1 USamuweli 31

31 ¹AmaFilisti alwa no-Israyeli; amadoda akwa-Israyeli abaleka kuwo, awela afa entabeni yaseGilibowa. ²AmaFilisti afica uSawule namadodana akhe, amaFilisti abulala uJonathani, u-Abhinadaba, noMalikhishuwa, amadodana kaSawule. ³Impi yamcindezela kanzima uSawule. Abacibi bomnsalo bamthola, walimala kabuhlungu yibo. ⁴USawule wathi kumthwali wezikhali zakhe: “Hwebula inkemba yakho ungigwaze, funa laba abangasokile beze, bangigwaze, bangihlukumeze.” Kodwa umthwali wezikhali zakhe wenqaba—wayesaba kakhulu. Ngakho uSawule wathatha inkemba yakhe wawa phezu kwayo. ⁵Kwathi umthwali wezikhali zakhe ebona ukuthi uSawule usefile, naye wawa phezu kwenkemba yakhe wafa kanye naye. ⁶Ngakho uSawule wafa ngalolo suku, kanye namadodana akhe amathathu, umthwali wezikhali zakhe, nawo onke amadoda akhe.

⁷Kwathi amadoda akwa-Israyeli angaphesheya kwesigodi nangaphesheya kweJordani ebona ukuthi impi yakwa-Israyeli isibalekile nokuthi uSawule namadodana akhe sebefile, ashiya imizi yawo abaleka. AmaFilisti eza ahlala kuyo. ⁸Ngakusasa, amaFilisti eza ukuzohlubula abafileyo, athola uSawule namadodana akhe amathathu bewele entabeni yaseGilibowa. ⁹Anquma ikhanda lakhe, ahlubula izikhali zakhe, athumela izithunywa kulo lonke izwe lamaFilisti ukuba zimemezele lokhu emathempelini ezithombe zawo naphakathi kwabantu. ¹⁰Abeka izikhali zakhe ethempelini lika-Ashitaroti, abophela isidumbu sakhe odongeni lwaseBeti-Shani. ^a a v10 U-Ashitaroti wayengunkulunkulukazi wamaKhanani; ukubeka izikhali zikaSawule ethempelini lakhe kwakuyindlela yamaFilisti yokunika onkulunkulu bawo udumo lokunqoba.

¹¹Kwathi izakhamuzi zaseJabeshi-Gileyadi zizwa lokho amaFilisti ayekwenzile kuSawule, ¹²onke amaqhawe awo ahamba ubusuku bonke, athatha isidumbu sikaSawule nezidumbu zamadodana akhe odongeni lwaseBeti-Shani, aziletha eJabeshi, azishisa khona. ¹³Athatha amathambo awo, awangcwaba ngaphansi kwesihlahla somthamariski eJabeshi, azila ukudla izinsuku eziyisikhombisa.