1 USamuyeli 23
1 Basebebika kuDavida besithi: Khangela, amaFilisti alwa emelene leKeyila, aphanga amabala okubhulela.
They told David, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.”
2 UDavida wasebuza eNkosini esithi: Ngihambe yini ngitshaye lamaFilisti? INkosi yasisithi kuDavida: Hamba uyetshaya amaFilisti, usindise iKeyila.
So David prayed to Yahweh for help and asked him, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” Yahweh said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
3 Kodwa abantu bakaDavida bathi kuye: Khangela, siyesaba khonapha koJuda; pho, kangakanani uba sisiya eKeyila emaviyweni amaFilisti?
David's men said to him, “See, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
4 UDavida wasephinda futhi ukubuza eNkosini. INkosi yasimphendula yathi: Sukuma wehlele eKeyila, ngoba ngizanikela amaFilisti esandleni sakho.
Then David prayed to Yahweh for help yet again. Yahweh answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will give you victory over the Philistines.”
5 Ngakho uDavida labantu bakhe baya eKeyila, balwa lamaFilisti, baqhuba inkomo zawo, bawatshaya ngokutshaya okukhulu. Ngalokho uDavida wasindisa abahlali beKeyila.
David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines. He led away their cattle and struck them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
6 Kwasekusithi lapho uAbhiyatha indodana kaAhimeleki ebalekela kuDavida eKeyila, wehla ele-efodi esandleni sakhe.
When Abiathar son of Ahimelech had fled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.
7 Kwasekubikwa kuSawuli ukuthi uDavida ungenile eKeyila. USawuli wasesithi: UNkulunkulu umnikele esandleni sami, ngoba uvalelwe ngokungena emzini olamasango lemigoqo.
Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. Saul said, “God has given him into my hand. For he is shut in because he has entered a city that has gates and bars.”
8 USawuli wasebizela bonke abantu empini ukwehlela eKeyila, ukuvimbezela uDavida labantu bakhe.
Saul summoned all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.
9 UDavida wasesazi ukuthi uSawuli wenza iqhinga elibi ngasese ngaye, wathi kuAbhiyatha umpristi: Letha lapha i-efodi.
David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. He said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”
10 UDavida wasesithi: Nkosi, Nkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, inceku yakho izwile lokuzwa ukuthi uSawuli udinga ukuza eKeyila ukuchitha umuzi ngenxa yami.
Then David said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, your servant has indeed heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, 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 Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Yahweh, the God of Israel, I beg you, please tell your servant.” Yahweh said, “He will come down.”
12 UDavida wasesithi: Abahlali beKeyila bazanginikela mina labantu bami esandleni sikaSawuli yini? INkosi yasisithi: Bazalinikela.
Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” Yahweh said, “They will surrender you.”
13 Wasesukuma uDavida labantu bakhe, phose abangamakhulu ayisithupha, baphuma eKeyila, baya lapho ababengaya khona. Lapho uSawuli esetshelwa ukuthi uDavida usephephile eKeyila, wayekela ukuphuma.
Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, got up and went away from Keilah, and they went from place to place. It was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, and he stopped the pursuit.
14 UDavida wasehlala enkangala ezinqabeni, wahlala ezintabeni enkangala yeZifi. LoSawuli wayemdinga insuku zonke, kodwa uNkulunkulu kamnikelanga esandleni sakhe.
David stayed in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul looked for him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
15 UDavida wasebona ukuthi uSawuli wayephumele ukudinga impilo yakhe. UDavida wayesenkangala yeZifi eguswini.
David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life; now David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.
16 UJonathani, indodana kaSawuli, wasesukuma waya kuDavida eguswini, waqinisa isandla sakhe kuNkulunkulu.
Then Jonathan, Saul's son, got up and went to David at Horesh, 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.
He said to him, “Do not be afraid. For the hand of Saul my father will not find you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.”
18 Basebesenza isivumelwano bobabili phambi kweNkosi; uDavida wasehlala eguswini, loJonathani waya endlini yakhe.
They made a covenant before Yahweh. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
19 AbeZifi basebesenyukela kuSawuli eGibeya bathi: UDavida kacatshanga lathi yini ezinqabeni eguswini, eqaqeni lweHakila engeningizimu kweJeshimoni?
Then Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, which is south of Jeshimon?
20 Ngakho-ke, ngokwesifiso sonke somphefumulo wakho sokwehla, nkosi, yehla; njalo kungokwethu ukumnikela esandleni senkosi.
Now come down, king! According to your desire, come down! Our part will be to surrender him into the king's hand.”
21 USawuli wasesithi: Libusisiwe yiNkosi ngoba liyangizwela.
Saul said, “May you be blessed by Yahweh. For you have had compassion 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, make even more sure. Learn and find out where his hiding place is and who has seen him there. It is told to me that he is very crafty.
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.
So look, and learn all of the places where he hides himself. Come back to me with sure information, and then I will return with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
24 Basebesukuma baya eZifi phambi kukaSawuli; kodwa uDavida labantu bakhe babesenkangala yeMahoni, emagcekeni, ngeningizimu kweJeshimoni.
Then they rose up and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.
25 USawuli labantu bakhe basebesiyamdinga. Basebemtshela uDavida, wasesehla edwaleni, wahlala enkangala yeMahoni. Kwathi uSawuli esekuzwile, waxotshana loDavida enkangala yeMahoni.
Saul and his men went to seek him. But David was told of it, so he went down to a rocky hill and lived in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard it, he chased David in the wilderness of Maon.
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.
Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men were going on the other side of the mountain. David hurried to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men to take them,
27 Kodwa kwafika isithunywa kuSawuli sisithi: Phangisa ubuye, ngoba amaFilisti asehlasele ilizwe.
a messenger came to Saul and said, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.”
28 Ngakho uSawuli waphenduka ekuxotshaneni loDavida, wayamelana lamaFilisti. Ngakho bayibiza leyondawo bathi yiSela-Hamalekoti.
So Saul returned from pursuing David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.
29 UDavida wasesenyuka esuka lapho, wahlala ezinqabeni zeEngedi.
David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.
