1Samuel (20/31)  

1. UDavida wasebaleka esuka eNayothi eRama, wafika wathi phambi kukaJonathani: Ngenzeni? Isiphambeko sami siyini? Lesono sami siyini phambi kukayihlo ukuze adinge umphefumulo wami?
2. Wasesithi kuye: Kakube khatshana! Kawusoze ufe; khangela, ubaba kenzi ulutho olukhulu loba ulutho oluncinyane engakuvezi e ndlebe ni yami. Pho, ubaba uzayifihlelani kimi linto? Kayisikho.
3. UDavida wasefunga futhi wathi: Uyihlo uyakwazi lokwazi ukuthi ngithole umusa emehlweni akho; ngakho uthi: UJonathani kangakwazi hlezi abe losizi. Kodwa ngeqiniso, kuphila kukaJehova njalo kuphila komphefumulo wakho, kukhona inyathelo nje phakathi kwami lokufa.
4. UJonathani wasesithi kuDavida: Lokho umphefumulo wakho okutshoyo, ngizakwenzela khona.
5. UDavida wasesithi kuJonathani: Khangela, kusasa yikuthwasa kwenyanga; mina-ke ngifanele ukuhlala lokuhlala ukuthi ngidle lenkosi; kodwa ngiyekela ngihambe ngiyecatsha egangeni kuze kube lusuku lwesithathu kusihlwa.
6. Uba uyihlo engiswela lokungiswela, uzakuthi: UDavida ungicelile lokungicela ukuthi agijimele eBhethelehema umuzi wakibo; ngoba kukhona lapho umhlatshelo weminyaka ngeminyaka owenzelwe usendo lonke.
7. Uba esitsho njalo: Kulungile; inceku yakho izakuba lokuthula. Kodwa uba ethukuthela lokuthukuthela, yazi ukuthi ububi buqondwe nguye.
8. Ngakho yenzela inceku yakho umusa, ngoba ulethe inceku yakho esivumelwaneni se Nkosi lawe. Kodwa uba kulesiphambeko kimi, ngibulala wena; ngoba uzangiselani kuyihlo?
9. UJonathani wasesithi: Kakube khatshana lami! Ngoba uba bengisazi lokwazi ukuthi ububi buqondwe ngubaba ukuthi bukwehlele, mina bengingayikukutshela yini?
10. UDavida wasesithi kuJonathani: Ngubani ozangitshela uba uyihlo ekuphendula ngolaka?
11. UJonathani wasesithi kuDavida: Woza siphume siye emmangweni. Basebephuma bobabili besiya emmangweni.
12. UJonathani wasesithi kuDavida: I Nkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, lapho sengimhlolile ubaba phose ngalesisikhathi kusasa loba ngomhlomunye, uba, khangela, kukuhle kuDavida, uba ngingathumeli kuwe ngalesosikhathi ngikuveze e ndlebe ni yakho,
13. kayenze njalo i Nkosi kuJonathani, langokunjalo yengezelele. Uba ububi phezu kwakho bulungile kubaba, ngizakuveza e ndlebe ni yakho, ngikuyekele uhambe ukuze uhambe ngokuthula. Njalo i Nkosi ibe lawe njengoba yayilobaba.
14. Kawuyikungenzela yini umusa we Nkosi, ngitsho, nxa ngisaphila, ukuze ngingafi,
15. kodwa kawuyikuquma umusa wakho usuke endlini yami kuze kube phakade, njalo hatshi lapho i Nkosi isiziqumile izitha zikaDavida, zisuke ngulowo lalowo ebusweni bomhlaba.
16. Ngokunjalo uJonathani wenza isivumelwano lendlu kaDavida, esithi: I Nkosi kayikubize esandleni sezitha zikaDavida.
17. UJonathani wasephinda wamfungisa uDavida ngenxa yokumthanda kwakhe; ngoba wayemthanda njengoba ethanda umphefumulo wakhe.
18. UJonathani wasesithi kuye: Kusasa yikuthwasa kwenyanga, njalo uzaswelwa ngoba isihlalo sakho sizakuba size.
19. Usuhlale insuku ezintathu uzakwehla masinyane, uze endaweni owacatsha khona ngosuku lwendaba leyo, uzahlala eduze lamatshe e-Ezeli.
20. Mina-ke ngizatshoka imitshoko emithathu eceleni, ngizitshokela ibala.
21. Khangela-ke, ngizathuma umfana ngithi: Hamba uyeyidinga imitshoko. Uba ngisithi lokuthi emfaneni: Khangela, imitshoko inganeno kwakho, ithathe, ubuye; ngoba kulokuthula kuwe, njalo kakulandaba, kuphila kukaJehova !
