Saul ma twirisiwa okurira ombara
1 Nu Samuel wa toora onya yomaze womiṋinga, e ye tirire kotjiuru tja Saul ne mu hupite a tja: “Muhona me ku twirisa u rire ombara yotjiwaṋa tje Israel. Ove mo honaparere otjiwaṋa tje, nu mo tji yama kovanavita na tjo avehe. Otjiraisiro tjokutja Muhona we ku toorora okurira ombara yotjiwaṋa tje, otjo hi: 2 Tji wa zu pu ami ndino, mo kahakaena novarumendu vevari peyendo ra Rahel mOselsa mehi ra Benjamin, mbu mave ku raere nai: ‘Ousino mbu u paha wa munika. Nu tara, iho ke ripura notjiṋa tjousino rukwao, nungwari u rikenda na eṋe, ame ripura nai: Hi tjite vi kutja mbi mune omuzandu wandje?’ 3 Tji wa zu ngo no kavaza komumbonde wa Tabor, mo hakaene novarumendu vetatu mbu mave kapunguhira Ndjambi ombunguhiro kObetel, umwe a toora ozongombona ndatu, nomukwao a toora ozomboroto ndatu ozombomba, nu ingwi outjatatu a tjindi ondjaṱu yomukova yomavinu. 4 Owo mave ku minike nave ku etere ozomboroto mbari ozombomba ove nḓu mo sokukambura. 5 Okuzambo mo kavaza kOndunda ya Ndjambi mOgibea ku ku nozondanda zovatjevere zOvafilisti; nu tji mo kahita motjihuro, mo hakaene nombunga yovaprofete mbu mave rauka kondunda, nu komurungu wawo amaku pose ovihumba novinangoma, nozohiva zomiti, nozongoma zomiko, owo oveni ngunda amave pundu nondjoroka yomaukiro. 6 Nombepo ya Muhona mai ya kombanda yoye, nu wina otji mo pundu puna wo, nombepo ya Ndjambi mai ku rundurura okurira omundu warwe. 7 Oviraisiro mbi tji mavi tjitwa kove, yenenisa imbi Ndjambi mbi me ku pe okutjita; orondu Ndjambi u ri puna ove. 8 Twende komurungu wandje kOgilgal; ingo oku matu kahakaenena, nu ami me kapunguha ombunguhiro oningiririsiwa noyohange, nga tji mbe ya okukutjivisa ihi tji mo sokutjita.”
9 Saul tja tanauka okuza po pu Samuel, Ndjambi arire tja rundurura omutima wa Saul; noviraisiro avihe mbi vya tjitwa meyuva ndo. 10 Nu Saul nomukarere we tji va kavaza kOgibea, va kahakaena nombunga yovaprofete nu tjimanga Ombepo ya Ndjambi ye ya kombanda ya Saul, neye wa punda nondjoroka nenyando puna wo. 11 Novandu mbaa ve tjiwa Saul rukuru tji va muna kutja ma pundu puna ovaprofete, otji va purasana ave tja: “Pa tjitwa tjike komuzandu wa Kis? Saul wina wa rira omuprofete are?” 12 Nomundu umwe ngwa zire ngo, wa zira a tja: “Ihe yawo owaṋi?” Embo ndi opu ra ririra omuano: “Saul wina wa rira omuprofete are?” 13 Saul tja mana okupunda, arire tja rondo kondunda ya Gibea.
14 Nu inyangwe ya Saul wa pura ye nomukarere we a tja: “Mwa ire pi?”
Saul wa zira nai: “Twa kapahere ousino, neṱe tji twa muna kutja katu na kuumuna twa ya ku Samuel.”
15 Nu inyangwe ya Saul wa tja: “Arikana, ndji serekarerera imbi Samuel mbye mu raere.”
16 Saul arire tja tja ku inyangwe: “Eye we tu tjivisa kutja ousino wa munika.” Nungwari ihi otjiṋa tjokurira ombara Samuel tja hungira, eye ke mu raerere ko.
Saul ma zikwa okurira ombara
17 Samuel wa woronganisa otjiwaṋa komurungu wa Muhona mOmispa, 18 na tja kOvaisrael: “Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, ma tja nai: ‘Ami mba pitisa Israel mOengipte ne mu yama meke rOvaengipte na mouvara womauhona aehe nge mu ṋiṋikizire. 19 Nungwari eṋe ndino mwa imbirahi Ndjambi weṋu ngwe mu kutura momauzeu weṋu aehe na mozombamisiro, amu tja: Ayee, tu zikira ombara. Nambano woronganeye komurungu wa Muhona otja komihoko na kozonganda zeṋu.’ ”
20 Nu Samuel tja tumbuza omihoko avihe vyOvaisrael popezu, imbwi omuhoko wa Benjamin ombwa urikwa i Muhona. 21 Nu imbwi omuhoko wa Benjamin, otja kozonganda zawo, tji wa tumbuziwa popezu, indji onganda ya Matri ondja urikwa; tjazumba ape urikwa Saul, omuzandu wa Kis. Nowo ve mu paha, nungwari eye kaa munika. 22 Nowo otji va pura ku Muhona rukwao ave tja: “Saul u ri pi?”
