1 Ilizwi likaSamuweli laya kumaSirayeli onke. Aphuma amaSirayeli, eya kuwahlangabeza amaFilisti alwe nawo; amisa iintente ngase-Ebhenezere, amaFilisti amisa eAfeki.
2 Aza amaFilisti akha uluhlu lokulwa namaSirayeli. Idabi lanwenwezela, abulawa amaSirayeli phambi kwamaFilisti. Kwabulawa eluhlwini ethafeni apho amadoda akumawaka amane.
3 Beza abantu eminqubeni, athi amadoda amakhulu akwaSirayeli, Yini na ukuba uYehova asibulale namhla phambi kwamaFilisti? Masiye kuthabatha ityeya yomnqophiso kaYehova eShilo, ibe kuthi, ize phakathi kwethu, isisindise esandleni seentshaba zethu.
4 Bathumela ke abantu eShilo; bayithabatha khona ityeya yomnqophiso kaYehova wemikhosi, ohleli phezu kweekerubhi; babekhona bobabini oonyana bakaEli, uHofeni noPinehasi, benetyeya yomnqophiso kaThixo.
5 Kwathi, xa ifikayo ityeya yomnqophiso kaYehova eminqubeni, aduma kakhulu onke amaSirayeli, umhlaba wathi ndi.
6 Asiva amaFilisti isandi sokuduma kwawo, athi, Sesani na esi sandi sokuduma kungaka eminqubeni yamaHebhere? Azi ke ukuba ityeya kaYehova ifikile eminqubeni.
7 Oyika amaFilisti, kuba ebesithi, UThixo ufikile eminqubeni. Athi, Yeha ke thina! Ngokuba akuzanga kube nje ngaphambili.
8 Yeha ke thina! Ngubani na oya kusihlangula esandleni saba thixo babungangamsha bungaka? Ngaba thixo aba babulala amaYiputa ngezibetho zonke entlango.
9 Yomelelani, nibe ngamadoda, nina maFilisti, hleze nikhonze kumaHebhere, njengokuba ekhonze kuni wona. Yibani ngamadoda, nilwe.
10 Alwa ke amaFilisti, awabulala amaSirayeli; asaba ke wona, waya elowo ententeni yakhe; abulawa kakhulu kunene. Kwawa kumaSirayeli amawaka angamashumi amathathu angumqikela.
11 Kwathinjwa netyeya yomnqophiso kaThixo; bafa oonyana bobabini bakaEli, uHofeni noPinehasi.
12 Kwabaleka indoda yakwaBhenjamin, ivela emkhosini, yafika eShilo kwangaloo mini, iingubo zayo zikrazukile, inomhlaba entloko.
13 Yafika; nanko uEli ehleli esihlalweni ecaleni kwendlela, ebonisela; ngokuba ibigubha intliziyo yakhe ngenxa yetyeya kaThixo. Yafika indoda leyo, yawuxelela umzi; wasitsho isililo wonke umzi.
14 Waliva uEli izwi lesililo, wathi, Lelani na eli lizwi lale ntlokoma? Indoda leyo yakhawuleza, yeza yamxelela uEli.
15 Ke kaloku uEli ebeminyaka imashumi asithoba anesibhozo ezelwe, amehlo akhe enorhatyazo, engenakubona.
16 Yathi indoda leyo kuEli, Ndingulo uvela emkhosini mna, ndisabe emkhosini namhlanje. Wathi yena, Kuhle ntoni na, nyana wam?
17 Waphendula umbiki, wathi, Asabile amaSirayeli phambi kwamaFilisti, kananjalo babulewe kakhulu abantu, kananjalo oonyana bakho bobabini bafile, ooHofeni noPinehasi; ityeya kaThixo ithinjiwe.
18 Kwathi, akukhankanya ityeya kaThixo, wawa esihlalweni sakhe, eqethuka ngomva ngasecaleni kwesango, waphuka ilungu lentamo, wafa; ngokuba indoda leyo ibiselilixhego; inzima. Yayiwalawula amaSirayeli iminyaka emashumi mane.
19 Ke kaloku umolokazana wayo, umkaPinehasi, ebemithi, eza kuzala. Wathi akuziva iindaba zokuthinjwa kwetyeya kaThixo, nezokufa koyise wendoda nokwendoda yakhe, waguqa, wazala; ngokuba yamfikela inimba.
20 Ngexesha lokufa kwakhe, abafazi ababemi phezu kwakhe bathetha, bathi, Musa ukoyika, ngokuba uzele unyana. Akaphendula, akakhathala koko.
21 Wathi umntwana nguIkabhode, esithi, Uzuko lumkile kwaSirayeli, ngenxa yokuthinjwa kwetyeya kaThixo, nangenxa yoyise wendoda, nendoda yakhe.
22 Wathi, Uzuko lumkile kwaSirayeli; kuba ityeya kaThixo ithinjiwe.