1 USamuyeli 19
1 USawuli wasekhuluma kuJonathani indodana yakhe lakuzo zonke inceku zakhe ukuthi babulale uDavida. Kodwa uJonathani indodana kaSawuli wayemthanda kakhulukazi uDavida.
Then Saul urged all his servants and his son Jonathan to kill David. But Jonathan liked David very much.
2 UJonathani wasemtshela uDavida esithi: USawuli ubaba udinga ukukubulala; ngakho-ke ake uzinanzelele ekuseni, uhlale ekusithekeni, ucatshe.
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].
3 Mina-ke ngizaphuma ngime eceleni kukababa emmangweni lapho okhona, mina ngizakhuluma ngawe kubaba; lengikubonayo ngizakutshela.
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].
4 UJonathani wasekhuluma okuhle ngoDavida kuSawuli uyise, wathi kuye: Inkosi kayingayoni inceku yayo, imelane loDavida, ngoba kakonanga wena, langokunjalo imisebenzi yakhe ilungile kakhulu kuwe.
[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.
5 Ngoba wafaka impilo yakhe esandleni sakhe watshaya umFilisti; leNkosi yenzela uIsrayeli wonke usindiso olukhulu. Wakubona, wathokoza. Pho, uzalonelani igazi elingelacala ngokubulala uDavida kungelasizatho?
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!”
6 USawuli waselilalela ilizwi likaJonathani, uSawuli wafunga wathi: Kuphila kukaJehova, kayikubulawa.
Saul listened to what Jonathan said. Then Saul said, “I solemnly promise that just as certain as Yahweh lives, I will not kill David.”
7 UJonathani wasembiza uDavida, uJonathani wamtshela wonke lawomazwi. UJonathani wasemletha uDavida kuSawuli, njalo wayephambi kwakhe njengakuqala.
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.
8 Kwabuya kwaba khona impi; uDavida wasephuma walwa lamaFilisti, wawatshaya ngokutshaya okukhulu aze ambalekela.
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.
9 Njalo umoya omubi ovela eNkosini wawuphezu kukaSawuli ehlezi endlini yakhe, lomkhonto usesandleni sakhe; loDavida wayetshaya ichacho ngesandla sakhe.
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],
10 USawuli wasedinga ukummbandakanya uDavida ngitsho emdulini ngomkhonto; kodwa waphunyuka ebukhoneni bukaSawuli, owahlaba umkhonto emdulini. UDavida wabaleka waphepha ngalobobusuku.
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.
11 USawuli wasethuma izithunywa endlini kaDavida ukuze zimqaphele zimbulale ekuseni. UMikhali umkakhe wasemtshela uDavida esithi: Uba ungasindisi impilo yakho ngalobubusuku, kusasa uzabulawa.
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!”
12 Ngakho uMikhali wasemehlisa uDavida ngewindi, wasehamba wabaleka waphepha.
So she enabled David to climb out through a window, and he ran away and escaped.
13 UMikhali wasethatha isithombe, wasifaka embhedeni, wabeka umqamelo woboya bembuzi endaweni yekhanda laso, wasembesa ngelembu.
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.
14 Lapho uSawuli ethuma izithunywa ukuthatha uDavida, wathi: Uyagula.
When the messengers came [to the house the next morning], she told them that David was sick [and could not get out of bed].
15 USawuli wasethuma izithunywa ukumbona uDavida esithi: Menyuseleni kimi ngombheda ukuze ngimbulale.
[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!”
16 Lapho izithunywa zingena, khangela-ke, kwakulesithombe embhedeni, lomqamelo woboya bembuzi endaweni yekhanda laso.
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.
17 USawuli wasesithi kuMikhali: Ungikhohliseleni kanje, wayekela isitha sami sahamba saphepha? UMikhali wasesithi kuSawuli: Yena uthe kimi: Ngiyekela ngihambe; ngizakubulalelani?
[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]
18 Ngokunjalo uDavida wabaleka waphunyuka, wafika kuSamuweli eRama; wamtshela konke uSawuli ayekwenze kuye. Yena loSamuweli basebesiyahlala eNayothi.
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.
19 USawuli wasebikelwa kwathiwa: Khangela, uDavida useNayothi eRama.
Someone told Saul that David was in Naioth.
20 USawuli wasethuma izithunywa ukumthatha uDavida; lapho zibona ixuku labaprofethi beprofetha, loSamuweli emi engumkhokheli phezu kwabo, uMoya kaNkulunkulu waba phezu kwezithunywa zikaSawuli, lazo zaseziprofetha.
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.
21 Lapho ebikelwa uSawuli, wathuma ezinye izithunywa, zona lazo zaprofetha. USawuli wasephinda ethuma izithunywa ngokwesithathu, zona lazo zaprofetha.
When Saul heard about that, he sent messengers a third time, but they also started to speak ecstatically.
22 Laye wasesiya eRama, wafika emthonjeni omkhulu oseSeku, wabuza wathi: Bangaphi oSamuweli loDavida? Kwathiwa: Khangela, eNayothi eRama.
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].”
23 Wasesiya khona eNayothi eRama; loMoya kaNkulunkulu waba phezu kwakhe laye; wahamba ehamba eprofetha waze wafika eNayothi eRama.
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.
24 Laye wasekhulula izigqoko zakhe, laye waprofetha phambi kukaSamuweli, walala phansi enqunu lonke lolosuku labo bonke lobobusuku. Yikho besithi: USawuli laye uphakathi kwabaprofethi yini?
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]
