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1 UDavida wasecebisana lezinduna zezinkulungwane lezamakhulu laye wonke umphathi.
[One day] David talked with all his army officers. Some of them were commanders of 100 soldiers and some were commanders of 1,000 soldiers.
2 UDavida wasesithi ebandleni lonke lakoIsrayeli: Uba kulungile kini, njalo kuvela eNkosini uNkulunkulu wethu, kasisabalale sithumele kubafowethu abaseleyo emazweni wonke akoIsrayeli lakubapristi lamaLevi alabo emizini, emadlelweni, ukuze babuthane kithi.
Then he summoned the other Israeli leaders and said to all of them, “If it seems to you to be a good thing for us to do, and if it is what Yahweh our God wants, let’s send a message to our fellow Israelis in all the areas of our country, including the priests and [other] descendants of Levi who are living among them in their towns and in the nearby pasturelands, to come and join us,
3 Besesibuyisa kithi umtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaNkulunkulu wethu, ngoba kasiwudinganga ensukwini zikaSawuli.
because we want to bring the Sacred Chest of our God back to us. While Saul [was the king], we did not go to God’s presence to ask him what we should do.”
4 Ibandla lonke laselisithi kwenziwe njalo, ngoba udaba lwalulungile emehlweni abo bonke abantu.
All the people agreed with David, because they all thought that it was the right thing to do.
5 UDavida wasebuthanisa uIsrayeli wonke kusukela eShihori yeGibhithe kuze kube sekungeneni kweHamathi ukuletha umtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu usuka eKiriyathi-Jeyarimi.
So David gathered all the Israeli people, from the Shihor [River] in Egypt to Lebo-Hamath [town in the north, and told them that he wanted them] to [help] bring the Sacred Chest of God [back to Jerusalem] from Kiriath-Jearim [city].
6 UDavida loIsrayeli wonke basebesenyukela eBhahala, eKiriyathi-Jeyarimi eyakoJuda, ukuze benyuse lapho umtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu iNkosi, ehlala phakathi kwamakherubhi phezu kwawo, lapho ibizo elibizwa khona.
David went with all the Israeli people to Baalah [town], which is [another name for] Kiriath-Jearim, to get the Sacred Chest. [The people believed that] God ruled from between the statues of winged creatures that was above the lid of the Sacred Chest [MTY].
7 Basebewuthwala umtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu ngenqola entsha bewususa endlini kaAbinadaba; njalo oUza loAhiyo babetshayela leyonqola.
The people put the Sacred Chest on a new cart and transported it from Abinadab’s house. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding [the oxen that were pulling the cart].
8 UDavida loIsrayeli wonke babedlala-ke phambi kukaNkulunkulu ngamandla wonke, langengoma, langamachacho, langezigubhu zezintambo, langezingungu, langezinsimbi ezincencethayo, langezimpondo.
David and all the Israeli people were celebrating in God’s presence with all their strength. They were singing and [playing] lyres, harps, tambourines, and cymbals, and [blowing] trumpets.
9 Lapho befika ebaleni lokubhulela likaKidoni, uUza welula isandla sakhe ukubamba umtshokotsho, ngoba inkabi zakhubeka.
But when David’s men came to the place where Kidon threshed grain, the oxen stumbled. So Uzzah reached out with his hand to prevent the Sacred Chest from falling off the cart.
10 Ulaka lweNkosi lwaselumvuthela uUza, yamtshaya, ngenxa yokuthi welulela isandla sakhe emtshokotshweni; wasefela khonapho phambi kukaNkulunkulu.
Yahweh immediately became very angry with Uzzah, and he caused Uzzah to suddenly die there because he had put his hand on the Sacred Chest, [and Yahweh had commanded that only the descendants of Levi who help the priests should touch the Sacred Chest].
11 UDavida wasethukuthela ngoba iNkosi imfohlele ngokufohla uUza; waseyibiza leyondawo ngokuthi yiPerezi-Uza, kuze kube lamuhla.
David was angry because Yahweh had punished [MTY] Uzzah. And now that place [where Uzzah died] is called ‘The Punishment of Uzzah’.
12 UDavida wasemesaba uNkulunkulu ngalolosuku, esithi: Ngizawuletha njani kimi umtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu?
That day, David was afraid of God. He asked [himself], “(How can I bring God’s Sacred Chest to my [city]?/I am afraid to bring God’s Sacred Chest to my [city].)” [RHQ]
13 Ngakho uDavida kawulethanga umtshokotsho kuye emzini kaDavida, kodwa wawuphambulela endlini kaObedi-Edoma umGithi.
So the men with David did not take the Sacred Chest to Jerusalem. Instead, they took it to the house of Obed-Edom, who was from Gath [city].
14 Ngakho umtshokotsho kaNkulunkulu wahlala kwabendlu kaObedi-Edoma endlini yakhe inyanga ezintathu. INkosi yasibusisa indlu kaObedi-Edoma lakho konke ayelakho.
The Sacred Chest stayed with Obed-Edom’s family in his house for three months. And [during that time] Yahweh blessed Obed-Edom’s family and everything that he owned.

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