Eyokuqala EkaSamuyeli

20 UDavida wabaleka wasuka eNayiyothi eRama, waya kuJonathani wafika wathi: “Kanti ngenzeni?+ Cala bani engilenzileyo? Ngoneni kuyihlo okwenza afune ukungibulala?” 2 UJonathani wamphendula wathi: “Hayi bo!+ Awusoze ufe. Ubaba ngeke enze loba yini engangitshelanga, kungelani lokuthi yinto encane kumbe enkulu. Ngeke angifihlele into enjalo. Lokho ngeke kwenzakale.” 3 UDavida wasesithi kuye: “Uyihlo ukwazi mhlophe ukuthi wena uyangithanda+ yikho uzathi, ‘Angisoze ngimtshele uJonathani ngoba uzazonda.’ Ngifunga ngoJehova uNkulunkulu ophilayo langokuphila kwakho, sekuseduze ukuthi ngife.”+

4 UJonathani wasesithi kuDavida: “Ngizakwenza loba yini ofuna ngikwenzele yona.” 5 UDavida wasesithi: “Kusasa inyanga iyabe ithwasile,+ futhi kukhangelelwe ukuthi ngiyekudla lenkosi. Ngicela ungivumele ngihambe ngiyecatsha egangeni kuze kube phambi kwakusasa ntambama. 6 Nxa uyihlo angangidinga wena uthi kuye, ‘UDavida ungincenge ukuthi ngimvumele agijimele edolobheni lakibo eBhethilehema+ ngoba yonke imuli yangakibo izakuba lomkhosi wokwenza umhlatshelo waminyaka yonke.’+ 7 Nxa angaphendula athi, ‘Kulungile,’ kutsho ukuthi akulanto embi ezakwehlela inceku yakho. Kodwa nxa angazonda uzahle ukwazi ukuthi uzimisele ukungibulala. 8 Ngicela ube lothando oluqotho encekwini yakho+ ngoba wenze isivumelwano layo phambi kukaJehova.+ Kodwa nxa ngilecala+ kungcono ungibulale wena kulokuthi ungiyekele ngibulawa nguyihlo.”

9 UJonathani wasesithi: “Hatshi, lokho ngeke kwenzakale kuwe! Kambe ngingathula sibili ngingakutsheli nxa ngingezwa ukuthi ubaba ufuna ukukubulala?”+ 10 UDavida wasephendula uJonathani wathi: “Nxa uyihlo angakuphendula ngolaka ngubani ozangitshela?” 11 UJonathani wathi kuDavida: “Asike siyefika egangeni.” Ngakho basuka baya egangeni. 12 UJonathani wasesithi kuDavida: “UJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli kabe ngufakazi wami ukuthi kusasa ngezikhathi lezi loba phambi kwakusasa ngizambuza ubaba ngendaba le. Nxa engakuzondelanga ngizathumela ilizwi ngikutshele. 13 Kodwa nxa ubaba ehlose ukukubulala, uJehova kangijezise kakhulu nxa ngingayekela ukukutshela ukuze ubaleke engakakwenzi lutho. UJehova kabe lawe+ njengoba nje wayelobaba.+ 14 Lawe ngicela ungenzele umusa* onjengokaJehova okwempilo yami yonke lalapho sengifile.+ 15 Langesikhathi uJehova esezithanyele zaphela zonke izitha zikaDavida, ngicela uqhubeke ulomusa*+ emulini yami.” 16 Ngakho uJonathani wenza isivumelwano lemuli kaDavida wasesithi, “UJehova uzazahlulela izitha zikaDavida futhi azijezise.” 17 UJonathani wathi uDavida aphinde afunge ukuthi uyamthanda ngoba yena wayemthanda ngendlela ayezithanda ngayo.+

18 UJonathani wasesithi kuye: “Kusasa inyanga izabe ithwasile,+ ubaba uzakudinga ngoba isihlalo sakho siyabe singelamuntu. 19 Ngelanga lesithathu uzabuzisisa ngawe. Wena kumele uze lapha endaweni owawucatshe kuyo mhlalokhuyana, uhlale eduze kwedwala leli. 20 Mina ngizatshoka imitshoko emithathu eceleni kwedwala kube angathi kulento engifuna ukuyitshaya. 21 Ngizathuma inceku ngithi kuyo, ‘Hamba uyedobha imitshoko.’ Ungezwa ngisithi kuyo, ‘Imitshoko iseceleni kwakho yidobhe,’ lapho-ke ungaphenduka. Ngifunga ngoJehova uNkulunkulu ophilayo, lokhu kuyabe kusitsho ukuthi konke nje kuhamba kuhle, akulanto embi ezakwehlela. 22 Kodwa nxa ngingathi emfaneni, ‘Imitshoko ingale phambi kwakho,’ wena kumele uhle uhambe ngoba yikho uJehova ayabe efuna ukwenze. 23 UJehova kabe phakathi kwami lawe kuze kube nini lanini,+ abe ngufakazi wesivumelwano esisenzileyo.”+

