1 USamuyeli 23

1 Basebebika kuDavida besithi: Khangela, amaFilisti alwa emelene leKeyila, aphanga amabala okubhulela.

Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Ke'ilah, and they are plundering the threshing-floors.

2 UDavida wasebuza eNkosini esithi: Ngihambe yini ngitshaye lamaFilisti? INkosi yasisithi kuDavida: Hamba uyetshaya amaFilisti, usindise iKeyila.

Thereupon David asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go and smite among these Philistines? And the Lord said unto David, Go and smite among the Philistines, and deliver Ke'ilah.

3 Kodwa abantu bakaDavida bathi kuye: Khangela, siyesaba khonapha koJuda; pho, kangakanani uba sisiya eKeyila emaviyweni amaFilisti?

And David's men said unto him, Behold, here in Judah are we afraid: how much more then if we should go to Ke'ilah against the battle-arrays of the Philistines?

4 UDavida wasephinda futhi ukubuza eNkosini. INkosi yasimphendula yathi: Sukuma wehlele eKeyila, ngoba ngizanikela amaFilisti esandleni sakho.

Then David asked yet again counsel of the Lord. And the Lord answered him and said, Arise, Go down to Ke'ilah; for I [will] deliver the Philistines into thy hand.

5 Ngakho uDavida labantu bakhe baya eKeyila, balwa lamaFilisti, baqhuba inkomo zawo, bawatshaya ngokutshaya okukhulu. Ngalokho uDavida wasindisa abahlali beKeyila.

So David and his men went to Ke'ilah; and he fought with the Philistines, and lead away their cattle, and smote among them a great slaughter. So David delivered the inhabitants of Ke'ilah.

6 Kwasekusithi lapho uAbhiyatha indodana kaAhimeleki ebalekela kuDavida eKeyila, wehla ele-efodi esandleni sakhe.

And it came to pass, when Ebyathar the son of Achimelech, fled over to David, to Ke'ilah, that the ephod came down with him.

7 Kwasekubikwa kuSawuli ukuthi uDavida ungenile eKeyila. USawuli wasesithi: UNkulunkulu umnikele esandleni sami, ngoba uvalelwe ngokungena emzini olamasango lemigoqo.

And it was told to Saul that David was come to Ke'ilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.

8 USawuli wasebizela bonke abantu empini ukwehlela eKeyila, ukuvimbezela uDavida labantu bakhe.

And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Ke'ilah, to besiege David and his men.

9 UDavida wasesazi ukuthi uSawuli wenza iqhinga elibi ngasese ngaye, wathi kuAbhiyatha umpristi: Letha lapha i-efodi.

And David understood that Saul secretly devised mischief against him; and he said to Ebyathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.

10 UDavida wasesithi: Nkosi, Nkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, inceku yakho izwile lokuzwa ukuthi uSawuli udinga ukuza eKeyila ukuchitha umuzi ngenxa yami.

Then said David, O Lord, God of Israel, thy servant hath heard for certain that Saul seeketh to come to Ke'ilah, to destroy the city for my sake.

11 Abahlali beKeyila bazanginikela esandleni sakhe yini? USawuli uzakwehla yini njengokuzwa kwenceku yakho? Nkosi, Nkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, akuyitshele inceku yakho. INkosi yasisithi: Uzakwehla.

Will the men of Ke'ilah surrender me into his hand? will Saul come down as thy servant hath heard? O Lord, God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, He will come down.

12 UDavida wasesithi: Abahlali beKeyila bazanginikela mina labantu bami esandleni sikaSawuli yini? INkosi yasisithi: Bazalinikela.

Then said David, Will the men of Ke'ilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul! And the Lord said, They will surrender.

13 Wasesukuma uDavida labantu bakhe, phose abangamakhulu ayisithupha, baphuma eKeyila, baya lapho ababengaya khona. Lapho uSawuli esetshelwa ukuthi uDavida usephephile eKeyila, wayekela ukuphuma.

Then arose David and his men, about six hundred men, and departed out of Ke'ilah, and wandered about whithersoever they could go. And when it was told to Saul that David was escaped from Ke'ilah, he forbore to go forth.

14 UDavida wasehlala enkangala ezinqabeni, wahlala ezintabeni enkangala yeZifi. LoSawuli wayemdinga insuku zonke, kodwa uNkulunkulu kamnikelanga esandleni sakhe.

And David remained in the wilderness in strong-holds, and abode on the mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him all the time, but God delivered him not into his hand.

