1 USamuyeli 24
1 Kwasekusithi uSawuli esebuyile ekulandeleni amaFilisti, bambikela besithi: Khangela, uDavida usenkangala yeEngedi.
After Saul [and his soldiers] returned [home] after fighting against the Philistia army, someone reported to Saul that David [and his men] had gone into the desert near En-Gedi.
2 USawuli wasethatha amadoda ayizinkulungwane ezintathu akhethiweyo kuIsrayeli wonke, wayadinga uDavida labantu bakhe phezu kwamadwala amagogo.
[When] Saul [heard that, he] chose 3,000 men from various areas in Israel, and they went to search for David and his men at a place named Rocks of Wild Goats.
3 Wasefika ezibayeni zezimvu endleleni, lapho okwakulobhalu khona; uSawuli wasengena ukwembesa inyawo zakhe; uDavida labantu bakhe babehlezi-ke enhlangothini zobhalu.
At a place where the road was alongside some sheep pens, Saul [left the road and] entered a cave to defecate [EUP]. [He did not know that] David and his men were hiding further inside that same cave!
4 Abantu bakaDavida basebesithi kuye: Khangela, usuku iNkosi ethi ngalo kuwe: Khangela, ngizanikela isitha sakho esandleni sakho, ukuthi wenze kuso njengokuhle emehlweni akho. UDavida wasesukuma, wasika ensitha umphetho wesembatho uSawuli ayelaso.
David’s men [saw Saul and] whispered to David, “Today is the day that Yahweh spoke about when he said, ‘I will enable you to defeat your enemy.’ You can do to him whatever you want to!” So David crept toward the entrance of the cave and [with his knife] he cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.
5 Kwasekusithi emva kwalokho inhliziyo kaDavida yamtshaya, ngenxa yokuthi wayesike umphetho wesembatho uSawuli ayelaso.
[And then he returned to his men]. But then David felt guilty for having cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.
6 Wasesithi ebantwini bakhe: Kakube khatshana lami ngeNkosi ukuthi ngenze linto enkosini yami, ogcotshiweyo weNkosi, ukwelulela isandla sami kuye, ngoba engogcotshiweyo weNkosi.
He said to his men, “I should not have done that to the king! I hope/desire that Yahweh will never allow me to attack the one whom God has appointed, because Yahweh is the one who chose him [to be the king].”
7 UDavida wabanqanda abantu bakhe ngalawomazwi, kabavumelanga ukuthi bamvukele uSawuli. USawuli wasesukuma waphuma ebhalwini, wahamba endleleni.
By saying that, David restrained his men, and did not allow them to kill Saul.
8 Emva kwalokho uDavida laye wasukuma waphuma ebhalwini, wamemeza emva kukaSawuli esithi: Nkosi yami nkosi! Lapho uSawuli enyemukula, uDavida wakhothama ngobuso emhlabathini, wakhonza.
After Saul left the cave and started to walk on the road again, David came out of the cave and shouted to Saul, “King Saul!” Saul turned around and looked, and David bowed down with his face touching the ground.
9 UDavida wasesithi kuSawuli: Ulalelelani amazwi abantu besithi: Khangela, uDavida udinga ukulinyazwa kwakho?
Then he said to Saul, “(Why do you pay attention to people when they say ‘David wants to harm you’?/You should not pay attention to people when they say ‘David wants to harm you’.) [RHQ]
10 Khangela, lamuhla amehlo akho abonile ukuthi iNkosi ibikunikele lamuhla esandleni sami ebhalwini; njalo besithi kangikubulale, kodwa ngakuhawukela, ngathi: Kangiyikwelulela isandla sami enkosini yami, ngoba ingogcotshiweyo weNkosi.
Today you can see with your own eyes that [what they say is not true]. Yahweh put you in a place where my men and I could have killed you when you were in this cave. Some of my men told me that I should do that, but I did not do that. I said to them, ‘I will not harm my master, because he is the king whom Yahweh appointed.’
