1 Samuele katola itenyana tje mafuta kaadila mu nsholo wa Saulo, kabe en'gumpatila ebe eti, “Yahwe bakubiga kube ntungamili we bathu babo Baiziraela. Unowobusa bathu ba Yahwe kakale unowobadusa mu maboko e zwita zwabo kupoteleka kose. Ngono ngwenu, etji nditjo tjinowobe tjilakidzo tjekuti Yahwe bakubiga kube ntungamili mu thaka yabo. 2 Kowoti udwa pandili nasi, unowoshangana ne balume babili pa ikumbu tja Rahele mu ntuthu wa Bhenjamini ku Zeleza, banowokudwa beti, ‘Madonki awakabe wanoshaka akabong'wa, tate babo abatjadziyidzika ngekwawo koga botjidziyidzika nge kuko beti, apa banowothamani ngekwe nkololo wabo kene?’ 3 Ndizo ha udwa ipapo uyendile mbeli kudzina unoswika pa nti we pakayengemala we Tabori, unowoshangana ne balume batatu ipapo, betathila ku Ndzimu ku Bhetele, mmwe akasenga mbudzana thatu, mmwe akasenga zwiwunga zwitatu, ngono mmwe akasenga gukhwa le nkumbi we zhambi. 4 Banowokudumilisa bakakupa zwiwunga zwibili, ngono iwe uzwiamutjile. 5 Kudwa ipapo unowonoswika ku Dombo le Ndzimu, pana kampa ye babhayani be Bafilisitiya, ngono unowoti uswika ikweno ku nzi, unowoshangana ne goko le balebesambeli bedeluka mu bugalo gu pezhugwi belidza zwilidzo zwe dende ne thamborini ne nyele ne laya. 6 Ipapo meya ya Yahwe inowodelukila mukuli nge masimba, ngono unowolebesambeli nabo, ngono unowoshandugwa ukabe nthu upoga. 7 Ngono zwilakidzo izwezwi zwiti zwashingikala, uthame tjaunowobe ubona tjakalingisana ngothamwa, ngobe Ndzimu unawe. 8 Ngono udelukile ku Giligala kunditangila, ndizo ndokowokutobela kuwopisa zwibhayilo ne kupa zwipo zwe mbakiso, koga undimilile mazhuba ali kutendeka kuswikila ndizha ndikulakidza tjaunowothama.”
9 Kwakati Saulo efupatila edwa pana Samuele, Ndzimu ukashandula moyo uwe, zwilakidzo zose izwezwi zwikashingikala mu zhuba ilelo. 10 Kwakati beswika ku dombo, goko le balebesambeli likanshanganidza, ngono meya ye Ndzimu ikadelukila munli nge masimba, ngono kalebesambeli nabo. 11 Kwakati bose bagala benziba bembona elebesambeli ne balebesambeli, bathu bakabhuzwana bakati, “Apa nkololo wa Kishi wanging'wa ngeni kene? Apa Saulo na iyebo upakati kwe balebesambeli kene?” 12 Nlume wakabe egala ipapo kabe eti, “Ngono tate babo ndiani kene?” Ndizo kukabe kutangisa sumo inoti, “Apa Saulo na iyebo upakati kwe balebesambeli kene?” 13 Kati apedza nge bulebesambeli, kayenda ku bugalo gu pezhugwi.
14 Batatenini ba Saulo bakababhuzwa iye ne nlanda bakati, “Makabe mayenda ngayi kene?”
Saulo kadabila eti, “Takabe tanoshaka madonki, ngono takati tibona tisingaabone, tikayenda kuna Samuele.”
15 Batatenini ba Saulo bakabe beti, “Undibudze kuti Samuele wakamubudzani.”
16 Saulo wakadwa batatenini babe kati, “Wakatibudza kati madonki akabong'wa.” Koga ngekwe matama e bushe, akalebgwa ndi Samuele kasitongo babudza iwo.
Saulo unoamutjigwa sa mambo
17 Samuele kadanila bathu be Iziraela kuna Yahwe ku Mizipha, 18 ngono kabadwa kati, “Etji nditjo tjakalebgwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela, ‘Ndimi ndakadusa Baiziraela mu Egipiti, kakale amusungunula mu maboko e Baegipiti ne mu maboko e mibuso yose yakabe yakamutshambilidza.’ 19 Koga imwi ngwenu makalamba Ndzimu wenyu, iwo unomutjidza mu mbatsha dzenyu dzose ne mu manikano dzenyu dzose, ngono makati, ‘Atidi! Koga mutibigile mambo. Ndizo ngwenu muzwilakidze mbeli kwa Yahwe nge njudzi dzenyu nenge misha yenyu.’ ”
20 Samuele kati esedzedza njudzi dzose dze Iziraela, ludzi gwa Bhenjamini gukashalugwa nge kukandila. 21 Ndizo kasedzedza mbeli ludzi gwa Bhenjamini nge misha yabo, nsha wa Materi ukashalugwa nge kukandila. Gwe bupelo kwakashalugwa Saulo nkololo wa Kishi nge kukandila. Koga bakati benshaka, bakansheta. 22 Ndizo bakabhuzwa Yahwe kakale bakati, “Apa nlume iwoyu watjizha ipapa kene?”
