USawule uyagcotshwa nguSamuweli, abe yinkosi
1USamuweli wayesethatha umfuma wamafutha, wawathela ekhanda lakhe, wamanga, wathi: “Angithi uJehova ukugcobile ukuba ube ngumholi wefa lakhe na? 2Nxa usumukile kimi namuhla, uyakufumana abantu ababili ngasethuneni likaRaheli emkhawulweni wakwaBenjamini eSelisa; bayakuthi kuwe: ‘Izimbongolo owawuye ukuzifuna zitholiwe; bheka, uyihlo uyekile izimbongolo, uyenqena ngani, ethi: “Ngiyakwenze njani ngomntanami na?” ’
3“Nxa usukile khona uye phambili, uyakufika kulo i-oki* laseThabori; kuyakuhlangana nawe khona abantu abathathu bekhuphukela kuNkulunkulu eBethele, omunye ephethe amazinyane amathathu ezimbuzi, omunye ephethe izinkwa ezintathu, omunye ephethe imvaba yewayini; 4bayakukubingelela, bakunike izinkwa ezimbili oyakuzamukela ezandleni zabo.
5“Emva kwalokho uyakufika entabeni kaNkulunkulu, lapho likhona ikhanda lamaFilisti; kuyakuthi nxa usufikile khona emzini, uhlangane neviyo labaprofethi behla endaweni ephakemeyo benogubhu, nesigubhu, negenkle, nehabhu* phambi kwabo, beprofetha; 6uMoya kaJehova uyakwehlela phezu kwakho, uyakuprofetha kanye nabo, uphenduke omunye umuntu. 7Kuyakuthi lapho lezo zibonakaliso sezifikile kuwe, wenze esikufumanayo isandla sakho, ngokuba uNkulunkulu unawe.
8“Uyakwehla phambi kwami ukuya eGiligali; bheka, ngiyakwehlela kuwe ukuba nginikele ngeminikelo yokushiswa, ngihlabe imihlatshelo yokuthula; uyakuhlala izinsuku eziyisikhombisa, ngize ngifike kuwe, ngikutshele oyakukwenza.”
9Kwathi esefulathela emuka kuSamuweli, uNkulunkulu waphendukisa inhliziyo yakhe yaba ngenye; zonke lezo zibonakaliso zafika ngalona lolo suku.
10Lapho sebefike khona entabeni, bheka, iviyo labaprofethi lahlangana naye; uMoya kaNkulunkulu wehlela phezu kwakhe, waprofetha phakathi kwabo. 11Kwathi bonke ababemazi kuqala sebebona ukuthi waprofetha nabaprofethi, abantu bathi omunye komunye: “Kuyini lokhu okwehlele indodana kaKishi na? Kanti naye uSawule uphakathi kwabaprofethi na?”
12Kwaphendula umuntu wakhona, wathi: “Ngubani uyise na?” Ngalokho kwaba yisaga ukuthi: “Naye uSawule uphakathi kwabaprofethi na?” 13Eseqedile ukuprofetha wafika endaweni ephakemeyo.
14Uyisekazi kaSawule wathi kuye nasencekwini yakhe: “Nike naya ngaphi na?”
Wathi: “Besiye kufuna izimbongolo; lapho sesibonile ukuthi azikho, sase siya kuSamuweli.”
15Uyisekazi kaSawule wathi: “Ake ningitshele: Utheni kini uSamuweli na?”
16USawule wathi kuyisekazi: “Usitshele impela ukuthi izimbongolo zitholiwe.” Kepha indaba yombuso akhuluma ngayo uSamuweli akamtshelanga yona.
Inkosi ibekwa eMispa
17USamuweli wabizela abantu kuJehova eMispa; 18wathi kubantu bakwa-Israyeli: “UJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli usho kanje, uthi: ‘Ngenyusa u-Israyeli eGibithe, nganophula esandleni sabaseGibithe nasesandleni sayo yonke imibuso eyanicindezelayo;’ 19kepha namuhla nimlahlile uNkulunkulu wenu, yena owanisindisa ezingozini zenu zonke nasezinsizini zenu, nishilo nathi: ‘Hhayi, kepha beka inkosi phezu kwethu.’ Ngalokho yimani phambi kukaJehova ngezizwe zenu nangezinkulungwane zenu.”
20USamuweli wayesesondeza zonke izizwe zakwa-Israyeli, kwadliwa isizwe sakwaBenjamini. 21Wayesesondeza isizwe sakwaBenjamini ngemindeni yabo, kwadliwa umndeni wakwaMatri; kwadliwa uSawule indodana kaKishi; kepha lapho bebemfuna, akafunyanwanga. 22Babuye babuza uJehova ukuthi: “Usezakufika lowo muntu na?”
UJehova waphendula wathi: “Bheka, ucashile empahleni.”
23Bagijima, bamlanda khona; wema phakathi kwabantu, wayemude kunabo bonke abantu kusukela emahlombe kuya phezulu. 24USamuweli wathi kubo bonke abantu: “Mbhekeni amkhethileyo uJehova ukuthi akakho onjengaye kubantu bonke.”
Base bekhamuluka abantu bonke, bathi: “Mayime njalo inkosi.”
25USamuweli wayesebatshela abantu amalungelo ombuso, wawaloba encwadini, wayibeka phambi kukaJehova. USamuweli wamukisa bonke abantu, yilowo nalowo waya ekhaya lakubo.
26Naye uSawule waya ekhaya lakhe eGibeya; kwahamba naye impi ezinhliziyo zayo uNkulunkulu azithintile. 27Kepha abantu ababi bathi: “Uyakusisindisa kanjani lowo na?” Bamdelela, abamnikanga isipho. Kepha wathula.