11 Futhi-ke, baba, bona, yebo bona umphetho wesembatho sakho esandleni sami; ngoba ekusikeni kwami umphetho wesembatho sakho, lokuthi kangikubulalanga, yazi ubone ukuthi kakukho ububi lesiphambeko esandleni sami, njalo kangonanga kuwe, kanti wena uzingela umphefumulo wami ukuwuthatha.
Your majesty, look at this piece of your robe that is in my hand! I cut it from your robe, but I did not kill you. So now you should be able to understand that I am not planning to do anything evil to you. I have not done anything wrong to you, but you are searching for me to kill me.
12 INkosi kayahlulele phakathi kwami lawe, njalo iNkosi ingiphindiselele kuwe, kodwa isandla sami kasiyikumelana lawe.
I hope/desire that Yahweh will judge and decide which of us ([is doing what is right/pleases him]). And I hope/desire that he will punish you for the wrong things that you have done to me. But I will not try to harm you.
13 Njengokutsho kwesaga sabendulo esithi: Kwababi kuvela okubi; kodwa isandla sami kasiyikumelana lawe.
There is a proverb that has the words, ‘Evil things are done by evil people.’ But [I am not evil, so] I will not do evil things to you.
14 Inkosi yakoIsrayeli iphume ukulandela bani? Uxotshana lobani? Emva kwenja efileyo, emva kwendwebundwebu eyodwa!
“You are the king of Israel. So (why are you pursuing me?/you should not be pursuing me.) [RHQ] I am [as harmless as] [MET] a dead dog or a flea.
15 Ngakho iNkosi kayibe ngumahluleli, yahlulele phakathi kwami lawe, ibone, ilumele udaba lwami, ingikhulule esandleni sakho.
I hope/desire that Yahweh will judge which of us [is doing what (he wants/is right)]. I trust that he will [act like a lawyer and] judge (my case/what I have done), and that he will rescue me from your power [MTY].”
16 Kwasekusithi uDavida eseqedile ukukhuluma lamazwi kuSawuli, uSawuli wathi: Yilizwi lakho lelo yini, ndodana yami, Davida? USawuli wasephakamisa ilizwi lakhe, wakhala inyembezi.
When David finished speaking, Saul [called out to him and] asked, “My son David, is that your voice [that I am hearing]?” Then he began to cry loudly.
17 Wasesithi kuDavida: Ulungile kulami, ngoba wena ungivuze ngokuhle, kodwa mina ngikuvuze ngokubi.
He said, “You are a better man than I am. You have done something very good to me when I tried to do something very bad to you.
18 Wena-ke utshengisile lamuhla ukuthi wenze okuhle ngami, ngoba lapho iNkosi ibinginikele esandleni sakho, kawungibulalanga.
When Yahweh put me in a place [in that cave] where you could have easily killed me, you did not do that.
19 Ngoba nxa umuntu efica isitha sakhe, uzasiyekela sihambe ngendlela enhle yini? Ngakho iNkosi ikuvuze ngokuhle ngokwenze kimi lamuhla.
(Who else would/No one else would) find his enemy and allow his enemy to escape [when he could kill him instead] [RHQ]. I hope/desire that Yahweh will reward you for being kindly to me today.
20 Manje-ke, khangela, ngiyazi ukuthi uzakuba yinkosi isibili, lokuthi umbuso wakoIsrayeli uzaqiniswa esandleni sakho.
I know that [some day] you will surely become the king, and that your kingdom will prosper as you rule the Israeli people.
21 Ngakho khathesi funga kimi ngeNkosi ukuthi kawuyikuyiquma inzalo yami emva kwami, lokuthi kawuyikulicitsha ibizo lami endlini kababa.
Now while Yahweh is listening, solemnly promise to me that you will not kill my family and get rid of all my descendants.”
22 UDavida wasefunga kuSawuli, loSawuli waya endlini yakhe, kodwa uDavida labantu bakhe benyukela enqabeni.
David solemnly promised Saul that he would not [harm Saul’s family]. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went back up into the place where they had been hiding.
