Ukuzibulala KukaSawule Nokufa Kwamadodana Akhe
1AmaFilisti alwa no-Israyeli. Abantu bakwa-Israyeli babaleka bexoshwa ngamaFilisti, abanye bawa begwaziwe entabeni iGilibhowa. 2AmaFilisti amxosha uSawule namadodana akhe, abulala uJonathani, u-Abhinadaba, namaMalikhi Shuwa, amadodana kaSawule. 3Impi yaba nzima kuSawule, abacibayo bamfica esezinhlungwini ezinkulu ngenxa yababemcibile.
4USawule wathi odibini lwakhe: “Hosha inkemba yakho, ungigwaze ngayo, funa labo abangasokile bafike bangihlukumeze.”
Kepha aluvumanga udibi lwakhe, ngokuba lwalwesaba kakhulu. Ngalokho uSawule wathatha inkemba, wawela phezu kwayo. 5Udibi lwakhe selubonile ukuthi uSawule ufile, lwawela phezu kwenkemba yalo, nalo lwafa. 6Wafa-ke uSawule namadodana akhe amathathu, nendlu yakhe; bonke bafa kanyekanye.
7Kwathi lapho bonke abantu bakwa-Israyeli ababesesigodini bebona ukuthi abanye bayabaleka, nokuthi uSawule namadodana akhe bafile, bashiya imizi yabo, babaleka. AmaFilisti afika ahlala kuyo.
8Kwathi ngakusasa amaFilisti afika ezophanga ababuleweyo, amthola uSawule namadodana akhe befile entabeni iGilibhowa. 9Amphanga, athatha ikhanda lakhe nezikhali zakhe. Athumela ezweni lonke lamaFilisti ukuba kuyomenyezelwa izindaba ezinhle ezithombeni zawo nakubantu. 10Azibeka izikhali zakhe endlini yonkulunkulu bawo, achoma ikhanda lakhe endlini kaDagoni.
11Sebezwile bonke abaseJabheshi Gileyadi ngakho konke okwenziwe ngamaFilisti kuSawule, 12asuka wonke amadoda anamandla ayothatha isidumbu sikaSawule nezamadodana akhe, aziletha eJabheshi. Amathambo abo awambela phansi kwe-okhi eJabheshi, azila ukudla izinsuku eziyikhombisa.
13USawule wakhothama kanjalo-ke, ngenxa yesiphambeko sakhe asenza kuSimakade, akaze aligcina izwi likaSimakade, nangokuba aya kobhula konedlozi, wabuza kuye, 14engabuzanga kuSimakade. Ngakho-ke wambulala, umbuso wawubuyisela kuDavide, indodana kaJese.
