1 USamuyeli 23 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

UDavida uya eKeyila lasenkangala yaseZifi

¹ Kwabikwa kuDavida kwathiwa: AmaFilistiya ahlasela iKeyila, aphanga lezibuya.

² UDavida wasebuza eNkosini uNkulunkulu esithi: Ngiye ukulwa lamaFilistiya na? INkosi yathi kuye: Hamba uyekulwa lawo, usize iKeyila.

³ Kodwa abantu bakaDavida bathi kuye: Khangela, siyesaba khonapha koJuda; phoke, kuzakuba njani uba sisiya eKeyila, silwe lezimpi zamaFilistiya na?

⁴ UDavida wasebuza futhi eNkosini. INkosi yamphendula yathi: Suka uye eKeyila; ngoba ngizawanikela amaFilistiya esandleni sakho.

⁵ UDavida labantu bakhe baya eKeyila, balwa lamaFilistiya, bathumba inkomo zawo, babulala amanengi. Wabakhulula uDavida abaseKeyila.

⁶ Kwathi lapho uAbiyatha, indodana kaAhimeleki ebalekela kuDavida eKeyila, wafika ephethe ingubo yamahlombe.

⁷ Kwabikwa kuSawuli ukuthi uDavida ungenile eKeyila. USawuli wathi: UNkulunkulu umnikele esandleni sami; ngoba uzivalele ngokungena emzini olamasango lemigoqo.

⁸ USawuli wasebiza bonke abantu ukuba bayehlasela iKeyila, bavimbezele uDavida labantu bakhe.

⁹ UDavida wezwa ukuba uSawuli wenza icebo elibi ngaye; wathi kuAbiyatha umpristi: Letha lapha ingubo yamahlombe.

¹⁰ UDavida wasesithi: Nkosi, Nkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, inceku yakho izwile impela ukuba uSawuli ufuna ukuza eKeyila ukuba alichithe ngenxa yami.

¹¹ Abantu baseKeyila bazanginikela kuye na? Uzafika uSawuli njengokuzwa kwenceku yakho na? Nkosi, Nkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, akuyitshele inceku yakho. INkosi yamphendula yathi: Uzafika.

¹² UDavida wasesithi: Abantu baseKeyila bazanginikela mina labantu bami kuSawuli na? INkosi yathi: Bazakulinikela.

¹³ Wasesuka uDavida labantu bakhe ababengamakhulu ayisithupha, baphuma eKeyila, baya lapho ababengaya khona. Lapho uSawuli esetshelwa ukuthi uDavida usebalekile eKeyila, waseyekela ukuphuma.

¹⁴ UDavida wahlala enkangala ezinqabeni, ezintabeni ezisenkangala yaseZifi. USawuli wayemdinga insuku zonke, kodwa uNkulunkulu kamnikelanga esandleni sakhe.

¹⁵ UDavida wayesesaba ngoba uSawuli wayephumele ukumbulala. UDavida wayeseHoreshi enkangala yaseZifi.

¹⁶ UJonathani, indodana kaSawuli, wasuka waya kuDavida, wammisa isibindi ngebizo likaNkulunkulu.

¹⁷ Wathi kuye: Ungesabi, isandla sikaSawuli ubaba kasiyikukuthinta. Uzakuba yinkosi koIsrayeli, mina ngikulandele esikhundleni; lobaba uyakwazi lokho.

¹⁸ Basebesenza isivumelwano bobabili phambi kweNkosi; uDavida wahlala eHoreshi, uJonathani wabuyela ekhaya.

¹⁹ AbaseZifi basuka baya kuSawuli eGibeya bathi: Sizwile ukuthi uDavida ucatshile kithi ezinqabeni zaseHoreshi, entabeni yaseHakila engaseningizimu kwaseJeshimoni.

²⁰ Ngakhoke woza, nkosi, uba kuyisifiso senhliziyo yakho ukuza; thina sizamnikela esandleni sakho.

²¹ USawuli wathi: INkosi ilibusise ngoba lingizwele isihawu.

²² Hambani, lihlolisise, liyibone impela indawo lapho akhona, lokuthi ubonwe ngubani lapho, ngoba ngitsheliwe ukuba ulobuqili impela.

²³ Dingani, lizazi zonke indawo lapho acatsha khona, libuyeke kimi selileqiniso. Ngizahambake lani; kuthike nxa ekhona elizweni, ngimdinge phakathi kwazo zonke inkulungwane zabantu bakoJuda.

²⁴ Basebesukake besiya eZifi phambi kukaSawuli. UDavida labantu bakhe babesenkangala yaseMahoni, eAraba, ngeningizimu kweJeshimoni.

²⁵ USawuli labantu bakhe bayamdinga. UDavida wakuzwa lokhu, waya eliweni elisenkangala yaseMahoni. Kwathi uSawuli esekwazile, waxotshana laye enkangala yaseMahoni.

²⁶ USawuli wahamba ngakolunye uhlangothi lwentaba, uDavida labantu bakhe bahamba ngakolunye. Kwathi uDavida esabaleka, loSawuli labantu bakhe besahanqa uDavida labantu bakhe, sebesondela ukuba bababambe,

²⁷ kwafika isithunywa kuSawuli sathi: Phangisa ubuye, ngoba amaFilistiya asengenile elizweni.

²⁸ Wasebuya uSawuli ekuxotsheni uDavida, wayakulwa lamaFilistiya. Ngakhoke basebeyibiza leyondawo bathi liDwala lokwahlukanisa.

²⁹ UDavida wasesuka lapho, wayahlala ezinqabeni zaseEngedi.