Saulo unoshangana na Samuele
1 Kwakabe kuna nlume wakabe akafuma zina lile liyi Kishi, Kishi ali nkololo wa Abiele, Abiele ali nkololo wa Zero, Zero ali nkololo wa Bhekorati, Bhekorati ali nkololo wa Afiya, Afiya ali nkololo we Nbhenjamini. 2 Wakabe ana nkololo uwe zina lile liyi Saulo, ali nzhuzha mbuya. Kwakabe kusina nlume pakati kwe balume be Iziraela mbuya kumpinda, ali nlefu mmwe ne mmwe wakabe emmila pa thudzi.
3 Ipapo madonki a Kishi tate ba Saulo, akabe amila. Ndizo Kishi kadwa nkololo uwe Saulo kati, “Tola mmwe we balanda munoshaka madonki.” 4 Bakapalama shango ye matuthu ye Ifureimi bakapalama ne shango ye Shalisha, koga bakasiabone. Ngono bakapalama shango ye Shaalimu naikobo bakaasheta ndizo bakapalama ntuthu we Bhenjamini, naiko bakasiabone. 5 Bakati beswika ku ntuthu we Zufu, Saulo kadwa nlanda waakabe anaye kati, “Ngatibgwilile kanyi, tate banowodwa basingatjakumbule ngekwe madonki, bebe bodziyidzika ngekwedu.”
6 Koga iye kanshandula eti, “Bona, kuna nlume we Ndzimu mu nzi iwoyu, nlume unokudziwa kwazo. Tjimwe ne tjimwe tjaanoleba tjobe malebeswa. Ngatiyendeko sangwenu, pamwe ungatipa nkwala we kwatingashakila.”
7 Ndizo Saulo kati ku nlanda, “Apa ha tiyenda ku nlume uwoyo towonompani kene? Zojiwa zwabe zwili mu hwomo dzedu zwapela, atina tjipo tjatinganopa nlume we Ndzimu, apa ini tjatinatjo kene?”
8 Nlanda kan'dabila kakale kati, “Ipapa ndina butukununu gwe loso le siliva, towonolipa nlume we Ndzimu kuti atipe nkwala.”
9 Mu Iziraela kwakabe kuti unobe eyenda kunobhuzwa Ndzimu, kabe eti, “Ngatiyende tinobona mboni,” ngobe nlebesambeli ntolo wakabe edang'wa mboni. 10 Ndizo Saulo kadwa nlanda uwe kati, “Kwakalulwama, izha tiyende.” Ndizo bakayenda ku nzi kwakabe nlume we Ndzimu aliko. 11 Bakati betathila pezhugwi kwe duthu ku nzi, bakashangana ne baanadi bebhuda benotjela vula, ngono bakababhuzwa bakati, “Mboni uyapo kene?”
12 Bakadabila beti, “Ee, uyapo, ndiye iwoje umbeli kwenyu. Tjimbidzani ndiko kwaabe eswika ngwenu ku nzi, ngobe bathu bana tjibhayilo nasi ku bugalo gu pezhugwi. 13 Kowoti koga mungina mu nzi, mowon'wana asathu katathila ku bugalo gu pezhugwi kunoja. Bathu abangatangise kuja kuswikila eswika, se akafanila kuyengemadza tjibhayilo, kowoti shule bakokiwa bebe beja. Ndizo tathilani tjinyolotjo monon'wana.” 14 Bakatathila pezhugwi ku nzi, kwakati koga bengina mu nzi, bonani bakashangana na Samuele eyenda ku bugalo gu pezhugwi.
15 Yahwe bakabe balala bazumbunulila Samuele, Saulo asathu kazha beti, 16 “Kowoti mangwana nge tjibaka itjetji, ndowotumila ku kuli nlume unodwa ku shango ya Bhenjamini, ngono unzhodze kuti abe ntungamili we bathu bangu Baiziraela, unowosunungula bathu bangu mu maboko e Bafilisitiya, ngobe ndabona kudziyidzika kwe bathu bangu, ne tjililo tjabo ndatjihwa.”
17 Kwakati Samuele ebona Saulo, Yahwe bakandwa bakati, “Oyu ndiye nlume wandakalebeleka nawe nge kukwe, ndiye unowobusa bathu bangu.” 18 Ndizo Saulo kasedzela kuna Samuele pa nkoba kati, “Ndokumbila bhuzwa, ng'umba ye mboni iponi kene?”
19 Samuele kadabila eti, “Ndimi mboni, pindani tiyende ku bugalo gu pezhugwi, ngobe nasi mowoja nami, ngono tjimuka mangwanana ndowomubudza kose kumu mimoyo yenyu, ndibe ndimupa zila muzwiyendigwa zwenyu. 20 Ngekwe madonki enyu akamila zhulolija, musidziyidzike nge kwawo, ngobe akabong'wa. Apa njemulo dzose dze Iziraela dzakalinga kuna ani, ha dzisi mukuli ne nsha wose wa tate babo kene?” 21 Saulo kashandula kati, “Apa andite ndili Nbhenjamini we ludzi gutukunu tjose mu Iziraela, apa nsha wangu ate iwo we ntukunu tjose mu misha yose ye ludzi gwe Bhenjamini kene? Apa ini mulebeleka zwithu zwakajali nami kene?” 22 Ipapo Samuele katola Saulo ne nlanda uwe kabayisa ku ng'umba inojigwa, kabagadza mu magalo ambeli kwabo bose bakabe bakokiwa, bakabe bangabe makumi matatu (30). 23 Samuele kadwa mbhiki kati, “Undipe nyama yandakupa, iyeyi yandakudwa nditi uibigile ntome.” 24 Ndizo mbhiki katola mpimbila ne tjidzwa kazwibiga mbeli kwa Saulo. Ngono Samuele kabe eti, “Ezwi, ndizo zwamabe mabigigwa. Ijani, ngobe zwabe zwabigigwa ntome zwili zwenyu mu nzano iwoyu, kuti muzwije mu tjibaka itjetji ne bakokiwa.”
