1 KASAMWELI 17

₁Laxubayela, amabutho amaFilistiya aqokelelana eSoko, idolophu eyayikwaJuda. Ikampu yawo ayimisa kwindawo ekuthiwa yiEfese-damin, phakathi kweSoko neAzeka. ₂USawule namajoni amaSirayeli aya kudibanela entlanjeni ekuthiwa yeyom-oki, ayimisa apho eyawo ikampu, ema ngokwezintlu zawo, alungela idabi namaFilistiya. ₃AmaFilistiya ema endulini, amaSirayeli ema kwenye, kukho intlambo phakathi kwemikhosi yawo.

₄Kwavela umfo othile oyintshatsheli ogama linguGoliyati, wedolophu yaseGati, esuka kwikampu yamaFilistiya. Wayephantse ukuba ziimitha ezintathu ubude, ₅egaxele isikhuselo esenziwe ngobhedu, esasimalunga namashumi amahlanu eekhilogram ubunzima, ethwele umnqwazi wobhedu. ₆Imilenze nayo yayikwakhuselwe ngobhedu, exwaye intshuntshe yobhedu. ₇Umkhonto wawungangesibonda, ubutsolo bawo obenziwe ngentsimbi bumalunga nesixhenxe seekhilogram ubunzima. Wayenomfo othwala ikhaka lakhe ehamba ngaphambi kwakhe.

₈UGoliyati wema bhuxe, wakhwaza ebhekisa kwizintlu zamaSirayeli, wathi: “Wa, zicakandini zikaSawule, nenzani apho? Makuliwe! NdingumFilistiya mna; mayiphume ngapha ibe nye, sigagane. ₉Ukuba indoyisile yandibulala, soba zizicaka zenu thina. Xa indim owoyisileyo, nina noba zizicaka zethu. ₁₀Ndim lo, ndinibeka ehlazweni, maSirayeli. Khuphani indoda ibe nye, sihlangane!” ₁₁Boyika, bagubha ooSawule namadoda omkhosi wakhe, bakuyiva into ethethwa nguloo mFilistiya.

₁₂UDavide wayengunyana kaJese umEfrata waseBhetelehem kwaJuda. UJese wayenoonyana abasibhozo. Wayeselemdala kakhulu ngexesha ekwakulawula uSawule. ₁₃Oonyana bakhe abakhulu abathathu baya emfazweni kunye nomkhosi kaSawule. Omkhulu yayinguEliyabhi, kuze uAbhinadabhi, kulandele uShama. ₁₄UDavide yena wayenguntondo. Lo gama abakhuluwa bakhe babenoSawule, ₁₅yena uDavide wayedla ngokuthi ekwaSawule abe emana egoduka aye eBhetelehem, esiya kwalusa iigusha zikayise.

₁₆Yaba ngamashumi amane eentsuku uGoliyati mihla le ecela umngeni kumaSirayeli kusasa nangokuhlwa.

₁₇UJese wathuma unyana wakhe uDavide, wathi: “Hamba nale ngqolowa igcadiweyo, ishumi leekhilogram, neli shumi lezonka, ukhawuleze uzise kubantakwenu emkhosini, ₁₈uphathele umphathi-butho nala maqebengwana alishumi etshizi, usivele ukuba basaphila na abantakwenu. Uze ube nento oza nayo, eyoba bubungqina bokuba basaphila. ₁₉Ukumkani Sawule nabantakwenu, kunye nomkhosi wonke wamaSirayeli, nabaya kulaa ntili yom-oki, besilwa namaFilistiya.”

