1 AMakhosi 2

2 ¹Kwathi lapho sekusondele isikhathi sokuba uDavide afe, wayala uSolomoni indodana yakhe, wathi: ²“Sengizohamba indlela yabo bonke abomhlaba. Yiba namandla, uziveze uyindoda. ³Gcina isiyalo sikaBaba wakho: hamba ezindleleni zakhe, ugcine izimiso zakhe, imiyalo yakhe, izahlulelo, nobufakazi bakhe, njengokulotshiwe emthethweni kaMose, ukuze uphumelele kukho konke okwenzayo, nomaphi lapho uphendukela khona, ⁴ukuze uBaba wethu aqinise izwi alikhuluma ngami, wathi: ‘Uma amadodana akho egcina indlela yawo, ehamba phambi kwami ngokuthembeka ngayo yonke inhliziyo yawo nangawo wonke umphefumulo wawo, awusoze waswela indoda esihlalweni sobukhosi sakwa-Israyeli.’

⁵Wena uyakwazi futhi lokho uJowabi indodana kaSeruya akwenza kimi—lokho akwenza kubalawuli bempi ababili bakwa-Israyeli, u-Abhineri indodana kaNeri no-Amasa indodana kaJeteri. Wababulala, wachitha igazi lempi ngesikhathi sokuthula, wafaka igazi lempi ebhandeni elisekhalweni lakhe nasezicathulweni ezisezinyaweni zakhe. ⁶Yenza ngokuhlakanipha kwakho; ungavumeli ikhanda lakhe elimpunga lehlele ethuneni ngokuthula. ⁷Yenza umusa emadodaneni kaBarizilayi umGileyadi; mawabe phakathi kwalabo abadla etafuleni lakho, ngokuba bema nami lapho ngibaleka u-Abisalomu umfowenu.

⁸Unaye uShimeyi indodana kaGera, umBhenjamini waseBahurimi, owangiqalekisa kabuhlungu ngosuku engaya ngalo eMahanayimi. Kodwa wehla ukuzongihlangabeza eJordani, ngamfungela uBaba wethu, ngathi: ‘Ngeke ngikubulale ngenkemba.’ ⁹Ngakho ungamyeki angajeziswa. Uhlakaniphile; uyokwazi okufanele umenze kona—yehlisela ikhanda lakhe elimpunga ethuneni ngegazi.”

¹⁰Khona-ke uDavide waphumula koyise, wembelwa emzini kaDavide. ¹¹UDavide wabusa phezu kuka-Israyeli iminyaka engamashumi amane: eHebroni iminyaka eyisikhombisa, eJerusalema iminyaka engamashumi amathathu nantathu. ¹²Ngakho uSolomoni wahlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaDavide uyise, umbuso wakhe waqiniswa kahle.

Isicelo Esibulalayo Sika-Adoniya

¹³U-Adoniya indodana kaHagithi weza kuBathisheba, unina kaSolomoni. Wabuza wathi: “Uza ngokuthula na?” Wathi: “Ngokuthula.”

¹⁴Wayesethi: “Nginento engifuna ukuyisho kuwe.” Waphendula wathi: “Yisho.”

¹⁵Wathi: “Uyazi ukuthi umbuso ubungowami, no-Israyeli wonke wayebheke kimi ukuba ngibuse. Kodwa uphendukile waba ngowomfowethu, ngokuba ubungowakhe uvela kuBaba wethu. ¹⁶Manje nginesicelo esisodwa engifuna ukusenza kuwe; ungangenqabeli.” Wathi: “Yisho.”

¹⁷Wathi: “Ngicela ucele enkosini uSolomoni—ngeke akwenqabele—ukuba anginike u-Abhishagi umShunami abe ngumkami.”

¹⁸UBathisheba wathi: “Kulungile, ngizokhuluma nenkosi ngenxa yakho.”

¹⁹UBathisheba waya enkosini uSolomoni ukukhuluma nayo ngenxa ka-Adoniya. Inkosi yasukuma ukuyihlangabeza, yayikhothamela, yahlala esihlalweni sayo sobukhosi. Yabekela unina wenkosi isihlalo sobukhosi, wahlala ngakwesokunene sayo. ²⁰Wathi: “Nginesicelo esisodwa esincane; ungangenqabeli.” Inkosi yathi: “Cela, mame; ngeke ngikwenqabele.”

²¹Wayesethi: “U-Abhishagi umShunami makanikwe u-Adoniya umfowenu abe ngumkakhe.”

²²Inkosi uSolomoni yaphendula unina yathi: “Umcelelani u-Abhishagi umShunami u-Adoniya? Mcelele nombuso futhi—ungumfowethu omdala—yena, no-Abhiyathari umpristi, noJowabi indodana kaSeruya!” ²³Khona-ke inkosi uSolomoni yafunga uBaba wethu, yathi: “UBaba wethu makenze njalo kimi, nangaphezulu, uma u-Adoniya engalikhulumanga leli zwi ekuphileni kwakhe! ²⁴Manje-ke, njengoba nje uBaba wethu ephila—owangimisayo, wangibeka esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaDavide ubaba, wangenzela indlu njengokuthembisa kwakhe—u-Adoniya uzobulawa namuhla.”