Ndizo Saulo kaja na Samuele mu zhuba ilelo. 25 Kwakati basinobe badeluka mu bugalo gu pezhugwi bezha mu nzi, kukawaligwa Saulo kayizela pezhugwi kwe denga le ng'umba.
Samuele unobiga Saulo kube mambo
26 Ndizo kwakati zhuba libhuda Samuele kadana Saulo ku denga le ng'umba, kandwa kati, “Muka ndikupe zila uyendezo.” Saulo kamuka, bakabhudila kuzhe bose na Samuele. 27 Bakati bedelukila ku bupelo gwe nzi, Samuele kadwa Saulo kati, “Idwa nlanda ayendile mbeli kwedu.” Ngono nlanda kathama sekwa adwiwa, Samuele kabe eti, “Ima ipapa kushomanana kuti ndikuzibise dama le Ndzimu.”
Saul Meets Samuel
1 Kish was a wealthy man who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. His father was Abiel, his grandfather was Zeror, his great-grandfather was Becorath, and his great-great-grandfather was Aphiah. 2 Kish had a son named Saul, who was better looking and more than a head taller than anyone else in all Israel.
3 Kish owned some donkeys, but they had run off. So he told Saul, “Take one of the servants and go look for the donkeys.”
4 Saul and the servant went through the hill country of Ephraim and the territory of Shalishah, but they could not find the donkeys. Then they went through the territories of Shaalim and Benjamin, but still there was no sign of the donkeys. 5 Finally they came to the territory where the clan of Zuph lived. “Let's go back home,” Saul told his servant. “If we don't go back soon, my father will stop worrying about the donkeys and start worrying about us!”
6 “Wait!” the servant answered. “There's a man of God who lives in a town near here. He's amazing! Everything he says comes true. Let's talk to him. Maybe he can tell us where to look.”
7 Saul said, “How can we talk to the prophet when I don't have anything to give him? We don't even have any bread left in our sacks. What can we give him?”
8 “I have a small piece of silver,” the servant answered. “We can give him that, and then he will tell us where to look for the donkeys.”
9-10 “Great!” Saul replied. “Let's go to the man who can see visions!” He said this because in those days God would answer questions by giving visions to prophets.
Saul and his servant went to the town where the prophet lived. 11 As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to get water, and the two men said to them, “We're looking for the man who can see visions. Is he in town?”
12 “Yes, he is,” they replied. “He's in town today because there's going to be a sacrifice and a sacred meal at the place of worship. In fact, he's just ahead of you. Hurry 13 and you should find him right inside the town gate. He's on his way out to the place of worship to eat with the invited guests. They can't start eating until he blesses the sacrifice. If you go now, you should find him.”
14 They went to the town, and just as they were going through the gate, Samuel was coming out on his way to the place of worship.
15 The day before Saul came, the Lord had told Samuel, 16 “I've seen how my people are suffering, and I've heard their call for help. About this time tomorrow I'll send you a man from the tribe of Benjamin, who will rescue my people from the Philistines. I want you to pour olive oil on his head to show that he will be their leader.”
17 Samuel looked at Saul, and the Lord told Samuel, “This is the man I told you about. He's the one who will rule Israel.”
18 Saul went over to Samuel in the gateway and said, “A man who can see visions lives here in town. Could you tell me the way to his house?”
19 “I am the one who sees visions!” Samuel answered. “Go on up to the place of worship. You will eat with me today, and in the morning I'll answer your questions. 20 Don't worry about your donkeys that ran off three days ago. They've already been found. Everything of value in Israel now belongs to you and your family.”
21 “Why are you telling me this?” Saul asked. “I'm from Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my clan is the least important in the tribe.”
Saul Eats with Samuel and Stays at His House
22 Samuel took Saul and his servant into the dining room at the place of worship. About 30 people were there for the dinner, but Samuel gave Saul and his servant the places of honor. 23-24 Then Samuel told the cook, “I gave you the best piece of meat and told you to set it aside. Bring it here now.”
The cook brought the meat over and set it down in front of Saul. “This is for you,” Samuel told him. “Go ahead and eat it. I had this piece saved especially for you, and I invited these guests to eat with you.”
After Saul and Samuel had finished eating, 25 they went down from the place of worship and back into town. A bed was set up for Saul on the flat roof of Samuel's house, 26 and Saul slept there.
About sunrise the next morning, Samuel called up to Saul on the roof, “Time to get up! I'll help you get started on your way.”
Saul got up. He and Samuel left together 27 and had almost reached the edge of town when Samuel stopped and said, “Tell your servant go on. Stay here with me for a few minutes, and I'll tell you what God has told me.”
Samuel Tells Saul He Will Be King
After the servant had gone,