UDavide noJonatan
1Bayigqiba incoko yabo ooSawule noDavide. Intliziyo yonyana kaSawule, uJonatan, yaphakelana kanobom nekaDavide, wamthanda ngale ndlela azithanda ngayo yena. 2Kususela loo mini uSawule akazange amvumele agoduke uDavide. 3UJonatan wanqophisana noDavide, kuba wayemthanda ngale ndlela awazithanda ngayo yena. 4Wakhulula umnweba awayewambethe uJonatan, wawunika uDavide, kunye nesinxibo sakhe sobujoni, nekrele lakhe, nesaphetha, nebhanti yakhe.
5UDavide wayephumelela kuyo yonke imicimbi athunywa yona nguSawule, waza ke uSawule wamnyusela wamenza umphathi emkhosini wakhe. Eso senzo sabakholisa bonke abantu kunye namagosa omkhosi kaSawule.
USawule umonela uDavide
6Ukubuya kukaDavide kunye nomkhosi emfazweni, emva kokuba wayebulele uGoliyati, baphuma bonke abafazi beedolophu zakwaSirayeli, beze kuhlangabeza ukumkani uSawule. Babesombela, bengqungqa, bebetha iintambula neekatala. 7Babevuma bengqungqa besithi:
“Wabulal' amawaka uSawule;
yen' uDavide uwise amawaka ngamawaka alishumi.”
8USawule akazange ayithande loo nto, wacaphuka gqitha. Wavakala esithi: “UDavide bambalela amashumi ngamashumi amawaka, kodwa mna bandibalela amawaka ngamawaka nje. Selibubukumkani nje into angekabi nayo!” 9Waba nomona ke uSawule, wasoloko embeke esweni uDavide ukususela loo mini.
10Ngengomso uSawule waphathwa ngumoya okhohlakeleyo ovunyelwe nguThixo, wamtsho waliphambana kuloo ndlu yakhe. Wayebetha uhadi uDavide ngokwesiqhelo, uSawule yena ephethe umkhonto. 11“Ndingambethelela koluya ludonga ngalo mkhonto lo Davide,” uzitsholo uSawule. Waba selemjula uDavide ngawo, kodwa yena wawuphepha zozibini izihlandlo uDavide.
12USawule wamoyika uDavide, kuba *uNdikhoyo wayenaye, emfulathele uSawule. 13USawule wamshenxisa uDavide kuye, wamenza umphathi wewaka lamadoda omkhosi. Wayewakhokela emadabini loo madoda, 14aphumelele uDavide kuyo yonke imisebenzi ayiphathayo, kuba kaloku uNdikhoyo wayenaye. 15USawule wamoyika ngakumbi ke uDavide akubona impumelelo yakhe. 16Wonke ubani kwaSirayeli nakwaJuda wayemthanda uDavide, kuba wayeyinkokheli emadabini.
UDavide utshata nentombi kaSawule
17USawule wabiza uDavide, wathi kuye: “Nanku uMerabhi, intombi yam enkulu. Ndiya kumendisela kuwe. Wena ke uzundikhonze ngobugorha, ulwe amadabi *kaNdikhoyo.” USawule wayesithi: “Andizukumsa sandla mna ngokwam; mayibe ngamaFilistiya.”
18UDavide waphendula wathi: “Bendingubani na mna, nabakowethu bayintoni na bona, nditsho kwaumzi kabawo uyintoni na kwaSirayeli, khon' ukuze ndibe ngumkhwenyana kakumkani?” 19Kodwa lathi lakufika ixesha lokwendela kukaMerabhi kuDavide, suka wendiselwa komnye umfo owayegama linguAdriyeli waseMehola.
20UMikali, enye intombi kaSawule, wamthanda uDavide, waza noSawule wathakazela akuyiva loo nto. 21Wacamanga wathi: “Heke! UMikali ndiza kumendisela kuDavide. Ndiza kumbambisa ngaye uDavide lo, aze abulawe ngamaFilistiya.” Ke uSawule wathi kuDavide: “Nali ithuba lakho lesibini lokuba ngumkhwenyana wam.” 22Wathuma amaphakathi akhe uSawule, esithi: “Thethani noDavide bucala, nithi: ‘Ukumkani ukholisekile nguwe, yaye onke amagosa kakumkani ayakuthanda. Ngoko ke yiba ngumkhwenyana kakumkani.’ ”
23Amaphakathi ke awathetha loo mazwi kuDavide. Yena wenjenje ukuphendula: “Nicinga ukuba kuyinto elula na ukuba ngumkhwenyana kakumkani? Kaloku mna ndilihlwempu elingaziwayo.”
24Amaphakathi kaSawule aya kumxelela okwathethwa nguDavide. 25USawule wathi: “Yitshoni kuDavide ukuthi: ‘Kuphela kwakhazi alifunayo kuwe ukumkani ngamajwabu amaFilistiya alikhulu awe edabini. Ufuna ukuziphindezela ngolo hlobo kwiintshaba zakhe.’ ” Kaloku yayilicebo likaSawule lokubulala uDavide ngesandla samaFilistiya.
26Ayixela le nto amaphakathi kaSawule kuDavide, yalunga loo nto kuye ukuba abe ngumkhwenyana kakumkani. UDavide akaphozisanga maseko, 27waphuma namadoda omkhosi wakhe, wabulala amakhulu amabini amaFilistiya. Waya nezo nyama zazisikwe kuwo, wazinika ukumkani zonke, ukuze abe ngumkhwenyana kakumkani. Waza ke uSawule wendisela uMikali intombi yakhe kuDavide.
28Waqonda kakuhle ngoku uSawule ukuba *uNdikhoyo ukunye noDavide. Nayo intombi yakhe uMikali yayimthanda uDavide. 29USawule wamoyika ngakumbi uDavide, waba lutshaba kuye bonke ubomi bakhe.
30Iinkokheli zamaFilistiya zazimana ukuwahlasela amaSirayeli. Kuwo onke loo madabi uDavide wayetshatshela ukudlula zonke ezinye iinkokheli eziphantsi koSawule. Ngenxa yaloo nto ke igama likaDavide laba nodumo.
