1 USamuweli 25

25 ¹USamuweli wafa, u-Israyeli wonke wabuthana ukuze amlilele, bammbela ekhaya lakhe eRama. UDavide wasuka wehlela ehlane laseParani.

²Kwakukhona umuntu eMayoni owayenempahla eKarmeli. Wayecebe kakhulu: izimvu eziyizinkulungwane ezintathu nezimbuzi eziyinkulungwane. Wayegunda izimvu zakhe eKarmeli. ³Igama lalowo muntu kwakunguNabali, igama lomkakhe linguAbigayili. Wayehlakaniphile emuhle, kodwa yena wayenzima enonya ezenzweni zakhe—wayengumKalebi. ⁴Esahlala ehlane, uDavide wezwa ukuthi uNabali wayegunda izimvu zakhe. ⁵UDavide wathuma izinsizwa eziyishumi, wathi kuzo: “Khuphukelani eKarmeli. Niye kuNabali nimbingelele egameni lami. ⁶Nithi kuye: ‘Impilo ende kuwe. Ukuthula makube kuwe, ukuthula endlini yakho, nokuthula kukho konke onakho.’ ⁷Ngizwa ukuthi unabagundi. Abelusi bakho babenathi; asizange sibaphathe kabi nganoma yini, abaswelanga lutho sonke isikhathi beseKarmeli. ⁸Buza izinsizwa zakho zizakutshela. Ngakho izinsizwa zami mazithole umusa emehlweni akho, ngokuba size ngosuku lomkhosi. Siyacela unike noma yini onayo ezincekwini zakho nasendodaneni yakho uDavide.”

⁹Izinsizwa zikaDavide zafika zakhuluma wonke lawo mazwi kuNabali egameni likaDavide, zase zilinda.

¹⁰UNabali waphendula izinceku zikaDavide, wathi: “Ngubani uDavide? Ngubani le ndodana kaJese? Namuhla ziningi izinceku ezihlubukayo emakhosini azo. ¹¹Kungani ngingathatha isinkwa sami, amanzi ami, nenyama engiyihlabele abagundi bami, ngikunike amadoda engingazi ukuthi avelaphi?”

¹²Ngakho izinsizwa zikaDavide zaphenduka, zabuyela, zambikela wonke lawo mazwi lapho zifika.

¹³UDavide wathi kubantu bakhe: “Yilowo nalowo kini akabhince inkemba yakhe!” Ngakho yilowo nalowo wabhinca inkemba yakhe, noDavide wabhinca eyakhe. Base bekhuphuka abangaba ngamakhulu amane belandela uDavide; abangamakhulu amabili basala nempahla.

¹⁴Enye yezinsizwa yatshela uAbigayili, umkaNabali, yathi: “UDavide uthume izithunywa zivela ehlane ukuba zibingelele inkosi yethu, kodwa yena uzithuke. ¹⁵Lawo madoda ayesiphethe kahle kakhulu. Awazange asilimaze, asiswelanga lutho sonke isikhathi sizulazula emasimini kanye nawo. ¹⁶Ayeludonga olusizungezayo ubusuku nemini, sonke isikhathi sisenawo salusa izimvu. ¹⁷Manje yazi ubone okufanele ukwenze, ngokuba inkosi yethu nendlu yayo yonke sebehlelelwe yingozi. Yindoda engelusizo kangangokuba akekho ongakhuluma nayo.”

¹⁸UAbigayili washesha wathatha izinkwa ezingamakhulu amabili, nezigubhu ezimbili zewayini, nezimvu ezinhlanu ezilungisiwe, namabele agazingiwe acishe abe amalitha angamashumi amathathu nanhlanu, nezixha eziyikhulu zamagilebhisi omisiwe, namaqebelengwana emikhiwane angamakhulu amabili, wakuthwesa izimbongolo. ¹⁹Wathi ezincekwini zakhe: “Ngandulelani; ngizanilandela.” Kodwa akazange asho lutho kumyeni wakhe uNabali. ²⁰Esagibele imbongolo yakhe ehla ngendlela efihlekile yentaba, wahlangana noDavide nabantu bakhe behlela ngakuye.

²¹UDavide wayekade ethi: “Ngikulindele mahhala konke lo muntu abenakho ehlane—akukho lutho lwakhe olwalahlekayo—kanti yena ungibuyisela okubi esikhundleni sokuhle. ²²UBaba wethu makenze kanje ezitheni zikaDavide, enezele futhi, uma ngiyoshiya kuphila noyedwa wesilisa kubo bonke abangabakhe kuze kuse.”