24 Ngakho uDavida wacatsha egangeni. Ngelanga lokuthwasa kwenyanga inkosi yahlala esihlalweni sayo ukuthi idle.+ 25 Yayihlezi esihlalweni sayo eduze lomduli ikhangelane loJonathani futhi eceleni kwayo kwakuhlezi u-Abhineri.+ Endaweni kaDavida kwakungelamuntu. 26 Mhlalokho uSawuli kazange atsho lutho ngoba wayesithi enhliziyweni yakhe: ‘Kukhona okwenzakale kuDavida okumenze wangcola.+ Kumele ukuthi kahlambulukanga.’ 27 Ngelanga lesibili, ilanga elalandela elokuthwasa kwenyanga, uDavida wayelokhu engekho endaweni yakhe. Yikho uSawuli wathi kuJonathani indodana yakhe: “Kungani indodana kaJese+ ingabuyanga ukuzokudla izolo lalamuhla?” 28 UJonathani waphendula uSawuli wathi: “UDavida ungincengile ukuthi ngimvumele aye eBhethilehema.+ 29 Uthe kimi, ‘Ngicela ungivumele ngiye edolobheni lakithi ngoba imuli yangakithi ifuna ukwenza umhlatshelo futhi umfowethu ungibizile. Nxa ngithole umusa kuwe, ngivumela ngihambe ngiyebona abafowethu.’ Yikho engekho lapha etafuleni yenkosi.” 30 USawuli wazonda wadla amalahle wathi kuJonathani: “Wena ndodana yomfazi oyisiqholo, ubona angathi angikwazi ukuthi usekela indodana kaJese? Uzazilethela ihlazo kuwe lakunyoko.* 31 Nxa indodana kaJese isaphila, wena awusoze uvikeleke futhi lombuso wakho ngeke ume uqine.+ Yikho thuma umuntu khathesi ayemthatha amlethe lapha ngoba kumele afe.”+

32 Kodwa uJonathani wathi kuyise uSawuli: “Kungani kumele abulawe?+ Wenzeni?” 33 USawuli uthe esizwa uJonathani esitsho njalo, waphosa umkhonto efuna ukumgwaza.+ UJonathani wahle wakwazi ukuthi uyise uzimisele ukubulala uDavida.+ 34 Ngakho wahle wasukuma etafuleni ezonde kakhulu. Ngalelolanga lesibili elalandela ukuthwasa kwenyanga kazange adle lutho ngoba indaba kaDavida yayimzwisa ubuhlungu+ futhi uyise wayemyangise kakhulu.

35 Ekuseni uJonathani waya egangeni ukuze ayebonana loDavida njengoba nje babevumelene. Wahamba lomfana owayeyinceku yakhe.+ 36 UJonathani wathi encekwini yakhe: “Ngicela ugijime udobhe imitshoko engiyitshokayo.” Inceku yagijima njalo uJonathani watshoka umtshoko wayawela phambi kwayo. 37 Inceku yathi ifika lapho umtshoko kaJonathani owawuwele khona, uJonathani wamemeza wathi kuyo: “Umtshoko ungale phambi kwakho.” 38 Waqhubeka ememeza esithi: “Phangisa! Gijima udobhe imitshoko masinyane!” Inceku kaJonathani yayidobha imitshoko yabuyela kuye. 39 Inceku yayingakwazi ukuthi lokhu kutshoni, uJonathani loDavida yibo bodwa ababekwazi. 40 UJonathani wathatha izikhali wazinika inceku yakhe, wasesithi kuyo: “Buyela lazo edolobheni.”

41 Inceku yathi isisukile, uDavida waphuma endaweni eyayiseduzane ngaseningizimu, waguqa wathi mbo phansi ngobuso kathathu. UDavida loJonathani baqabuzana bakhala, kodwa uDavida nguye owakhala kakhulu. 42 UJonathani wathi kuDavida: “Uhambe kuhle njengoba sifunge+ ngebizo likaJehova sathi, ‘UJehova kabe phakathi kwami lawe, laphakathi kwabantwabami labantwabakho kuze kube nini lanini.’”+

UDavida wasukuma wahamba, uJonathani wasebuyela edolobheni.