2 USamuyeli 21
1 Ekubuseni kukaDavida kwaba lendlala iminyaka emithathu ilandelana; ngakho uDavida wabuza uThixo. UThixo wathi, “Kungenxa kaSawuli lendlu yakhe enindwe ngegazi; kungenxa yokuthi yena wabulala amaGibhiyoni.”
During the time that David [ruled], there was a famine [in Israel] for three years. David prayed to Yahweh about it. And Yahweh said, “[In order for the famine to end], Saul’s family needs to be punished [MTY] because Saul killed many people from Gibeon [city].”
2 Inkosi yabiza amaGibhiyoni yakhuluma lawo. (AbaseGibhiyoni babengasiyo ngxenye ka-Israyeli kodwa babengabasalayo bama-Amori, abako-Israyeli babefunge ukubayekela, kodwa uSawuli ngenxa yokutshisekela kwakhe u-Israyeli loJuda wafuna ukubaqeda du.)
The people of Gibeon were not Israelis; they were a small group of the Amor people-group whom the Israelis had solemnly promised to protect. But Saul had tried to kill all of them because he (was very zealous/wanted very much) to enable the people of Judah and Israel [to be the only ones living in that land]. So the king summoned the leaders of Gibeon
3 UDavida wabuza amaGibhiyoni wathi, “Kuyini engingalenzela khona na? Ngingakwenza njani ukubuyisana ukuze libusise ilifa likaThixo na?”
and said to them, “What shall I do for you? How can I make amends/up for what was done to your people, in order that you will bless us who belong to Yahweh?”
4 AmaGibhiyoni amphendula athi, “Kasilalo ilungelo lokufuna isiliva loba igolide kuSawuli kumbe kwabendlu yakhe, lelungelo lokubulala umuntu ko-Israyeli kasilalo.” UDavida wabuza wathi, “Pho lifuna ukuthi ngilenzeleni?”
They replied, “You cannot settle our quarrel with Saul and his family by giving us silver or gold. And we do not have the right to kill any Israelis.” So David asked, “Then/So what do you say that I should do for you?”
5 Bayiphendula inkosi bathi, “Umuntu owasichithayo waceba okubi ngathi saze satshabalala njalo kasaze saba lendawo loba ngaphi ko-Israyeli,
They replied, “Saul [wanted to] get rid of us. He wanted to annihilate/kill all of us, in order that none of us would live anywhere in Israel.
6 kasinikwe abenzalo yakhe besilisa abayisikhombisa ukuba babulawe balengiswe phambi kukaThixo eGibhiya kaSawuli, okhethiweyo kaThixo.” Ngakho inkosi yathi, “Ngizalinika bona.”
Hand over to us seven of Saul’s descendants. We will hang them where Yahweh is worshiped in Gibeon, our town, the town where Saul, whom Yahweh previously chose to be king, lived.” The king replied, “Okay, I will hand them over to you.”
7 Kodwa uMefibhoshethi indodana kaJonathani, indodana kaSawuli, inkosi yamtshiya ngenxa yesifungo phambi kukaThixo phakathi kukaDavida loJonathani indodana kaSawuli.
The king did not hand over to them Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth, because of what he and [Mephibosheth’s father] Jonathan had solemnly promised to each other.
8 Kodwa inkosi yathatha u-Arimoni loMefibhoshethi amadodana amabili endodakazi ka-Ayiya uRizipha, ayemzale loSawuli, kanye lamadodana amahlanu endodakazi kaSawuli uMerabi, ayewazale lo-Adiriyeli indodana kaBhazilayi waseMehola.
Instead, he took Armoni and another man named Mephibosheth, the two sons that Saul’s slave wife Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, had given birth to, and the five sons that Saul’s daughter Merab had given birth to. Merab’s husband was Adriel, the son of a man named Barzillai from Meholah [town].
9 Yabanikeza kumaGibhiyoni, ababulala abachaya eqaqeni phambi kukaThixo. Bonke beyisikhombisa bafela ndawonye; babulawa ngezinsuku zakuqala zokuvuna, ukuvunwa kwebhali kuqalisa nje.
David handed those men over to the men from Gibeon. Then they hanged those seven men on a hill where they worshiped Yahweh. They were all killed during the time of the year that the people started to harvest the barley.
10 URizipha indodakazi ka-Ayiya wathatha isaka wazendlalela lona edwaleni. Kusukela ekuqaliseni kokuvuna izulu laze lana livela emazulwini linetha izidumbu, kavumelanga izinyoni zasemoyeni ukuba zizithinte emini loba izinyamazana zeganga ebusuku.
Then Rizpah took coarse cloth made from goats’ hair, and spread it on the rock [where the corpses lay]. She stayed there from the time that people started to harvest the barley until the rains started. She did not allow any birds to come near the corpses during the day, and she did not allow any animals to come near during the night.
