1 Samuel 21
1 David went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelek the priest. Ahimelek was trembling in fear when he met him, and he asked, “Why are you here alone? Why isn't there anybody with you?”
UDavida waya eNobhi ku-Ahimeleki umphristi. U-Ahimeleki wathuthumela ekuhlanganeni kwakhe laye, wasebuza esithi, “Kungani uwedwa na? Kungani kungekho olawe na?”
2 “The king has given me an assignment,” David replied. “He told me ‘Nobody must know anything about the assignment I have sent you to do.’ As for my men, I've told them where to meet me.
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 So what do you have on hand to eat? Let me have five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.”
Manje-ke, kuyini olakho? Ngipha izinkwa ezinhlanu, loba kuyini ongakuthola.”
4 “There's no ordinary bread,” the priest told David, “but there's some holy bread, as long as your men have not slept with any women lately.”
Kodwa umphristi waphendula uDavida wathi, “Kangilasinkwa esejwayelekileyo; kodwa-ke kulesinkwa esingcwelisiweyo lapha kodwa kuya ngokuthi amadoda abezigcinile esifazaneni na.”
5 “We have not slept with any women,” David answered. “In fact that's the rule when I lead the troops on mission. They keep themselves pure even during ordinary missions, and all the more so right now.”
UDavida waphendula wathi, “Impela abesifazane babevinjelwe kithi, njengenjwayelo lapho ngiphuma. Imizimba yamadoda ingcwele lasemikhankasweni engengcwele. Pho ingaba njalo okungakanani lamhla!”
6 So the priest gave him the holy bread as they didn't have any other bread there except this “Bread of the Presence,” which had been removed from the presence of the Lord that day and replaced with fresh bread.
Ngakho umphristi wamnika isinkwa esingcwelisiweyo ngoba kwakungelasinkwa lapho ngaphandle kwesinkwa esiNgcwele sikaThixo esasisuswe phambi kukaThixo kwasekubekwa esitshisayo endaweni yaso ngosuku esasuswa ngalo.
7 One of Saul's servants happened to be there that day, trying to make himself right with the Lord. He was Doeg the Edomite, Saul's chief shepherd.
Ngalolosuku omunye wezinceku zikaSawuli wayekhonapho, ekhonza phambi kukaThixo; wayenguDoyegi umʼEdomi, induna yabelusi bakaSawuli.
8 “Have you got a spear or sword here?” David asked Ahimelech. “I didn't bring my sword or any of my weapons with me, because what the king needed me to do was urgent.”
UDavida wabuza u-Ahimeleki wathi, “Kawulamkhonto kumbe inkemba lapha na? Kangizanga lenkemba yami loba nje esinye isikhali, ngoba umsebenzi wenkosi ubungophuthumayo.”
9 The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine is here—the one you killed in the Valley of Elah. It's wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. You can take it if you want. It's the only one here.” “It's better than any other sword! Please give it to me,” David replied.
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 David ran away from Saul that day and went to Achish, king of Gath.
Ngalolosuku uDavida wabalekela uSawuli waya ku-Akhishi inkosi yaseGathi.
11 But Achish's officials asked the king, “Isn't this David, the king of that country? Didn't they sing about him in their dances, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of 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 David listened carefully to what they said and this made him very afraid of Achish, the king of Gath.
UDavida wawagcina amazwi la enhliziyweni yakhe wamesaba kakhulu u-Akhishi inkosi yaseGathi.
13 So he changed the way he acted toward them and pretended to be crazy. He scratched marks on the town gates and let his spit run down his beard.
Ngakho wazenza ophambeneyo kubo; njalo kwathi lapho ekubo wenza njengomuntu ohlanyayo, edwebadweba ezivalweni zesango njalo wayekela lendenda zehlela endevini zakhe.
14 Achish told his officials, “Look, you can see the man is completely mad! Why did you bring him to me?
U-Akhishi wasesithi ezincekwini zakhe, “Khangelani umuntu lo! Uphambene! Kungani limletha kimi na?
15 Is it because I need more mad people that you've brought this man to go crazy right in front of me? Do you think I'm going to let him 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?”