Nu Muhona wa zira nai: “Tara, eye wa ṱara mokati komitwaro.”
23 Nowo otji va ya nave kemupitisa poṋa pa ri; nu Saul tja kakurama mokati kotjiwaṋa, eye tjandje onguri omure pu avehe. 24 Nu Samuel wa tja nai kotjiwaṋa: “Tareye, ingwi ngwa toororwa i Muhona, eye ngwi! Kamu na umwe ngwa sana na ye mokati kotjiwaṋa atjihe.”
Notjiwaṋa atjihe tja yoroka natji tja: “Ombara ngai hupe orure!”
25 Tjazumba Samuel wa handjaurira otjiwaṋa atjihe omausemba noviungura vyombara, ne vi tjanga membo, ne ri twa komurungu wa Muhona. Nu Samuel otja raera otjiwaṋa atjihe kutja omundu auhe a yaruke koyawo. 26 Nu Saul wina wa yaruka konganda ye kOgibea; nozombanḓe nḓa Ndjambi nḓa yanḓiparisa omitima za ya puna ye. 27 Nungwari ovandu tjiva oviporoporo va tja nai: “Omundu ngwi me tu kutura vi?” Nowo ve mu nyengura nave he mu etere oviyandjewa; nungwari eye kahungirire otjiṋa.
1 Samuel took a small jar of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head. Then he kissed Saul and told him:
The Lord has chosen you to be the leader and ruler of his people. 2 When you leave me today, you'll meet two men near Rachel's tomb at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They'll tell you, “The donkeys you've been looking for have been found. Your father has forgotten about them, and now he's worrying about you! He's wondering how he can find you.”
3 Go on from there until you reach the big oak tree at Tabor, where you'll meet three men on their way to worship God at Bethel. One of them will be leading three young goats, another will be carrying three round loaves of bread, and the last one will be carrying a clay jar of wine. 4 After they greet you, they'll give you two loaves of bread.
5 Next, go to Gibeah, where the Philistines have an army camp. As you're going into the town, you'll meet a group of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They'll be going along prophesying while others are walking in front of them, playing small harps, small drums, and flutes.
6 The Spirit of the Lord will suddenly take control of you. You'll become a different person and start prophesying right along with them. 7 After these things happen, do whatever you think is right! God will help you.
8 Then go to Gilgal. I'll come a little later, so wait for me. It may even take a week for me to get there, but when I come, I'll offer sacrifices to please the Lord and to ask for his blessings. I'll also tell you what to do next.
Saul Goes Back Home
9 As Saul turned around to leave Samuel, God made Saul feel like a different person. That same day, everything happened just as Samuel had said. 10 When Saul arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him. The Spirit of God suddenly took control of him, and right there in the middle of the group he began prophesying.
11 Some people who had known Saul for a long time saw that he was speaking and behaving like a prophet. They said to each other, “What's happened? How can Saul be a prophet?”
12 “Why not?” one of them answered. “Saul has as much right to be a prophet as anyone else!” That's why everyone started saying, “How can Saul be a prophet?”
13 After Saul stopped prophesying, he went to the place of worship.
14 Later, Saul's uncle asked him, “Where have you been?”
Saul answered, “Looking for the donkeys. We couldn't find them, so we went to talk with Samuel.”
15 “And what did he tell you?” Saul's uncle asked.
16 Saul answered, “He told us the donkeys had been found.” But Saul didn't mention that Samuel had chosen him to be king.
The Lord Shows Israel that Saul Will Be King
17 Samuel sent messengers to tell the Israelites to come to Mizpah and meet with the Lord. 18 When everyone had arrived, Samuel said:
The Lord God of Israel told me to remind you that he had rescued you from the Egyptians and from the other nations that abused you.
19 God has rescued you from your troubles and hard times. But you have rejected your God and have asked for a king. Now each tribe and clan must come near the place of worship so the Lord can choose a king.
20 Samuel brought each tribe, one after the other, to the altar, and the Lord chose the Benjamin tribe. 21 Next, Samuel brought each clan of Benjamin there, and the Lord chose the Matri clan. Finally, Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they looked for him, he was nowhere to be found.
22 The people prayed, “Our Lord, is Saul here?”
“Yes,” the Lord answered, “he is hiding behind the baggage.”
23 The people ran and got Saul and brought him into the middle of the crowd. He was more than a head taller than anyone else. 24 “Look closely at the man the Lord has chosen!” Samuel told the crowd. “There is no one like him!”
The crowd shouted, “Long live the king!”
25 Samuel explained the rights and duties of a king and wrote them all in a book. He put the book in one of the shrines where the Lord was worshiped. Then Samuel sent everyone home.
26 God had encouraged some young men to become followers of Saul, and when he returned to his hometown of Gibeah, they went with him. 27 But some worthless fools said, “How can someone like Saul rescue us from our enemies?” They did not want Saul to be their king, and so they didn't bring him any gifts. But Saul kept calm.
