Sawulu taata a faamaa la faloolu ñini
1 Fankamaa doo le mu, a keta nuŋ moo buuñaariŋ baa le ti. A too mu Kisi le ti, aduŋ a mu Abiyeli dinkewo le ti, Abiyeli Serori dinkewo, Serori Bekorati dinkewo, Bekorati Afiya dinkewo, Afiya wo tarata Benjamini lasiloo le kono. 2 A dinkewo too mu Sawulu le ti. Fondinkee muluŋ ñiimaa baa le mu, a niŋ Banisirayilankoolu maŋ kaañaŋ. Aduŋ ate le jamfata ì bee ti.
3 Kisi la faloolu le filita nuŋ, bituŋ a ko a diŋo Sawulu ye ko, “Dookuulaa kiliŋ taa, i niŋ a ye taa ñoo la, ali ye taa faloolu ñini.” 4 Bituŋ ì tambita niŋ Efurayimu* konkotundoo* la aniŋ Salisa maafaŋo, bari ì maŋ ì je. Bituŋ ì tententa ka taa Saalimu tundoo kaŋ, bari faloolu te jee fanaa to. Kabiriŋ ì bota Saalimu, ì taata niŋ Benjamini tundoo la, bari ì maŋ ì je. 5 Labaŋo la, kabiriŋ ì futata Sufu tundoo kaŋ, Sawulu ko a la dookuulaa ye ko, “Naa ŋà muruŋ, kaatu niŋ wo nte, m faamaa te i miira la faloolu la kuwo la, a be a dati la le ka dewuŋ ntolu la kuwo la.”
6 Bari dookuulaa ye a jaabi ñiŋ ne la ko, “M batu, ñiŋ saatewo to Alla la moo be jee le. Ì ye a horoma baake le, aduŋ a ye feŋ-wo-feŋ fo, a ka ke tooñaa le ti. Ŋà taa jee saayiŋ. Tumandoo a be a fo la ǹ ye le, ǹ ñanta meŋ ke la.”
7 Sawulu ko a la dookuulaa ye ko, “Niŋ ǹ taata, m̀ be muŋ ne dii la keendiŋo la? Domoroo meŋ be ǹ na bootoolu kono banta le. M̀ maŋ soorifeŋ soto, m̀ be meŋ dii la Alla la moo la. Muŋ ne be m̀ bulu?”
8 Dookuulaa ye a jaabi kotenke ko, “M batu, kodiforo kuntundiŋ be m bulu le. M be a dii la Alla la moo la le, i si a je, a si siloo fo ǹ ye, m̀ be taa meŋ na.”
Sawulu niŋ Samuweli benta
9-11 Sawulu ko dookuulaa ye ko, “A beteyaata. Naa ŋà taa.” Bituŋ ì taata saatewo to, Alla la moo be daameŋ. Kabiriŋ ì be sele kaŋ konkoo kaŋ ka taa saatewo ñiŋ to, ì niŋ sunkutoolu benta, wolu ka taa jiibiyo la. Bituŋ ì ye ì ñininkaa ko, “Juubeerilaa be jaŋ ne baŋ?”
Wo waatoo Banisirayila kono, niŋ moo faŋo be taa a la kuwo ñininkaa la Alla bulu, a ka a fo le ko, “Ali naa, ŋà taa juubeerilaa yaa,” kaatu wo waatoo annabiyomoolu, ì ka ì kili juubeerilaalu le la.
12 Sunkutoolu ye ì jaabi ko, “A be jaŋ ne. A be ali ñaato le. Ali i tariyaa, bii le faŋo a naata ǹ na saatewo kono, kaatu moolu ye beeyaŋ sadaaboo* le soto batudulaa to. 13 Niŋ ali dunta saatewo kono doroŋ, ali be a je la le, janniŋ a ka taa batudulaa to domoroo la. Moolu te domoroo dati la, fo a ye naa, kaatu a ñanta duwaa ke la ñiŋ beeyaŋ sadaa la kuwo kamma le. Niŋ wo keta, ì ye moolu mennu kumandi, wolu si naa domoroo ke. Ali taa saayiŋ. Ñiŋ waatoo ali ñanta a tara la jee le.” 14 Ì taata fo saatewo to, aduŋ kabiriŋ ì be duŋ kaŋ, Samuweli fanaa be naa kaŋ itolu maafaŋo la, ka taa a la siloo la batudulaa to.
