Ovita kuna Ovaamalek
1 Samuel wa tja nai ku Saul: “Muhona we ndji hinda okukutwirisa u rire ombara yotjiwaṋa tje Israel; nambano puratena komambo wa Muhona ngu ma hungire. 2 Muhona Omunamasaaehe, ma tja nai: ‘Ami me sutisa ouhasemba Ovaamalek mbu va tjitire kOvaisrael, tji ve rityakaṋene mondjira mokupita kwawo mOengipte. 3 Twende u karwise Ovaamalek, nu u kanyone oviṋa avihe okumana, mbi ve na vyo. O sye po otjiṋa; kazepe ovarumendu avehe novakazendu novanatje ovanyame, nozongombe nozonyanda nozongamero nousino!’ ”
4 Saul wa woronganisa ovarwe ve wovita ne ve varere mOtelaim. Nu pa ri ovarwe wovita vOvaisrael omayovi omasere yevari, novarumendu omayovi omurongo vOvajuda. 5 Saul novandu ve va ya kotjihuro tjOvaamalek nave katjita otutatwa motjana. 6 Nu Saul wa tjivisa nai kOvakeni: “Twendeye, mu ze mo mokati kOvaamalek kutja e he mu nyonene puna wo; orondu eṋe mwa ṱira Ovaisrael otjari, indu tji va zire mOengipte.” NOvakeni otji va za mo mokati kOvaamalek.
7 Nu Saul wa havera Ovaamalek okuza kOhawila nga kOsur, tji tji ri komukuma wokomuhuka wa Engipte. 8 Neye wa kambura Agag, ombara yOvaamalek, na zepa otjiwaṋa atjihe. 9 Nungwari Saul novarwe ve wovita va yama omuinyo wa Agag, nu kave zepere ozonyanda inḓa ozombwa, nozongombe nozondjona, na avihe mbya ri ovinanḓengu. Nungwari va zepa ovinamuinyo imbi ovirambi novihinahepero.
Saul kenokuyakurwa otjOmbara
10 Muhona wa hungira ku Samuel a tja: 11 “Ami mba hihamwa omutima kutja mba zika Saul okurira ombara; eye wa poka ku ami nu ka ṱakamisire omatwako wandje.” Samuel we rikenda tjinene, ne riheke ouṱuku auhe ku Muhona. 12 Nu menyunguhuka rependukirwa Samuel wa sekama okukatjakanena Saul. Nu Samuel wa tjivisiwa kutja Saul wa ire kotjihuro Karmel, ke keritungirira ewe rotjizemburukiro, nu okuzambo a i kOgilgal. 13 Nu Samuel tje ya ku Saul, Saul wa tja ku ye: “Ngo serwe ondaya i Muhona. Ami mba yenenisa omarakiza wa Muhona.”
14 Samuel wa pura a tja: “Okutjavi tji me zuu omavandarero wozonyanda nowozongombe?”
15 Saul wa zira nai: “Ovarwe vandje wovita ve ze huura kOvaamalek. Owo va ṱakamisa ozonyanda nozongombe inḓa ozombwa tjinene okuzepunguhira Muhona, Ndjambi woye; nu inḓa nḓa sewa po twe ze nyona.”
16 Nu Samuel wa rakiza a tja ku Saul: “Mwina, mbi ku tjivise imbi Muhona mbya hungire ku ami mouṱuku mbunombwi.”
Saul wa zira a tja: “Hungira!”
17 Samuel wa zira nai: “Kape ri nao ngwari? Ove nandi we rimunu omuini kutja oove omuhinanḓengu, oove ngu u ri omunane womihoko vya Israel, orondu Muhona we ku twirisa u rire ombara mOisrael. 18 Muhona we ku hinda ama tja: ‘Twende, u karwise ovarunde, imba Ovaamalek, nga tji we ve nyono avehe!’ 19 Okutjavi tji u ha zuvire ku ye? Nu okutjavi tji wa taurira mokukambura ovihuurwa, no tjiti imbi Muhona mbye ha vanga?”
