumkile uzuko kwaSirayeli, kuba ityeya kaBawo wethu ithinjiwe.”