¹Sauro wakange anamakore ana makumi matatu pakutanga kwake kutonga ushe, akabata vaIsiraeri makore maviri.

¹Saul reigned a year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,

²Sauro akazvitsaurira varume vaIsiraeri vane zviuru zvitatu; zviuru zviviri zvavo zvaigara kuna Sauro paMikimashi pagomo reBetieri, nechiuru chimwe chaigara naJonatani paGibhiya kwaBhenjamini; vamwe vanhu vose akavadzosera, mumwe nomumwe kutende rake.

²Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel, of which two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the Mount of Bethel, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent.

³Jonatani akaparadza boka ravarwi vavaFirisitia vaigara Gebha; vaFirisitia vakazvinzwa. Zvino Sauro akaridza hwamanda panyika yose, akati, VaHebheru ngavanzwe.

³Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba: and the Philistines heard of it. Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!”

⁴Valsiraeri vose vakanzwa kuti Sauro waparadza boka ravarwi vavaFirisitia, uye kuti vaIsiraeri vovengwa navaFirisitia. Vanhu vose vakaunganidzwa kutivaende Girigari naSauro.

⁴All Israel heard that Saul had struck the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel was had in abomination with the Philistines. The people were gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.

⁵Zvino vaFirisitia vakaungana kuzorwa navaIsiraeri, vane ngoro dzine zviuru zvina makumi matatu, navatasvi vane zviuru zvitanhatu, navanhu vakanga vakafanana nejecha regungwa pakuwanda kwavo; vakakwira vakandodzika matende avo paMikimashi, kumabvazuva kweBhetiaveni.

⁵The Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude: and they came up, and encamped in Michmash, eastward of Beth Aven.

⁶Zvino varume vaIsiraeri vakati vachiona kuti vava panjodzi (nokuti vanhu vakanga vomanikidzwa), vanhu vakavanda mumapako, nomumatenhere, napakati pamatombo, nomunhare, nomumakomba.

⁶When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in coverts, and in pits.

⁷Uye vamwe vavaHebheru vakanga vayambuka Joridhani kunyika yaGadi neyagiriyadi, asi Sauro wakange achiri Girigari, vanhu vose vakamutevera vachibvunda.

⁷Now some of the Hebrews had gone over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

⁸Akamira mazuva manomwe akanga atarwa naSamueri; asi Samueri haana kusvika paGirigari, vanhu vakatanga kupararira vachimusiya.

⁸He stayed seven days, according to the time set by Samuel: but Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.

⁹Zvino Sauro akati, Uyai kwandiri nechipiriso chinopiswa nezvipiriso zvokuyananisa. Akapisa chipiriso chinopiswa.

⁹Saul said, “Bring here the burnt offering to me, and the peace offerings.” He offered the burnt offering.

¹⁰Zvino wakati achangopedza kupisa chipiriso chinopiswa, Samueri akasvika; Sauro akabuda kundosangana naye, kuti amukwazise.

¹⁰It came to pass that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.

¹¹Samueri akati, Waiteiko? Sauro akati, Ndakaona kuti vanhu vopararira, vachindisiya, uye kuti imwi hamuna kusvika namazuva akanga atarwa, uye kuti vaFirisitia vakanga vaungana paMikimashi,

¹¹Samuel said, “What have you done?” Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you didn’t come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash;

¹²saka ndikati, Zvino vaFirisitia vachaburuka kuzondivamba paGirigari ini ndichigere kukumbira Jehovha kundibatsira; naizvozvo ndakazvigombedzera ndikapisira chipiriso chinopiswa, ndisingadi hangu.

¹²therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down on me to Gilgal, and I haven’t entreated the favor of Yahweh.’ I forced myself therefore, and offered the burnt offering.”

¹³Samueri akati kuna Sauro, Waita sebenzi; hauna kuchengeta murayiro waJehovha Mwari wako, waakanga akuraira; nekuti zvino Jehovha wakange achida kusimbisa ushe hwako pakati pavaIsiraeri nokusingaperi.

¹³Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of Yahweh your God, which he commanded you; for now Yahweh would have established your kingdom on Israel forever.

¹⁴Asi zvino ushe hwako hahungagari; Jehovha wakazvitsvakira munhu unofadza moyo wake, Jehovha akamugadza ave mutungamiriri wavanhu vake, nekuti iwe hauna kuchengeta zvawakanga warairwa naJehovha.

¹⁴But now your kingdom shall not continue. Yahweh has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and Yahweh has appointed him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept that which Yahweh commanded you.”

¹⁵Samueri akasimuka, akabva Girigari akaenda Gibhiya kwaBhenjamini. Sauro akaverenga vanhu vaakanga anavo, vakasvika varume vanenge mazana matanhatu.

¹⁵Samuel arose, and went from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men.

¹⁶Sauro naJonatani mwanakomana wake, navanhu vavakanga vanavo, vakagara paGebhiya kwaBhenjamini; asi vaFirisitia vakanga vavaka misasa yavo paMikimashi.

¹⁶Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people who were present with them, stayed in Geba of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in Michmash.

¹⁷Zvino vaparadzi vakabuda kumisasa yavaFirisitia, vakaita mapoka matatu; boka rimwe rakabuda nenzira inoenda Ofira kunyika yaShauri,

¹⁷The spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned to the way that leads to Ophrah, to the land of Shual;

¹⁸rimwe boka rikabuda nenzira inoenda Bhetihoroni; nerimwe boka rikabuda nenzira yakaenda kumuganhu unotarira kumupata weZebhoimu, kurutivi rwerenje.

¹⁸and another company turned the way to Beth Horon; and another company turned the way of the border that looks down on the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

¹⁹Zvino kwakanga kusino mupfuri munyika yose yaIsiraeri, nekuti vaFirisitia vakati, VaHebheru ngavarege kuzvipfurira minondo namapfumo.

¹⁹Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears”;

²⁰Asi vaIsiraeri vose vaifanira kuburukira kuvaFirisitia, mumwe nomumwe kana achida kurodzerwa muromo wegeja rake, nebadza rake, nesanhu rake, nembezo yake;

²⁰but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his plowshare, mattock, axe, and sickle;

²¹nguva imwe neimwe kana mbezo dzavo, namapadza avo, neforogo dzavo, namasanhu avo zvokomara; uye kugadzirirwa zvokubaya mombe nazvo.

²¹yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the plowshares, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to set the goads.

²²Naizvozvo panguva yokurwa kwakanga kusino munondo, kana pfumo muruoko rwomunhu mumwe wavanhu vakanga vanaSauro naJonatani; asi Sauro naJonatani mwanakomana wake vakanga vanazvo.

²²So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.

²³Zvino boka ravarwi vavaFirisitia rakabuda kumupata weMikimashi.

²³The garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.