AmaFilisti Abuthanela Impi
AmaFilisti ayabuthana, futhi uBaba wethu akamphenduli uSawule ngaphupho, nangoUrimi, nangomprofethi. Ngakho inkosi eyayiqothule abangoma iya kowase-Endori izifihlile. USamuweli uyenyuka, amtshele ukuthi umbuso ungokaDavide, nokuthi kusasa yena namadodana akhe bayobe benaye.
28 1Ngalezo zinsuku amaFilisti abutha amabutho awo ukuze alwe, elwa no-Israyeli. U-Akhishi wathi kuDavide: “Uyaqonda, kakade, ukuthi wena namadoda akho kumele niphume nami empini.”
2UDavide wathi ku-Akhishi: “Khona-ke uzokwazi ukuthi inceku yakho ingenzani.” U-Akhishi waphendula wathi: “Kulungile, ngizokwenza umqaphi wami kuze kube phakade.”
3USamuweli wayesefile; wonke u-Israyeli wamlilela, wammbela eRama, umuzi wakhe. USawule wayebasusile ezweni ababhula ngabafileyo nezangoma.
4AmaFilisti abutha, afika, amisa amatende awo eShunemi; uSawule wabutha wonke u-Israyeli wamisa eGilibowa. 5Lapho uSawule ebona ibutho lamaFilisti, wesaba, inhliziyo yakhe yathuthumela kakhulu. 6USawule wabuza kuBaba wethu, kodwa uBaba wethu akamphendulanga—hhayi ngamaphupho, hhayi nge-Urimi, hhayi ngabaprofethi.
7USawule wathi ezincekwini zakhe: “Ngifuneleni owesifazane obhula ngabafileyo, ukuze ngiye ngibuze kuye.” Zathi: “Ukhona e-Endori.”
8USawule waziguqula isimo, wagqoka ezinye izingubo, wahamba namadoda amabili waya kowesifazane ebusuku, wathi: “Ngibhulele ngomoya—ungikhuphulele lowo engimqambayo.”
9Owesifazane wathi: “Uyakwazi lokho uSawule akwenzayo—wanquma ababhula ngabafileyo nabanemimoya ezweni. Ucuphelani ukuphila kwami ukuze ungibulale?”
10USawule wafunga kuye ngoBaba wethu wathi: “Kuphila kukaBaba wethu, akukho cala eliyokufikela ngenxa yalokhu.”
11Owesifazane wathi: “Ngikukhuphulele bani?” Wathi: “Ngikhuphulele uSamuweli.”
12Lapho ebona uSamuweli, owesifazane wakhala ngezwi elikhulu, wathi kuSawule: “Ungikhohliseleni? UnguSawule!”
13Inkosi yathi: “Ungesabi. Ubonani?” Owesifazane wathi kuSawule: “Ngibona isidalwa saphezulu sikhuphuka emhlabathini.”
14Wabuza: “Unjani ukubukeka kwakhe?” Wathi: “Yixhegu elikhuphukayo, lembethe ingubo.” USawule wazi ukuthi nguSamuweli, wakhothamisa ubuso bakhe baze bafika phansi, waziphonsa phansi.
15USamuweli wathi kuSawule: “Ungikhathazelani, ungikhuphula?” USawule wathi: “Ngisosizini olukhulu. AmaFilisti alwa nami, uBaba wethu usemukile kimi—akasaphenduli ngabaprofethi noma ngamaphupho. Ngakho ngikubizile, ukuze ngazi ukuthi ngenzeni.”
16USamuweli wathi: “Ubuzelani kimi, njengoba uBaba wethu esekushiyile waba yisitha sakho? a a v16 UBaba wethu wayengayekanga ukumthanda uSawule; lolu wulimi lokwahlulela inkosi eyayilokhu imenqaba isikhathi eside—usizi lothando oluvinjelwayo, hhayi ukulahleka kwenhliziyo kaBaba. 17UBaba wethu wenze njengoba asho ngami, wawudabula umbuso esandleni sakho, wawunika umakhelwane wakho, uDavide. 18Ngokuba awulilalelanga izwi likaBaba wethu, awulufezanga nolaka lwakhe oluvuthayo ngakwa-Amaleki, ngakho ukwenze lokhu kuwe namuhla. 19UBaba wethu uzokunikela wena no-Israyeli ezandleni zamaFilisti; kusasa wena namadodana akho nizakuba nami, uBaba wethu uzolinikela ibutho lika-Israyeli kumaFilisti.”
20USawule wawela phansi masinyane ngobude bakhe bonke emhlabathini, esaba kakhulu ngamazwi kaSamuweli. Wayengenamandla, ngokuba wayengadlanga kudla usuku lonke nobusuku bonke.
21Owesifazane weza kuSawule, wabona ukwethuka kwakhe, wathi: “Bheka, incekukazi yakho ikulalele. Ngibeke ukuphila kwami esandleni sami, ngenza lokho ongitshele khona. 22Manje ngiyacela, nawe, ngilalele, incekukazi yakho. Ake ngikuphe ucezu lwesinkwa; udle, uthole amandla okuhamba endleleni.”
23Wenqaba wathi: “Angiyikudla.” Kodwa izinceku zakhe nowesifazane bamncenga waze wavuma, wasukuma emhlabathini, wahlala embhedeni. 24Owesifazane wayenethole elikhuluphele ekhaya, washesha, walihlaba, wathatha impuphu, waxova, wabhaka isinkwa esingenamvubelo. 25Wakubeka phambi kukaSawule nezinceku zakhe; badla, basuka bahamba ngabo lobo busuku.
