2 USamuweli 19

19 ¹Kwafika izwi kuJowabi lathi: “Bheka, inkosi iyakhala ililela u-Abshalomu.” ²Ngalolo suku ukunqoba kwaphenduka ukulila kubo bonke abantu, ngokuba ngalolo suku bezwa kuthiwa: “Inkosi iyamlilela indodana yayo.”

³Ngalolo suku abantu bangena emzini benyenya, njengabantu abanamahloni abanyenya emva kokubaleka empini. ⁴Inkosi yamboza ubuso bayo, yakhala ngezwi elikhulu, yathi: “Ndodana yami, Abshalomu! Abshalomu, ndodana yami, ndodana yami!”

⁵UJowabi weza enkosini wathi: “Namuhla ubahlazisile bonke izinceku zakho, ezisindise ukuphila kwakho namuhla, nokuphila kwamadodana namadodakazi akho, nokuphila kwabafazi bakho nezancinza zakho, ⁶ngokuthanda labo abakuzondayo nangokuzonda labo abakuthandayo. Namuhla ubonisile ukuthi izinduna nezinceku azilutho kuwe. Manje sengiyazi ukuthi ukube u-Abshalomu ebephila, thina sonke sesifile, ngabe uyathokoza. ⁷Manje sukuma, uphume, ukhulume kahle ezincekwini zakho. Ngifunga ngoBaba wethu, uma ungaphumi, akekho noyedwa oyosala nawe kulobu busuku—futhi lokho kuyoba kubi kuwe kunazo zonke izinkathazo ozibhekene nazo kusukela ebusheni bakho.”

UDavide Ubuyela Kubantu Bakhe

⁸Inkosi yasukuma yahlala esangweni. Kwathi abantu sebetsheliwe kwathiwa: “Bheka, inkosi ihlezi esangweni,” beza bonke phambi kwayo. U-Israyeli wayebalekile, kwaba yilowo nalowo waya endlini yakhe. ⁹Kuzo zonke izizwe zakwa-Israyeli abantu baphikisana bathi: “Inkosi yasisindisa ezitheni zethu, yasophula esandleni samaFilisti, kodwa manje ibalekile ezweni ngenxa ka-Abshalomu. ¹⁰Kodwa u-Abshalomu, esamgcoba ukuba asibuse, ufele empini. Pho, kungani singasho lutho ngokubuyisa inkosi na?”

¹¹INkosi uDavide yathumela izwi kuZadoki no-Abhiyathari abapristi, yathi: “Tshelani amalunga akwaJuda nithi: ‘Kungani ningabokugcina ukubuyisela inkosi ekhaya, lapho izwi lika-Israyeli wonke selifikile enkosini ekhaya layo na?’ ¹²Ningabafowethu, niyinyama negazi lami. Pho, kungani niyakuba ngabokugcina ukubuyisa inkosi? ¹³Yishoni ku-Amasa nithi: ‘Awuyona yini inyama negazi lami? UBaba wethu makenze kanjalo kimi, enezele, uma ungabi yinduna yempi yami yaphakade, uthathe isikhundla sikaJowabi.’” ¹⁴UDavide wayithoba inhliziyo yabo bonke abantu bakwaJuda njengamuntu munye, bathumela izwi enkosini bathi: “Buya, wena nazo zonke izinceku zakho.”

¹⁵Inkosi yabuya yafika eJordani; uJuda weza eGiligali ukuyohlangabeza inkosi nokuyiwelisa iJordani.

UDavide Ubonisa Umusa KuShimeyi

¹⁶UShimeyi indodana kaGera, umBhenjamini wase-Bahurimi, wehla ngokushesha kanye nabantu bakwaJuda ukuyohlangabeza iNkosi uDavide. ¹⁷Wayenabantu abayinkulungwane bakwaBhenjamini, noZiba inceku yendlu kaSawule, kanye namadodana akhe ayishumi nanhlanu nezinceku zakhe ezingamashumi amabili. Baphuthuma eJordani phambi kwenkosi, ¹⁸bawela izibuko ukuba bawelise abendlu yenkosi nokwenza okuyithokozisayo. UShimeyi indodana kaGera wawa phambi kwenkosi lapho isizowela iJordani, ¹⁹wathi: “Ngiyakucela, nkosi yami, ungangibaleli lokhu, ungakhumbuli indlela inceku yakho eyona ngayo mhla inkosi yami, nkosi, ihamba eJerusalema. Ngiyakucela, nkosi yami, nkosi, ungakufaki enhliziyweni yakho. ²⁰Inceku yakho iyazi ukuthi ngonile. Ngakho namuhla ngize ngaba ngowokuqala kuyo yonke indlu kaJosefa ukuzohlangabeza inkosi yami, nkosi.” ^a a v20 ‘Indlu kaJosefa’ ibhekise ezizweni zasenyakatho zakwa-Israyeli, ezazivela emadodaneni kaJosefa, u-Efrayimi noManase.

²¹Khona-ke u-Abhishayi indodana kaZeruya wathi: “UShimeyi akufanele yini abulawe ngokuthuka ogcotshiweyo kaBaba wethu?”

