1 Samuel 19
1 Then Saul urged all his servants and his son Jonathan to kill David. But Jonathan liked David very much.
USawuli watshela indodana yakhe uJonathani kanye lezinceku zonke ukuba babulale uDavida. Kodwa uJonathani wayemthanda uDavida
2 So he warned David, “My father Saul is seeking for a way to kill you. So be careful. Tomorrow morning go and find a place to hide [in the field].
ngakho wamxwayisa wathi, “Ubaba uSawuli udinga ithuba lokukubulala. Qaphela kusasa ekuseni; hamba uyecatsha uhlale khona.
3 I will ask my father to go out there with me. [While we are out there], I will talk to him about you. Then I will tell you everything that he tells me.” [So David did what Jonathan told him to do].
Mina ngizaphuma ngiyekuma lobaba egangeni lapho okhona. Ngizakhuluma laye ngawe njalo ngizakutshela lokho engizakuthola.”
4 [The next morning], Jonathan spoke with his father, saying many good things about David. He said, “You should never do anything to harm your servant David! He has never done anything to harm you! Everything that he has done has helped you very much.
UJonathani wakhuluma kuhle ngoDavida kuSawuli uyise wathi kuye, “Inkosi kayingenzi okubi encekwini yayo uDavida, konanga lutho kuwe, njalo akwenzileyo kukusize kakhulu.
5 He was in danger of being killed when he fought against [Goliath, the champion of] the Philistia [army. By enabling David to kill him], Yahweh won a great victory for all the people of Israel. You were very happy when you saw that. Why would you want to do anything now to harm David [RHQ]? There is no reason for you to kill him, because he has not done anything wrong!”
Wadela impilo yakhe ekubulaleni kwakhe umFilistiya. Uthixo wazuzela u-Israyeli ukunqoba okukhulu, lawe wakubona njalo wathaba. Pho kungani ungenza okubi emuntwini omsulwa njengoDavida ngokumbulala kungelasizatho na?”
6 Saul listened to what Jonathan said. Then Saul said, “I solemnly promise that just as certain as Yahweh lives, I will not kill David.”
USawuli wamlalela uJonathani wasefunga isifungo lesi esithi, “Ngeqiniso elinjengoba uThixo ekhona, uDavida kayikubulawa.”
7 Afterward, Jonathan summoned David and told him what he and Saul had said. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and David served Saul as he had done before.
Ngakho uJonathani wabiza uDavida wamtshela inkulumo yonke. Wamusa kuSawuli, uDavida wahlala loSawuli njengakuqala.
8 One day a war started again, and David [led his soldiers to] fight against the Philistia army. David’s [army] attacked them very furiously, with the result that the Philistia army ran away.
Kwabuya kwaba lempi futhi, uDavida waphuma ukuyakulwa lamaFilistiya. Wawatshaya ngamandla amakhulu aze abaleka.
9 But one day when sitting in his house, an evil spirit [sent] from Yahweh [suddenly] came upon Saul. While David was playing his harp [for Saul],
Kodwa umoya omubi owavela kuThixo wafika kuSawuli ehlezi endlini yakhe ephethe umkhonto wakhe ngesandla. Kwathi uDavida etshaya ichacho,
10 Saul hurled his spear at David to try to fasten him to the wall. David (dodged/jumped to one side), and the spear did not hit him. The spear stuck in the wall, but that night David escaped.
uSawuli wazama ukumnamathisela emdulini ngomkhonto wakhe, kodwa uDavida wavika uSawuli wagwaza umduli ngomkhonto. Ngalobobusuku uDavida waphunyuka wabaleka.
11 Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house. He told them to watch the house and to kill David [while he was leaving the house] the following morning. But David’s wife Michal [saw them and] warned him, “To survive, you must run away tonight, because if you do not do that, you will be killed tomorrow!”
USawuli wathuma izithunywa endlini kaDavida ukuba bayilinde njalo bambulale ekuseni. Kodwa uMikhali, umkaDavida, wamxwayisa wathi, “Nxa ungabaleki ngalobubusuku ukuba uvikele impilo yakho kusasa uzabulawa.”
12 So she enabled David to climb out through a window, and he ran away and escaped.
Ngakho uMikhali wehlisela uDavida phansi emkhuphe ngefasitela, wabaleka-ke waphepha.
