1 USamuweli 20

20 ¹UDavide wabaleka eNayoti eRama, wafika kuJonathani, wathi: “Ngenzeni? Liyini icala lami, futhi ngone kanjani kuyihlo, aze afune impilo yami?”

²UJonathani waphendula: “Akunjalo! Ngeke ufe. Ubaba ungitshela yonke into, enkulu noma encane. Ukufihlelani lokhu kimi? Akulona iqiniso.”

³Kodwa uDavide waphinda wafunga, wathi: “Uyihlo wazi kahle ukuthi ngithole umusa kuwe, futhi usethe, ‘Ungamtsheli uJonathani, funa adabuke.’ Kodwa njengoba uBaba wethu ephila, nawe uphila, kukhona isinyathelo esisodwa kuphela phakathi kwami nokufa.”

⁴UJonathani wathi kuDavide: “Noma yini oyifunayo, ngizokwenzela yona.”

⁵UDavide wathi: “Kusasa kuyikwethwasa kwenyanga; bekumele ngidle neNkosi. Mangicashe endle kuze kube kusihlwa sosuku lwesithathu. ^a a v5 Umkhosi wokwethwasa kwenyanga kwakuwumgubho wenyanga zonke owawuphawula usuku lokuqala lwenyanga yesiHeberu, owawugujwa ngemihlatshelo ekhethekile nangesidlo esisemthethweni sabantu bonke etafuleni leNkosi. ⁶Uma uyihlo engibona ngingekho, uthi, ‘UDavide ucele imvume yokushesha aye eBhetlehema, umuzi wakubo, ngenxa yomhlatshelo waminyaka yonke womndeni wakhe wonke.’” ⁷Uma ethi, ‘Kulungile,’ inceku yakho iphephile. Kodwa uma ethukuthela, qiniseka ukuthi usenqume ukungilimaza. ⁸Bonisa inceku yakho umusa—ungingenise esivumelwaneni nawe phambi kukaBaba wethu. Uma nginecala, ngibulale wena ngokwakho; unginikelelani kuyihlo?

⁹UJonathani wathi: “Akunjalo! Ukube bengazi ukuthi ubaba uhlose ukukulimaza, bengingeke yini ngikutshele?”

¹⁰UDavide wabuza: “Ngubani ozongitshela uma uyihlo ekuphendula ngolaka?”

¹¹UJonathani wathi: “Woza, asiphumele endle.” Ngakho bobabili baphumela ndawonye. ¹²UJonathani wathi kuDavide: “UBaba wethu, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, makabe ngufakazi wami! Ngizohlola ubaba kusasa noma ngosuku lwesithathu—uma ekubonisa umusa, bengingeke yini ngempela ngithumele izwi ngikwazise? ¹³Kodwa uma ubaba ehlose ukukulimaza, uBaba wethu makangijezise kanzima uma ngingakuxwayisi ngikumukise uphephile. UBaba wethu makabe nawe, njengoba wayenobaba. ¹⁴Kodwa ngibonise uthando olungapheli lukaBaba wethu ngesikhathi sonke engisaphila, ukuze ngingafi. ¹⁵Ungalunqamuli nanini umusa wakho emndenini wami—ngisho noma uBaba wethu eqeda sonke isitha sikaDavide ebusweni bomhlaba.” ¹⁶UJonathani wenza isivumelwano nendlu kaDavide, wathi: “UBaba wethu makazilandise izitha zikaDavide.” ¹⁷UJonathani waphinda wenza uDavide ukuba afunge ngothando lwakhe ngaye, ngokuba wayemthanda njengokuphila kwakhe. ¹⁸UJonathani wabe esethi: “Kusasa kuyikwethwasa kwenyanga. Uzobonakala ungekho, ngokuba isihlalo sakho siyobe singenamuntu. ¹⁹Ngomhlomunye, lapho sekuya ntambama, shesha wehlele lapho owawucashe khona ngesikhathi kuqala le nkinga, uhlale ngasetsheni i-Ezeli. ²⁰Ngizodubula imicibisholo emithathu ngasohlangothini lwalo, kungathi ngiciba into eqondiwe. ²¹Ngizothumela umfana ngithi, ‘Hamba, uyofuna imicibisholo.’ Uma ngithi kuye, ‘Bheka, iseceleni lakho ngakuwe—ayilethe lapha,’ khona-ke woza; njengoba uBaba wethu ephila, uphephile, akukho ngozi. ²²Kodwa uma ngithi kumfana, ‘Bheka, imicibisholo ingale kwakho,’ hamba—uBaba wethu usekumukisile. ²³Mayelana nalokho mina nawe esikhulume ngakho—khumbula, uBaba wethu umi njengofakazi phakathi kwami nawe kuze kube phakade.”