22. Kodwa uba ngisitsho njalo ejaheni: Khangela, imitshoko ingale kwakho; hamba ngoba i Nkosi ikuyekele uhambe.
23. Mayelana lendaba esikhulume ngayo mina lawe, khangela, i Nkosi iphakathi kwami lawe kuze kube nininini.
24. Ngakho uDavida wasecatsha emmangweni. Isithwasile inyanga, inkosi yahlala ekudleni ukuze idle.
25. Inkosi yasihlala esihlalweni sayo njengezikhathi ngezikhathi, esihlalweni eduze lomduli; uJonathani wasesukuma, loAbineri wahlala eceleni kukaSawuli; kodwa indawo kaDavida yayize.
26. Kodwa uSawuli katshongo lutho ngalolosuku; ngoba wathi: Okuthile kumehlele; kahlambulukanga, isibili kahlambulukanga.
27. Kwasekusithi kusisa, ngolwesibili lokuthwasa kwenyanga, indawo kaDavida yayize. USawuli wasesithi kuJonathani indodana yakhe: Kungani indodana kaJese ingezanga ekudleni ngitsho izolo lalamuhla?
28. UJonathani wasephendula uSawuli wathi: UDavida wangicela lokungicela ukuthi aye eBhethelehema.
29. Wasesithi: Akungivumele ukuthi ngihambe; ngoba usendo lwakwethu lulomhlatshelo emzini, lomfowethu ungilayile. Khathesi-ke uba ngithole umusa emehlweni akho, ake ngikhululeke ukuthi ngiyebona abafowethu. Ngenxa yalokho kezanga etafuleni lenkosi.
30. Khona intukuthelo kaSawuli yamvuthela uJonathani, wathi kuye: Ndodana yomfazi owonakeleyo lovukelayo! Kangazi yini ukuthi uyikhethile indodana kaJese, kube lihlazo lakho, njalo kube lihlazo lobunqunu bukanyoko?
31. Ngoba zonke izinsuku indodana kaJese iphila emhlabeni, kawuyikuma wena lombuso wakho. Ngakho-ke thuma umlethe kimi, ngoba uyindodana yokufa.
32. UJonathani wasephendula uSawuli uyise wathi kuye: Uzabulawelwani? Wenzeni?
33. USawuli wasephosa umkhonto kuye ukumtshaya. Ngalokho uJonathani wakwazi ukuthi kwakuqondwe nguyise ukumbulala uDavida.
34. Ngakho uJonathani wasuka etafuleni ekuvutheni kwentukuthelo, njalo kadlanga ukudla ngosuku lwesibili lokuthwasa kwenyanga, ngoba wayedabukile ngoDavida, ngoba uyise emyangisile.
35. Kwasekusithi ekuseni uJonathani waphuma waya emmangweni ngesikhathi esimisiweyo loDavida, lomfanyana elaye.
36. Wasesithi emfaneni wakhe: Gijima, ake udinge imitshoko engiyitshokayo. Umfana wagijima, yena wasetshoka umtshoko ukuze umedlule.
37. Lapho umfana esefikile endaweni yomtshoko uJonathani awutshokileyo, uJonathani wamemeza emva komfana wathi: Umtshoko kawuphambi kwakho yini?
38. Njalo uJonathani wamemeza emva komfana wathi: Phangisa, ukhawuleze, ungemi. Umfana kaJonathani waseyiqoqa imitshoko, wabuya enkosini yakhe.
39. Kodwa umfana wayengazi lutho, kuphela uJonathani loDavida babelwazi udaba.
40. UJonathani wasenika umfana owayelaye izikhali zakhe, wathi kuye: Hamba, uzise emzini.
41. Esehambile umfana, uDavida wasukuma ngaseningizimu, wathi mbo ngobuso bakhe emhlabathini, wakhothama kathathu; basebesangana, bakhala inyembezi omunye lomunye, uDavida waze wedlulisa.
42. UJonathani wasesithi kuDavida: Hamba ngokuthula; lokhu esikufunge sobabili ngebizo le Nkosi, sisithi: I Nkosi ibe phakathi kwami lawe, laphakathi kwenzalo yami lenzalo yakho, kakube kuze kube nininini. Wasesukuma wahamba, loJonathani waya emzini.

  1Samuel (20/31)