Eyokuqala YeziKronike
10 AmaFilisti ayesilwa noSirayeli. Amadoda akwaSirayeli awabaleka amaFilisti, yaye amaninzi kuwo abulawa kwiNtaba YeGilbhowa.+ 2 AmaFilisti aleqa uSawule noonyana bakhe, aza axabela uYonatan, uAbhinadabhi noMaleki-shuwa,+ oonyana bakaSawule. 3 Umlo kunye noSawule waba shushu, ibe abatoli bamfumana baza bamenzakalisa.+ 4 Emva koko uSawule wathi kumphathi wezixhobo zakhe: “Rhola ikrele lakho undihlabe ngalo, ukuze la madoda angolukanga angezi aze andingcungcuthekise.”*+ Kodwa umphathi wezixhobo zakhe wala, kuba wayesoyika kakhulu. Ngoko uSawule wathatha ikrele waziwisa phezu kwalo.+ 5 Wathi umphathi wezixhobo zikaSawule akubona ukuba ufile, naye waziwisa phezu kwekrele lakhe waza wafa. 6 Wafa ngaloo ndlela ke uSawule noonyana bakhe abathathu, nabo bonke abo bendlu yakhe bafa kunye.+ 7 Bathi abantu bakwaSirayeli ababesentlanjeni* bakubona ukuba wonke umntu ubalekile nokuba uSawule noonyana bakhe bafile, bazishiya izixeko zabo baza babaleka. Emva koko amaFilisti afika aza ahlala kuzo.
8 Ngengomso, xa amaFilisti athatha izinto kwabo babuleweyo, afika uSawule noonyana bakhe bequngquluze eNtabeni YeGilbhowa.+ 9 Ngoko azithatha izixhobo zakhe, amnqumla intloko aza athumela ezo ndaba kulo lonke ilizwe lamaFilisti, kwizithixo zawo+ nakubo bonke abantu. 10 Emva koko azibeka endlini* yothixo wawo izixhobo zakhe, aza intloko yakhe ayixhoma endlini kaDagon.+
11 Bathi abantu baseYabheshe+ eseGiliyadi bakuva konke oko amaFilisti ayekwenze kuSawule,+ 12 onke amagorha aphakama, ahamba ayokuthatha isidumbu sikaSawule nezidumbu zoonyana bakhe. Azizisa eYabheshe,+ awangcwaba amathambo abo phantsi komthi omkhulu eYabheshe, aza azila ukutya iintsuku ezisixhenxe.
13 Leyo yindlela uSawule awafa ngayo ngenxa yokungathembeki kwakhe kuYehova, ngokungalithobeli ilizwi likaYehova+ nangokuya egqirheni+ 14 endaweni yokubuza kuYehova. Ngoko wambulala waza ubukumkani wabunika uDavide unyana kaYese.+