< 2 Samuel 12 >

1 The Lord sent Nathan to see David. When he got there, he said, “Once there were two men living in the same town. One was rich, and one was poor.
UThixo wathuma uNathani kuDavida. Esefikile kuye wathi, “Kwakulabantu ababili emzini othile, omunye enothile omunye engumyanga.
2 The rich man had many thousands of sheep and cattle,
Umuntu onothileyo wayelezimvu ezinengi kanye lenkomo,
3 but the poor man didn't have anything but one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He cared for it, and it grew up with him and his children. It would eat from his plate and drank from his cup. It slept on his lap and was like a daughter to him.
kodwa umuntu ongumyanga wayengelalutho ngaphandle kwezinyane lemvu elincinyane ayelithengile. Walondla, lakhula laye kanye labantwana bakhe. Ladla ukudla kwakhe, lanatha enkomitshini yakhe laze lalala ezingalweni zakhe. Kuye lalinjengendodakazi yakhe.
4 One day the rich man had a visitor. He didn't want to take one of his own sheep or cattle to feed his visitor. He took the poor man's lamb instead to prepare a meal for his visitor.”
Kwafika isihambi emuntwini onothileyo, kodwa umuntu onothileyo kafunanga ukuthatha enye yezimvu zakhe loba inkomo ukuba ahlabele isihambi esasifike kuye. Esikhundleni salokho, yena wathatha izinyane lemvu elisikazi elalingelomuntu lowo ongumyanga, walihlabela lowo owayefike kuye.”
5 David became absolutely furious with what that man did, and angrily told Nathan. “As the Lord lives, the man who did this should be put to death!
UDavida wavutha ulaka ngalowomuntu wathi kuNathani, “Ngeqiniso elinjengoba uThixo ekhona, umuntu owenze lokhu ufanele ukufa!
6 He must repay that lamb with four of his own for doing this, for being so heartless.”
Izinyane lelo kumele alihlawule ngokuphindwe kane, ngoba enze into enje njalo engabanga lozwelo.”
7 “You are that man!” Nathan told David. “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel, and I saved you from Saul.
UNathani wasesithi kuDavida, “Unguye lowomuntu! Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uthi: ‘Ngakugcoba ukuba ube yinkosi ko-Israyeli, ngakuhlenga esandleni sikaSawuli.
8 I gave your master's house to you and placed your master's wives in your lap. I gave you the kingdom of Israel and Judah, and if that hadn't been enough, I would have given you so much more.
Ngakunika indlu yenkosi yakho, labafazi benkosi yakho ngabanikela ezandleni zakho. Ngakunika indlu ka-Israyeli lekaJuda. Aluba konke lokhu kwakukuncane kakhulu ngangizakunika okunye futhi.
9 So why have you treated what Lord said with contempt by doing evil in his sight? You killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and stole his wife—you killed him using the sword of the Ammonites.
Kungani weyise ilizwi likaThixo ngokwenza okubi emehlweni akhe na? Ubulele u-Uriya umHithi ngenkemba wasuthatha umkakhe ukuba abe ngowakho. Umbulele ngenkemba yama-Amoni.
10 So your descendants will always face the sword that kills because you treated me with contempt and stole Uriah's wife.
Ngakho, khathesi, inkemba kayiyikusuka endlini yakho, ngoba ungeyisile wathatha umka-Uriya umHithi ukuba abe ngowakho.’
11 This is what the Lord says: I'm going to bring disaster in you from your own family. I will take your wives before your very eyes and give them to someone else, and he will sleep openly with your wives where everyone can see.
Nanku okutshiwo nguThixo: ‘Ngizakulethela incithakalo ezavela kwabendlu yakho. Phambi kwamehlo akho uqobo, ngizathatha omkakho ngibaphe omunye oseduzane lawe, embathe labo emini libalele.
12 You did it all in secret, but I will do it openly where everyone in all of Israel can see.”
Wena wakwenza ensitha, kodwa mina into le ngizayenza emini libalele phambi kuka-Israyeli wonke.’”
13 David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” “The Lord has forgiven your sins. You're not going to die,” Nathan replied.
UDavida wasesithi kuNathani, “Ngenze isono kuThixo.” UNathani waphendula wathi, “UThixo usesusile isono sakho. Kawuyikufa.
14 “But because by doing this you have treated the Lord with complete contempt, the son you have will die.”
Kodwa njengoba ngokwenza lokhu wenze izitha zikaThixo zatshengisela ukweyisa okupheleleyo, umntwana ozamzalelwa uzakufa.”
15 Then Nathan went home. The Lord made the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David become very sick.
Emva kokuba uNathani esebuyele ekhaya, uThixo wamtshaya umntwana umka-Uriya ayemzalele uDavida, wagula.
16 David pleaded with God on behalf of the boy. He fasted, went to his bedroom, and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.
UDavida wamkhulekela umntwana kuNkulunkulu. Wazila ukudla wangena endlini yakhe walala phansi ubusuku ngobusuku.