₂₀Wavuka ekuseni uDavide ngengomso, wayishiya nomnye umalusi impahla. Waya kulanda ukutya awayekuthunyiwe nguJese uyise, wanduluka. Ufike ekampini yomkhosi xa kanye amaSirayeli alungiselela idabi, ehlaba intlaba-mkhosi yawo. ₂₁AmaSirayeli namaFilistiya amisa izintlu, agolozelana. ₂₂Oko kutya wayekuphethe uDavide wakushiya kumgcini-mithwalo, wagqotsa ukuya apho kuza kuliwa khona. Akufika wabulisa abantakwabo. ₂₃Esathetha nabo njalo, wavakala umFilistiya uGoliyati intshatsheli yaseGati, ephinda esezolo, ewahlazisa amaSirayeli. Wayiva loo nto ke uDavide. ₂₄Ahlehla amaSirayeli akubona uGoliyati, agubha luloyiko. ₂₅AmaSirayeli avakala esithi: “Yoo! Nimbonile laa mfo? Niyivile into ayithethayo? Akasidelanga na? Ukumkani uSawule uthe indoda embuleleyo uya kuyinika omkhulu wona umvuzo. Nangaphezu koko uya kumtshatisa nentombi kakumkani, ungàrhafiswa nomzi kayise.”

₂₆UDavide wabuzisa kumadoda awayemi ngakuye, wathi: “Nithi uya kwenzelwa ntoni umntu obulele laa mFilistiya, awakhuphe kweli hlazo amaSirayeli? Ingubani kakade yona laa ntlanga ingalukanga yomFilistiya idela umkhosi kaThixo ophilayo?” ₂₇Bamxelela yonke into eya kwenzelwa umntu onokuthi abulale uGoliyati.

₂₈Umkhuluwa kaDavide uEliyabhi wamvela uDavide ethetha naloo madoda. Wacaphuka, wathi kuDavide: “Uzokwenza ntoni apha, kwedini? Laluswa ngubani na elaa gcuntswana leegusha entlango ulapha nje? Ntondini inekratshi ikhohlakeleyo, uzele nje ukuza kubukela idabi wena!”

₂₉“Kowu! Sendenze ntoni ngoku? Uthetha ukuba andinakuba sabuza nokubuza oku?” kutsho uDavide. ₃₀Watsho eguqukela komnye umfo, ebuza kwaloo mbuzo mnye. Ufumene kwaloo mpendulo ikwafanayo.

₃₁Yeviwa intetho kaDavide, yasiwa kuSawule. Yena wathi makabizwe uDavide. ₃₂Wafika wathi uDavide kuSawule: “Mhlekazi, makungabikho bani unkwantyayo ngenxa yalaa mFilistiya! Mna mkhonzi wakho ndiza kuya kulwa naye.”

₃₃Waphendula uSawule wathi: “Ayingangawe into yokuya kulwa nalaa mFilistiya. Ùselula, kanti yena uqhelene nokulwa kwasebutsheni bakhe.”

₃₄“Mhlekazi,” kutsho uDavide, “ndim owalusa iigusha zikabawo. Xa kuthe kwakho ingonyama okanye ibhere exhwila itakane emhlambini, ₃₅kusuka mna ndiyilandele ndiyihlasele, ndilihlangule elo takane. Xa ithe loo ngonyama okanye loo bhere yajika yalwa nam, ndisuka ndiyithi nqaku ngoqhoqhoqho, ndiyibethe ife. ₃₆Ndiqhele ukubulala oozingonyama noomabhere; nale ntlanga ingolukanga yomFilistiya idela umkhosi *kaNdikhoyo ndiza kuyibulala. ₃₇UNdikhoyo owandisindisayo koozingonyama noomabhere nangoku uza kundisindisa kulo mFilistiya.”

“Kulungile ke, yiya, mfo wam; ubenga uNdikhoyo anganawe,” watsho uSawule. ₃₈Watsho enika uDavide ezakhe izikhuselo, wamthwesa umnqwazi wobhedu, wamfaka nesikhuselo somzimba. ₃₉UDavide waxwaya ikrele likaSawule, waza wanga angahamba, suka akaba nako, kuba wayengaziqhelanga ezi zixhobo. Ubhekise kuSawule wathi: “Andikwazi ukuhamba ndinxibe ezi zinto; kaloku andiziqhelanga.” Watsho wazikhulula zonke. ₄₀Wathatha intonga yakhe, wachola amatye ampuluswa amahlanu apho entlanjeni, wawafaka engxoweni yakhe yokwalusa. Warhola *inkwitshi yakhe, wahamba ukuya kugagana nomFilistiya lowo.

