UDavide uphinda amsindise umthanjiswa kaBawo wethu
UDavide wangena ngasese emkhosini kaSawule ebusuku besalele bonke, wathabatha intshuntshe ngasentloko yakhe. UAbhishayi wayefuna ukumqhama kube kanye; uDavide akavuma ukumchukumisa umthanjiswa kaBawo wethu. Wamemeza ubungqina ngaphaya kwentili, waza uSawule wabuya wavuma ukuba wonile.
26 1Beza abaseZifi kuSawule eGibheha, besithi: “UDavide akazimele yini na endulini yeHakila, ekhangelene nenkangala?” 2Wehla uSawule esiya entlango yeZifi, ephethe amadoda akwaSirayeli ahleliweyo angamawaka amathathu, ukuze afune uDavide khona. 3USawule wamisa endulini yeHakila, ekhangelene nenkangala, ecaleni kwendlela, uDavide esahleli entlango. UDavide wabona ukuba uSawule umlandele waya naye entlango, 4wathumela iintlola, waqonda ukuba inene uSawule ufikile. 5Wesuka uDavide waya kuloo ndawo awayemise kuyo uSawule, wabona apho alele khona uSawule noAbhinere unyana kaNere, umthetheli womkhosi wakhe. USawule wayelele phakathi eminqubeni, umkhosi umngqongile ngeenxa zonke. 6Wabuza uDavide kuAhimeleki umHeti, kwakunye noAbhishayi unyana kaTseruya, umnakwenu kaYowabhi: “Ngubani oya kuhla nam, aye kuSawule eminqubeni?” Wathi uAbhishayi: “Ndiya kuhla nawe mna.”
7Bafika ooDavide noAbhishayi emkhosini ebusuku. USawule wayelele eminqubeni, intshuntshe yakhe ihlatyiwe emhlabeni ngasentloko yakhe, uAbhinere nomkhosi bemngqongile. 8Wathi uAbhishayi kuDavide: “UBawo wethu ulunikele namhlanje utshaba lwakho esandleni sakho. Ngoko ke makhe ndimqhame nomhlaba ngayo le ntshuntshe kube kanye, ndingabuyi ndiphinde okwesibini.”
9Kodwa wathi uDavide kuAbhishayi: “Sukumbulala! Ngubani onokusa isandla sakhe kumthanjiswa kaBawo wethu, abe msulwa?” 10Wathi uDavide: “Ehleli nje uBawo wethu, uBawo wethu uya kumbulala, nokuba ufike umhla wakhe wafa, nokuba uthi ehla esiya emfazweni atshatyalaliswe. 11Makube lee kum, phambi koBawo wethu, ukuphakamisela isandla sam kumthanjiswa kaBawo wethu. Thabatha ngoku intshuntshe esesentloko yakhe, kwaneselwa lamanzi, size sihambe.”
12Wayithabatha uDavide intshuntshe neselwa lamanzi ngasentloko kaSawule; basuka bahamba. Akwabakho namnye obabonayo, akwabakho owaziyo, akwabakho ovukayo, kuba ubuthongo obunzima bukaBawo wethu babubawele bonke.
13Wandula ke uDavide wawela, wema encotsheni yenduli ekude, kukho ithuba elikhulu phakathi kwabo. 14Wamemeza ebantwini nakuAbhinere unyana kaNere, wathi: “Awusayi kuphendula na, Abhinere?” Waphendula ke uAbhinere: “Ungubani wena, le nto umemeza ukumkani?”
15UDavide wathi kuAbhinere: “Akuyondoda na wena? Ukho na onjengawe phakathi kwamaSirayeli? Yini na ukuba ungayilindanga inkosi yakho, ukumkani? Kaloku kufike omnye ukuza kutshabalalisa ukumkani, inkosi yakho. 16Wenze into engalunganga. Ehleli nje uBawo wethu, nifanelwe kukufa nina, ngokuba ningayigcinanga inkosi yenu, umthanjiswa kaBawo wethu. Khangela ngoku—iphi na intshuntshe yokumkani neselwa lamanzi ebelisentloko yakhe?”
17Walazi uSawule ilizwi likaDavide, wathi: “Lilizwi lakho na eli, nyana wam Davide?” Wathi uDavide: “Lilizwi lam, nkosi yam, kumkani.”
18Wathi: “Yini na ukuba inkosi yam imsukele umkhonzi wayo? Ndenze ntoni na, buni na ububi obusesandleni sam? 19Makhe iphulaphule inkosi yam ukumkani amazwi omkhonzi wayo: ukuba uBawo wethu ukuvuselele ngam, makakholeke kuye umnikelo; kodwa ukuba ngabantu ababenzileyo oku, mabaqalekiswe phambi kwakhe—kuba namhlanje bandigxothile esabelweni sam elifeni lakhe, besithi, ‘Hamba uye kukhonza thixo bambi.’ 20Malingaweli emhlabeni igazi lam, kude nobuso bukaBawo wethu—ukumkani wakwaSirayeli uphume ukuza kuzingela intakumba inye, njengokuba umntu esukela inkonkoni ezintabeni.”
21Wathi uSawule: “Ndonile. Buya, uDavide nyana wam. Andisayi kuphinda ndikwenzele bubi, ngokuba ubomi bam bubexabisekile emehlweni akho namhlanje. Ndenze ngobudenge, ndaphazama kakhulu.”
22Waphendula uDavide, wathi: “Nantsi intshuntshe yokumkani. Makhe lize idodana liyithabathe. 23UBawo wethu umbuyekeza wonke umntu ngobulungisa bakhe nangokuthembeka kwakhe. Namhlanje wakunikela esandleni sam, kodwa andivumanga ukusa isandla sam kumthanjiswa wakhe. 24Njengokuba ndibuxabisile ubomi bakho namhlanje, ngamana uBawo wethu angabuxabisa ubomi bam, andihlangule kuyo yonke imbandezelo.”
25USawule wathi kuDavide: “Usikelelekile, nyana wam Davide—wena uya kwenza izinto ezinkulu, uze woyise.” UDavide wahamba waya ngendlela yakhe; uSawule naye wabuyela endlwini yakhe.
