Eyokuqala KaSamuweli
17 AmaFilisti+ aqokelela umkhosi* ukuze ayokulwa imfazwe. Aqokelelana eSokho+ yakwaYuda. Amisa inkampu yawo phakathi kweSokho neAzeka,+ e-Efese-damim.+ 2 Yena uSawule namadoda akwaSirayeli, baqokelelana baza bamisa inkampu kwiNtlambo KaElaha.*+ Balungela ukulwa namaFilisti. 3 AmaFilisti ayemi kweli cala lentaba, wona amaSirayeli emi kweliya icala lentaba, intlambo iphakathi kwabo.
4 Emva koko kwaphuma enkampini yamaFilisti uGoliyati+ waseGati,+ iqhawe elinobude obuziikubhite ezintandathu nomolulo weminwe.* 5 Wayethwele umnqwazi wokukhusela intloko wekopolo, enxibe isambatho sekopolo esineengcamba. Ubunzima beso sambatho+ babuziishekele eziyi-5 000.* 6 Iimbande* zakhe zazikhuselwe ngekopolo, enayo nentshuntshe+ yekopolo emqolo. 7 Umkhonto wakhe wawunomphini ofana nomphini wabaluki bemisonto,+ nentloko yomkhonto wakhe yayiziishekele eziyi-600.* Umphathi wekhaka lakhe elikhulu wayehamba phambi kwakhe. 8 UGoliyati wema waza wakhwaza ejonge kumkhosi wakwaSirayeli+ wathi: “Kutheni nizokulwa nathi? Andilokroti lamaFilisti na? Khona, aningobakhonzi bakaSawule nina? Khethani indoda ize apha kum. 9 Ukuba izithembile, yalwa nam yaza yandibulala, siza kuba zizicaka zenu. Kodwa ukuba ndiye ndayoyisa ndaza ndayibulala, nina niza kuba zizicaka zethu.” 10 Emva koko lo mFilisti wathi: “Ngale mini ndiyawuxhokonxa umkhosi wakwaSirayeli.+ Khuphani indoda, ndilwe nayo!”
11 Xa uSawule noSirayeli wonke beva la mazwi alo mFilisti, boyika kakhulu.
12 UDavide wayengunyana wendoda engumEfrata+ yaseBhetelehem+ yakwaYuda. Igama layo yayinguYese.+ Yayinoonyana abasibhozo.+ Ngemihla kaSawule, le ndoda yayisele ikhulile. 13 Oonyana abathathu bakaYese abadala bahamba noSawule baya emfazweni.+ Amagama abo yayinguEliyabhi+ izibulo, owesibini inguAbhinadabhi,+ owesithathu inguShamaha.+ 14 UDavide wayengoyena mncinci.+ Bona aba bathathu badala balandela uSawule.
15 UDavide wayesisinxadanxada, wayesithi ekuSawule aphinde ayokwalusa iigusha+ zikatata wakhe eBhetelehem. 16 Kwelinye icala, umFilisti wayemana esiza ngaphambili ekuseni nangokuhlwa ecela undikho, esenza loo nto iintsuku eziyi-40.
