¹Zvino Nahashi muAmoni wakakwira akavaka misasa yake paJabheshigiriyadi kuzorwa naro; zvino varume vose veJabheshi vakati kuna Nahashi, Itai sungano nesu tikushumirei.

¹And Nahash the Ammonite cometh up, and encampeth against Jabesh-Gilead, and all the men of Jabesh say unto Nahash, `Make with us a covenant, and we serve thee.`

²Nahashi muAmoni akati kwavari, Ndichatenda kuita sungano nemwi kana meso enyu ose orudyi achitumburwa, kuti ndinyadze vaIsiraeri vose nazvo.

²And Nahash the Ammonite saith unto them, `For this I covenant with you, by picking out to you every right eye — and I have put it a reproach on all Israel.`

³Vakuru veJabheshi vakati kwaari, Titenderei mazuva manomwe, titume nhume kunyika yose yaIsiraeri, zvino kana pasina ungatiponesa, tichabuda kwauri.

³And the elders of Jabesh say to him, `Let us alone seven days, and we send messengers into all the border of Israel: and if there is none saving us — then we have come out unto thee.`

⁴Zvino nhume dzikasvika paGibhiya, kwaSauro, dzikataura mashoko iwayo kuvanhu; vanhu vose vakachema kwazvo.

⁴And the messengers come to Gibeah of Saul, and speak the words in the ears of the people, and all the people lift up their voice and weep;

⁵Zvino Sauro wakabva kumunda achitinha mombe dzake; Sauro akati, Vanhu vanonzweiko zvavanochema kudai? Akaudzwa mashoko avarume veJabheshi.

⁵and lo, Saul hath come after the herd out of the field, and Saul saith, `What — to the people, that they weep?` and they recount to him the words of the men of Jabesh.

⁶Ipapo Mweya waMwari wakauya pamusoro paSauro nesimba, achinzwa mashoko iwayo, kutsamwa kwake kukamutswa kwazvo.

⁶And the Spirit of God doth prosper over Saul, in his hearing these words, and his anger burneth greatly,

⁷Akatora nzombe mbiri, akadziguranya ndokutuma nhindi idzo kunyika yose yaIsiraeri namaoko enhume, akati, Ani nani unoramba kubuda nokutevera Sauro naSamueri, uchaitirwa nzombe dzake saizvozvo. Zvino kutya, kwakabva kuna Jehovha, kwakabata vanhu, vakabuda vose-vose.

⁷and he taketh a couple of oxen, and cutteth them in pieces, and sendeth through all the border of Israel, by the hand of the messengers, saying, `He who is not coming out after Saul and after Samuel — thus it is done to his oxen;` and the fear of Jehovah falleth on the people, and they come out as one man.

⁸Iye akavaverenga paBhezeki; vana vaIsiraeri vakasvika zviuru zvina mazana matatu, navarume vaJudha zviuru zvina makumi matatu.

⁸And he inspecteth them in Bezek, and the sons of Israel are three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

⁹Vakati kunhume dzakauya, Udzai varume veJabheshigiriyadi, muti, Mangwana kana zuva ropisa, mucharwirwa. Nhume dzikaenda, dzikaudza varume veJabheshi, ivo vakafara.

⁹And they say to the messengers who are coming, `Thus do ye say to the men of Jabesh-Gilead: To-morrow ye have safety — by the heat of the sun;` and the messengers come and declare to the men of Jabesh, and they rejoice;

¹⁰Naizvozvo varume veJabheshi vakati, Mangwana tichabuda kwamuri, mutiitire henyu sezvamunoda.

¹⁰and the men of Jabesh say [to the Ammonites], `To-morrow we come out unto you, and ye have done to us according to all that [is] good in your eyes.`

¹¹Fume mangwana Sauro akagadzira vanhu, akavaita mapoka matatu, vakapinda pakati pemisasa nenguva yamangwanani vakauraya vaAmoni kusvikira zuva ropisa; zvino vakasara vakaparadzirwa, hakuna kusara vaviri pamwechete.

¹¹And it cometh to pass, on the morrow, that Saul putteth the people in three detachments, and they come into the midst of the camp in the morning-watch, and smite Ammon till the heat of the day; and it cometh to pass that those left are scattered, and there have not been left of them two together.

¹²Zvino vanhu vakati kuna Samueri, Ndianiko wakati, Sauro ungatibata ushe here? Hendei, tivauraye.

¹²And the people say unto Samuel, `Who is he that saith, Saul doth reign over us! give ye up the men, and we put them to death.`

¹³Sauro akati, Ngakurege kuurawa munhu mumwe nhasi, nekuti Jehovha wakarwira Isiraeri.

¹³And Saul saith, `There is no man put to death on this day, for to-day hath Jehovah wrought salvation in Israel.`

¹⁴Zvino Samueri akati kuvanhu, Hendei Girigari, tinovandudza ushe ipapo.

¹⁴And Samuel saith unto the people, `Come and we go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there;`

¹⁵Vanhu vose vakaenda Girigari, vakagadza Sauro ave mambo wavo pamberi paJehovha paGirigari, vakabayirapo zvibayiro zvezvipiriso zvokuyananisa pamberi paJehovha; Sauro navarume vose vaIsiraeri vakafara kwazvo ipapo.

¹⁵and all the people go to Gilgal, and cause Saul to reign there before Jehovah in Gilgal, and sacrifice there sacrifices of peace-offerings before Jehovah, and there Saul rejoiceth — and all the men of Israel — very greatly.