20 Saul wa tja nai ku Samuel: “Ami mba kara nonḓuviro ku Muhona, nu mba tjita otja pe ndji raera, ne kakotora Agag, ombara yOvaamalek; nu imba Ovaamalek avehe mba zepa. 21 Nungwari ovarwe vandje wovita kave zepere ozonyanda nozongombe inḓa ozombwa tjinene nḓu va huura; owo ve ze eta kOgilgal okuyekuzepunguhira Muhona, Ndjambi woye.”
22 Samuel otja tja nai: “Otjikeṋa Muhona tje vanga komeho? Onḓuviro poo ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa nozovinamuinyo? Kokuwa okongwi okukara nonḓuviro ku ye komurungu wokumupunguhira ozonḓu ozombwa, nḓa ṋuna. 23 Okupirukira Muhona okokuvi tjimuna oundjai, nourangaranga owo ourunde tjimuna okukarera ovisenginina. Ove tjinga awa nakaura omarakiza wa Muhona, eye wina otjinga e ku nakaura kutja o ha rire ombara rukwao.”
24 Saul wa zira Samuel a tja: “Ami mba tjita ouvi mena rokutja hi ṱakamisire omarakiza wa Muhona nomaraerero woye, tjinga amba tira ovarwe vandje wovita namba zuva ku wo. 25 Nambano, arikana, ndji isira ozondjo zandje, nu ngatu yaruke pamwe kutja mbi kerikotamene ku Muhona.”
26 Samuel wa zira nai: “Ami hi nakuyaruka puna ove. Ove wa nakaura omarakiza wa Muhona, nu Muhona nambano we ku nakaura kutja o ha rire ombara ya Israel rukwao.”
27 Samuel tje rivingurura okuyenda, Saul arire tja kambura otjikoro tjombanda ya Samuel, notjo tja poka okuza ko. 28 Samuel wa tja nai ku ye: “Ndinondi Muhona wa nyondororora ouhona wa Israel okuisa ko kove, ne u yandja komundu warwe ngu ri omusemba pove. 29 Ndjambi wa Israel, Omuhivirikwa, kakora ovizeze nu ka rundurura omeripuriro we. Eye kamundu, nu ka rundurura omeripuriro we.”
30 Nu Saul wa zira a tja: “Ami mba tura ondjo; nungwari ndji raisira ondengero komurungu wovanane votjiwaṋa tjandje na komurungu wOvaisrael avehe. Ngatu yaruke pamwe kutja mbi kerikotamene ku Muhona, Ndjambi woye.” 31 Samuel otja yaruka puna Saul, nu Saul we rikotamena ku Muhona.
32 Nu Samuel otja rakiza a tja: “Eteye Agag, ombara yOvaamalek, ku ami!” Agag weya ama tira, ne ripura nai mu ye omuini: “Tjiri, onḓiro oyo otjiṋa otjitetarise!” 33 Nungwari Samuel wa tja: “Otja engaruvyo roye punga ara tjita ooina okukara nokuhinovanatje, opunga amape tjitwa ku nyoko okukara nokuhinomuatje.” Neye wa hahaura Agag movindimbu komurungu wotjipunguhiro tja Muhona mOgilgal.
34 Samuel wa ya kOrama, nu Saul wa yaruka koye kOgibea. 35 Samuel ke na pa kahakaena na Saul rukwao ngunda e nomuinyo; nungwari eye wa kara noruhoze na Saul. Muhona wa hihamwa omutima kutja wa zikire Saul okurira ombara mOisrael.
Saul Disobeys the Lord
1 One day, Samuel told Saul:
The Lord told me to choose you to be king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the Lord: 2 “When the Israelites were on their way out of Egypt, the nation of Amalek attacked them. I am the Lord All-Powerful, and now I am going to make Amalek pay!
