1 USamuyeli 21 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

UDavida ubalekela uSawuli

¹ UDavida wasesiya eNobi kuAhimeleki umpristi; uAhimeleki wamhlangabeza ethuthumela, wathi kuye: Kungani uwedwa, kungelamuntu olawe na?

² UDavida wathi kuAhimeleki umpristi: Inkosi ingiphathise udaba, yathi kimi: Ungatsheli muntu ngaloludaba engikuthuma lona, lengikuphathise lona. Lapho ngivalelisa insizwa zami, ngizitshelile ukuthi zizahlangana lami endaweni ethile.

³ Manjeke kuyini olakho wena? Nginika izinkwa ezinhlanu loba kuyini nje okukhona.

⁴ Umpristi wamphendula uDavida wathi: Kangilaso isinkwa esejwayelekileyo nje, isinkwa esahlukaniselwe iNkosi; kodwa insizwa zizigcinile esifazaneni na?

⁵ UDavida wasemphendula umpristi esithi: Impela abesifazana bavinjelwe kithi njengokwejwayelekileyo lapho ngiphuma impi. Imizimba yezinsizwa ihlala ihlambulukile, lanxa ngihamba uhambo nje olwejwayelekileyo; pho, lamhla ihlambuluke okunganani na?

⁶ Ngakho umpristi wasemnika isinkwa esahlukaniselwe iNkosi; ngoba kwakungekho sinkwa lapho, kuphela isinkwa esahlukaniselwe uNkulunkulu, ebesisuswe phambi kweNkosi ukuba kubekwe esisatshisayo mhla sisuswayo.

⁷ Omunye wezinceku zikaSawuli wayelapho mhlalokho, ebambekile phambi kweNkosi, ibizo lakhe linguDowegi waseEdoma, induna yabelusi bakaSawuli.

⁸ UDavida wathi kuAhimeleki: Kawulamkhonto loba umhedla lapha na? Ngoba kangizanga lomhedla wami lezikhali zami, ngoba ngingxamele indaba yenkosi.

⁹ Umpristi wathi: Umhedla kaGoliyathi umFilistiya, owambulala esigodini saseEla, ukhona lapho ngemva kwengubo yamahlombe, ugoqelwe ngelembu; uba uthanda ukuwuthatha, uthathe, ngoba kawukho omunye lapha ngaphandle kwawo. UDavida wathi: Kawukho ofana lalowo; nginika wona.

¹⁰ Wasesuka uDavida ngalolosuku, wabalekela uSawuli, waya kuAkishi inkosi yaseGathi.

¹¹ Inceku zikaAkishi zathi kuye: Lo kasuye uDavida inkosi yelizwe na? Kabavumelananga yini ngaye besina behlabela besithi: USawuli ubulele izinkulungwane, kodwa uDavida ubulele inkulungwane ezingamatshumi?

¹² UDavida wawananzelela lamazwi, wamesaba kakhulu uAkishi inkosi yaseGathi.

¹³ Ngakho waguqula ukwenza kwakhe phambi kwabo, wazitshaya uhlanya, wadweba ezivalweni zamasango, wagxozisela indenda esilevini sakhe.

¹⁴ UAkishi wasesithi encekwini zakhe: Liyabona ukuthi lumuntu uyahlanya; limletheleni kimi na?

¹⁵ Ngiziswele inhlanya yini ukuba lingilethele lumuntu ukuzangihlanyela lapha na? Lumuntu uzangena endlini yami na?