17 UYese wathi kuDavide unyana wakhe: “Khawuncede, uthathe le efa* yeenkozo ezigcadiweyo nezi zonka zilishumi, ukhawuleze uzise kubantakwenu enkampini. 18 Thatha nezi zixa zilishumi zetshizi* uziphathele umphathi weqela lamajoni,* ubuze nokuba baphilile na abantakwenu. Uze ubuye nento ebonisa ukuba baphilile.” 19 Abantakwabo babekunye noSawule nawo onke amanye amadoda akwaSirayeli kwiNtlambo KaElaha,*+ besilwa namaFilisti.+
20 UDavide wavuka ekuseni wayaleza iigusha komnye umntu. Wathatha izinto awayezithunyiwe waza wahamba, kanye njengokuba uYese wayemyalele. Akufika enkampini, wabona umkhosi uphuma usiya edabini, yaye uhlaba ikhwelo. 21 AmaSirayeli amisa umkhosi wawo wajongana nowamaFilisti. 22 Ngoko nangoko uDavide wagcinisa imigodlo yakhe kumgcini weempahla waza yena wabaleka waya emkhosini. Akufika apho, wabuza ukuba banjani abantakwabo.+
23 Wathi uDavide esathetha nabo, kwathi gqi iqhawe elinguGoliyati,+ umFilisti waseGati. Laliphuma kumkhosi wamaFilisti, laza lathetha kwalaa nto beliyithethile ekuqaleni.+ UDavide waliva. 24 Athi akuyibona le ndoda, onke amadoda akwaSirayeli abaleka esoyika.+ 25 Ayesithi: “Niyayibona na le ndoda? Izokuxhokonxa uSirayeli.*+ Umntu oye wayibulala, ukumkani uza kumnika ubutyebi obuninzi, amnike nkqu nentombi yakhe.+ Nendlu katata wakhe uza kuyikhulula ekubhataleni irhafu nasekwenzeni eminye imisebenzi kwaSirayeli.”
26 UDavide wathi kumadoda awayemi kufuphi naye: “Iza kwenzelwa ntoni indoda exabele laa mFilisti umi phaya, ize iphelise oku kugezelwa kwamaSirayeli? Ungubani yena lo mFilisti ungolukanga ukuba angade axhokonxe umkhosi* woThixo ophilayo?”+ 27 Abantu baphinda kwalaa nto ibikhe yathethwa. Bathi: “Nantsi into eza kwenziwa kwindoda emxabeleyo.” 28 Xa uEliyabhi+ umkhuluwa wakhe wamva ethetha naloo madoda, waba nomsindo. Wathi kuDavide: “Uzokwenzani apha? Uzishiye kubani eza gusha zimbalwa phaya entlango?+ Ndiyazi kakuhle indlela ozigqatsa ngayo, nobubi bentliziyo yakho. Uze apha ukuze ubone idabi.” 29 UDavide wathi: “Ndenze ntoni ngoku? Bendizibuzela nje!” 30 Ngoko wamshiya waya komnye umntu waza wabuza kwalaa mbuzo ebewubuzile.+ Abantu bamphendula ngalaa ndlela bebemphendule ngayo.+
31 Yaviwa into awayithethayo uDavide yaza yachazelwa uSawule. Yena wathi makabizwe. 32 UDavide wathi kuSawule: “Sanukumoyika. Umkhonzi wakho uza kulwa nalaa mFilisti.”+ 33 Kodwa uSawule wathi kuDavide: “Awunakulwa nalaa mFilisti, kuba wena useyidyongo,+ kodwa yena waba lijoni* esemncinci.” 34 UDavide wathi kuSawule: “Umkhonzi wakho waba ngumalusi womhlambi katata. Kweza ingonyama,+ ngenye imini kweza ibhere. Zombini zathatha iigusha emhlambini. 35 Ndazilandela ndaza ndazihlasela, ndabe ke ndiyazisindisa iigusha emilonyeni yazo. Zathi zakundihlasela, ndazithi nqaku ngoboya* ndaza ndazibetha ndazibulala. 36 Zombini ingonyama nebhere, umkhonzi wakho wazibulala. Nalo mFilisti ungolukanga uza kufana nenye yazo, kuba uxhokonxe umkhosi* woThixo ophilayo.”+ 37 UDavide waphinda wathi: “UYehova, owandisindisa kwingonyama nakwibhere, uza kundisindisa kulaa mFilisti.”+ Xa weva loo mazwi, uSawule wathi kuDavide: “Hamba, kwanga uYehova anganawe.”
38 USawule wanxibisa uDavide izambatho zakhe. Wamthwalisa umnqwazi wekopolo wokukhusela intloko, wamnxibisa nesambatho sekopolo. 39 Emva koko uDavide wabhinqa ikrele likaSawule phezu kwezo zambatho, wazama ukuhamba kodwa zange akwazi, kuba wayengaziqhelanga. UDavide wathi kuSawule: “Andikwazi kuhamba ngezi zinto mna, kuba andiziqhelanga.” Ngoko wazikhulula. 40 Wathatha intonga yakhe, wachola amatye amahlanu agudileyo entlanjeni, wawafaka kwisingxobo sakhe sabelusi, waphatha nesilingi.+ Emva koko wangqala kumFilisti.