²³Lapho ebona uDavide, uAbigayili washesha wehla embongolweni yakhe, wawa ngobuso phambi kwakhe, wakhothama phansi. ²⁴Wawa ezinyaweni zakhe, wathi: “Icala malibe phezu kwami ngedwa, nkosi yami. Ngiyacela incekukazi yakho ikhulume kuwe; uzwe amazwi encekukazi yakho. ²⁵Ngiyacela, nkosi yami, ungayinaki le ndoda engelusizo uNabali, ngokuba unjengegama lakhe—uNabali, igama lakhe lisho isiwula, nobuwula bukuye. Mina, ncekukazi yakho, angizibonanga izinsizwa inkosi yami eyazithumayo. ²⁶Manje, nkosi yami, njengoba nje uBaba wethu ephila, nawe uphila: njengoba uBaba wethu ekuvimbele ukuba uchithe igazi nokuba uziphindiselele ngesandla sakho, izitha zakho nabo bonke abafuna ukulimaza inkosi yami mababe njengoNabali. ²⁷Manje lesi sipho incekukazi yakho esisilethele inkosi yami masinikwe izinsizwa ezilandela inkosi yami. ²⁸Thethelela isiphambeko sencekukazi yakho, ngokuba uBaba wethu uyakuyenzela ngempela inkosi yami indlu emiyo njalo, ngokuba inkosi yami ilwa izimpi zikaBaba wethu. Makungatholakali kuwe okubi zonke izinsuku zokuphila kwakho. ²⁹Uma kukhona ovukayo ukuba akuxoshe afune ukuphila kwakho, ukuphila kwenkosi yami kuyakuboshwa kuphephile emqulwini wabaphilayo kuBaba wakho; kodwa ukuphila kwezitha zakho uyakukujikijela khashu njengasesikhwameni sendwayimane. ³⁰Lapho uBaba wethu esekwenzele inkosi yami konke okuhle akuthembisa ngawe, esekubeke ukuba ube ngumbusi phezu kuka-Israyeli, ³¹inkosi yami ngeke ibe nosizi noma icala ngokuchitha igazi ngaphandle kwesizathu noma ngokuziphindisela. Lapho uBaba wethu esephethe kahle inkosi yami, khumbula incekukazi yakho.”

³²UDavide wathi kuAbigayili: “Makabongwe uBaba wethu, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, okuthume namuhla ukuba uhlangabeze mina. ³³Makubusiswe ukwahlulela kwakho okuhle, ubusiswe nawe, ongivimbele namuhla ukuba ngichithe igazi nokuba ngiziphindiselele ngesandla sami. ³⁴Njengoba nje uBaba wethu, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, ephila, ongivimbele ukuba ngikulimaze—ukuba ubungashayanga sheshe ukungihlangabeza, bekungeke kusale kuphila noyedwa wesilisa kubakaNabali kuze kuse.”

³⁵UDavide wakuthatha esandleni sakhe lokho akulethayo, wathi kuye: “Khuphukela ekhaya ngokuthula. Bheka, ngilizwile izwi lakho, ngasamukela isicelo sakho.”

³⁶Lapho uAbigayili efika kuNabali, wayenomkhosi endlini yakhe onjengowenkosi. Inhliziyo yakhe yayijabule, edakwe kakhulu, ngakho akazange asho lutho kuye kwaze kwasa. ³⁷Ekuseni, lapho iwayini seliphumile kuNabali, umkakhe wamtshela konke. Inhliziyo yakhe yafa phakathi kwakhe, waba njengetshe. ³⁸Emva kwezinsuku ezingaba yishumi, uBaba wethu wamshaya uNabali, wafa.

³⁹Lapho uDavide ezwa ukuthi uNabali ufile, wathi: “Makabongwe uBaba wethu, omele icala lami ngokuthukwa engakuthola kuNabali, wavimba inceku yakhe ekwenzeni okubi. UBaba wethu usebuyisele ububi bukaNabali ekhanda lakhe.” UDavide wase ethumela izwi ecela ukuba uAbigayili abe ngumkakhe.

⁴⁰Izinceku zikaDavide zafika kuAbigayili eKarmeli, zathi kuye: “UDavide usithumile ukuba sikuthathe ube ngumkakhe.”

⁴¹Wasukuma, wakhothama ngobuso phansi, wathi: “Nansi incekukazi yakho, ilungele ukukhonza nokugeza izinyawo zezinceku zenkosi yami.” ⁴²UAbigayili washesha walungela, wagibela imbongolo yakhe, wabe eselandela izithunywa zikaDavide kanye nezincekukazi zakhe ezinhlanu, waba ngumkakhe. ⁴³UDavide wayeseganwe no-Ahinowama waseJizreyeli, ngakho bobabili babe ngomkakhe. ⁴⁴USawule wayenike indodakazi yakhe uMikhali, umkaDavide, kuPhalitiyeli indodana kaLayishi, waseGalimi.