1 USamuweli 17

17 ¹AmaFilisti abutha amabutho awo ukuze alwe, ahlangana eSokho kwaJuda, amisa amatende e-Efesi Damimi, phakathi kweSokho ne-Azeka. ²USawule namadoda akwa-Israyeli babutha, bamisa esigodini sase-Ela, bahlela amabutho abo bebheke kumaFilisti. ³AmaFilisti ema egqumeni elilodwa, u-Israyeli ema egqumeni elingaphesheya, isigodi siphakathi kwabo. ⁴Kwaphuma ingwazi egama layo linguGoliyati waseGati ekamu lamaFilisti, ubude bayo babucishe bube yizinyawo eziyisishiyagalolunye namayintshi ayisishiyagalolunye. ⁵Ekhanda lakhe kwakunesigqoko sokulwa sethusi; wayegqoke isivikelo sesifuba esinezinhlamvu, esasisinda cishe amaphawundi ayikhulu namashumi amabili nanhlanu. ⁶Imilenze yakhe yayimboziwe ngezivikelo zethusi, kwathi umcibisholo wethusi walenga phakathi kwamahlombe akhe. ⁷Uthi lomkhonto wakhe lwalunjengogodo lomeluki, inhloko yawo yensimbi yayisinda cishe amaphawundi ayishumi nanhlanu. Umthwali wehawu lakhe wayehamba phambi kwakhe. ⁸Wema wamemeza emabuthweni akwa-Israyeli wathi: “Niphumeleni ukuzohlela impi? Angiyena yini umFilisti, nina niyizinceku zikaSawule? Khethani umuntu nimthumele kimi. ⁹Uma elwa engibulala, siyakuba yizinceku zenu; kodwa uma ngimnqoba ngimbulala, niyakuba yizinceku zethu nisikhonze.” ¹⁰UmFilisti wabe esethi: “Ngiyawadelela amabutho akwa-Israyeli namuhla! Nginikeni umuntu; masilwe.”

¹¹Kwathi uSawule no-Israyeli wonke bewezwa amazwi omFilisti, besaba bethuthumela kakhulu.

¹²UDavide wayeyindodana kaJese, umEfrathi waseBhetlehema kwaJuda owayenamadodana ayisishiyagalombili. Ezinsukwini zikaSawule uJese wayeseguge esekhulile. ¹³Amadodana amathathu amadala kaJese alandela uSawule empini: u-Eliyabi izibulo, u-Abinadaba owesibili, noShama owesithathu. ¹⁴UDavide wayengomncane. Amathathu amadala ayelandele uSawule, ¹⁵kodwa uDavide wayehamba ebuya ephuma kuSawule ukuze aluse izimvu zikayise eBhetlehema.

¹⁶Izinsuku ezingamashumi amane umFilisti wayesondela ekuseni nakusihlwa njalo eme khona.

¹⁷UJese wathi endodaneni yakhe uDavide: “Thathela abafowenu le nqwaba yokudla okuyinhlamvu okosiwe, nalezi zinkwa eziyishumi, usheshe ukuse kubafowenu ekamu. ¹⁸Thathela induna yebutho labo laba oshizi abayishumi. Ubheke ukuthi abafowenu banjani, ubuye nezindaba zabo. ¹⁹USawule, nabafowabo bakaDavide, nawo wonke amadoda akwa-Israyeli babesesigodini sase-Ela, belwa namaFilisti.”

²⁰Ekuseni kakhulu uDavide washiya umhlambi nomalusi, wethwala, wahamba njengoba uJese ayeyalile. Wafika ekamu lapho ibutho liphuma liya emabuthweni alo okulwa, limemeza umkhosi wempi. ²¹U-Israyeli namaFilisti bahlela amabutho abo bebhekene. ²²UDavide washiya impahla yakhe nomgcini wempahla, wagijimela emabuthweni empi, wabingelela abafowabo. ²³Wathi esakhuluma nabo, uGoliyati ingwazi yamaFilisti yaseGati waphuma emabuthweni amaFilisti wamemeza njengenjwayelo yakhe, uDavide wakuzwa. ²⁴Kwathi amadoda akwa-Israyeli ewubona lo muntu, bonke babaleka kuye besaba kakhulu. ²⁵Amadoda akwa-Israyeli athi: “Niyambona yini lo muntu olokhu ephuma? Ukhuphukela ukuzodelela u-Israyeli. Inkosi iyakunika ingcebo enkulu lowo oyakumbulala, imnike indodakazi yayo, ikhulule umndeni kayise enkonzweni kwa-Israyeli.”

²⁶UDavide wabuza amadoda ayeseduze naye wathi: “Uzotholani umuntu obulala lo mFilisti asuse ihlazo kwa-Israyeli? Ngokuba ungubani lo mFilisti ongasokile, ukuba adelele amabutho kaBaba wethu ophilayo?”

²⁷Abantu baphinda kuye lokho okwakuyokwenziwa kumuntu oyakumbulala.

²⁸Kwathi u-Eliyabi umfowabo omdala kaDavide emuzwa ekhuluma namadoda, wamthukuthelela uDavide. “Wehleleni? Uzishiye nobani lezo zimvu ezimbalwa ehlane? Ngiyakwazi ukuzidla kwakho nobubi benhliziyo yakho—wehlele nje ukuzobukela impi.”

²⁹UDavide wathi: “Ngenzeni manje? Bekuwumbuzo nje kuphela.” ³⁰Waphendukela komunye wabuza into efanayo, abantu bamphendula njengakuqala. ³¹Amazwi kaDavide ezwakala abikwa kuSawule, wathumela ukuba abizwe. ³²UDavide wathi kuSawule: “Makungabi khona muntu ophela amandla enhliziyo ngenxa yakhe. Inceku yakho izakuhamba ilwe nalo mFilisti.”