15 UDavida wasebona ukuthi uSawuli wayephumele ukudinga impilo yakhe. UDavida wayesenkangala yeZifi eguswini.

And David saw that Saul was gone forth to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in the forest.

16 UJonathani, indodana kaSawuli, wasesukuma waya kuDavida eguswini, waqinisa isandla sakhe kuNkulunkulu.

And Jonathan, the son of Saul, arose and went to David into the forest, and strengthened his hand in God.

17 Wathi kuye: Ungesabi, ngoba isandla sikaSawuli ubaba kasiyikukuthola, njalo uzakuba yinkosi phezu kukaIsrayeli, mina-ke ngibe ngowesibili kuwe, loSawuli laye ubaba ukwazi kunjalo.

And he said unto him, Fear not; for the hand of Saul my father will not find thee; and thou wilt be king over Israel, and I will be next unto thee; and also Saul my father knoweth this.

18 Basebesenza isivumelwano bobabili phambi kweNkosi; uDavida wasehlala eguswini, loJonathani waya endlini yakhe.

And they made, both of them, a covenant before the Lord: and David remained in the forest; but Jonathan went to his house.

19 AbeZifi basebesenyukela kuSawuli eGibeya bathi: UDavida kacatshanga lathi yini ezinqabeni eguswini, eqaqeni lweHakila engeningizimu kweJeshimoni?

Then came up the Ziphites unto Saul to Gib'ah, saying, Behold, David is hiding himself with us in the strong-holds in the forest, on the hill of Chachilah, which is on the right of the desert.

20 Ngakho-ke, ngokwesifiso sonke somphefumulo wakho sokwehla, nkosi, yehla; njalo kungokwethu ukumnikela esandleni senkosi.

And now in accordance with all the longing of thy soul, O king, to come down, come down; and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand.

21 USawuli wasesithi: Libusisiwe yiNkosi ngoba liyangizwela.

And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have pity on me.

22 Ake lihambe, libe lilungisa, lazi libone indawo yakhe lapho unyawo lwakhe lukhona, ngubani ombone lapho, ngoba ngitsheliwe ukuthi wenza ngobuqili isibili.

Go, I pray you, make yet more preparations, and remark and see his place where his foot may be, who hath seen him there; for I am told that he dealeth with great subtilty.

23 Bonani-ke, lizazi zonke indawo zokucatsha lapho acatsha khona, libuye kimi lileqiniso, ngizahamba-ke lani; kuzakuthi-ke nxa ekhona elizweni, ngizamdinga phakathi kwazo zonke inkulungwane zakoJuda.

See therefore, and remark every one of all the lurking-places where he usually hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you; and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.

24 Basebesukuma baya eZifi phambi kukaSawuli; kodwa uDavida labantu bakhe babesenkangala yeMahoni, emagcekeni, ngeningizimu kweJeshimoni.

And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul; but David and his men were in the wilderness of Ma'on, in the plain on the right of the desert.

25 USawuli labantu bakhe basebesiyamdinga. Basebemtshela uDavida, wasesehla edwaleni, wahlala enkangala yeMahoni. Kwathi uSawuli esekuzwile, waxotshana loDavida enkangala yeMahoni.

And Saul and his men went to make a search. And they told it to David: wherefore he came down to the rock, and abode in the wilderness of Ma'on. And when Saul heard this, he pursued after David into the wilderness of Ma'on.

26 USawuli wasehamba nganeno kuloluhlangothi lwentaba, loDavida labantu bakhe bahamba ngakolunye uhlangothi lwentaba. Kwasekusithi uDavida waphangisa ukusuka ebusweni bukaSawuli, ngoba uSawuli labantu bakhe bahanqa uDavida labantu bakhe ukubabamba.

And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain; and David made haste to get away from before Saul; and Saul and his men were compassing David and his men to seize them.

27 Kodwa kwafika isithunywa kuSawuli sisithi: Phangisa ubuye, ngoba amaFilisti asehlasele ilizwe.

But a messenger came unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.

28 Ngakho uSawuli waphenduka ekuxotshaneni loDavida, wayamelana lamaFilisti. Ngakho bayibiza leyondawo bathi yiSela-Hamalekoti.

Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Sela-hammachlekoth.

29 UDavida wasesenyuka esuka lapho, wahlala ezinqabeni zeEngedi.

And David went up from there, and dwelt in strong-holds of 'En-gedi.