Ngono Yahwe bakadabila beti, “Bonani, wakabgwata mu thundu.”
23 Bakalabukilako bakanontola, ngono wakati ema pakati kwe bathu, kadusa nsholo mu bathu bose, banontobela bemma pa thudzi. 24 Samuele wakadwa bathu bose kati, “Apa mombona nlume washalugwa ndi Yahwe kene? Akuna mmwe unonga iye pakati kwe bathu bose.”
Ndizo bathu bose bakapululudza beti, “Mambo ngabalalame!”
25 Samuele kabudza bathu fanilo ne mishingo ye bushe, ebuya eikwala mu lukwalo, ebe egubiga mu mabiganyilo mbeli kwa Yahwe. Ndizo Samuele kapaladza bathu kuti bayende ku mizi yabo. 26 Saulo kayendabo ku nzi uwe ku Gibiya, wakapelekwa nge babhayani bakasima, bakabe bazunguziwa ne Ndzimu kuti bampeleke. 27 Koga bamwe basi be tjimwe bakati, “Apa nlume uwoyu unowotitjidza tjini kene?” Bakansola kakale bakasitongonzhisila zwipo. Koga Saulo kazwinyalalilazwe.
1 Then Samuel took a jar of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head, kissed him, and said, “The Lord anoints you as ruler of his people Israel. You will rule his people and protect them from all their enemies. And this is the proof to you that the Lord has chosen you to be the ruler of his people: 2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel's tomb at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys you were looking for have been found, so that your father isn't worried any more about them but about you, and he keeps asking, ‘What shall I do about my son?’ 3 You will go on from there until you come to the sacred tree at Tabor, where you will meet three men on their way to offer a sacrifice to God at Bethel. One of them will be leading three young goats, another one will be carrying three loaves of bread, and the third one will have a leather bag full of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept. 5 Then you will go to the Hill of God in Gibeah, where there is a Philistine camp. At the entrance to the town you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the altar on the hill, playing harps, drums, flutes, and lyres. They will be dancing and shouting. 6 Suddenly the spirit of the Lord will take control of you, and you will join in their religious dancing and shouting and will become a different person. 7 When these things happen, do whatever God leads you to do. 8 You will go ahead of me to Gilgal, where I will meet you and offer burnt sacrifices and fellowship sacrifices. Wait there seven days until I come and tell you what to do.”
9 When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God gave Saul a new nature. And everything Samuel had told him happened that day. 10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. Suddenly the spirit of God took control of him, and he joined in their ecstatic dancing and shouting. 11 People who had known him before saw him doing this and asked one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Has Saul become a prophet?” 12 A man who lived there asked, “How about these other prophets—who do you think their fathers are?” This is how the saying originated, “Has even Saul become a prophet?” 13 When Saul finished his ecstatic dancing and shouting, he went to the altar on the hill.
14 Saul's uncle saw him and the servant, and he asked them, “Where have you been?”
“Looking for the donkeys,” Saul answered. “When we couldn't find them, we went to see Samuel.”
15 “And what did he tell you?” Saul's uncle asked.
16 “He told us that the animals had been found,” Saul answered—but he did not tell his uncle what Samuel had said about his becoming king.
Saul Is Acclaimed as King
17 Samuel called the people together for a religious gathering at Mizpah 18 and said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I brought you out of Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and all the other peoples who were oppressing you. 19 I am your God, the one who rescues you from all your troubles and difficulties, but today you have rejected me and have asked me to give you a king. Very well, then, gather yourselves before the Lord by tribes and by clans.’”
20 Then Samuel had each tribe come forward, and the Lord picked the tribe of Benjamin. 21 Then Samuel had the families of the tribe of Benjamin come forward, and the family of Matri was picked out. Then the men of the family of Matri came forward, and Saul son of Kish was picked out. They looked for him, but when they could not find him, 22 they asked the Lord, “Is there still someone else?”
The Lord answered, “Saul is over there, hiding behind the supplies.”
23 So they ran and brought Saul out to the people, and they could see that he was a foot taller than anyone else. 24 Samuel said to the people, “Here is the man the Lord has chosen! There is no one else among us like him.”
All the people shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of a king, and then wrote them in a book, which he deposited in a holy place. Then he sent everyone home. 26 Saul also went back home to Gibeah. Some powerful men, whose hearts God had touched, went with him. 27 But some worthless people said, “How can this fellow do us any good?” They despised Saul and did not bring him any gifts.