USamyela Wokuthoma
20 UDavida wabaleka asuka eNayothi eRama. Nokho wafika kuJonathani wathi kuye: “Ngenzeni?+ Siyini isono sami begodu ngimone ngani ubabakho bona angaze afune ukuphila kwami?” 2 UJonathani wathi kuye: “Ngala ngiyaphetha!+ Angeze ufe. Qala! Ubaba angeze enze litho elikhulu namkha elincani angakangitjeli. Kubayini ubaba kufuze angifihlele indaba le? Angeze kwenzeka lokho.” 3 UDavida wafunga godu wathi: “Ngokuqinisekileko ubabakho uyazi bona ngifumene umusa emehlwenakho+ begodu angathi, ‘Ningamtjeli uJonathani ngalokhu ngombana uzokuphatheka kumbi.’ Kodwana ngifunga ngoJehova uZimu ophilako nangokuphila kwakho, kusele kancani bona ngife!”+
4 Yeke uJonathani wathi kuDavida: “Nanyana yini oyitjhoko, ngizokwenzela yona.” 5 UDavida wathi kuJonathani: “Kusasa, kuthwasa kwenyanga+ begodu kulindeleke bona ngiyokuhlala bengidle nekosi; kufuze ungibalekise, ngizokubhaca emmangweni bekube ntambama ngelanga lesithathu. 6 Nange ubabakho alemuka bona angikho, uthi kuye, ‘UDavida ungincengile bona akhambe msinyana aye edorobheni lekhabo eBhetlehema,+ ngombana kunomhlatjelo waqobe mnyaka womndenakhe woke.’+ 7 Nange aphendula athi, ‘Kulungile,’ kutjho bona isisebenzi sakho angeze sisabe litho. Kodwana nakangasilingeka, qiniseka bonyana uzimisele ukungilimaza. 8 Yiba nethando*+ esisebenzini sakho ngombana wenze isivumelwano nesisebenzi sakho phambi kwakaJehova.+ Kodwana nangimlandu,+ wena ngibulala. Kubayini kufuze unginikele kubabakho?”
9 UJonathani wathi: “Ungayicabangi nokuyicabanga into enjalo! Nange ngifumana bona ubaba ufuna ukukubulala, angeze ngakutjela na?”+ 10 Yeke uDavida wathi kuJonathani: “Ngubani ozongitjela nange ubabakho akuphendule kumbi?” 11 UJonathani wathi kuDavida: “Asikhambe siye emmangweni.” Yeke bobabili bakhamba baya emmangweni. 12 UJonathani wathi kuDavida: “UJehova uZimu wakwa-Israyeli akabe ngufakazi bona ngizokukhuluma ngawe kubaba ngesikhathesi kusasa namkha ngelanga lesithathu. Nangabe akakahlosi okumbi ngoDavida, angeze ngathumela ilizwi kuwe namkha ngikwazise na? 13 Kodwana nange ubaba azimisele ukukulimaza, uJehova akajezise uJonathani kabuhlungu nange ngingakutjeli bengikubalekise ngokuthula. Kwanga uJehova angaba nawe+ njengombana bekanobaba.+ 14 Kghani angeze waba nethando* lakaJehova kimi nangisaphilako ngitjho nalokha sengihlongakele?+ 15 Ungalisi ukuthanda umndenami+ ngitjho nalokha uJehova asusa woke amanaba kaDavida ephasini.” 16 Yeke uJonathani wenza isivumelwano nomndeni* kaDavida wathi, “UJehova uzokujezisa amanaba kaDavida.” 17 Ngalokho uJonathani wenza uDavida wafunga godu bona uyamthanda ngombana uJonathani bekamthanda njengombana azithanda yena.+
18 UJonathani wathi kuye: “Kusasa kuthwasa kwenyanga+ begodu kuzokubonakala ukuthi awukho ngombana isihlalo sakho sizabe singanamuntu. 19 Ngelanga lesithathu kuzokubonakala khulu ukuthi awukho, yeke kufuze uye endaweni ebewubhace kiyo mhlokha begodu uhlale lapho eduze nelitje. 20 Ngizokudumuza imicibitjholo emithathu ehlangothini linye lalo, ngasuthi ngidumuza okuthileko. 21 Nangithumela umsizi, ngizokuthi, ‘Khamba, yiza nemicibitjholo.’ Nangingathi kumsizi, ‘Qala! Imicibitjholo ingakileli ihlangothi lakho, yiza nayo,’ lokho kutjho ukuthi ungabuya ngombana ngifunga ngoJehova uZimu ophilako bona kunokuthula begodu akunangozi ozokuqalana nayo. 22 Kodwana nangingathi emsaneni, ‘Qala! Imicibitjholo iphambi kwakho,’ kufuze ukhambe ngombana uJehova uyakubalekisa. 23 Malungana nesithembiso esisenzileko,+ mina nawe, kwanga uJehova angaba hlangana nathi ngokungapheliko.”+