15 Tili kiliŋ koomanto, janniŋ Sawulu ka naa, Yaawe* ye ñiŋ fo Samuweli ye le ko, 16 “Saama ñiŋ ñoŋ waatoo m be kewo doo le kii la i ye naŋ, meŋ bota Benjamini bankoo kaŋ. Tuloo boŋ a kuŋo to, i ye a ke n na moolu Banisirayilankoolu la ñaatonkoo ti. A be n na moolu bondi la Filisitinkoolu bulu le. Ŋa ì la kuwo je le, kaatu ì la kumboo futata m ma le.”
17 Kabiriŋ Samuweli ye Sawulu je, Yaawe ko a ye ko, “Ŋa ñiŋ kewo le la kumoo fo i ye, ate le be n na moolu mara la.” 18 Sawulu taata Samuweli yaa saatewo dundaŋ daa* to, a ye a ñininkaa. A ko a ye ko, “Dukaree, a fo n ye juubeerilaa la buŋo be daameŋ.”
19 Samuweli ye a jaabi ñiŋ ne la ko, “Nte le mu juubeerilaa ti. Tambi n ñaato batudulaa to, kaatu bii i niŋ m be domoroo ke la ñoo kaŋ ne. Soomandaa m be i bula la le, i ye taa, aduŋ m be i la ñininkaaroolu bee jaabi la le. 20 Faloolu mennu filita tili saba koomanto, kana i miira ì la kuwo la, ì ye ì je le. Banisirayila ŋaniyoo be jumaa le ye, niŋ a maŋ ke ite faamaa la dimbaayaa ti?”
21 Sawulu ye a jaabi ko, “Bari fo nte maŋ ke Benjamini lasili moo le ti, lasiloo meŋ dooyaata Banisirayila bee kono? Fo n na dimbaayaa le maŋ koomankayaa Benjamini lasiloo bee kono baŋ? Muŋ ne ye a tinna, i ka ñiŋ kuu siifaa fo n ye?”
22 Bituŋ Samuweli ye Sawulu niŋ a la dookuulaa samba domori buŋo kono, a ye ì sindi moolu bee ñaatiliŋo la. Ì ye mennu buuñaatoo kumandi, wo taata le fo moo taŋ saba. 23 Samuweli ko tabirilaa ye ko, “Ŋa wo subu kuntoo meŋ dii i la, n ko, i ye a landi kara la, a samba naŋ.” 24 Bituŋ tabirilaa ye kooma siŋo aniŋ meŋ be a bala sika, a ye a landi Sawulu ñaatiliŋo la. Samuweli ko, “Ŋa meŋ maabo i ye nuŋ, a fele. A domo, kaatu ŋa a maabo i ye ñiŋ waatoo le kamma, fo i niŋ moolu ŋa mennu buuñaatoo kumandi si domoroo ke ñoo kaŋ.”
Wo luŋo Samuweli niŋ Sawulu ye domoroo ke. 25 Kabiriŋ ì bota naŋ batudulaa to ka naa saatewo to, Samuweli niŋ Sawulu diyaamuta a la buŋo santo, daameŋ teruta.
Samuweli ye Yaawe la kiilaariyaa fo Sawulu ye
26 Ì wulita fanikee maafaŋo le, aduŋ Samuweli ye Sawulu kumandi ka jii naŋ buŋo santo. A ko a ye ko, “I paree, m be i bula la le, i ye taa i la siloo la.” Kabiriŋ Sawulu pareeta, a niŋ Samuweli taata ñoo la banta.
27 Kabiriŋ ì futata saatewo dandulaa to, Samuweli ko Sawulu ye ko, “A fo dookuulaa ye tambi ǹ ñaato.” Dookuulaa taata, bituŋ Samuweli tententa ka a fo Sawulu ye ko, “M batu domandiŋ, i si a je, n si kiilaariyaa fo i ye, meŋ bota naŋ Alla yaa.”
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.”
