Sauli ge ra gao-aodīhe
1 ǃKhū hâ tsî ǁkhāti kaise ǂanǂansa khoeb ge ge hâ i, Kis ti ǀon hâb, Benjaminni ǃhaos diba. Kisi ge ge Abieli ôa i, Abieli ge ge Serori ôa i, Serori ge ge Bekorati ôa i tsî Bekorati ge ge Afiaxi ôa i. 2 Kisi on ge ǀgôaba ge ūhâ i, Saul ti ǀon hâb, îxa ǂkham khoe ge iba. ǁÎb khami îxa khoeb ge Israelǁîgu ǃnâ ge ǀkhai i; tsîb ge danas âb ǀkha gaxusib ǃnâ ǁaes din hoana gere ǃnā.
3 Kisi, Sauli îb di dâukidi xa di ge ǀnîde kā hâ i, xui-aob ge ǁîba Sauli ǃoa ge mî: “ǃGāgu di ǀguiba ūsao, î ǃgû tsî dâukide sī ôa.” 4 ǁÎkha ge Efraimǃhomga ge ǃgûǃnâǃganu tsî Salisaǀkharib ona, xawe kha ge ǁîde hō tama ge i. ǁÎkha ge Saalimǀkharib ona ge ǃgûǃnâǃganu, xawe kha ge dâukide hō tama ge i. ǁNās khaoǃgâ kha ge Benjaminni ǀkhariba ge ǃgûǃnâǃganu, xawe kha ge ǁîde hō tama ge i. 5 Tsî Sufǀkharib ǃnâ kha ge sī, ob ge Saula ǃgāb âb ǃoa ge mî: “A khom oa, îb ti îba tā dâukidi xa ǂâiǂhansenǀû tsî sakhom ǂama ǂâiǂhansen.”
6 Ob ge ǃgāba Sauli ǃoa ge mî: “ǁNam aibe, nē ǃās Ramas ǃnâb ge Elob aoba hâ. Nēb ge kaise a ǃgôahesa aob, mîb ra xūn hoan ra ama ība. Akhom ǁîb ǃoa ǃgû, ǀnîsib mâpa khom ǁîde a hō ǁkhā ǃkhaisa nî mîba khom xuige.”
7 Ob ge Saula ǃgāb âba ge dî: “ǁÎb ǁga khom nî ǃgûs karao, tare-e khom nî sī-ūba bi? Sakhom ǁgarura ǃnâ go hâ i pere-i ge ǀnai go toa; ǀkhaexū-i ǁnā aoba khom nî mā-i xare-e khom ge ūhâ tama hâ. Tare-e khom ūhâ?”
8 ǃGāb ge Saula ge ǃeream: “Tita ge ǀhaiǀuri marirosa ūhâ tsî ta ge ǁîsa ǁîba a mā ǁkhā, îb mîba khom mâpa khom ǁîde a hō ǁkhā ǃkhaisa.”
9 ǂGuro i ge khoe-i ga Elob ai xū-e dîǃgû, o Israeli ǃnâ “A da mû-aoba ǃoa ǃgû” ti gere mîhe. Kēbo-aogu, ti nēsi ra ǂgaihe gu ge ǂguro mû-aogu ti gere ǂgaihe. 10 Sauli ge ǃgāb âb ǃoa ge mî: “ǃGâi a, xuige a khom ǃgû.” ǁÎkha ge ǁnā ǃās, Elob aob ǁîs ǃnâ hâs ǃoa ge ǃgû. 11 Tsî ǃās ǃoa garu ǁnōba-u kha ra ǂoa hîa kha ge ǃāsa xu ǁgam-e xuriǃgûgaru ǂkham khoedi ǀkha ge ǀhao. O kha ge ǁîdi ai ge dî:
“Mû-aoba nēpa ǃās ǃnâ hâb a?”
