¹Zvino kwakanga kuno murume waBhenjamini, wainzi Kishi, mwanakomana waAbhieri, mwanakomana waZerori, mwanakomana waBhekorati, mwanakomana waAfia, mwanakomana womuBhenjamini, munhu waiva nesimba noumhare.

¹And 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, the son of a Benjaminite, a mighty man of wealth.

²Uyu munhu wakange ano mwanakomana wainzi Sauro, jaya rakanaka; kwakanga kusino mumwe munhu pakati pavana vaIsiraeri wakange akamukunda pakunaka; kubva pamafudzi ake kusvika kumusoro wake wakange akapfuura vanhu vose pakureba.

²And he had a son whose name was Saul, choice and comely; and there was not among the children of Israel a comelier person than he; from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

³Zvino mbongoro dzaKishi, baba vaSauro, dzakanga dzarashika. Ipapo Kishi akati kuna Sauro, mwanakomana wake, Enda nomumwe wavaranda, mundotsvaka mbongoro.

³And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost; and Kish said to Saul his son, Take, I pray, one of the young men with thee, and arise, go seek the asses.

⁴Iye akapfuura nokunyika yamakomo yaEfuremu, akapfuurawo nokunyika yamakomo yeSharisha, asi havana kudziwana; zvino vakapfuurazve nokunyika yeSharimi, asi naipapo dzakanga dzisipo; ipapo akapfuura nokunyika yavaBhenjamini, asi havana kudziwana.

⁴And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they found [them] not; and they passed through the land of Shaalim, and they were not there; and they passed through the land of Benjamin, and they found [them] not.

⁵Zvino vakati vachisvika kunyika yeZufi, Sauro akati kumuranda wake, wakange anaye, Ngatidzoke hedu; baba vangu zvimwe vangarega kufunga mbongoro, vakafunganya pamusoro pedu.

⁵They had come to the land of Zuph when Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come and let us return; lest my father give up the asses, and be anxious about us.

⁶Iye akati kwaari, Tarirai, muguta rino muno munhu waMwari, munhu unokudzwa kwazvo; zvose zvaanotaura zvinoitika; hendei zvino ikoko, zvimwe ungatiudza nzira yatingafamba nayo.

⁶And he said to him, Behold now, a man of God is in this city, and the man is held in honour; all that he says comes surely to pass. Let us now go thither: perhaps he will shew us the way that we should go.

⁷Zvino Sauro akati kumuranda wake, Asi tarira, kana tikaenda, tichandovigirei munhu uyo? nekuti zvingwa zvakanga zviri mumidziyo yedu zvapera; hapana chipo chatingavigira munhu waMwari; tineiko?

⁷And Saul said to his servant, But if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and we have no present to give to the man of God: what have we?

⁸Ipapo muranda akapindurazve, akati kuna Sauro, Tarirai, ndine chechina cheshekeri resirivha muruoko rwangu; ndichachipa munhu waMwari, atiudze nzira yedu.

⁸And 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(Kare pakati pavaIsiraeri kana munhu ondobvunza Mwari, waiti, Handei kuMuvoni; nekuti unonzi Muporofita zvino wainzi Muvoni kare.)

⁹(In former time in Israel, when a man went to ask counsel of God, he said, Come and let us go to the seer; for he that is now called a Prophet was in former time called a Seer.)

¹⁰Ipapo Sauro akati kumuranda wake, Ishoko rakanaka, hendei. Naizvozvo vakaenda kuguta kwakanga kuno munhu waMwari.

¹⁰And Saul said to his servant, Well said: come, let us go. So they went to the city where the man of God was.

¹¹Zvino vakati vachikwira kuguta, vakasongana navasikana vakanga vabuda kundoteka mvura, vakati kwavari, Muvoni ari pano here?

¹¹As they went up the ascent to the city, they met maidens going forth to draw water; and they said to them, Is the seer here?

¹²Vakapindura, vakati, Aripo, tarirai, hoyo pamberi penyu; kurumidzai henyu zvino, nekuti wasvika muguta nhasi; nekuti vanhu vanobayira nhasi padunhu rakakwirira.

¹²And they answered them and said, He is; behold, he is before thee: make haste now, for he came to-day to the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place.

¹³Kana mangoti mapinda muguta, muchamuwana pakarepo achigere kukwira kudunhu rakakwirira kundodyapo; nekuti vanhu havangadyi, iye asati asvika, nekuti ndiye unoropafadza chibayiro; pashure ivo vakakokwa vachadya. Naizvozvo chikwirai zvino, nekuti muchamuwana nenguva ino.

¹³As soon as ye come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he goes up to the high place to eat; for the people eat not until he has come, because he blesses the sacrifice; afterwards they eat that are invited. And now go up; for this very day shall ye find him.

