< 1 Samuel 21 >

1 And David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest; and Ahimelech trembled at meeting David, and said to him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
UDavida waya eNobhi ku-Ahimeleki umphristi. U-Ahimeleki wathuthumela ekuhlanganeni kwakhe laye, wasebuza esithi, “Kungani uwedwa na? Kungani kungekho olawe na?”
2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has commanded me a business, and has said to me, Let no man know anything of the business whereon I send thee, and what I have commanded thee; and I have directed the young men to such and such a place.
UDavida waphendula u-Ahimeleki umphristi wathi, “Inkosi ingiphathise udaba oluthize, wathi kimi, ‘Akungabikhona ozakwazi ngenjongo yakho langalokho okuthunyiweyo.’ Abantu bami ngibatshele ukuba bahlangane lami endaweni ethize.
3 And now what is under thy hand? give me five loaves in my hand, or what may be found.
Manje-ke, kuyini olakho? Ngipha izinkwa ezinhlanu, loba kuyini ongakuthola.”
4 And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
Kodwa umphristi waphendula uDavida wathi, “Kangilasinkwa esejwayelekileyo; kodwa-ke kulesinkwa esingcwelisiweyo lapha kodwa kuya ngokuthi amadoda abezigcinile esifazaneni na.”
5 And David answered the priest and said to him, Yes indeed, women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the [bread] is in a manner common, and the more so, because to-day [new] is hallowed in the vessels.
UDavida waphendula wathi, “Impela abesifazane babevinjelwe kithi, njengenjwayelo lapho ngiphuma. Imizimba yamadoda ingcwele lasemikhankasweni engengcwele. Pho ingaba njalo okungakanani lamhla!”
6 And the priest gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the shew-loaves that were taken from before Jehovah, to put on hot bread in the day when they were taken away.
Ngakho umphristi wamnika isinkwa esingcwelisiweyo ngoba kwakungelasinkwa lapho ngaphandle kwesinkwa esiNgcwele sikaThixo esasisuswe phambi kukaThixo kwasekubekwa esitshisayo endaweni yaso ngosuku esasuswa ngalo.
7 (Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Jehovah; and his name was Doeg, the Edomite, chief of the shepherds that [belonged] to Saul.)
Ngalolosuku omunye wezinceku zikaSawuli wayekhonapho, ekhonza phambi kukaThixo; wayenguDoyegi umʼEdomi, induna yabelusi bakaSawuli.
8 And David said to Ahimelech, And is there not here under thy hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, for the king's business was urgent.
UDavida wabuza u-Ahimeleki wathi, “Kawulamkhonto kumbe inkemba lapha na? Kangizanga lenkemba yami loba nje esinye isikhali, ngoba umsebenzi wenkosi ubungophuthumayo.”
9 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of terebinths, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that: give it me.
Umphristi waphendula wathi, “Inkemba kaGoliyathi umFilistiya owambulalayo eSigodini sase-Ela, ilapha; igoqelwe ngelembu ngemva kwesembatho semahlombe. Nxa uyifuna, ithathe; kakukho enye inkemba lapha ngaphandle kwaleyo.” UDavida wasesithi, “Kayikho enjengayo; ngipha yona.”
10 And David arose, and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
Ngalolosuku uDavida wabalekela uSawuli waya ku-Akhishi inkosi yaseGathi.
11 And the servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul has smitten his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
Kodwa izinceku zika-Akhishi zathi kuye, “Lo kasuDavida inkosi yelizwe na? Kasuye yini abahlabela ngaye emigidweni yabo besithi: ‘USawuli ubulele izinkulungwane zakhe, kodwa uDavida ubulele amatshumi ezinkulungwane zakhe’?”
12 And David took to heart these words, and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
UDavida wawagcina amazwi la enhliziyweni yakhe wamesaba kakhulu u-Akhishi inkosi yaseGathi.
13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard.
Ngakho wazenza ophambeneyo kubo; njalo kwathi lapho ekubo wenza njengomuntu ohlanyayo, edwebadweba ezivalweni zesango njalo wayekela lendenda zehlela endevini zakhe.
14 And Achish said to his servants, Behold, ye see the man is mad: why did ye bring him to me?
U-Akhishi wasesithi ezincekwini zakhe, “Khangelani umuntu lo! Uphambene! Kungani limletha kimi na?
15 have I lack of madmen, that ye have brought this one to rave in my presence? shall this [man] come into my house?
Lithi ngiziswele yini inhlanya lize lilethe umuntu lo lapha ukuba aqhubeke kanje phambi kwami na? Umuntu lo kumele angene endlini yami na?”

< 1 Samuel 21 >