2 USamuyeli 11

1 Kwasekusithi ekuthwaseni komnyaka ngesikhathi amakhosi aphuma ngaso impi, uDavida wathuma uJowabi lenceku zakhe kanye laye loIsrayeli wonke; basebechitha abantwana bakoAmoni, bavimbezela iRaba. Kodwa uDavida wahlala eJerusalema.

And it came to pass when the time o the year for kings going out [to battle] had come round, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbath: but David remained at Jerusalem.

2 Kwasekusithi ngesikhathi sakusihlwa uDavida wavuka embhedeni wakhe, wahambahamba phezu kophahla lwendlu yenkosi; esephahleni wasebona owesifazana egeza; njalo owesifazana wayemuhle kakhulu, ebukeka.

And it came to pass toward evening, that David arose off his couch, and walked on the roof of the king's house, and saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

3 UDavida wasethuma wabuza ngalowowesifazana. Kwasekuthiwa: Lo kakusuye uBathisheba yini, indodakazi kaEliyamu, umkaUriya umHethi?

And David sent and enquired about the woman: and [one] said, [Is] not this Bersabee the daughter of Eliab, the wife of Urias the Chettite?

4 UDavida wasethuma izithunywa wamthatha, owesifazana weza kuye, walala laye (ngoba wayehlanjululiwe ekungcoleni kwakhe), wasebuyela endlini yakhe.

And David sent messengers, and took her, and went in to her, and he lay with her: and she was purified from her uncleanness, and returned to her house.

5 Owesifazana wasethatha isisu, wathumela watshela uDavida wathi: Sengilesisu.

And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

6 UDavida wasethumela kuJowabi wathi: Thumela kimi uUriya umHethi. UJowabi wasethumela uUriya kuDavida.

And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Urias the Chettite; and Joab sent Urias to David.

7 Esefikile kuye uUriya, uDavida wambuza ngempilakahle kaJowabi langempilakahle yabantu langempumelelo yempi.

And Urias arrived and went in to him, and David asked him how Joab was, and how the people were, and how the war went on.

8 UDavida wasesithi kuUriya: Yehlela endlini yakho, ugeze inyawo zakho. U-Uriya wasephuma endlini yenkosi; kwasekulandela emva kwakhe isipho esivela enkosini.

And David said to Urias, Go to thy house, and wash thy feet: and Urias departed from the house of the king, and a portion [of meat] from the king followed him.

9 Kodwa uUriya walala emnyango wendlu yenkosi kanye lenceku zonke zenkosi yakhe, kehlelanga endlini yakhe.

And Urias slept at the door of the king with the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

10 Kwathi sebemtshelile uDavida besithi: U-Uriya kehlelanga endlini yakhe, uDavida wathi kuUriya: Kawuveli ekuhambeni yini? Kungani ungehlelanga endlini yakho?

And they brought David word, saying, Urias has not gone down to his house. And David said to Urias, Art thou not come from a journey? why hast thou not gone down to thy house?

11 U-Uriya wasesithi kuDavida: Umtshokotsho, loIsrayeli, loJuda kuhlala emathenteni; lenkosi yami uJowabi lenceku zenkosi yami bamisile inkamba endle; mina-ke ngizangena endlini yami yini ukuyakudla lokuyanatha lokuyalala lomkami? Kuphila kwakho lokuphila komphefumulo wakho, kangisoze ngiyenze leyonto.

And Urias said to David, The ark, and Israel, and Juda dwell in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; and shall I go into my house to eat and drink, and lie with my wife? how [should I do this? as] thy soul lives, I will not do this thing.

12 UDavida wasesithi kuUriya: Hlala lapha lalamuhla, kusasa-ke ngizakuvumela ukuthi uhambe. U-Uriya wasehlala eJerusalema ngalolosuku langosuku olulandelayo.

And David said to Urias, Remain here to-day also, and to-morrow I will let thee go. So Urias remained in Jerusalem that day and the day following.

13 UDavida wasembiza ukuthi adle anathe phambi kwakhe, wamdakisa; njalo kusihlwa waphuma ukuyalala embhedeni wakhe kanye lenceku zenkosi yakhe, kodwa kehlelanga endlini yakhe.

