1 Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. 2 And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.
3 And the asses of Kish Saul’s father were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. 4 And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. 5 And when they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the asses, and take thought for us. 6 And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can shew us our way that we should go. 7 Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we? 8 And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way. 9 (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) 10 Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was .
11 ¶ And as they went up the hill to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here? 12 And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before you: make haste now, for he came to day to the city; for there is a sacrifice of the people to day in the high place: 13 As soon as ye be come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he go up to the high place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that be bidden. Now therefore get you up; for about this time ye shall find him. 14 And they went up into the city: and when they were come into the city, behold, Samuel came out against them, for to go up to the high place.
15 ¶ Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, 16 To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. 17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.
18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer’s house is . 19 And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer: go up before me unto the high place; for ye shall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thine heart. 20 And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father’s house? 21 And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me? 22 And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlour, and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden, which were about thirty persons. 23 And Samuel said unto the cook, Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said unto thee, Set it by thee. 24 And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is left! set it before thee, and eat: for unto this time hath it been kept for thee since I said, I have invited the people. So Saul did eat with Samuel that day.
25 ¶ And when they were come down from the high place into the city, Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house. 26 And they arose early: and it came to pass about the spring of the day, that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad. 27 And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servant pass on before us, (and he passed on,) but stand thou still a while, that I may shew thee the word of God.
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.”