²⁴Ngakho uDavide wacasha endle. Kwathi lapho sekufike ukwethwasa kwenyanga, iNkosi yahlala phansi ukuba idle. ²⁵INkosi yahlala esihlalweni sayo njengenjwayelo ngasodongeni, uJonathani ebhekene nayo, u-Abhineri eceleni kukaSawule—indawo kaDavide ingenamuntu. ²⁶Ngalolo suku uSawule akashongo lutho, ecabanga ethi: “Kukhona okwenzeke kuDavide okumenza angahlanzeki ngokomkhuba—nakanjani akahlanzekile.” ^b b v26 Ukungahlanzeki ngokomkhuba kwakuyisimo sesikhashana senkolo—esasibangelwa izinto eziningi ezivamile—esasivimbela umuntu ukuba abe yingxenye yezidlo ezingcwele noma ukukhonza.

²⁷Ngakusasa, usuku lwesibili lwenyanga, indawo kaDavide yaphinda yangabi namuntu. USawule wabuza indodana yakhe uJonathani: “Kungani indodana kaJese ingezanga ukuzodla, izolo noma namuhla?”

²⁸UJonathani waphendula: “UDavide wangincenga ngobuqotho ukuba ngimvumele aye eBhetlehema. ²⁹Wathi, ‘Mangihambe—umndeni wakithi unomhlatshelo edolobheni, futhi umfowethu ungiyalile ukuba ngibe khona. Uma ngithole umusa kuwe, mangiphunyuke ngiyobona abafowethu.’ Kungakho engezanga etafuleni leNkosi.”

³⁰USawule wamthukuthelela uJonathani: “Ndodana yowesifazane ohlubukayo nophambeneyo! Angazi yini ukuthi usuhlangene nendodana kaJese—kube yihlazo kuwe, nehlazo kunina owakuzalayo? ³¹Uma nje indodana kaJese isaphila emhlabeni, wena nombuso wakho ngeke nime niqinile. Thumela umlande uze kimi; kumele afe.”

³²UJonathani wabuza uyise: “Kungani kumele abulawe? Wenzeni?”

³³USawule wamphonsa ngomkhonto wakhe ukuze ambulale, ngakho uJonathani wabona ukuthi uyise uzimisele ukubulala uDavide. ³⁴UJonathani wasukuma etafuleni evutha ulaka, akadlanga lutho ngosuku lwesibili lwenyanga, wadabukela uDavide ngokuba uyise wayemhlazile.

³⁵Ekuseni uJonathani waphumela endle ukuyohlangana noDavide, enomfanyana naye. ³⁶Wathi kumfana wakhe: “Gijima, uyofuna imicibisholo engiyidubulayo.” Kuthe lapho egijima, uJonathani wadubula umcibisholo wawela ngale kwakhe. ³⁷Kuthe lapho umfana efika emcibisholweni uJonathani awudubulayo, uJonathani wamemeza emva kwakhe: “Akusiwo yini umcibisholo ongale kwakho?” ³⁸UJonathani wamemeza emva komfana: “Shesha! Phangisa! Ungemi!” Waqoqa imicibisholo weza enkosini yakhe. ³⁹Umfana wayengazi lutho ngakho konke lokhu; nguJonathani noDavide kuphela ababazi ukuthi kusho ukuthini. ⁴⁰UJonathani wabe esenika umfana izikhali zakhe, wathi kuye: “Hamba, uziphindisele edolobheni.”

⁴¹Kuthe lapho umfana esehambile, uDavide wasukuma eceleni elingaseningizimu kwelitshe, wawa ngobuso phansi, wakhothama kathathu. Bangana bakhala ndawonye, kodwa uDavide ekhala kakhulu. ⁴²UJonathani wathi kuDavide: “Hamba ngokuthula—sobabili sifungile egameni likaBaba wethu, sathi, ‘UBaba wethu ungufakazi phakathi kwami nawe, naphakathi kwenzalo yakho neyami, kuze kube phakade.’” UDavide wasukuma wahamba; uJonathani wabuyela edolobheni.