¹ USawule wabusa umnyaka; esebusile iminyaka emibili kwa-Israyeli. ² USawule wazikhethela abantu abayizinkulungwane ezintathu kwa -Israyeli; izinkulungwane ezimbili zazinoSawule eMikimashi nasentabeni yaseBetlehema, nenkulungwane yayinoJonathani eGibeya lakwaBenjamini ; abanye abantu wabamukisa, kwaba yilowo nalowo etendeni lakhe. ³ UJonathani wachitha ikhanda lamaFilisti elaliseGeba , amaFilisti akuzwa . USawule wabetha icilongo ezweni lonke, wathi: Makezwe amaHeberu. ⁴ Wonke u -Israyeli wezwa kuthiwa uSawule uchithile ikhan da lamaFilisti nokuthi u -Israyeli uyanengeka kuwo amaFilisti . Abantu babuthwa ukuba bamlandele uSawule, baye eGiligali. ⁵ AmaFilisti abuthana ukuba alwe no -Israyeli: izinqola eziyizinkulungwane ezingamashumi amathathu , nabamahhashi abayizinkulungwane eziyisithupha, nabantu abangangesihlabathi esisogwini lolwandle ngobuningi; benyuka bamisa eMikimashi ngasempumalanga kwaseBeti Aveni. ⁶ Lapho abantu bakwa -Israyeli bebona ukuthi basengcingweni , ngokuba bacindezelwa kakhulu , abantu bacasha emihumeni , nasemahlozini, nasemaweni, nasezinqabeni, nasemigodini. ⁷ NamaHeberu ayewelile iJordani ukuya ezweni lakwaGadi nakwelakwaGileyadi; kepha uSawule wayeseseGiligali ; abantu bonke bamlandela bethuthumela. USawule unikela ngokungengamthetho ⁸ Wahlala izinsuku eziyisikhombis a njengesikhathi esimisiwe nguSamuweli , kepha uSamuweli akafikanga eGiligali; abantu bahlakazeka kuye. ⁹ USawule wayesethi : Lethani kimi umnikelo wokushiswa neminikelo yokuthula. Wanikela ngomnikelo wokushiswa. ¹⁰ Kwathi eseqedile ukunikela ngomnikelo wokush iswa, bheka, uSamuweli wafika; uSawule waphuma ukumhlangabeza ukuba ambingelele. ¹¹ USamuweli wathi : Wenzeni na ? USawule wathi : Njengokuba ngabona ukuthi abantu bahlakazekile kimi , nokuthi awufikanga ngesikhathi esimisiweyo, nokuthi amaFilisti abuthene eMikimashi, ¹² ngathi: M anje amaFilisti ayakwehlela kimi eGiligali ngingakhulekanga ; ngase ngiziphoqa, nganikela ngomnikelo wokushiswa. ¹³ USamuweli wathi kuSawule : Wenze ngobuwula , awugcinanga umyalo kaJehova uNkulunkulu wakho akuyala ngawo , ngokuba uJehova ubeseyakuqinisa umbuso wakho kwa-Israyeli kuze kube phakade. ¹⁴ Kepha manje umbuso wakho awuyikuqhubeka ; uJehova usezifunele umuntu ngokwenhliziyo yakhe ; uJehova ummisile abe ngumholi wabantu bakhe, ngokuba ungagcinanga lokho uJehova akuyala ngakho. ¹⁵ USamuweli wayesesuka , wakhuphuka eGiligali , waya eGibeya lakwaBenjamini. USawule wabala abantu abafumaniseka bekuye , kungathi abantu abangamakhulu ayisithupha. ¹⁶ OSawule noJonathani indodana yakhe nabantu ababe naye bahlala eGeba lakwaBenjamini, kepha amaFilisti amisa eMikimashi. ¹⁷ Abaphangi baphuma ekamu lamaFilisti ngezigaba ezintathu ; esinye isigaba sahamba ngendlela eya e-Ofira ezweni laseShuhali; ¹⁸ esinye isigaba sahamba ngendlela eya eBeti Horoni; esinye isigaba sahamba ngendlela eya emkhawulweni obheka esigodini saseSeboyimi ngasehlane. ¹⁹ Kwakungekho mkhandi ezweni lonke lakwa -Israyeli, ngokuba amaFilisti athi: Funa amaHeberu azenzele izinkemba nemikhonto. ²⁰ Bonke abakwa -Israyeli behlela kuwo amaFilisti , kwaba yilowo nalowo ukuba alole umese wakhe , nempumulo yakhe , nembazo yakhe , nesikela lakhe; ²¹ imali yayiyipimi ngezimpumulo nangezimfoloko , nenxenye yesithathu yeshekeli ngezimbazo nangokulungisa izincijo zezinkabi. ²² Kwathi ngosuku lokulwa akwabakho nkemba namkhonto esandleni samuntu owayenoSawule noJonath ani; kodwa koSawule noJonathani indodana yakhe kwakukhona. ²³ Ikhanda lamaFilisti laphuma, laya ngasentubeni yaseMikimashi.