Bible Society of South Africa

Power in storytelling – Day 5

Se(di)ngolwa (t)sa Bibele

2 SAMUELE 11

26Ha mosadi wa Uriya a utlwa hore monna wa hae o bolailwe, a mo aparela bofifi. 27Ha nako ya bofifi ba hae e se e fetile, Davida a romela maqosa ho lata Batesheba, mme a mo isa tlung ya hae, ya eba mosadi wa hae. A tswalla Davida mora. Empa ntho ena eo Davida a neng a e entse ya se ke ya kgahla Morena.

2 SAMUELE 12

Molaetsa wa Nathane ho Davida

1Morena a romela Nathane ho Davida. Nathane a fihla ho yena, a re: “Motseng o mong ho ne ho ena le banna ba babedi, e mong a ruile, e mong a futsanehile. 2Morui o ne a ena le mehlapehlape ya dikgutshwane le ya dikgomo; 3athe mofutsana yena o ne a se na letho, haese konyanyana e le nngwe feela, e tshehadi, eo a neng a e rekile, a e hlokometse haholo. E ne e holela ha hae le bana ba hae, e eja dijo tsa hae, e nwella senwelong sa hae, a e sika sefubeng sa hae jwalokaha eka ke moradi wa hae.

4“Ha fihla moeti ha monna wa morui. Morui enwa a ba lekgonatha ho nka phoofolo mohlapeng wa hae wa dikgutshwane, kapa mohlapeng wa hae wa dikgomo, ho hlabela moeti enwa wa hae. Empa a nka konyana ya sethole ya mofutsana, mme a e hlabela moeti ya tjhaketseng ha hae.”

5Kgalefo ya Davida ya tlokomela monna enwa wa morui, a re ho Nathane: “Ke hlapanya ka Morena ya phelang, monna enwa ya entseng ntho ena o lokelwa ke ho bolawa; 6a be a lefe konyana eo ka tse nne, hobane a hlokile mohau, a entse ntho ena e mpe.”

Kotlo ya Davida

7Nathane a re ho Davida: “Monna eo ke wena. Morena Modimo wa Iseraele, o bua tjena: ‘Ke o tlotseditse hore o be kgosi ya Iseraele, ke o lopolotse matsohong a Saule. 8Ke o neile moradi wa monga hao, le basadi ba monga hao ke o neile bona. Ke o neile mmuso wa Iseraele, le mmuso wa Juda. Hoja tseo di ne di fokola, nkabe ke o ekeleditse le ho feta moo. 9Jwale ke ka baka lang o nyedisitseng lentswe la Morena, hore ebe o entse ntho e fahlang Morena? O bolaile Uriya wa Mohete ka sabole, wa inkela mosadi wa hae hore e be mosadi wa hao, monna wa hae o mmolaile ka sabole ya Baamone. 10Ka baka leo, sabole e tla bolaya ba lelapa la hao kamehla yohle, hobane o nnyedisitse, wa inkela mosadi wa Uriya wa Mohete, hore e be mosadi wa hao.’

11“Morena o bua tjena: ‘Bona, ke tla o hlahisetsa bobe kahare ho ntlo ya hao. Ke tla nka basadi ba hao moo o ntseng o bona, ke ba nee ya ahisaneng le wena, mme eo o tla robala le bona letsatsi le tjhabile. 12Hoo o ho entseng o ho entse ka lekunutu, empa nna ntho ena ke tla e etsa moo Baiseraele bohle ba ntseng ba bona, tsatsi le tjhabile.’ ”

Davida o a inyatsa

13Davida a re ho Nathane: “Ke sitetswe Morena.”

Yaba Nathane o re ho Davida: “Le Morena o hlakotse sebe sa hao; ha o na ho shwa.

2 SAMUELE 11:26-12:13SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

1. This is a lectionary reading and after the reading we will be prompted to say “Thanks be to God”. In your view, what is it we could or should be thankful for in this reading?

2. The lectionary reading ends rather abruptly in the middle of verse 13. When you include the rest of verse 13 and verse 14, what concerns might this text raise in your context today?

3. What do you know about the characters, named and unnamed, in this text?

4. David is to be punished because he had done something that “displeased the Lord” when he “took” Uriah’s wife and then had him killed (2 Sam 11:2-17). Part of God’s punishment is: “Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight (2 Sam 12:11-12). What are your thoughts about the way women are (ab)used in this text?

5. Notwithstanding the dis-ease that present-day readers might feel when reflecting on the way women are treated in the text, the lesson David learns from the story Nathan tells him is that, exploiting the poor and vulnerable and taking advantage of those whom you have power over and are expected to care for, are wrong and offensive (1 Sam 11:26-12:7). In what way can this lesson be extended in your context to bring men who abuse their positions of power to exploit and manipulate those who trust and ‘look up’ to them?

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