¹⁴Ipapo vakakwira kuguta. Vakati vosvika muguta, vakaona Samueri obuda, akasangana navo okwira kudunhu rakakwirira.

¹⁴And they went up into the city. As they were coming into the midst of the city, behold, Samuel was coming out towards them, to go up to the high place.

¹⁵Zvino Jehovha wakange azivisa Samueri zuva rakatangira kusvika kwaSauro, akati,

¹⁵Now Jehovah had apprised Samuel one day before Saul came, saying,

¹⁶Mangwana nenguva ino ndichatuma kwauri munhu unobva kunyika yaBhenjamini; unofanira kumuzodza, kuti ave mutungamiriri wavanhu vangu vaIsiraeri aponese vanhu vangu mumaoko avaFirisitia; nekuti ndakatarira vanhu vangu, nekuti kuchema kwavo kwakasvika kwandiri.

¹⁶To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him prince over my people Israel; and he will save my people out of the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.

¹⁷Zvino Samueri wakati achiona Sauro; Jehovha akati kwaari, Ndiye munhu wandakakuudza ndichiti, ndiye uchabata vanhu vangu.

¹⁷And as Samuel saw Saul, Jehovah answered him, Behold the man of whom I spoke to thee! this man shall rule over my people.

¹⁸Ipapo Sauro akaswedera kuna Samueri pasuwo, akati, Ndiudzeiwo kuti imba yoMuvoni iripi?

¹⁸And Saul drew near to Samuel in the midst of the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is.

¹⁹Samueri akapindura Sauro, akati, Ndini Muvoni; nditungamirirei mukwire kudunhu rakakwirira, nekuti munofanira kudya neni nhasi; mangwana ndichakutendera kuenda, ndigokuudzawo zvose zviri pamoyo wako.

¹⁹And Samuel answered Saul and said, I am the seer: go up before me to the high place, and ye shall eat with me to-day; and to-morrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is in thy heart.

²⁰Asi kana dziri mbongoro dzako dzakanga dzarashika mazuva matatu, usadzifunga hako, nekuti dzatowanikwa hadzo. Asi zvose zvinodikamwa naIsiraeri hazvizi kwauri here? Hazvizi kwauri nokuna vose veimba yababa vako here?

²⁰And as for the asses that thou didst lose three days ago, set not thy heart on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel [set]? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house?

²¹Sauro akapindura, akati, Ko handizi muBhenjamini, worudzi ruduku kumarudzi ose aIsiraeri here? Uye mhuri yangu haizi duku kumhuri dzose dzorudzi rwaBhenjamini here? Munotaurireiko kudaro kwandiri?

²¹And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjaminite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? and why dost thou speak such words to me?

²²Samueri akatora Sauro nomuranda wake, akapinda navo mumba mokudyira, akavagarisa pavakakudzwa kupfuura vamwe vakakokwa, vaiva vanhu vanenge makumi matatu.

²²And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the chamber, and gave them a place at the head of them that were invited; and they were about thirty persons.

²³Zvino Samueri akati kumubiki, Uya nomugove wandakakupa ndichiti, Chiuchengeta uri woga.

²³And Samuel said to the cook, Bring the portion that I gave thee, of which I said to thee, Set it by thee.

²⁴Mubiki akatora chidzva nezvose zvakanga zviri pachiri, akazvigadza pamberi paSauro. Samueri akati, Tarira, ndicho chakanga chakachengetwa; uzvigadze pamberi pako, udye, nekuti zvakakuchengeterwa iwe kusvikira nguva yakafanira, nekuti ndakati, Ndakokera vanhu. Naizvozvo Sauro akadya naSamueri musi iwoyo.

²⁴And the cook took up the shoulder, and what was on it, and set [it] before Saul. And he said, Behold that which has been reserved! set it before thee, eat; for against the set time has it been kept for thee, since I said, I will invite the people. So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

²⁵Zvino vakati vaburuka padunhu rakakwirira, vakapinda muguta, akataurirana naSauro padenga reimba.

²⁵And they came down from the high place into the city, and he spoke with Saul upon the roof.

²⁶Vakamuka mangwanani, mambakwedza, Samueri akadana Sauro padenga reimba, akati, Muka, ndikuendise. Ipapo Sauro akamuka, vakabuda iye naSamueri vari vaviri.

²⁶And they arose early; and when it was about the dawning of the day, Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, Arise, that I may send thee away. And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, into the street.

²⁷Zvino vakati voburuka pamugumo weguta, Samueri akati kuna Sauro, Raira muranda atungamire mberi kwedu (iye akatungamira hake); asi iwe chimbomira hako, ndikuzivise shoko raMwari.

²⁷As they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Tell the servant to pass on before us (and he passed on), but stand thou still now, that I may cause thee to hear the word of God.