11 Kwathi uDavida esetshelwe ngokwakwenziwe yindodakazi ka-Ayiya uRizipha, umfazi kaSawuli weceleni,
When someone told David what Rizpah had done,
12 wahamba wayathatha amathambo kaSawuli lawendodana yakhe uJonathani ebantwini baseJabheshi Giliyadi. (Babewathathe ensitha enkundleni kazulu eBhethi-Shani, lapho amaFilistiya ayewachaye khona emva kokubulala kwawo uSawuli eGilibhowa.)
he went with some of his servants to Jabesh in [the] Gilead [region] and got the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. The people of Jabesh had stolen their bones from the (plaza/public square) in Beth-Shan [city], where the men from Philistia had hanged them previously, on the day that they had killed Saul and Jonathan on Gilboa [Mountain].
13 UDavida wawathatha khonapho amathambo kaSawuli lawendodana yakhe uJonathani, lamathambo alabo ababebulawe babuye bachaywa abuthwa.
David and his men took the bones of Saul and Jonathan, and they also took the bones of the seven men [from Gibeon] whom the men from Philistia had hanged.
14 Amathambo kaSawuli lawendodana yakhe uJonathani bawangcwaba ethuneni likasekaSawuli uKhishi, eZela koBhenjamini, benza konke njengokulaya kwenkosi. Emva kwalokho uNkulunkulu wayiphendula imikhuleko eyenzelwa ilizwe.
They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan in Zela [town] in the land of [the tribe of] Benjamin. Doing all that the king commanded, they buried their bones in the tomb where Saul’s father Kish [was buried]. After that, [because] God [saw that Saul’s family had been punished to pay for Saul’s murder of many people from Gibeon, he] answered the Israelis’ prayers for their land, and caused the famine to end.
15 Kwaphinda kwaba lempi futhi phakathi kwamaFilistiya lo-Israyeli. UDavida wahamba labantu bakhe ukuyakulwa lamaFilistiya, wasedinwa.
The army of Philistia again started to fight against the army of Israel. And David and his soldiers went to fight the Philistines. During the battle, David became weary.
16 U-Ishibhi-Bhenobi, omunye wabenzalo kaRafa, isihloko somkhonto wakhe wethusi esasilobunzima obungamashekeli angamakhulu amathathu, njalo ehlome ngenkemba entsha, wathi uzabulala uDavida.
One of the Philistia men thought that he could kill David. His name was Ishbi-Benob. He was a descendant of [a group of] giants. He carried a bronze spear that weighed about (7-1/2 pounds/3-1/2 kg.), and he also had a new sword.
17 Kodwa u-Abhishayi indodana kaZeruya wamhlenga uDavida; wamcakazela phansi umFilistiya lowo wambulala. Abantu bakaDavida bafunga kuye bathi, “Kawuyikuhamba lathi futhi empini, ukuze isibane sika-Israyeli singacitshwa.”
But Abishai came to help David, and attacked the giant and killed him. Then David’s soldiers forced him to promise that he would not go with them into a battle again. They said to him, “[If you die, and none of your descendants become king, that would be like] [MET] extinguishing the last light in Israel.”
18 Ngokuqhubeka kwesikhathi kwaba lenye impi futhi lamaFilistiya, eGobi. Ngalesosikhathi uSibhekhayi umHushathi wabulala uSafi, omunye wabosendo kaRafa.
Some time after that, there was a battle with the army of Philistia near Gob [village]. During the battle, Sibbecai, from [the] Hushah [clan], killed Saph, one of the descendants of the Rapha giants.
19 Kweyinye impi lamaFilistiya njalo eGobi, u-Elihanani indodana kaJayiri umBhethilehema wabulala umfowabo kaGoliyathi umGithi, owayelomkhonto owawuloluthi olunjengogodo lomaluki.
[Later] there was another battle with the army of Philistia at Gob. During that battle, Elhanan, the son of Jaare-Oregim from Bethlehem, killed [the brother of] Goliath from Gath [city]; Goliath’s spear shaft/handle was (very thick, like the bar on a weaver’s loom/over two inches thick).
20 Kanti njalo kwenye impi eyalwelwa eGathi, kwakulendoda enkulu kakhulu ileminwe eyisithupha esandleni ngasinye lamazwane ayisithupha enyaweni ngalunye, sekubalwa konke ndawonye kungamatshumi amabili lane. Laye wayengowosendo lukaRafa.
Later there was another battle near Gath. There was a (huge man/giant) there who liked to fight [in battles]. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He was descended from [the] Rapha [giants].
21 Kwathi echothoza u-Israyeli, uJonathani indodana kaShimeya, umfowabo kaDavida, wambulala.
But when he (made fun of/ridiculed) the men in the Israeli [army], Jonathan, the son of David’s [older] brother Shimeah, killed him.
22 Abane laba babengabosendo lukaRafa eGathi, bonke babulawa nguDavida lamabutho akhe.
Those four men were some of the descendants of the Rapha giants who had lived in Gath, who were killed [MTY] by David and his soldiers.
