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 time that David [ruled], there was a famine [in Israel] for three years. David prayed to Yahweh about it. And Yahweh said, “[In order for the famine to end], Saul’s family needs to be punished [MTY] because Saul killed many people from Gibeon [city].”
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.)
The people of Gibeon were not Israelis; they were a small group of the Amor people-group whom the Israelis had solemnly promised to protect. But Saul had tried to kill all of them because he (was very zealous/wanted very much) to enable the people of Judah and Israel [to be the only ones living in that land]. So the king summoned the leaders of Gibeon
3 Ngakho uDavida wathi kumaGibeyoni: Ngingalenzelani? Ngingayenza ngani inhlawulo yokuthula ukuze libusise ilifa leNkosi?
and said to them, “What shall I do for you? How can I make amends/up for what was done to your people, in order that you will bless us who belong to Yahweh?”
4 AmaGibeyoni asesithi kuye: Kayisindaba yesiliva kumbe igolide loSawuli lendlu yakhe; futhi kakusikwethu ukubulala umuntu koIsrayeli. Wasesithi: Lokho elikutshoyo ngizalenzela khona.
They replied, “You cannot settle our quarrel with Saul and his family by giving us silver or gold. And we do not have the right to kill any Israelis.” So David asked, “Then/So what do you say that I should do for you?”
5 Basebesithi enkosini: Umuntu owasiqedayo, owaceba emelene lathi ukuthi sichithwe singasali lakuwuphi umngcele wakoIsrayeli,
They replied, “Saul [wanted to] get rid of us. He wanted to annihilate/kill all of us, in order that none of us would live anywhere in Israel.
6 kasinikwe amadoda ayisikhombisa emadodaneni akhe, njalo siwaphanyekele iNkosi eGibeya kaSawuli, okhethiweyo weNkosi. Inkosi yasisithi: Mina ngizalipha.
Hand over to us seven of Saul’s descendants. We will hang them where Yahweh is worshiped in Gibeon, our town, the town where Saul, whom Yahweh previously chose to be king, lived.” The king replied, “Okay, I will hand them over to you.”
7 Kodwa inkosi yamyekela uMefiboshethi indodana kaJonathani indodana kaSawuli ngenxa yesifungo seNkosi esasiphakathi kwabo, phakathi kukaDavida loJonathani indodana kaSawuli.
The king did not hand over to them Saul’s grandson Mephibosheth, because of what he and [Mephibosheth’s father] Jonathan had solemnly promised to each other.
8 Kodwa inkosi yathatha amadodana amabili kaRizipa indodakazi kaAya ayewazalele uSawuli, uArimoni loMefiboshethi, lamadodana amahlanu kadadewabo kaMikhali indodakazi kaSawuli ayewazalele uAdriyeli indodana kaBarizilayi umMehola,
Instead, he took Armoni and another man named Mephibosheth, the two sons that Saul’s slave wife Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, had given birth to, and the five sons that Saul’s daughter Merab had given birth to. Merab’s husband was Adriel, the son of a man named Barzillai from Meholah [town].
9 yabanikela esandleni samaGibeyoni, asebaphanyeka entabeni phambi kweNkosi, njalo abayisikhombisa bawa kanyekanye. Babulawa ensukwini zokuvuna, ensukwini zakuqala ekuqaleni kokuvunwa kwebhali.
David handed those men over to the men from Gibeon. Then they hanged those seven men on a hill where they worshiped Yahweh. They were all killed during the time of the year that the people started to harvest the barley.
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.
Then Rizpah took coarse cloth made from goats’ hair, and spread it on the rock [where the corpses lay]. She stayed there from the time that people started to harvest the barley until the rains started. She did not allow any birds to come near the corpses during the day, and she did not allow any animals to come near during the night.