24 Ngalokho uDavida wazifihla emmangweni. Nakufika ukuthwasa kwenyanga, ikosi yahlala esihlalweni sayo bona idle.+ 25 Ikosi beyihlezi esihlalweni sayo esijayelekileko ngebodeni. UJonathani bekaqalene nayo begodu u-Abineri+ bekahlezi ngehlangothini lakaSawula kodwana indawo kaDavida beyinganamuntu. 26 USawula akhenge atjho litho mhlokho ngombana bekazitjela ukuthi: ‘Kunento eyenzekileko yeke usilaphele.+ Iye, kufuze kube kukuthi akakahlwengeki.’ 27 Ngelanga elilandela ukuthwasa kwenyanga, okulilanga lesibili, indawo kaDavida beyisolo inganamuntu. Yeke uSawula wathi kuJonathani indodanakhe: “Kubayini indodana kaJese+ ingakezi izokudla izolo namkha namhlanjesi?” 28 UJonathani wathi kuSawula: “UDavida ungincengile bona ngimvumele aye eBhetlehema.+ 29 Uthe kimi, ‘Ngibawa ungivumele ngikhambe ngombana sinomhlatjelo womndeni edorobheni begodu umnakwethu ungibizile. Yeke nangifumene umusa emehlwenakho, ngibawa ungivumele ngithi rathu msinyana ngiyokubona abomnakwethu.’ Kungebangelo angakezi etafuleni lekosi.” 30 USawula wabhokela uJonathani ngobukhali, wathi kuye: “Wena ndodana yomfazi osihlubuki, ucabanga bona angazi ukuthi ukhetha ihlangothi lendodana kaJese begodu lokho kuzokuhlazisa wena bekuhlazise nonyoko? 31 Indodana kaJese nayisaphilako ephasina, wena nobukhosi bakho angeze nijanyiswe niqine.+ Ngalokho thumela othileko ayoyithatha ayilethe kimapha ngombana kufuze ife.”+
32 UJonathani wathi kuSawula uyise: “Kubayini kufuze abulawe?+ Wenzeni?” 33 USawula wamphosa ngomkhonto bona ambulale,+ yeke uJonathani walemuka bona uyise uzimisele ukubulala uDavida.+ 34 UJonathani wasikima khonokho etafuleni asilingeke khulu begodu akhenge adle nanyana yini ngelanga lesibili ngemva kokuthwasa kwenyanga ngombana bekaphatheke kabuhlungu ngebanga lakaDavida+ nokuthi uyise umhlazisile.
35 Ekuseni uJonathani waphuma waya emmangweni bona ayokuhlangana noDavida njengombana bebavumelene begodu bekakhamba nomsizi osesemncani.+ 36 Wathi kumsizakhe: “Ngibawa ugijime uyokufuna imicibitjholo engiyidumuzako.” Umsizi wagijima begodu uJonathani wadumuza umcibitjholo wamdlula. 37 Kwathi umsizi nakafika lapho uJonathani adumuzele khona umcibitjholo, uJonathani warhuwelela umsizi wathi: “Umcibitjholo awusiphambi kwakho na?” 38 UJonathani warhuwelela umsizi, wathi kuye: “Rhaba! Yenza msinya! Ungariyadi!” Umsizi kaJonathani wadobha imicibitjholo begodu wabuya nayo ekosinakhe. 39 Umsizi akhenge azwisise litho ngendaba le; nguJonathani noDavida kwaphela ebebazi bona kutjho ukuthini. 40 Ngemva kwalokho, uJonathani wanikela umsizakhe iinkhali zakhe, wathi kuye: “Khamba nazo edorobheni.”
41 Ngemva kokukhamba komsizi, uDavida wasikima endaweni eseduze engesewula. Wawela phasi ngobuso bewakhothama kathathu, basingathana* bebalilelana kodwana nguDavida owalila khulu. 42 UJonathani wathi kuDavida: “Khamba ngokuthula njengombana sobabili sifungile+ egameni lakaJehova sathi, ‘Kwanga uJehova angaba hlangana nathi begodu abe hlangana neenzukulwana zethu ngokungapheliko.’”+
Yeke uDavida wasikima wakhamba, noJonathani wabuyela edorobheni.