Ukuthinjwa kwetyeya yomnqophiso ngamaFilisti
1Ilizwi likaSamuweli laya kumaSirayeli onke.
Aphuma amaSirayeli, eya kuwahlangabeza amaFilisti alwe nawo; amisa iintente ngase-Ebhenezere, amaFilisti amisa eAfeki. 2Aza amaFilisti ákha uluhlu lokulwa namaSirayeli. Idabi lanwenwezela, abulawa amaSirayeli phambi kwamaFilisti. Kwabulawa eluhlwini ethafeni apho amadoda akumawaka amané.
3Beza abantu eminqubeni, athi amadoda amakhulu akwaSirayeli, Yini na ukuba uYehova asibulale namhla phambi kwamaFilisti? Masiye kuthabatha ityeya yomnqophiso kaYehova eShilo, ibe kuthi, ize phakathi kwethu, isisindise esandleni seentshaba zethu. 4Bathumela ke abantu eShilo; bayithabatha khona ityeya yomnqophiso kaYehova wemikhosi, ohleli phezu kweekerubhi;• babekhona bobabini oonyana bakaEli, uHofeni noPinehasi, benetyeya yomnqophiso kaThixo. 5Kwathi, xa ifikayo ityeya yomnqophiso kaYehova eminqubeni, aduma kakhulu onke amaSirayeli, umhlaba wathi ndi.
6Asiva amaFilisti isandi sokuduma kwawo, athi, Sesani na esi sandi sokuduma kungaka eminqubeni yamaHebhere? Azi ke ukuba ityeya kaYehova ifikile eminqubeni. 7Oyika amaFilisti, kuba ebesithi, UThixo ufikile eminqubeni. Athi, Yeha ke thina! Ngokuba akuzanga kube nje ngaphambili. 8Yeha ke thina! Ngubani na oya kusihlangula esandleni saba thixo babungangamsha bungaka? Ngaba thixo aba babulála amaYiputa ngezibetho zonke entlango. 9Yomelelani, nibe ngamadoda, nina maFilisti, hleze nikhonze kumaHebhere, njengokuba ekhonze kuni wona. Yibani ngamadoda, nilwe.
10Alwa ke amaFilisti, awabulala amaSirayeli; asaba ke wona, waya elowo ententeni yakhe; abulawa kakhulu kunene. Kwawa kumaSirayeli amawaka angamashumi amathathu angumqikela. 11Kwathinjwa netyeya yomnqophiso kaThixo; bafa oonyana bobabini bakaEli, uHofeni noPinehasi.
Ukufa kukaEli
12Kwabaleka indoda yakwaBhenjamin, ivela emkhosini, yafika eShilo kwangaloo mini, iingubo zayo zikrazukile, inomhlaba entloko. 13Yafika; nanko uEli ehleli esihlalweni ecaleni kwendlela, ebonisela; ngokuba ibigubha intliziyo yakhe ngenxa yetyeya kaThixo. Yafika indoda leyo, yawuxelela umzi; wasitsho isililo wonke umzi.
14Waliva uEli izwi lesililo, wathi, Lelani na eli lizwi lale ntlokoma? Indoda leyo yakhawuleza, yeza yamxelela uEli. 15Ke kaloku uEli ebeminyaka imashumi asithoba anesibhozo ezelwe, amehlo akhe enorhatyazo, engenakubona. 16Yathi indoda leyo kuEli, Ndingulo uvela emkhosini mna, ndisabé emkhosini namhlanje. Wathi yena, Kuhlé ntoni na, nyana wam? 17Waphendula umbiki, wathi, Asabile amaSirayeli phambi kwamaFilisti, kananjalo babulewe kakhulu abantu, kananjalo oonyana bakho bobabini bafile, ooHofeni noPinehasi; ityeya kaThixo ithinjiwe. 18Kwathi, akukhankanya ityeya kaThixo, wawa esihlalweni sakhe, eqethuka ngomva ngasecaleni kwesango, waphuka ilungu lentamo, wafa; ngokuba indoda leyo ibiselilixhego; inzima. Yayiwalawula amaSirayeli iminyaka emashumi mané.
19Ke kaloku umolokazana wayo, umkaPinehasi, ebemithi, eza kuzala. Wathi akuziva iindaba zokuthinjwa kwetyeya kaThixo, nezokufa koyise wendoda nokwendoda yakhe, waguqa, wazala; ngokuba yamfikela inimba. 20Ngexesha lokufa kwakhe, abafazi ababemi phezu kwakhe bathetha, bathi, Musa ukoyika, ngokuba ùzele unyana. Akaphendula, akakhathala koko. 21Wathi umntwana nguIkabhode,• esithi, Uzuko lumkile kwaSirayeli, ngenxa yokuthinjwa kwetyeya kaThixo, nangenxa yoyise wendoda, nendoda yakhe. 22Wathi, Uzuko lumkile kwaSirayeli; kuba ityeya kaThixo ithinjiwe.