11 Kwasekubikelwa uDavida lokho uRizipa indodakazi kaAya, umfazi omncane kaSawuli, ayekwenzile.
When someone told David what Rizpah 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 with some of his servants to Jabesh in [the] Gilead [region] and got the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. The people of Jabesh had stolen their bones from the (plaza/public square) in Beth-Shan [city], where the men from Philistia had hanged them previously, on the day that they had killed Saul and Jonathan on Gilboa [Mountain].
13 Wasesenyusa esuka lapho amathambo kaSawuli lamathambo kaJonathani indodana yakhe; basebeqoqa amathambo awababephanyekiwe.
David and his men took the bones of Saul and Jonathan, and they also took the bones of the seven men [from Gibeon] whom the men from Philistia had 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.
They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan in Zela [town] in the land of [the tribe of] Benjamin. Doing all that the king commanded, they buried their bones in the tomb where Saul’s father Kish [was buried]. After that, [because] God [saw that Saul’s family had been punished to pay for Saul’s murder of many people from Gibeon, he] answered the Israelis’ prayers for their land, and caused the famine to end.
15 AmaFilisti abuye aba lempi futhi loIsrayeli; uDavida wasesehla lenceku zakhe kanye laye, njalo balwa lamaFilisti; uDavida wasedinwa.
The army of Philistia again started to fight against the army of Israel. And David and his soldiers went to fight the Philistines. During the battle, David became weary.
16 UIshibi-Benobi owayengowabantwana besiqhwaga, osisindo somkhonto wakhe sasingamashekeli angamakhulu amathathu ethusi, wayebhince inkemba entsha, wathi uzamtshaya uDavida.
One of the Philistia men thought that he could kill David. His name was Ishbi-Benob. He was a descendant of [a group of] giants. He carried a bronze spear that weighed about (7-1/2 pounds/3-1/2 kg.), and he also had a new sword.
17 Kodwa uAbishayi indodana kaZeruya wamsiza, wamtshaya umFilisti wambulala. Khona abantu bakaDavida bafunga kuye besithi: Kawusayikuphuma impi lathi, hlezi ucitshe isibane sikaIsrayeli.
But Abishai came to help David, and attacked the giant and killed him. Then David’s soldiers forced him to promise that he would not go with them into a battle again. They said to him, “[If you die, and none of your descendants become king, that would be like] [MET] extinguishing the last light in Israel.”
18 Kwasekusithi emva kwalokhu kwaba lempi futhi lamaFilisti eGobi; khona uSibekayi umHusha watshaya uSafi, owayengowabantwana besiqhwaga.
Some time after that, there was a battle with the army of Philistia near Gob [village]. During the battle, Sibbecai, from [the] Hushah [clan], killed Saph, one of the descendants of the Rapha giants.
19 Kwasekusiba lempi futhi lamaFilisti eGobi; uElihanani indodana kaJahari-Oregimi umBhethelehema, watshaya umfowabo kaGoliyathi umGiti, oluthi lomkhonto wakhe lwalunjengogodo lomaluki.
[Later] there was another battle with the army of Philistia at Gob. During that battle, Elhanan, the son of Jaare-Oregim from Bethlehem, killed [the brother of] Goliath from Gath [city]; Goliath’s spear shaft/handle was (very thick, like the bar on a weaver’s loom/over two inches thick).
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.
Later there was another battle near Gath. There was a (huge man/giant) there who liked to fight [in battles]. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He was descended from [the] Rapha [giants].
21 Lapho eseyisa uIsrayeli, uJonathani indodana kaShimeya, umfowabo kaDavida, wamtshaya.
But when he (made fun of/ridiculed) the men in the Israeli [army], Jonathan, the son of David’s [older] brother Shimeah, killed him.
22 Laba abane babezalelwe isiqhwaga eGathi; njalo bawa ngesandla sikaDavida langesandla senceku zakhe.
Those four men were some of the descendants of the Rapha giants who had lived in Gath, who were killed [MTY] by David and his soldiers.