³³USawule wathi: “Awunakho ukulwa nalo mFilisti. Ungumfana nje, yena ube yiqhawe lempi kusukela ebusheni bakhe.”

³⁴UDavide wathi kuSawule: “Inceku yakho yayalusa izimvu zikayise. Kwathi lapho kufika ibhubesi noma ibhere lithatha imvu emhlambini, ³⁵ngalixosha, ngalishaya, ngayophula imvu emlonyeni walo. Lathi lingiphendukela, ngalibamba ngomhlwenga walo, ngalishaya, ngalibulala. ³⁶Inceku yakho yabulala kokubili ibhubesi nebhere; lo mFilisti ongasokile uyakuba njengelinye lawo, ngokuba uwadelele amabutho kaBaba wethu ophilayo.” ³⁷UDavide wanezela wathi: “UBaba wethu, owangophula esidladleni sebhubesi nasesebhere, uyakungophula esandleni salo mFilisti.” USawule wathi: “Hamba—sengathi uBaba wethu angaba nawe.”

³⁸USawule wabe esegqokisa uDavide izambatho zakhe zokulwa. Wamfaka isigqoko sokulwa sethusi ekhanda lakhe, wamgqokisa ibhantshi lokulwa. ³⁹UDavide wabhinca inkemba phezu kwezambatho zokulwa, wazama ukuhamba, kodwa wayengakayijwayeli. Wathi kuSawule: “Angikwazi ukuhamba ngilezi zinto,” watsho kuSawule, “angizijwayele.” Ngakho wazikhumula.

⁴⁰Wathatha udondolo lwakhe, wakhetha amatshe amahlanu abushelelezi emfuleni, wawafaka esikhwameni sakhe somalusi, wasondela kumFilisti ephethe isavutha esandleni. ⁴¹Khona lapho umFilisti, umthwali wehawu lakhe ehamba phambi kwakhe, waqhubeka esondela kuDavide. ⁴²UmFilisti wambuka uDavide, wabona ukuthi ungumfana nje—obomvana nobukeka kahle—wamdelela. ⁴³Wathi kuDavide: “Ngiyinja yini, ukuba uze kimi ngezinduku?” UmFilisti waqalekisa uDavide ngonkulunkulu bakhe. ⁴⁴Wathi: “Woza lapha,” washo, “ngiyakunika izinyoni zezulu nezilwane zasendle inyama yakho.”

⁴⁵UDavide wathi kumFilisti: “Wena uza kimi ngenkemba, nangomkhonto, nangomcibisholo, kodwa mina ngiza kuwe egameni likaBaba wamabutho asezulwini, uBaba wamabutho akwa-Israyeli, omdelele. ⁴⁶Namuhla uBaba wethu uyakukunikela esandleni sami, ngikushaye ngikunqume ikhanda. Kanye nje namuhla ngiyakunika izinyoni zezulu nezilwane zasendle zomhlaba izidumbu zebutho lamaFilisti, umhlaba wonke uyakwazi ukuthi ukhona uBaba wethu kwa-Israyeli.

⁴⁷Bonke ababuthene lapha bayakwazi ukuthi uBaba wethu usindisa ngaphandle kwenkemba nomkhonto; impi ingekaBaba wethu, uyakuninikela nonke ezandleni zethu.”

⁴⁸Kwathi umFilisti esukuma ukuba amhlasele, uDavide wagijima masinyane waya emabuthweni empi ukuze amhlangabeze. ⁴⁹UDavide wafaka isandla esikhwameni sakhe, wathatha itshe, walijikijela ngesavutha, wamshaya umFilisti ebunzi. Itshe lashona ebunzini lakhe, wawa ngobuso phansi emhlabathini. ⁵⁰Ngakho uDavide wamnqoba umFilisti ngesavutha nangetshe; engenankemba esandleni, wamshaya wambulala. ⁵¹UDavide wagijima wema phezu kwakhe. Wathatha inkemba yomFilisti, wayihwebula emgodleni wayo, wambulala, wanquma ikhanda lakhe ngayo. Kwathi amaFilisti ebona ukuthi iqhawe lawo selifile, abaleka.

⁵²Base esukuma amadoda akwa-Israyeli nakwaJuda ememeza, axosha amaFilisti kwaze kwaba sekungeneni kweGati nasemasangweni ase-Ekroni. Ababulawa bamaFilisti balala endleleni yaseShaharayimi eya eGati nase-Ekroni. ⁵³Kwathi abakwa-Israyeli bebuya ekuxosheni amaFilisti, baphanga ikamu lawo. ⁵⁴UDavide wathatha ikhanda lomFilisti walisa eJerusalema, wabeka izikhali zikaGoliyati etendeni lakhe. ⁵⁵USawule ebona uDavide ephuma ukuyohlangabeza umFilisti, wabuza u-Abhineri, induna yebutho lakhe, wathi: “Le nsizwa iyindodana kabani, Abhineri?” U-Abhineri waphendula wathi: “Ngifunga ukuphila kwakho, nkosi yami, angazi.”

⁵⁶Inkosi yathi: “Buza ukuthi le nsizwa iyindodana kabani.”

⁵⁷Kwathi uDavide ebuya ekubulaleni umFilisti, u-Abhineri wamthatha, wamletha phambi kukaSawule, ikhanda lomFilisti lisesandleni sakhe. ⁵⁸USawule wabuza wathi: “Uyindodana kabani, nsizwa?” UDavide wathi: “Ngiyindodana yenceku yakho uJese waseBhetlehema.”