12 O di ge ge ǃeream: “Î, ǁnā sakho ais ai hâ. ǃHaese kho ga dī, o kho ge ǃās ǃnâ kho ra ǂgâ hîa nî saoǁae bi. Nētsēb ge ǃās ǃnâ go hā, ǁaes nētsē ǀgapib ai altars ai ra ǁguiba xui-ao. 13 ǃĀs ǃnâ go kha ǂgâ, o kho ge ǀgapib ǃoab ǂûb nîga nî ǂoas aiǃâ nî ǀhao-ū bi. ǁKhauhe hâ khoen ge sīb nîs aiǃâ ǂû tama hâ, ǁîb aibe ǁguibasa nî ǀkhae xui-ao. ǁNās khaoǃgân ge ǁkhausabena ra ǂû. Nēsi kho ga ǃgû, o kho ge ǃhaese nî ǀhao-ū bi.” 14 Saul hâkha ge ǃās ǁga ge ǃgû tsî ǃās ǃnâ kha ra ǂgâ hîa gu ge ge ǃgûǃoagu, Samueli ge ǀgapib ai hâ ǀgoreǀîǃkhais ǃoa ǂoagaru i xui-ao.
15 Sauli nî hās aiǃâ hâ tsēs aib ge ǃKhūba ǀnai Samuela ge ǂhaiǂhaiba: 16 “ǁAri ta ge nē ǁaeb ǁkhāb ai khoeb, Benjaminni ǃhaos diba sats ǃoa nî sî; ǁîba ti ǁaes Israels di gao-aose ǀnau. ǁÎb ge ti ǁaesa Filisteǁîn di ǀgaiba xu nî huiǂui. Ti ǁaes di ǁgâiǀāba ta ge go mû tsî ǁîn di ǀgoresa ta ge go ǁnâu.”
17 Samueli, Saula ra mû hîab ge ǃKhūba ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Nēb ge ǁnā khoeb, ǁîb xa ta ge mîba tsiba. ǁÎb ge ti ǁaes ǂama nî gao.” 18 Sauli ge Samuela ǃās di dao-ams tawa ǃgûǃoa tsî ge mî: “Mû-aob di omsa toxopa ǁgau te re.”
19 Ob ge Samuela ge ǃeream: “Tita ge mû-aota. Ti ais ai ǀgapib ǃoa ǂoa re; nētsē kho ge tita ǀkha nî ǂû. ǁArikam ǁgoaga ta ge sa dîdi hoade ǃeream tsî aiǃâ nî ǃgû kai tsi. 20 Sa dâukidi, ǃnona tsēdi ǃkharu hâse ge kādi xasa, tā ǂâiǂhansen, ǀnai di go hōhe xuige. Tsî tari-i din a Israeli ǃnâ hâ ǂoaǂamsa xūn hoana? Sats tsî sa îb surib hoab di taman ǁnâi hâ?”
21 Ob ge Saula ge ǃeream: “Tita ge Benjaminni ǃhaos, Israeli ǃhaodi hoadi xa ǂkharis di tsî ti surib ge Benjaminni ǃhaos din hoan ǃnâ a ǂkhariro. Tarexats ǁnâi nēti tita ǀkha ra ǃhoa?”
22 Samueli ge Sauli tsî ǁîb di ǃgāb tsîkha ū tsî kai ǃnā-oms ǃnâ ǂgâ-ū tsî ǁîkha ǃgôahesan di ǂnûǃkhaisa, ǁkhausaben ǁaegu ge mā. ǁNāpa gu ge ǁaubexa ǃnonadisi aoga ge ǂnôa i. 23 Tsîb ge Samuela sâi-aob ǃoa ge mî: “ǁNā ǁgan-i ǃâs, satsa mā tsî ta go ǀguri ǂnûi kai tsisa hā-ū re.” 24 Ob ge sâi-aoba tîs ǁgan-e ū tsî ǁî-e Saula ge mâi-aiǃâ; tsîb ge Samuela ge mî: “Kō, nēs ge sâu kaiba tsi ta go hâ i ǃâsa. ǂÛ re, ǁîsats ge nēsits, ǁkhau ta hâ khoen ǀhao hâpa nî ǂûse go ǂnûiǂuibahe hâ i.” ǁNātib ge Saula ǁnātsē Samueli ǀkha ge ǂû.
25 ǁNās khaoǃgâ gu ge ǀgapiba xu ǃās ǁga ge ǁgôa tsîkha ge Saula oms ǂamǃnâ kharoba ge ǂhomiba 26 tsîb ge ǁnāpa ge ǁgoe.