₄₁Yena umFilistiya wanyantsula esondela ngakuDavide, umphathi-khaka wakhe ehamba ngaphambi kwakhe. ₄₂UmFilistiya akumbona uDavide wamdela, kuba kaloku uDavide wayeselula, eyinzwana, ebusweni ekhangeleka esegazini. ₄₃Uvakele esithi kuDavide: “Uza kwenzani ngezo ntonga? Uba ndiyinja?” Watsho etyibela uDavide ngeziqalekiso *zoothixo bakhe. ₄₄“Sondela, loo mzinjana wakho ndiwuphose kumaxhalanga namarhamncwa,” waqokela watsho.

₄₅Uthe yena uDavide kumFilistiya lowo: “Uza kum uphethe ikrele, umkhonto, nentshuntshe, wena; kodwa mna ndiza kuwe egameni likaNdikhoyo onamandla onke, uThixo womkhosi wakwaSirayeli, lo wena uwudelileyo. ₄₆Namhla oku uNdikhoyo uza kukunikela kum. Ndiza kukuwisa, ndikunqumle intloko. Izidumbu zomkhosi wamaFilistiya zona ndoziphosa kumaxhalanga namarhamncwa, lonke elimiweyo likwazi ukuba uSirayeli unoThixo. ₄₇Sonke esi sihlwele esihlangene apha soqonda ukuba uNdikhoyo akadingi makrele namikhonto ukusindisa abantu bakhe. Nguye olilawulayo idabi, yaye nonke uza kuninikela ezandleni zethu.”

₄₈Waya esondela kuDavide umFilistiya lowo, ezimisele ukumhlasela, waza uDavide wasukela ukumhlangabeza ekulweni. ₄₉Wafaka isandla engxoweni yakhe, warhola ilitye lalinye, wajolisa ngenkwitshi kuGoliyati. Wamchana ebunzi, latsho latshona ilitye. Waya kuwa ngobuso emhlabeni uGoliyati. ₅₀Waba ke uDavide uyamongamela uGoliyati, wamoyisa engaphethe krele, wambulala ngenkwitshi nelitye! ₅₁Wasukela waya kutsho phezu kukaGoliyati. Wafika walithi rhutyu esingxotyeni salo ikrele likaGoliyati, wamnqumla intloko ngalo, emgqibezela.

Acela kwabasicatyana amaFilistiya, akubona ukuwa kwegorha lawo. ₅₂Amadoda akwaSirayeli nawakwaJuda wona ahlaba umkhosi, awasukela amaFilistiya, ada aya kutsho ekungeneni eGati nasemasangweni e-Ekron. Kwakuthe waca ngamaFilistiya aziingxwelerha konke endleleni eya eSharayim kuse eGati nase-Ekron. ₅₃Ukubuya kwawo ekusukeleni amaFilistiya, amaSirayeli aya kuthatha amaxhoba kwikampu yomkhosi wamaFilistiya. ₅₄UDavide yena wathatha intloko kaGoliyati, waya nayo eJerusalem, zona izikrweqe zikaGoliyati wazigcina ententeni yakhe.

₅₅USawule akubona uDavide esiya kulwa noGoliyati wabuza kuAbhinere umphathi-mkhosi, wathi: “Yinto kabani laa ntwana?”

UAbhinere wathi: “Mhlekazi, inene, andinalwazi konke.”

₅₆Wathi uSawule: “Hamba ubuzisa kaloku, siqonde ukuba ungunyana kabani laa mfana.”

₅₇Uthe ke akubuyela ekampini uDavide, emva kokuba ebulele uGoliyati, uAbhinere wamsa kuSawule. Wayesaphethe loo ntloko kaGoliyati uDavide. ₅₈USawule wambuza wathi: “Uyinto kabani, mfo wam?”

Wathi uDavide: “Ndingunyana wesicaka sakho uJese waseBhetelehem.”