3 “Go and attack the Amalekites! Destroy them and all their possessions. Don't have any pity. Kill their men, women, children, and even their babies. Slaughter their cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.”
4 Saul sent messengers who told every town and village to send men to join the army at Telaim. There were 210,000 troops in all, and 10,000 of these were from Judah. Saul organized them, 5 then led them to a valley near one of the towns in Amalek, where they got ready to make a surprise attack. 6 Some Kenites lived nearby, and Saul told them, “Your people were kind to our nation when we left Egypt, and I don't want you to get killed when I wipe out the Amalekites. So stay away from them.”
The Kenites left, 7 and Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah to Shur, which is just east of Egypt. 8 Every Amalekite was killed except King Agag. 9 Saul and his army let Agag live, and they also spared the best sheep and cattle. They didn't want to destroy anything of value, so they only killed the animals that were worthless or weak.
The Lord Rejects Saul
10 The Lord told Samuel, 11 “Saul has stopped obeying me, and I'm sorry that I made him king.”
Samuel was angry, and he cried out in prayer to the Lord all night. 12 Early the next morning he went to talk with Saul. Someone told him, “Saul went to Carmel, where he had a monument built so everyone would remember his victory. Then he left for Gilgal.”
13 Samuel finally caught up with Saul, and Saul told him, “I hope the Lord will bless you! I have done what the Lord told me.”
14 “Then why,” Samuel asked, “do I hear sheep and cattle?”
15 “The army took them from the Amalekites,” Saul explained. “They kept the best sheep and cattle, so they could sacrifice them to the Lord your God. But we destroyed everything else.”
16 “Stop!” Samuel said. “Let me tell you what the Lord told me last night.”
“All right,” Saul answered.
17 Samuel continued, “You may not think you're very important, but the Lord chose you to be king, and you are in charge of the tribes of Israel. 18 When the Lord sent you on this mission, he told you to wipe out those worthless Amalekites. 19 Why didn't you listen to the Lord? Why did you keep the animals and make him angry?”
20 “But I did listen to the Lord!” Saul answered. “He sent me on a mission, and I went. I captured King Agag and destroyed his nation. 21 All the animals were going to be destroyed anyway. That's why the army brought the best sheep and cattle to Gilgal as sacrifices to the Lord your God.”
22 “Tell me,” Samuel said. “Does the Lord really want sacrifices and offerings? No! He doesn't want your sacrifices. He wants you to obey him. 23 Rebelling against God or disobeying him because you are proud is just as bad as worshiping idols or asking them for advice. You refused to do what God told you, so God has decided that you can no longer be king.”
24 “I have sinned,” Saul admitted. “I disobeyed both you and the Lord. I was afraid of the army, and I listened to them instead. 25 Please forgive me and come back with me so I can worship the Lord.”
26 “No!” Samuel replied, “You disobeyed the Lord, and I won't go back with you. Now the Lord has said that you can't be king of Israel any longer.”
27 As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the edge of Samuel's robe. It tore! 28 Samuel said, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today, and he will give it to someone who is better than you. 29 Besides, the eternal God of Israel isn't a human being. He doesn't tell lies or change his mind.”
30 Saul said, “I did sin, but please honor me in front of the leaders of the army and the people of Israel. Come back with me, so I can worship the Lord your God.”
31 Samuel followed Saul back, and Saul worshiped the Lord. 32 Then Samuel shouted, “Bring me King Agag of Amalek!”
Agag came in chains, and he was saying to himself, “Surely they won't kill me now.”
33 But Samuel said, “Agag, you have snatched children from their mothers' arms and killed them. Now your mother will be without children.” Then Samuel chopped Agag to pieces at the place of worship in Gilgal.
34 Samuel went home to Ramah, and Saul returned to his home in Gibeah. 35 Even though Samuel felt sad about Saul, Samuel never saw him again.
The Lord Chooses David To Be King
The Lord was sorry he had made Saul the king of Israel.
