Ubuqhawe BukaJonathani
1Langa limbe uJonathani, indodana kaSawule, wathi odibini lwakhe: “Woza siwele, siye ebuthweni lamaFilisti elingaphesheya.”
Kepha akamazisanga uyise ngalokho.
2USawule wahlala emaphethelweni eGibheya, phansi kwesihlahla samahananadi eMigroni. Wayenabantu abangama-600 ababenaye lapho. 3U-Ahiya, indodana ka-Ahithubi, umfowabo ka-Ikhabhodi kaFinehasi ka-Eli, umphristi kaSimakade eShilo, wayembethe ingubo yamahlombe. Abantu babengazi ukuthi uJonathani uhambile.
4Phakathi kwezikhala uJonathani ayefuna ukucusha kuzo aye ngaphesheya, agasele ibutho lamaFilisti, kwakunogedla lwesiwa ngapha nangapha. Igama lesinye kwakuthiwa yiBhozezi, esinye kuthiwa yiSene. 5Olunye ugedla lwesiwa lwalugebele ngasenyakatho, phambi kweMikhimashi, olunye ngaseningizimu, phambi kweGebha.
6UJonathani wathi odibini lwakhe: “Woza siwelele ngaphesheya, siye ebuthweni labangasokile, mhlawumbe uSimakade uzosisiza, ngokuba akukho okungamthiya ukuba asindise, kungaba ngabaningi noma ngabayingcosana.”
7Udibi lwathi kuye: “Yenza konke okusenhliziyweni yakho: hamba; nginawe ngenhliziyo epheleleyo.”
8UJonathani wayesethi kuye: “Uyabona-ke, siyakuwela, siye kulabo bantu, siziveze kubo. 9Uma bethi kithi: ‘Hlalani size sifike kini,’ siyakuma endaweni yethu, singenyukeli kubo. 10Kepha uma bethi: ‘Yenyukelani kithi,’ siyakwenyuka, ngokuba uSimakade uyakubanikela esandleni sethu; lokho kuyakuba yisibonakaliso kithi.”
11Baziveza bobabili kulo ibutho lamaFilisti. AmaFilisti ayesethi: “Bhekani, amaHebheru ayaphuma emigodini acashe kuyo.”
12Abantu ababesebuthweni lamaFilisti babamemeza uJonathani nodibi lwakhe, bathi: “Khuphukelani lapha kithi, sizonitshela okuthile.”
UJonathani wayesethi odibini lwakhe: “Khuphuka ungilandele, ngokuba uSimakade ubanikele esandleni sakwa-Israyeli.”
13UJonathani wakhuphuka ekhasa ngezandla nezinyawo, nodibi lwakhe lumlandela. Abantu bawa phambi kukaJonathani, udibi lwakhe olwalumlandela lwabacoboshisa. 14Kuleso sehlakalo sokuqala sokubulawa kwabantu uJonathani nodibi lwakhe babulala abantu abangama-20 ebangeni elingathi liyingxenye ye-ekha lensimu.
15Kwaba khona ukuthuthumela enkanjini, endle, nakubo bonke abantu. Ibutho nabaphangi bathuthumela, umhlaba wazamazama, kwaba ngukuthuthumela okukhulu.
Ukwehlulwa KwamaFilisti
16Abaqaphi bakaSawule eGibheya kwaBhenjamini babona isixuku sihlakazeka, siya ngapha nangalaphaya. 17USawule wayesethi kubantu ababenaye: “Balani manje, nibone ukuthi ngubani ongekho phakathi kwethu.”
Babala; bheka, uJonathani nodibi lwakhe babengekho.
18USawule wathi ku-Ahiya: “Letha umphongolo kaNkulunkulu.”
Ngokuba umphongolo kaNkulunkulu ngaleso sikhathi wawukwabakwa-Israyeli. 19Kwathi uSawule esakhuluma kumphristi, umsindo owawusenkanjini yamaFilisti waqhubeka, wanda kakhulu. USawule wathi kumphristi: “Susa isandla sakho.”
20USawule wabiza bonke abantu ababenaye, bahamba baya ukuyolwa. Kwaba yilowo nalowo wasingena ngenkemba isitha, yatholana phezulu kwashunqa uthuli. 21Nalawo maHebheru ayekade eseqembukele kumaFilisti nawo akhuphukela enkanjini ayizungeza nxazonke, ayeseba nabakwa-Israyeli ababenoSawule noJonathani. 22Bonke abakwa-Israyeli ababecashe kwelezintaba kwa-Efrayimi bezwa ukuthi amaFilisti abalekile, nabo bawaxosha ngempi. 23USimakade wamsindisa u-Israyeli ngalolo lusuku. Impi yalwa yaze yedlulela eBhethi Aveni.
Isifungo SikaSawule Kubantu
24Abantu bakwa-Israyeli babecindezelekile ngalolo lusuku, ngokuba uSawule wayebafungisile abantu, wathi: “Makaqalekiswe umuntu oyodla ukudla kungakahlwi, ngingakaziphindiseli ezitheni zami.”
Akukho muntu owadla ukudla.
25Bonke abantu bangena ehlathini; kwakukhona uju phansi. 26Beselapho ehlathini, bheka, kwakuconsa uju, kodwa akubanga bikho noyedwa owaludla, ngokuba bonke babesaba isifungo. 27UJonathani wayengasizwanga isifungo uyise asenzisa abantu. Wayeselula isihloko senduku yakhe ayeyiphethe, wayicwilisa ojwini, walukhotha; ayeseqabuka amehlo akhe. 28Omunye kubantu wathi: “Uyihlo ubafungisile nokubafungisa abantu, wathi: ‘Makaqalekiswe umuntu ozokudla ukudla namuhla.’ Abantu base bephelelwe ngamandla.”