13 Then Michal took an idol and put it in the bed. She covered it with some [of David’s] clothes, and put some goat’s hair on the head of the idol.
Emva kwalokho uMikhali wathatha isithombe wasilalisa embhedeni, wasembesa ngengubo ebeke uboya bembuzi ekhanda.
14 When the messengers came [to the house the next morning], she told them that David was sick [and could not get out of bed].
USawuli esethume abantu ukuba bayethumba uDavida, uMikhali wathi, “Uyagula.”
15 [When they reported that to] Saul, he told them to go back to David’s house. He said to them, “Bring him to me lying on his bed, in order that I can kill him!”
USawuli wababuyisela abantu labo ukuba bayebona uDavida esithi kubo, “Mletheni kimi ngombheda wakhe ukuze ngimbulale.”
16 But when those men entered David’s house, they saw that there was only an idol in the bed, with goat’s hair on its head.
Kodwa kwathi amadoda lawo engena, embhedeni kwakulesithombe, ekhanda kuloboya bembuzi.
17 [When they reported that to Saul, ] Saul [summoned] Michal [and] said to her, “Why did you trick me like that? You allowed my enemy to escape!” Michal replied to Saul, “David told me that if I did not help him escape, he would kill me!” [RHQ]
USawuli wathi kuMikhali, “Kungani ungikhohlise kanje wabalekisa isitha sami ukuze siphephe?” UMikhali wathi kuye, “Uthe kimi, ‘Yekela ngibaleke. Ngingakubulalelani na?’”
18 After David had escaped from Saul, he went to Samuel, who was [at his home] at Ramah. He told Samuel everything that Saul had done to [try to kill] him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth, [which was a section] of [Ramah city], and they stayed there.
UDavida esebaleke waphepha, waya kuSamuyeli eRama wamtshela konke okwakwenziwe nguSawuli kuye. Ngakho yena loSamuyeli baya eNayothi bahlala khona.
19 Someone told Saul that David was in Naioth.
Ilizwi lafika kuSawuli lisithi: “UDavida useNayothi eRama.”
20 So Saul sent some messengers to capture David. [When] those messengers [arrived in Ramah, they] met some men who were proclaiming ecstatic messages, and Samuel was there, as their leader. When Saul’s messengers met them, the Spirit of God took control of Saul’s men, and they also spoke ecstatically.
Ngakho wathuma abantu ukuba bayemthumba. Kodwa bathi bebona ixuku labaphrofethi liphrofitha, loSamuyeli emi khonapho njengomkhokheli wabo, uMoya kaNkulunkulu wehlela ebantwini bakaSawuli labo baphrofetha.
21 When Saul heard about that, he sent messengers a third time, but they also started to speak ecstatically.
USawuli wakutshelwa lokho wasethuma abanye abantu, labo baphrofetha. USawuli wathuma abantu okwesithathu, labo futhi baphrofetha.
22 Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah. When he arrived at the well at [a place named] Secu, he asked people there, “Where are Samuel and David?” The people replied, “They are at Naioth in Ramah [city].”
Ekucineni, yena ngokwakhe wasuka waya eRama, wasesiya emgodini omkhulu eSekhu. Wabuza wathi, “USamuyeli loDavida bangaphi?” Bathi, “Le eNayothi eRama.”
23 While Saul was walking toward Naioth, the Spirit of God also took control of him. [While he walked on], he continued speaking ecstatic messages until he came to Naioth.
Ngakho uSawuli waya eNayothi eRama. Kodwa uMoya kaNkulunkulu wehlela lakuye, wahamba ephrofitha waze wayafika eNayothi.
24 There he took off his clothes, and he spoke messages from God in front of Samuel. He lay on the ground doing that all day and all night. That is the reason that [when people see someone doing something that is very unexpected, they think about what happened to Saul, and] they say, “We are surprised, like the people were surprised to see Saul [acting like] a prophet?” [RHQ]
Wakhulula izigqoko zakhe laye waphrofitha uSamuyeli ekhona. Walala enjalo ilanga lonke lobusuku bonke. Yikho-nje abantu besithi, “Kanti uSawuli laye uphakathi kwabaphrofethi na?”