Samueli ge Saula gao-aose ra ǀnau
Tsî ǃnauǁgoaga, sores ǁhais ǀkhab ge Samuela Sauli, oms ǂamǃnâ hâba ǂgai tsî ge mî: “Khâima, î ta ǃgûǂui tsi.” Ob ge Saula ge khâi, tsî kha ge ǁîb tsî Samueli tsîkha ǃaugab ǃoa ge ǂoa. 27 ǃĀs di ǀams tawa kha ge sī, ob ge Samuela Sauli ǃoa ge mî: “ǃGāb âtsa mîmā, îb aiǃâb ǃoa ǃgû, xawe satsa aibe mâ, î ta Elob ge mîna ǂanǂan tsi.”
Saul Meets Samuel
1 There was a wealthy and influential man named Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin; he was the son of Abiel and grandson of Zeror, and belonged to the family of Becorath, a part of the clan of Aphiah. 2 He had a son named Saul, a handsome man in the prime of life. Saul was a foot taller than anyone else in Israel and more handsome as well.
3 Some donkeys belonging to Kish had wandered off, so he said to Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go and look for the donkeys.” 4 They went through the hill country of Ephraim and the region of Shalishah, but did not find them; so they went on through the region of Shaalim, but the donkeys were not there. Then they went through the territory of Benjamin, but still did not find them. 5 When they came into the region of Zuph, Saul said to his servant, “Let's go back home, or my father might stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.”
6 The servant answered, “Wait! In this town there is a holy man who is highly respected because everything he says comes true. Let's go to him, and maybe he can tell us where we can find the donkeys.”
7 “If we go to him, what can we give him?” Saul asked. “There is no food left in our packs, and we don't have a thing to give him, do we?”
8 The servant answered, “I have a small silver coin. I can give him that, and then he will tell us where we can find them.”
9-11 Saul replied, “A good idea! Let's go.” So they went to the town where the holy man lived. As they were going up the hill to the town, they met some young women who were coming out to draw water. They asked these women, “Is the seer in town?”
(At that time a prophet was called a seer, and so whenever someone wanted to ask God a question, he would say, “Let's go to the seer.”)
12-13 “Yes, he is,” the young women answered. “In fact, he is just ahead of you. If you hurry, you will catch up with him. As soon as you go into town, you will find him. He arrived in town today because the people are going to offer a sacrifice on the altar on the hill. The people who are invited won't start eating until he gets there, because he has to bless the sacrifice first. If you go now, you will find him before he goes up the hill to eat.” 14 So Saul and his servant went on to the town, and as they were going in, they saw Samuel coming out toward them on his way to the place of worship.
15 Now on the previous day the Lord had told Samuel, 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the tribe of Benjamin; anoint him as ruler of my people Israel, and he will rescue them from the Philistines. I have seen the suffering of my people and have heard their cries for help.”
17 When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord said to him, “This is the man I told you about. He will rule my people.” 18 Then Saul went over to Samuel, who was near the gate, and asked, “Tell me, where does the seer live?”
19 Samuel answered, “I am the seer. Go on ahead of me to the place of worship. Both of you are to eat with me today. Tomorrow morning I will answer all your questions and send you on your way. 20 As for the donkeys that were lost three days ago, don't worry about them; they have already been found. But who is it that the people of Israel want so much? It is you—you and your father's family.”
21 Saul answered, “I belong to the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important one in the tribe. Why, then, do you talk like this to me?”
22 Then Samuel led Saul and his servant into the large room and gave them a place at the head of the table where the guests, about thirty in all, were seated. 23 Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the piece of meat I gave you, which I told you to set aside.” 24 So the cook brought the choice piece of the leg and placed it before Saul. Samuel said, “Look, here is the piece that was kept for you. Eat it. I saved it for you to eat at this time with the people I invited.”
So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 25 When they went down from the place of worship to the town, they fixed up a bed for Saul on the roof, 26 and he slept there.
Samuel Anoints Saul as Ruler
At dawn Samuel called to Saul on the roof, “Get up, and I will send you on your way.” Saul got up, and he and Samuel went out to the street together. 27 When they arrived at the edge of town, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” The servant left, and Samuel continued, “Stay here a minute, and I will tell you what God has said.”
