1 USamuyeli 19
1 USawuli watshela indodana yakhe uJonathani kanye lezinceku zonke ukuba babulale uDavida. Kodwa uJonathani wayemthanda uDavida
And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan the son of Saul loved David exceedingly.
2 ngakho wamxwayisa wathi, “Ubaba uSawuli udinga ithuba lokukubulala. Qaphela kusasa ekuseni; hamba uyecatsha uhlale khona.
And Jonathan told David, saying: Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: wherefore look to thyself, I beseech thee, in the morning, and thou shalt abide in a secret place and shalt be hid.
3 Mina ngizaphuma ngiyekuma lobaba egangeni lapho okhona. Ngizakhuluma laye ngawe njalo ngizakutshela lokho engizakuthola.”
And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art: and I will speak of thee to my father, and whatsoever I shall see, I will tell thee.
4 UJonathani wakhuluma kuhle ngoDavida kuSawuli uyise wathi kuye, “Inkosi kayingenzi okubi encekwini yayo uDavida, konanga lutho kuwe, njalo akwenzileyo kukusize kakhulu.
And Jonathan spoke good things of David to Saul his father: and said to him: Sin not, O king, against thy servant, David, because he hath not sinned against thee, and his works are very good towards thee.
5 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?”
And he put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought great salvation for all Israel. Thou sawest it and didst rejoice. Why therefore wilt thou sin against innocent blood by killing David, who is without fault?
6 USawuli wamlalela uJonathani wasefunga isifungo lesi esithi, “Ngeqiniso elinjengoba uThixo ekhona, uDavida kayikubulawa.”
And when Saul heard this he was appeased with the words of Jonathan, and swore: As the Lord liveth he shall not be slain.
7 Ngakho uJonathani wabiza uDavida wamtshela inkulumo yonke. Wamusa kuSawuli, uDavida wahlala loSawuli njengakuqala.
Then Jonathan called David and told him all these words: and Jonathan brought in David to Saul, and he was before him, as he had been yesterday and the day before.
8 Kwabuya kwaba lempi futhi, uDavida waphuma ukuyakulwa lamaFilistiya. Wawatshaya ngamandla amakhulu aze abaleka.
And the war began again, and David went out and fought against the Philistines, and defeated them with a great slaughter, and they fled from his face.
9 Kodwa umoya omubi owavela kuThixo wafika kuSawuli ehlezi endlini yakhe ephethe umkhonto wakhe ngesandla. Kwathi uDavida etshaya ichacho,
And the evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, and he sat in his house, and held a spear in his hand: and David played with his hand.
10 uSawuli wazama ukumnamathisela emdulini ngomkhonto wakhe, kodwa uDavida wavika uSawuli wagwaza umduli ngomkhonto. Ngalobobusuku uDavida waphunyuka wabaleka.
And Saul endeavoured to nail David to the wall with his spear. And David slipt away out of the presence of Saul: and the spear missed him, and was fastened in the wall, and David fled and escaped that night.
11 USawuli wathuma izithunywa endlini kaDavida ukuba bayilinde njalo bambulale ekuseni. Kodwa uMikhali, umkaDavida, wamxwayisa wathi, “Nxa ungabaleki ngalobubusuku ukuba uvikele impilo yakho kusasa uzabulawa.”
Saul therefore sent his guards to David’s house to watch him, that he might be killed in the morning. And when Michol David’s wife had told him this, saying: Unless thou save thyself this night, tomorrow thou wilt die,
12 Ngakho uMikhali wehlisela uDavida phansi emkhuphe ngefasitela, wabaleka-ke waphepha.
She let him down through a window. And he went and fled away and escaped.
13 Emva kwalokho uMikhali wathatha isithombe wasilalisa embhedeni, wasembesa ngengubo ebeke uboya bembuzi ekhanda.
And Michol took an image and laid it on the bed, and put a goat’s skin with the hair at the head of it, and covered it with clothes.
14 USawuli esethume abantu ukuba bayethumba uDavida, uMikhali wathi, “Uyagula.”
And Saul sent officers to seize David: and it was answered that he was sick.
15 USawuli wababuyisela abantu labo ukuba bayebona uDavida esithi kubo, “Mletheni kimi ngombheda wakhe ukuze ngimbulale.”
And again Saul sent to see David, saying: Bring him to me in the bed, that he may be slain.
16 Kodwa kwathi amadoda lawo engena, embhedeni kwakulesithombe, ekhanda kuloboya bembuzi.
And when the messengers were come in, they found an image upon the bed, and a goat’s skin at its head.
17 USawuli wathi kuMikhali, “Kungani ungikhohlise kanje wabalekisa isitha sami ukuze siphephe?” UMikhali wathi kuye, “Uthe kimi, ‘Yekela ngibaleke. Ngingakubulalelani na?’”
And Saul said to Michol: Why hast thou deceived me so, and let my enemy go and flee away? And Michol answered Saul: Because he said to me: Let me go, or else I will kill thee.
18 UDavida esebaleke waphepha, waya kuSamuyeli eRama wamtshela konke okwakwenziwe nguSawuli kuye. Ngakho yena loSamuyeli baya eNayothi bahlala khona.
But David fled and escaped, and came to Samuel in Ramatha, and told him all that Saul had done to him: and he and Samuel went and dwelt in Najoth.
19 Ilizwi lafika kuSawuli lisithi: “UDavida useNayothi eRama.”
And it was told Saul by some, saying: Behold David is in Najoth in Ramatha.
20 Ngakho wathuma abantu ukuba bayemthumba. Kodwa bathi bebona ixuku labaphrofethi liphrofitha, loSamuyeli emi khonapho njengomkhokheli wabo, uMoya kaNkulunkulu wehlela ebantwini bakaSawuli labo baphrofetha.
So Saul sent officers to take David: and when they saw a company of prophets prophesying, and Samuel presiding over them, the spirit of the Lord came also upon them, and they likewise began to prophesy.
21 USawuli wakutshelwa lokho wasethuma abanye abantu, labo baphrofetha. USawuli wathuma abantu okwesithathu, labo futhi baphrofetha.
And when this was told Saul, he sent other messengers: but they also prophesied. And again Saul sent messengers the third time: and they prophesied also. And Saul being exceedingly angry,
22 Ekucineni, yena ngokwakhe wasuka waya eRama, wasesiya emgodini omkhulu eSekhu. Wabuza wathi, “USamuyeli loDavida bangaphi?” Bathi, “Le eNayothi eRama.”
Went also himself to Ramatha, and came as far as the great cistern, which is in Socho, and he asked, and said: In what place are Samuel and David? And it was told him: Behold they axe in Najoth in Ramatha.
23 Ngakho uSawuli waya eNayothi eRama. Kodwa uMoya kaNkulunkulu wehlela lakuye, wahamba ephrofitha waze wayafika eNayothi.
And he went to Najoth in Ramatha, and the spirit of the Lord came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied till he came to Najoth in Ramatha.
24 Wakhulula izigqoko zakhe laye waphrofitha uSamuyeli ekhona. Walala enjalo ilanga lonke lobusuku bonke. Yikho-nje abantu besithi, “Kanti uSawuli laye uphakathi kwabaphrofethi na?”
And he stripped himself also of his garments, and prophesied with the rest before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and night. This gave occasion to a proverb: What! is Saul too among the prophets?