²²UDavide wathi: “Nginani nani, madodana kaZeruya, ukuba nizifake ezindabeni zami? Kungani niyakuba yizitha zami namuhla na? Kukhona yini okufanele abulawe kwa-Israyeli namuhla? Angazi yini ukuthi namuhla ngiyinkosi phezu kuka-Israyeli?” ²³Inkosi yathi kuShimeyi: “Awuyikufa,” inkosi yamfungela.

²⁴UMefibosheti umzukulu kaSawule wehla ukuyohlangabeza inkosi. Wayengazinakekelanga izinyawo zakhe, engasigundanga isilevu sakhe, engazihlanzanga izingubo zakhe, kusukela mhla inkosi ihamba kwaze kwaba yilapho ibuya ngokuthula. ²⁵Kwathi lapho efika eJerusalema ukuzohlangabeza inkosi, inkosi yambuza yathi: “Kungani ungahambanga nami, Mefibosheti?”

²⁶Wathi: “Nkosi yami, nkosi, inceku yami ingikhohlisile. Inceku yakho yathi: ‘Ngizobophela isihlalo kumbongolo wami ngigibele ngihambe nenkosi,’ ngokuba inceku yakho iyisishosha. ²⁷Uyihlebile inceku yakho enkosini yami, nkosi. Kodwa inkosi yami, nkosi, injengengelosi kaBaba wethu; yenza lokho okubonakala kukuhle kuwe. ²⁸Yonke indlu kababa yayifanelwe ukufa kuphela enkosini yami, nkosi, kodwa wena wayibeka inceku yakho phakathi kwalabo abadla etafuleni lakho. Nginalo ngani elinye ilungelo lokuphinda ngikhale enkosini na?”

²⁹Inkosi yathi: “Usakhulumelani futhi ngezindaba zakho? Sengihlulele: wena noZiba niyakwaba umhlaba.”

³⁰UMefibosheti wathi enkosini: “Akawuthathe wonke, njengoba inkosi yami, nkosi, isibuyele ekhaya ngokuthula.”

³¹UBarizilayi umGileyadi wehla eRogelimi wawela iJordani kanye nenkosi ukuze ayiphelezele. ³²UBarizilayi wayemdala kakhulu, eneminyaka engamashumi ayisishiyagalombili, wayondle inkosi ngesikhathi ihlala eMahanayimi, ngokuba wayeyindoda enothe kakhulu. ³³Inkosi yathi kuBarizilayi: “Wela nami, ngizokunakekela useceleni kwami eJerusalema.”

³⁴UBarizilayi wathi enkosini: “Mingaki iminyaka engisele nayo, ukuba ngenyukele eJerusalema kanye nenkosi na? ³⁵Namuhla sengineminyaka engamashumi ayisishiyagalombili. Ngingakwazi yini ukwehlukanisa okuhle nokubi? Inceku yakho ingakwazi yini ukunambitha lokho ekudlayo nekuphuzayo? Ngisezwa yini abahlabeleli besilisa nabahlabeleli besifazane? Kungani inceku yakho iyakwengeza umthwalo enkosini yami, nkosi, na? ³⁶Inceku yakho izowela iJordani kanye nenkosi ibanga elifushane nje. Kungani inkosi iyakungivuza ngomvuzo onjalo na? ³⁷Ngiyakucela, vumela inceku yakho ibuyele ukuba ifele emzini wakithi, eduze nethuna likababa nomama. Kodwa nansi inceku yakho uKhimihamu; akawele kanye nenkosi yami, nkosi, wenze kuye lokho okubonakala kukuhle kuwe.”

³⁸Inkosi yathi: “UKhimihamu uyakuwela nami, ngizomenzela lokho okukuthokozisayo, nanoma yini oyicela kimi ngizoyenza ngenxa yakho.”

³⁹Bonke abantu bawela iJordani, nenkosi yawela. Inkosi yamanga uBarizilayi yambusisa, uBarizilayi wabuyela ekhaya. ⁴⁰Inkosi yawela yaya eGiligali, uKhimihamu enayo. Bonke abantu bakwaJuda, nengxenye yabantu bakwa-Israyeli, bayiphelezela inkosi.

⁴¹Khona-ke bonke abantu bakwa-Israyeli beza enkosini bayibuza bathi: “Kungani abafowethu, abantu bakwaJuda, bakweba, bawelisa inkosi nendlu yayo iJordani, kanye nabo bonke abantu bakaDavide?”

⁴²Bonke abantu bakwaJuda baphendula abantu bakwa-Israyeli bathi: “Inkosi iyisihlobo sethu esiseduze. Nithukutheleleni ngalokhu? Sike sadla yini okokudla kwenkosi, noma isinike yini isipho?”

⁴³Abantu bakwa-Israyeli baphendula abantu bakwaJuda bathi: “Thina sinezabelo eziyishumi enkosini, futhi sinelungelo elikhulu kuDavide kunani. Pho, nasidelelelani na? Asibona yini ababokuqala ukukhuluma ngokubuyisa inkosi yethu?” Kodwa amazwi abakwaJuda ayelukhuni kunawabakwa-Israyeli.