29UJonathani wayesethi: “Ubaba ulihluphile izwe. Ake nibheke ukuthi amehlo ami aseqabuke kanjani ngenxa yokukhotha nje leli consana loju. 30Kakhulu kangakanani-ke ukuba abantu bebeyidlile impango yezitha abayitholile, ngabe ababulalanga yini amaFilisti amaningi kakhulu na?”
31Ngalo lolo suku babulala amaFilisti kusukela eMikhimashi kuze kube se-Ajaloni. Abantu baphelelwa ngamandla ngokwedlulele. 32Bayithelekela impango: bathatha izimvu, izinkabi namankonyane, bakuhlaba, bakudla kusenegazi. 33Abanye base bembikela uSawule, bathi: “Uyabona-ke, abantu sebonile kuSimakade badla okunegazi.”
Wathi uSawule: “Nenze kabi, ngakho-ke namuhla gingqelani kimi itshe elikhulu.”
34USawule wathi: “Hlakazekani phakathi kwabantu, nibatshele bonke, nithi: ‘Akube yilowo nalowo alethe kimi inkabi yakhe, omunye imvu yakhe, nikuhlabe lapha kule ndawo, nikudle, ningabe nisona kuSimakade ngokudla okunegazi.’ ”
Abantu baletha, kwaba yilowo nalowo inkabi yakhe, bakuhlaba bona mathupha lapho. 35USawule wamakhela uSimakade i-althare; lelo kwaba yi-althare lokuqala alakhela uSimakade.
36USawule wathi: “Masehle, silandele amaFilisti ebusuku, siwaphange kuze kuse, singashiyi noyedwa kuwo.”
Bathi: “Yenza konke okuhle okubona kufanele.”
Umphristi wayesethi: “Masisondele lapha kuNkulunkulu.”
37USawule wabuza kuNkulunkulu wathi: “Ngehle yini ngilandele amaFilisti, na? Uyakuwanikela yini esandleni sabakwa-Israyeli na?”
Kepha akamphendulanga ngalolo lusuku.
38USawule wathi: “Sondelani lapha nina nonke zinhloko zabantu, nina enaziyo nenibonile ukuthi senzeke kanjani lesi sono sanamuhla. 39Kuphila kukaSimakade osindisa u-Israyeli, ngisho noma ngabe senziwe nguJonathani indodana yami, uyakufa nokufa.”
Kepha akekho noyedwa owamphendula.
40Wayesethi ku-Israyeli wonke: “Buyelani nganhlanye nina, mina noJonathani, indodana yami, siyakuya ngakolunye uhlangothi.”
Abantu bathi kuSawule: “Yenza okuhle okubona kufanele.”
41USawule wayesethi kuSimakade uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli: “Malivele iqiniso.”
UJonathani noSawule badliwa wunkatho; abantu basinda. 42USawule wathi: “Yenzani unkatho phakathi kwami noJonathani, indodana yami.”
UJonathani wadliwa wunkatho.
43USawule wayesethi kuJonathani: “Ngitshele okwenzileyo.”
UJonathani wamtshela wathi: “Impela nginambithe iconsana loju ngesihloko senduku ebisesandleni sami. Sengizakufa.”
44USawule wathi: “Makenze kanjalo uNkulunkulu, enezele futhi, ngokuba uyakufa nokufa, Jonathani!”
45Abantu bathi kuSawule: “Uyakufa yini uJonathani osilethele lokhu kusindiswa okukhulu kwa-Israyeli na? Siyafunga siyagomela phambi kukaSimakade, makungenzeki lokho; akuyukuwela phansi nolulodwa unwele lwekhanda lakhe, ngokuba usebenze noNkulunkulu namuhla.”
Abantu bamhlenga uJonathani, akabulawanga.
USawule Ulwa Nezizwe Eziningi
46USawule wayesebuya, wakhuphuka, akabe esawalandela amaFilisti; wona aya endaweni yawo.
47Lapho uSawule esewuthathile umbuso kwa-Israyeli walwa nazo zonke izitha zakhe ezazimzungeze nxazonke: abakwaMowabi, abakwa-Amoni, abakwa-Edomi, amakhosi aseZobha namaFilisti; noma kuphi lapho ayeya khona wayefike avale ngehlahla. 48Walwa ngesibindi, wanqoba ama-Amaleki, wamhlenga u-Israyeli esandleni sabaphangi.
Abomndeni KaSawule
49Nanka amagama amadodana kaSawule: nguJonathani, u-Ishivi, noMalikhi Shuwa. Amadodakazi akhe, igama leyokuqala nguMerabi, encane nguMikhali. 50Igama lomkaSawule ngu-Ahinohama, indodakazi ka-Ahimazi. Umkhuzi wempi yakhe kungu-Abhineri, indodana kaNeri uyisekazi kaSawule. 51UKishi, uyise kaSawule noNeri, uyise ka-Abhineri, babengamadodana ka-Abhiyeli.
52Ngazo zonke izinsuku zikaSawule, kwakukhona ukulwa okunzima namaFilisti. Kwakuthi lapho uSawule ebona iqhawe nendoda enamandla azithathele bona.
