Eyokuqala YeziKronike
10 AmaFilisti ayelwa no-Israyeli. Amadoda akwa-Israyeli awabalekela amaFilisti, amaningi abulawa eNtabeni iGilibowa. + 2 AmaFilisti amhlala ezithendeni uSawule namadodana akhe, abulala uJonathani, u-Abhinadaba noMaliki-shuwa, + amadodana kaSawule. 3 Impi yaba nzima kuSawule, abacibisheli bamthola futhi bamlimaza. + 4 Ngemva kwalokho uSawule wathi esikhonzini esiphatha izikhali zakhe: “Hosha inkemba yakho ungigwaze ngayo, ukuze laba bantu abangasokile bangezi bangiphathe ngesihluku.” *+ Kodwa isikhonzi esiphatha izikhali zakhe asivumanga, ngoba sasesaba kakhulu. Ngakho uSawule wathatha inkemba wawela phezu kwayo. + 5 Lapho isikhonzi esiphatha izikhali zakhe sibona ukuthi uSawule usefile, naso sawela phezu kwenkemba yaso safa. 6 Ngakho uSawule namadodana akhe amathathu bafa, bonke abendlu yakhe ababenaye bafa ngesikhathi esisodwa. + 7 Lapho bonke abantu bakwa-Israyeli ababesesigodini* bebona ukuthi wonke umuntu ubalekile nokuthi uSawule namadodana akhe bafile, bashiya amadolobha abo babaleka; ngemva kwalokho kwafika amaFilisti ahlala kuwo.
8 Ngakusasa, lapho amaFilisti eza ezohlubula ababulewe, athola uSawule namadodana akhe bedindilizile eNtabeni iGilibowa. + 9 Ngakho amhlubula, ashumpula ikhanda lakhe athatha nezembatho zakhe zempi, athumela umyalezo kulo lonke izwe lamaFilisti ukuze lezi zindaba azimemezele ezithixweni zawo + nakubantu. 10 Ngemva kwalokho abeka izembatho zakhe zempi endlini* kankulunkulu wawo, abethela ugebhezi lwakhe endlini kaDagoni. +
11 Lapho bonke ababeseJabeshi + eGileyadi bezwa konke lokho amaFilisti ayekwenze kuSawule, + 12 wonke amaqhawe asuka athwala isidumbu sikaSawule nezidumbu zamadodana akhe. Aziletha eJabeshi angcwaba amathambo abo ngaphansi kwesihlahla esikhulu eJabeshi, + azila ukudla izinsuku eziyisikhombisa.
13 Ngakho uSawule wafa ngenxa yokungathembeki kwakhe kuJehova ngoba akazange alilalele izwi likaJehova, + nangenxa yokuthi wabuza kosebenzelana nemimoya + 14 esikhundleni sokubuza uJehova. Ngenxa yalokho uNkulunkulu wambulala, ubukhosi wabudlulisela kuDavide indodana kaJese. +