17 His senior officials approached him and tried to help him up from the ground, but he didn't want to, and he refused their appeals to eat.
Abadala bendlu yakwabo bema eceleni kwakhe ukuba bamvuse phansi, kodwa wala, njalo kadlanga kudla labo.
18 On the seventh day the child died. But David's officials were scared to tell him that the child was dead, for they said to each other, “Look, while the child was still alive, we talked with him, and he refused to listen to us. How on earth can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something really bad!”
Ngosuku lwesikhombisa umntwana wafa. Izinceku zikaDavida zesaba ukumtshela ukuthi umntwana wayesefile ngoba zacabanga zathi, “Umntwana esaphila, sikhulume loDavida kodwa kasilalelanga. Pho singamtshela njani ukuthi umntwana usefile? Angenza into eyingozi.”
19 But David saw his officials were whispering among themselves, he realized that the child was dead. So he asked his officials, “Did the child die?” “Yes, he died,” they replied.
UDavida wananzelela ukuthi izinceku zakhe zazinyenyezelana wasebona ukuthi umntwana wayesefile. Wabuza wathi, “Umntwana usefile na?” Baphendula bathi, “Ye, usefile.”
20 David got up from the ground, washed and put on scented oils, and changed his clothes. Then he went to the house of the Lord and worshiped. Afterwards he went back home, and asked for some food. So they served him a meal which he ate.
Lapho-ke uDavida wavuka phansi. Emva kokuba esegezile, wagcoba wantshintsha iziqgoko, waya endlini kaThixo wakhonza. Emva kwalokho waya kweyakhe indlu, kwathi ngokucela kwakhe bamlethela ukudla, wadla.
21 “Why are you acting like this?” his officials asked him. “While the child was still alive, you fasted and cried aloud, but now that he's dead, you get up and eat.”
Izinceku zakhe zambuza zathi, “Kungani uqhuba ngale indlela na? Umntwana esaphila, uzile ukudla wakhala, kodwa khathesi umntwana esefile, uyavuka udle!”
22 David replied, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and cried aloud, for I thought to myself, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will be gracious to me and let him live.’
Waphendula wathi, “Umntwana esaphila, ngizile ukudla ngakhala. Ngicabange ngathi, ‘Kwazi bani? Mhlawumbe uThixo angaba lomusa kimi ekele umntwana aphile.’
23 But now that he's dead, what's the point for me to go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? One day I will die and go to him, but he will never come back to me.”
Kodwa khathesi esefile ngingabe ngisazilelani na? Kambe ngingamvusa na? Mina ngizakuya kuye, kodwa yena kazukubuya kimi.”
24 David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and he made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child,
Emva kwalokho uDavida waduduza umkakhe uBhathishebha, waya kuye wembatha laye. Wazala indodana abayithi nguSolomoni. UThixo wayemthanda;
25 so he sent a message through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah, because the Lord loved him.
njalo ngenxa yokuthi uThixo wayemthanda, wathumela ilizwi ngoNathani umphrofethi ukuba athiwe nguJedidiya.
26 At this time Joab had been fighting against the Ammonite town of Rabbah, and had captured the royal fortress.
Ngasikhathi sinye uJowabi wahlasela iRabha yama-Amoni wathumba inqaba yenkosi.
27 Joab sent messengers to David to tell him, “I have attacked Rabbah and I have also captured its water supply.
Emva kwalokho uJowabi wathuma izithunywa kuDavida, esithi, “Ngihlasele iRabha ngathumba imithombo yamanzi.
28 So please call up the rest of the army, besiege the town, and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city, and I will get the credit.”
Khathesi-ke qoqa amabutho aseleyo uvimbezele idolobho ulithumbe. Kungenjalo mina ngizalithatha idolobho, libe selibizwa ngami.”
29 So David called up the rest of the army and marched on Rabbah. He attacked it and captured it.
Ngakho uDavida waqoqa ibutho lonke waya eRabha, wayihlasela wayithumba.
30 He took the crown from the head of their king, and it was placed on David's head. It weighed a talent of gold and was decorated with precious stones. David took a large amount of plunder from the town.
UDavida wathatha umqhele owawusekhanda lenkosi yabo, isisindo sawo sasilithalenta legolide, uceciswe ngamatshe aligugu njalo wafakwa ekhanda lakhe. Wathatha impango enengi kakhulu kulelodolobho
31 David took the inhabitants and forced them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes, and he also made them work making bricks. He did the same in all the Ammonite towns. Then David and the whole Israelite army returned to Jerusalem.
njalo abantu ababelapho wabasusa wabasa lapho ababezasebenza khona gadalala ngamasaha, ngamapiki ensimbi kanye lamahloka, wabasebenzisa ekwenzeni izitina. Lokhu uDavida wakwenza kuyo yonke imizi yama-Amoni. Emva kwalokho uDavida lebutho lakhe lonke babuyela eJerusalema.

< 2 Samuel 12 >