2 USamuyeli 21
1 Kwasekusiba khona indlala ensukwini zikaDavida iminyaka emithathu, umnyaka ngomnyaka ilandelana; uDavida wadinga ubuso beNkosi. INkosi yasisithi: Kungenxa kaSawuli langenxa yendlu yakhe yegazi, ngoba wabulala amaGibeyoni.
During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.”
2 Ngakho inkosi yabiza amaGibeyoni yathi kuwo: (AmaGibeyoni-ke ayengeyisiwo awabantwana bakoIsrayeli, kodwa ayengawensali yamaAmori; njalo abantwana bakoIsrayeli babefungile kuwo; uSawuli wasedinga ukuwatshaya ekutshisekeleni kwakhe abantwana bakoIsrayeli loJuda.)
At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)
3 Ngakho uDavida wathi kumaGibeyoni: Ngingalenzelani? Ngingayenza ngani inhlawulo yokuthula ukuze libusise ilifa leNkosi?
So David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How can I make amends so that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?”
4 AmaGibeyoni asesithi kuye: Kayisindaba yesiliva kumbe igolide loSawuli lendlu yakhe; futhi kakusikwethu ukubulala umuntu koIsrayeli. Wasesithi: Lokho elikutshoyo ngizalenzela khona.
The Gibeonites said to him, “We need no silver or gold from Saul or his house, nor should you put to death anyone in Israel for us.” “Whatever you ask, I will do for you,” he replied.
5 Basebesithi enkosini: Umuntu owasiqedayo, owaceba emelene lathi ukuthi sichithwe singasali lakuwuphi umngcele wakoIsrayeli,
And they answered the king, “As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us to exterminate us from existing within any border of Israel,
6 kasinikwe amadoda ayisikhombisa emadodaneni akhe, njalo siwaphanyekele iNkosi eGibeya kaSawuli, okhethiweyo weNkosi. Inkosi yasisithi: Mina ngizalipha.
let seven of his male descendants be delivered to us so that we may hang them before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” “I will give them to you,” said the king.
7 Kodwa inkosi yamyekela uMefiboshethi indodana kaJonathani indodana kaSawuli ngenxa yesifungo seNkosi esasiphakathi kwabo, phakathi kukaDavida loJonathani indodana kaSawuli.
Now the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul.
8 Kodwa inkosi yathatha amadodana amabili kaRizipa indodakazi kaAya ayewazalele uSawuli, uArimoni loMefiboshethi, lamadodana amahlanu kadadewabo kaMikhali indodakazi kaSawuli ayewazalele uAdriyeli indodana kaBarizilayi umMehola,
But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons whom Rizpah daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, as well as the five sons whom Merab daughter of Saul had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
9 yabanikela esandleni samaGibeyoni, asebaphanyeka entabeni phambi kweNkosi, njalo abayisikhombisa bawa kanyekanye. Babulawa ensukwini zokuvuna, ensukwini zakuqala ekuqaleni kokuvunwa kwebhali.
And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD. So all seven of them fell together; they were put to death in the first days of the harvest, at the beginning of the barley harvest.
10 URizipa indodakazi kaAya wasethatha isaka, wazendlalela lona phezu kwedwala, kusukela ekuqaleni kokuvuna kwaze kwathonta amanzi phezu kwabo evela emazulwini; kavumelanga inyoni zamazulu ukuthi zihlale phezu kwabo emini, lezilo zeganga ebusuku.
And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain from heaven poured down on the bodies, she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
11 Kwasekubikelwa uDavida lokho uRizipa indodakazi kaAya, umfazi omncane kaSawuli, ayekwenzile.
When David was told what Saul’s concubine Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, had done,
12 UDavida wasehamba wayathatha amathambo kaSawuli lamathambo kaJonathani indodana yakhe kubahlali beJabeshi-Gileyadi ababewebile emdangeni weBeti-Shani, lapho amaFilisti ayebaphanyeke khona mhla amaFilisti etshaya uSawuli eGilibowa.
he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan where the Philistines had hung the bodies after they had struck down Saul at Gilboa.
13 Wasesenyusa esuka lapho amathambo kaSawuli lamathambo kaJonathani indodana yakhe; basebeqoqa amathambo awababephanyekiwe.
So David had the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan brought from there, along with the bones of those who had been hanged.
14 Basebewangcwaba amathambo kaSawuli lakaJonathani indodana yakhe elizweni lakoBhenjamini eZela, engcwabeni likaKishi uyise. Benza konke inkosi eyayibalaye khona. Njalo emva kwalokho uNkulunkulu wancengeka ngenxa yelizwe.
And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. After they had done everything the king had commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.
15 AmaFilisti abuye aba lempi futhi loIsrayeli; uDavida wasesehla lenceku zakhe kanye laye, njalo balwa lamaFilisti; uDavida wasedinwa.
Once again the Philistines waged war against Israel, and David and his servants went down and fought against the Philistines; but David became exhausted.
16 UIshibi-Benobi owayengowabantwana besiqhwaga, osisindo somkhonto wakhe sasingamashekeli angamakhulu amathathu ethusi, wayebhince inkemba entsha, wathi uzamtshaya uDavida.
Then Ishbi-benob, a descendant of Rapha, whose bronze spear weighed three hundred shekels and who was bearing a new sword, resolved to kill David.
17 Kodwa uAbishayi indodana kaZeruya wamsiza, wamtshaya umFilisti wambulala. Khona abantu bakaDavida bafunga kuye besithi: Kawusayikuphuma impi lathi, hlezi ucitshe isibane sikaIsrayeli.
But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.”
18 Kwasekusithi emva kwalokhu kwaba lempi futhi lamaFilisti eGobi; khona uSibekayi umHusha watshaya uSafi, owayengowabantwana besiqhwaga.
Some time later at Gob, there was another battle with the Philistines. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.
19 Kwasekusiba lempi futhi lamaFilisti eGobi; uElihanani indodana kaJahari-Oregimi umBhethelehema, watshaya umfowabo kaGoliyathi umGiti, oluthi lomkhonto wakhe lwalunjengogodo lomaluki.
Once again there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
20 Njalo kwabuye kwaba lempi eGathi, lapho okwakulomuntu omude, owayeleminwe eyisithupha ezandleni zakhe, lamazwane ayisithupha ezinyaweni zakhe, kungamatshumi amabili lane ngenani; laye-ke wayezalelwe isiqhwaga.
And there was still another battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He too was descended from Rapha,
21 Lapho eseyisa uIsrayeli, uJonathani indodana kaShimeya, umfowabo kaDavida, wamtshaya.
and when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.
22 Laba abane babezalelwe isiqhwaga eGathi; njalo bawa ngesandla sikaDavida langesandla senceku zakhe.
So these four descendants of Rapha in Gath fell at the hands of David and his servants.
