UDavide ulawula kwaSirayeli
1Ke kaloku izizwe zakwaSirayeli zonke zahlanganisana kuDavide eHebron, zathi: “Mhlekazi, siyazalana; sikwaligazi lakho. 2Phambili phaya, ngokuya uSawule ebesengukumkani, amaSirayeli ayekhokelwa nguwe xa aya emfazweni. *UNdikhoyo wathi kuwe: ‘Wena uya kuba ngumalusi wabantu bam amaSirayeli, ube ngumlawuli wabo.’ ”
3Aya kufika ke onke amadoda amakhulu akwaSirayeli kukumkani uDavide eHebron, waza ukumkani wanqophisana nawo phaya eHebron phambi koNdikhoyo, aza ke amthambisa uDavide waba ngukumkani wamaSirayeli.
4Ukuqala kwakhe ukulawula uDavide wayemashumi mathathu ubudala. Ulawule iminyaka engamashumi amane. 5Waba minyaka isixhenxe neenyanga ezintandathu ephethe kwaJuda, ehlala eHebron. Waphatha kwaSirayeli nakwaJuda ehlala eJerusalem iminyaka engamashumi mathathu anantathu.
6Ke kaloku ukumkani uDavide wanduluka nomkhosi wakhe ukuya kuhlasela amaJebhusi awayemi eJerusalem. AmaJebhusi athi kuDavide: “Akunakuze ungene apha wena! Kwaiimfama neziqhwala ezi zingakujika!” Kaloku ayesithi: “UDavide akangeke abe nako ukutyhoboza.” 7Kambe ke uDavide wasuka wayithimba inqaba iZiyon, isixeko sikaDavide.
8Wavakala esithi uDavide ngaloo mini: “Ukuba kukho umntu ozimisele ukuwoyisa la maJebhusi aziintshaba zam makanyuke ngalaa msele wamanzi ungaphantsi komhlaba, aye kubulala eziya ‘ziqhwala neemfama’!” (Savela apho isaci esithi: “Iimfama neziqhwala azinakungena endlwini kaNdikhoyo.”)
9Waya kuhlala apho ke kuloo nqaba uDavide, waza wayibiza ngokuba sisixeko sikaDavide. Wakha isixeko sayijikeleza, esiza nganeno ukusukela kungqameko. 10Waya esomelela ngokomelela, kuba kaloku uNdikhoyo uThixo onamandla onke wayenaye.
11Ukumkani uHiram waseTire wathumela izigidimi kuDavide, ziphethe izibonda zomsedare, zihamba nabachweli kunye neengcibi zamatye, zaza zamakhela ibhotwe uDavide. 12Ke uDavide waqonda ukuba uNdikhoyo umzinzisile wangukumkani kwaSirayeli, eqonda nokuba uNdikhoyo ulawulo lwakhe uluphakamisile ngenxa yabantu bakhe amaSirayeli.
13Ukufika kwakhe eJerusalem, evela eHebron, uDavide waphinda wathatha abanye abafazi namaqadi, waza ke wazala abanye oonyana neentombi. 14Nanga amagama abantwana bakhe abazalelwe eJerusalem: nguShamuwa, uShobhabhi, uNatan, uSolomon, 15uIbhare, uElishuwa, noNifege, noYafiya, 16uElishama, noEliyada, kunye noElifelete.
Ukoyiswa kwamaFilistiya nguDavide
17Zakuvakala kumaFilistiya iindaba zokuba uDavide uthanjiswe waba ngukumkani wakwaSirayeli, akhupha umkhosi wawo, emfuna. Uthe akuyiva loo nto uDavide wemka waya kuhlala kwindawo eyinqaba. 18Afika ke amaFilistiya, ema kwintili yamaRafa, 19waza uDavide wabuzisa *kuNdikhoyo wathi: “Kufuneka ndiwahlasele na amaFilistiya? Ngaba uza kuwanikela esandleni sam na?”
UNdikhoyo wathi kuDavide: “Ewe, wahlasele; inene, ndowanikela esandleni sakho amaFilistiya.”
20Wasuka ke uDavide, wenjenjeya ukuya eBhali-perazim, apho wafika wawoyisa amaFilistiya. Wavakala esithi: “Njengokutyhoboza kwamanzi uNdikhoyo wenjenjalo ukuzikhukulisa iintshaba zam ngaphambi kwam.” Ngoko ke loo ndawo kwathiwa yiBhali-perazim. 21Ke kaloku amaFilistiya azishiya apho izithixo zawo, bazithatha ooDavide bemka nazo.
22AmaFilistiya aphinda enyuka aya kulaa ntili yamaRafa, ema kuyo, 23waza uDavide wabuzisa kuNdikhoyo kwakhona, ke yena uNdikhoyo wathi kuye: “Sukuya ngqo kuwo, koko warhawule, uwahlasele uvela ngasemva kwawo phaya ngakwimithi yebhalsam. 24Uze uthi nje ukuba uve isingqisho phaya kwiincopho zemithi yebhalsam, uphume ngokukhawuleza, kuba yoba ngumqondiso wokuba uNdikhoyo uhamba phambi kwakho, uza kuwuqwakanisa umkhosi wamaFilistiya.” 25UDavide ke wenza ngokomyalelo kaNdikhoyo, wawuvuthulula umkhosi wamaFilistiya ukusuka eGebha kuye kutsho eGezere.