And David called him, and he ate before him and drank, and he made him drunk: and he went out in the evening to lie upon his bed with the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

14 Kwasekusithi ekuseni uDavida wabhalela uJowabi incwadi, wayithumela ngesandla sikaUriya.

And the morning came, and David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Urias.

15 Wasebhala encwadini esithi: Misani uUriya phambili eqondene lokulwa okutshisayo kakhulu, beselihlehlela nyovane lisuka kuye, ukuze atshaywe afe.

And he wrote in the letter, saying, Station Urias in front of the severe [part] of the fight, and retreat from behind him, so shall he be wounded and die.

16 Kwasekusithi lapho uJowabi esewukhangelisisile umuzi, wamisa uUriya endaweni azi ukuthi kulamaqhawe khona.

And it came to pass while Joab was watching against the city, that he set Urias in a place where he knew that valiant men were.

17 Amadoda omuzi asephuma alwa loJowabi; kwawa abanye babantu, benceku zikaDavida; wafa laye uUriya umHethi.

And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and some of the people of the servants of David fell, and Urias the Chettite died also.

18 UJowabi wasethuma wambikela uDavida zonke indaba zempi;

And Joab sent, and reported to David all the events of the war, so as to tell them to the king.

19 wasilaya isithunywa esithi: Lapho usuqedile ukuyibikela inkosi zonke izindaba zempi,

And he charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast finished reporting all the events of the war to the king,

20 kuzakuthi-ke uba ulaka lwenkosi luvuka, isithi kuwe: Belisondelelani kangaka emzini ukulwa? Belingazi yini ukuthi bebezaciba besemdulini?

then it shall come to pass if the anger of the king shall arise, and he shall say to thee, Why did ye draw nigh to the city to fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from off the wall?

21 Ngubani owatshaya uAbhimeleki indodana kaJerubeshethi? Angithi owesifazana wamwisela ngocezu lwelitshe lokuchola ephezu komduli, waze wafa eThebezi? Lisondeleleni eduze lomduli? Ubususithi: Inceku yakho uUriya umHethi laye ufile.

Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerobaal son of Ner? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from above the wall, and he died in Thamasi? why did ye draw near to the wall? then thou shalt say, Thy servant Urias the Chettite is also dead.

22 Sasesihamba isithunywa, safika sambikela uDavida konke uJowabi ayesithume khona.

And the messenger of Joab went to the king to Jerusalem, and he came and reported to David all that Joab told him, all the affairs of the war. And David was very angry with Joab, and said to the messenger, Why did ye draw nigh to the wall to fight? knew ye not that ye would be wounded from off the wall? Who smote Abimelech the son of Jerobaal? did not a woman cast upon him a piece of millstone from the wall, and he died in Thamasi? why did ye draw near to the wall?

23 Isithunywa sasesisithi kuDavida: Isibili, abantu basehlula, basiphumela egangeni; kodwa saba phezu kwabo kwaze kwaba semnyango wesango.

And the messenger said to David, The men prevailed against us, and they came out against us into the field, and we came upon them even to the door of the gate.

24 Abatshoki basebetshoka ezincekwini zakho bephezu komduli; zifile lezinye zenceku zenkosi; lenceku yakho uUriya umHethi ifile layo.

And the archers shot at thy servants from off the wall, and some of the king's servants died, and thy servant Urias the Chettite is dead also.

25 UDavida wasesithi kuso isithunywa: Uzakutsho njalo kuJowabi uthi: Le into kayingabimbi emehlweni akho, ngoba inkemba idla omunye njengomunye; qinisa impi yakho imelane lomuzi, uwuchithe; ubusumqinisa.

And David said to the messenger, Thus shalt thou say to Joab, Let not the matter be grievous in thine eyes, for the sword devours one way at one time and another way at another: strengthen thine array against the city, and destroy it, and strengthen him.

26 Lapho umkaUriya esezwile ukuthi uUriya indoda yakhe ufile, wayililela indoda yakhe.

And the wife of Urias heard that Urias her husband was dead, and she mourned for her husband.

27 Sekwedlulile ukulila, uDavida wathuma, wamletha endlini yakhe; wasesiba ngumkakhe, wamzalela indodana. Kodwa leyonto uDavida ayenzayo yayimbi emehlweni eNkosi.

And the time of mourning expired, and David sent and took her into his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son: but the thing which David did was evil in the eyes of the Lord.