²⁵Ngakho inkosi uSolomoni yathuma uBhenaya indodana kaJehoyada, owamshaya u-Adoniya, wafa. ²⁶Inkosi yathi ku-Abhiyathari umpristi: “Yiya emasimini akho e-Anathoti. Ufanelwe ukufa, kodwa ngeke ngikubulale manje, ngokuba waphatha umphongolo kaBaba oyiNkosi phambi kukababa uDavide, wahlanganyela kuzo zonke izinhlupheko zakhe.” ²⁷Ngakho uSolomoni wamsusa u-Abhiyathari ebupristini bukaBaba wethu, wagcwalisa izwi likaBaba wethu elalikhulunywe eShilo ngendlu ka-Eli.

²⁸Izindaba zafika kuJowabi—owayesekele u-Adoniya, hhayi u-Abisalomu—ngakho wabalekela etendeni likaBaba wethu, wabamba izimpondo ze-altare. ²⁹Inkosi uSolomoni yatshelwa ukuthi uJowabi ubalekele etendeni likaBaba wethu, usenxanye ne-altare. Ngakho yathuma uBhenaya indodana kaJehoyada, yathi: “Hamba umbulale.”

³⁰UBhenaya wafika etendeni likaBaba wethu, wathi kuJowabi: “Inkosi ithi: Phuma.” Waphendula wathi: “Cha, ngizofela lapha.” UBhenaya wabikela inkosi wathi: “Yilokhu uJowabi akushilo, nokungiphendula kwakhe.”

³¹Inkosi yathi: “Yenza njengokusho kwakhe. Mbulale umembele, ususe kimi nasendlini kababa igazi elingenacala uJowabi alichithayo. ³²UBaba wethu uzobuyisela icala legazi lakhe ekhanda lakhe, ngokuba washaya amadoda amabili alungileyo angcono kunaye, wawabulala ngenkemba—u-Abhineri indodana kaNeri, umlawuli wempi yakwa-Israyeli, no-Amasa indodana kaJeteri, umlawuli wempi yakwaJuda—ubaba uDavide engazi. ³³Igazi lawo libuyela ekhanda likaJowabi nasemakhanda enzalo yakhe kuze kube phakade; kepha uDavide, nenzalo yakhe, nendlu yakhe, nesihlalo sakhe sobukhosi, kuyoba khona ukuthula okuvela kuBaba wethu kuze kube phakade.”

³⁴Ngakho uBhenaya indodana kaJehoyada wenyuka, wamshaya uJowabi, wambulala, wembelwa endlini yakhe ehlane. ³⁵Inkosi yabeka uBhenaya indodana kaJehoyada phezu kwempi esikhundleni sikaJowabi, noZadoki umpristi esikhundleni sika-Abhiyathari.

³⁶Khona-ke inkosi yabiza uShimeyi, yathi kuye: “Zakhele indlu eJerusalema uhlale khona; ungaphumi khona uye kwenye indawo. ³⁷Ngokuba ngosuku ophuma ngalo uwele isigodi saseKidroni, yazi ngokuqinisekileyo ukuthi uzokufa nokufa; igazi lakho lizoba sekhanda lakho.”

³⁸UShimeyi wathi enkosini: “Izwi lakho lihle. Njengoba inkosi yami isho, kanjalo inceku yakho izokwenza.” UShimeyi wahlala eJerusalema isikhathi eside.

³⁹Emva kweminyaka emithathu, izinceku ezimbili zikaShimeyi zabalekela ku-Akhishi indodana kaMahakha, inkosi yaseGati. UShimeyi watshelwa kwathiwa: “Izinceku zakho ziseGati.”

⁴⁰Ngakho uShimeyi wasukuma, wabophela imbongolo yakhe, waya ku-Akhishi eGati ukuyofuna izinceku zakhe; wayesehamba waziletha zivela eGati. ⁴¹Kwathi uSolomoni esetshelwa ukuthi uShimeyi uhambile esuka eJerusalema eya eGati, wabuya, ⁴²inkosi yathumela uShimeyi, yathi: “Angikwenzanga yini ukuba ufunge uBaba wethu, ngakuxwayisa ngathi: ‘Ngosuku ophuma ngalo uye nomaphi, yazi ngokuqinisekileyo ukuthi uzokufa’? Wena wangitshela wathi: ‘Izwi lakho lihle; ngizolalela.’ ⁴³Pho, kungani ungasigcinanga isifungo osifungile phambi kukaBaba wethu nomyalo engakunika wona?” ⁴⁴Inkosi yaphinde yathi kuShimeyi: “Uyakwazi enhliziyweni yakho konke okubi okwenza kuDavide ubaba. Manje uBaba wethu uzobuyisela ububi bakho ekhanda lakho. ⁴⁵Kepha inkosi uSolomoni iyobusiswa, nesihlalo sobukhosi sikaDavide siyoqiniswa phambi kukaBaba wethu kuze kube phakade.” ⁴⁶Inkosi yayala uBhenaya indodana kaJehoyada, owaphuma wamshaya uShimeyi, wafa. Ngakho umbuso waqiniswa ezandleni zikaSolomoni.