41 UmFilisti nomphathi wakhe wekhaka elikhulu nowayephambi kwakhe, baya besondela kuDavide. 42 Wathi umFilisti akuthi gqi ngoDavide, wamsinekela ngenxa yokuba eyidyongwana, ebubomvurha, futhi eyinzwana.+ 43 Wathi kuDavide: “Ndiyinja na ngoku,+ le nto usiza kum uphethe iintonga?” Watsho emthuka uDavide ngoothixo bakhe. 44 Waphinda wathi: “Yiza apha kum, inyama yakho ndiza kuyinika iintaka zamazulu namarhamncwa asendle.”
45 UDavide wathi kumFilisti: “Wena uza kum unekrele, umkhonto nentshuntshe.+ Mna ndiza kuwe ngegama likaYehova wemikhosi,+ uThixo womkhosi wakwaSirayeli, lo uye wamgezela.*+ 46 Ngale mini uYehova uza kukunikezela esandleni sam,+ ndiza kukubulala ndize ndikunqumle intloko, yaye ngale mini, izidumbu zomkhosi wamaFilisti ndiza kuzinika iintaka zamazulu namarhamncwa omhlaba. Abantu emhlabeni wonke baza kwazi ukuba kukho uThixo kwaSirayeli.+ 47 Wonke umntu olapha uza kwazi ukuba uYehova akasindisi ngakrele nangamkhonto,+ ngenxa yokuba lelikaYehova idabi,+ yaye nonke uza kuninikela kuthi.”+
48 Emva koko umFilisti wasondela kuDavide kancinci kancinci, kodwa uDavide wabaleka emhlangabeza lo mFilisti. 49 UDavide wafaka isandla kwisingxobo sakhe, wabuya nelitye waza walijiwuzisa ngesilingi waligibisela, latshona ebunzini laloo mFilisti. Loo mFilisti wayokuhlaba ngobuso emhlabeni.+ 50 Ngoko uDavide wamoyisa umFilisti ngesilingi nelitye. Wamhlasela waza wambulala nangona wayengaphethanga krele.+ 51 Wabaleka wayokuma phezu kwakhe. Wabamba ikrele laloo mFilisti,+ walirhola esingxotyeni salo waza wamnqumla intloko ngalo ukuze aqiniseke ukuba ufile. Athe amaFilisti akubona ukuba ithemba lawo lifile, aphel’ emehlweni.+
52 Amadoda akwaSirayeli nawakwaYuda ahlaba umkhosi aza awaleqa amaFilisti ukusuka entlanjeni+ ukuyokutsho kwiigeyithi zase-Ekron,+ yaye izidumbu zawo zaziqungquluze endleleni esuka eShaharayim+ ukuyokutsho eGati nase-Ekron. 53 Emva kokuba amaSirayeli eleqe amaFilisti, athatha zonke izinto enkampini yawo.
54 Emva koko uDavide wathatha intloko yomFilisti wayisa eYerusalem, kodwa izixhobo zomFilisti wazibeka ententeni yakhe.+
55 Uthe uSawule akubona uDavide eyokuhlangabeza umFilisti wathi kuAbhinere+ intloko yomkhosi: “Ngunyana kabani lo mfana+ Abhinere?” UAbhinere wathi: “Njengoko uphila kumkani,* andazi!” 56 Ukumkani wathi: “Buzisa ukuba ngunyana kabani lo mfana.” 57 Ngoko uthe uDavide xa evela kuxabela umFilisti, uAbhinere wamthatha wamsa kuSawule esaphethe intloko yomFilisti.+ 58 USawule wathi kuye: “Ungunyana kabani mfanandini?” UDavide wathi: “Ndingunyana wesicaka sakho uYese+ waseBhetelehem.”+