UDavide Usindisa IKheyila
1Abantu bambikela uDavide, bathi: “Bheka, amaFilisti alwa neKheyila, aphanga izibuya.”
2UDavide wabuza kuSimakade, wathi: “Ngihambe yini ngiyowabulala lawo maFilisti na?”
USimakade wathi kuDavide: “Hamba uwabulale amaFilisti, usindise iKheyila.”
3Abantu bakaDavide bathi kuye: “Uyabona-ke, siyesaba lapha kwaJuda; kangakanani-ke uma sesiya eKheyila, silwe namabutho amaFilisti na?”
4UDavide waphinda wabuza kuSimakade. USimakade wamphendula wathi: “Suka wehlele eKheyila, ngokuba amaFilisti ngizowanikela esandleni sakho.”
5UDavide namabutho akhe baya eKheyila, balwa namaFilisti, badla izinkomo zawo, bawashaya bawaqothula. Wayesezihlenga uDavide izakhamuzi zaseKheyila.
6Ngesikhathi u-Abhiyathara, indodana ka-Ahimelekhi, ebaleka eya kuDavide eKheyila, wehla ephethe ingubo yamahlombe ngesandla sakhe.
7Kwabikwa kuSawule ukuthi uDavide ufikile eKheyila. Wayesethi uSawule: “UNkulunkulu umkhaphele esandleni sami, ngokuba uzivalele ngokungena emzini onamasango nemigoqo.”
8USawule wabiza abantu bonke ukuba baye empini, behlele eKheyila, bavimbezele uDavide nabantu bakhe.
9UDavide wayazi ukuthi uSawule uceba okubi ngaye; wathi ku-Abhiyathara, umphristi: “Letha ingubo yamahlombe.”
10Wayesethi uDavide: “Simakade, Nkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, inceku yakho izwile ngokweqiniso ukuthi uSawule ufuna ukuza eKheyila azobhubhisa umuzi ngenxa yami. 11Abantu baseKheyila bayakunikela yini ngami esandleni sakhe na? USawule uyakwehla yini njengalokhu inceku yakho izwile na? Simakade Nkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, ake uyitshele inceku yakho.”
Wathi uSimakade: “Uyakwehla.”
12Wayesethi uDavide: “Abantu baseKheyila bayakungikhaphela yini mina nabantu bami esandleni sikaSawule na?”
Wathi uSimakade: “Bayakukukhaphela.”
13Wayesesuka uDavide nabantu bakhe kungathi abangama-600, baphuma eKheyila, basabalala. Kwabikwa kuSawule ukuthi uDavide ubalekile eKheyila; wayeseyeka ukuya lapho.
UJonathani Uya KuDavide EZifi EHoreshi
14UDavide wahlala ehlane ezinqabeni, wahlala kwelezintaba ehlane iZifi. USawule wamfuna zonke izinsuku, kodwa uNkulunkulu akamnikelanga esandleni sakhe.
15UDavide wabona ukuthi uSawule uphumele ukumbulala; uDavide wayesehlane eZifi eHoreshi. 16Kwasuka uJonathani, indodana kaSawule, waya kuDavide eHoreshi, wamqunga isibindi ngenxa kaNkulunkulu. 17Wathi kuye: “Ungesabi, ngokuba isandla sikaSawule, ubaba, asiyukukufumana. Wena uyakubusa phezu kuka-Israyeli, mina ngiyoba ngowesibili embusweni; noSawule ubaba uyakwazi lokho.”
18Bobabili benza isivumelwano phambi kukaSimakade. UDavide wahlala eHoreshi, uJonathani waya endlini yakhe.
AbaseZifi Bakhaphela UDavide KuSawule
19Kwase kwenyuka abaseZifi, baya kuSawule eGibheya, bathi: “UDavide akacashile yini phakathi kwethu ezinqabeni eHoreshi egqumeni iHakhila, eliseningizimu yeJeshimoni na? 20Manje nkosi, uma ufuna ukwehla, ungehla, thina sizomkhaphela esandleni senkosi.”
21USawule wathi: “USimakade makanibusise, ngoba ningizwele. 22Ake nihambe, niqinisekise impela, nazi, futhi nibone ukuthi ukuphi nokuthi ngubani ombone lapho, ngokuba ngizwile ukuthi wenza izinto ngobuhlakani obumangalisayo. 23Hlolani, nizazi zonke izindawo lapho ecasha khona, bese nibuya nize kimi nodaba olunesiqiniseko. Mina ngizohamba nani, uma esezweni, ngiyomfuna phakathi kwezinkulungwane zabakwaJuda.”
24Base besuka, bahamba phambi kukaSawule baya eZifi, kodwa uDavide nabantu bakhe babesehlane eMahoni e-Araba, eningizimu yehlane.
UDavide Usehlane EMahoni
25USawule nabantu bakhe baphuma bayomfuna uDavide. UDavide wabikelwa ngalokho, wayesehlela edwaleni, wahlala ehlane eMahoni. USawule wakuzwa lokho, wamlandela uDavide ehlane eMahoni.
26USawule wahamba ngapha kwentaba, uDavide nabantu bakhe bahamba ngale kwentaba. UDavide washesha wambalekela uSawule, ngokuba uSawule nabantu bakhe bamhaqa uDavide nabantu bakhe ukuze bababambe. 27Kwafika isithunywa kuSawule, sathi: “Phuthuma uze, ngokuba amaFilisti alihlasele izwe.”
28USawule wanqandeka ekulandeleni uDavide, wahamba wayokulwa namaFilisti. Yingakho leyo ndawo yabizwa ngokuthi yiSela Hamalekothi. 29UDavide wasuka lapho wakhuphuka wayohlala ezinqabeni e-Eni Gedi.
