UDavide uthandwa nguJonathani, uzondwa nguSawule
1Kwathi eseqedile ukukhuluma kuSawule, inhliziyo kaJonathani yanamathela enhliziyweni kaDavide, uJonathani wamthanda njengenhliziyo yakhe. 2USawule wamthatha ngalolo suku, akabe esamvumela ukubuyela endlini kayise. 3OJonathani noDavide benza isivumelwano, ngokuba wamthanda njengenhliziyo yakhe. 4UJonathani wakhumula ingubo ayenayo, wayinika uDavide, nezinye izambatho zakhe kwaze kwaba nenkemba yakhe, nomnsalo wakhe, nebhande* lakhe.
5UDavide waphuma, waya nomaphi lapho uSawule emthuma khona, waziphatha ngokuhlakanipha; uSawule wambeka phezu kwamadoda empi; wayemuhle emehlweni abantu bonke nasemehlweni ezinceku zikaSawule.
6Kwathi ekufikeni kwabo, uDavide esebuya ekubulaleni umFilisti, abesifazane baphuma emizini yonke yakwa-Israyeli, behlabelela besina, ukuba bamhlangabeze uSawule inkosi ngezigubhu, nangokuthokoza, nangezinkenenezo. 7Abesifazane bavumelana ngokudlala, bathi:
“USawule ubulele izinkulungwane zakhe,
kepha uDavide izinkulungwane zakhe eziyishumi.”
8USawule wathukuthela kakhulu, laba libi lelo zwi emehlweni akhe; wathi: “Bamnike uDavide izinkulungwane eziyishumi, kepha mina banginike izinkulungwane nje; sekumsalele umbuso kuphela.” 9USawule wambheka uDavide kusukela kulolo suku kuya phambili.
10Kwathi ngangomuso umoya omubi owavela kuNkulunkulu wamehlela uSawule, wabheva phakathi kwendlu; uDavide wayebetha ngesandla sakhe njengokwenza kwakhe izinsuku ngezinsuku; uSawule wayenomkhonto wakhe esandleni sakhe. 11USawule wawuciba umkhonto, ngokuba wathi: “Ngiyakumbhujela uDavide odongeni.” Kepha uDavide washalaza phambi kwakhe kabili.
12USawule wamesaba uDavide, ngokuba uJehova wayenaye, kepha wayesukile kuSawule. 13Ngalokho uSawule wamsusa kuye, wambeka abe yinduna yakhe yenkulungwane; wayephuma engena phambi kwabantu. 14UDavide waziphatha ngokuhlakanipha kuzo zonke izindlela zakhe; uJehova wayenaye. 15Lapho uSawule ebona ukuthi waziphatha ngokuhlakanipha, wamesaba. 16Kepha wonke u-Israyeli noJuda bamthanda uDavide, ngokuba wayephuma engena phambi kwabo.
UDavide umkhwenyana wenkosi
17USawule wathi kuDavide: “Bheka, indodakazi yami enkulu uMerabi ngiyakukunika yona ibe ngumkakho; yiba yiqhawe lami kuphela, ulwe izimpi zikaJehova.” Ngokuba uSawule wathi: “Isandla sami masingabi phezu kwakhe, kepha isandla samaFilisti masibe phezu kwakhe.”
18UDavide wathi kuSawule: “Mina ngingubani, kuyini ukuphila kwami, nomndeni kababa uyini kwa-Israyeli ukuba ngibe ngumkhwenyana wenkosi?” 19Kepha kwathi ngesikhathi uMerabi indodakazi kaSawule ebeyakunikwa uDavide, wanikwa ku-Adriyeli waseMehola abe ngumkakhe.
20UMikhali indodakazi kaSawule wamthanda uDavide; bamtshela uSawule, kwaba kuhle emehlweni akhe. 21Wayesethi uSawule: “Ngiyakumnika yena ukuba abe lugibe kuye, isandla samaFilisti sibe phezu kwakhe.” Ngalokho uSawule wathi kuDavide: “Uyakuba ngumkhwenyana wami ngokwesibili namuhla.”
22USawule wayaleza izinceku zakhe ngokuthi: “Khulumani noDavide ngasese, nithi: ‘Bheka, inkosi yenamile ngawe, nazo zonke izinceku zayo ziyakuthanda; ngalokho yiba ngumkhwenyana wenkosi.’ ”
23Izinceku zikaSawule zakhuluma lawo mazwi ezindlebeni zikaDavide. UDavide wathi: “Kuyinto elula emehlweni enu ukuba ngibe ngumkhwenyana wenkosi, lokhu ngingumuntu ompofu nodelelikileyo na?”
24Izinceku zikaSawule zamtshela zathi: “Wakhuluma kanjalo uDavide.” 25USawule wathi: “Niyakusho kanje kuDavide, nithi: ‘Inkosi ayifuni ilobolo, kuphela amajwabu ayikhulu amaFilisti ukuba kuphindiswe ezitheni zenkosi.’ ” USawule wacabanga ukumwisa uDavide ngesandla samaFilisti.
26Izinceku zakhe zamtshela uDavide lawo mazwi, kwaba kuhle emehlweni kaDavide ukuba abe ngumkhwenyana wenkosi, kepha izinsuku zazingakapheleli; 27uDavide wasuka waya, yena nabantu bakhe, wabulala kuwo amaFilisti abantu abangamakhulu amabili; uDavide waletha amajwabu abo, bawayisa enkosini ephelele ukuba abe ngumkhwenyana wenkosi. USawule wayesemnika uMikhali indodakazi yakhe abe ngumkakhe.
28USawule wabona, wazi ukuthi uJehova unoDavide; uMikhali indodakazi kaSawule wamthanda. 29USawule wayesemesaba uDavide kakhulu; uSawule wayeyisitha sikaDavide sonke isikhathi.
30Kwase kuphuma izikhulu zamaFilisti; kwathi njalo uma zisaphuma, uDavide waziphatha ngokuhlakanipha kakhulu kunazo zonke izinceku zikaSawule, laze laduma kakhulu igama lakhe.
