David at Ziklag

¹Kwathi uDavide nabantu bakhe sebefikile eSikilagi ngosuku lwesithathu, ama-Amaleki ayengenele eNingizimu naseSikilagi, alichitha iSikilagi, alishisa ngomlilo,

²athumba abesifazane ababe phakathi, abancane nabakhulu engabulalanga muntu, abamukisa, ahamba indlela yawo.

³Lapho uDavide nabantu bakhe befika emzini, bheka, wawushisiwe ngomlilo; omkabo, namadodana abo, namadodakazi abo babethunjiwe.

⁴UDavide nabantu ababe naye base bedazuluka, bekhala, baze bangabe besaba namandla okukhala.

⁵NawomkaDavide bobabili babethunjiwe, o-Ahinohama waseJizreyeli no-Abigayili umkaNabali waseKarmeli.

⁶UDavide wayehlupheka kakhulu, ngokuba abantu bekhuluma ngokumkhanda ngamatshe, lokhu izinhliziyo zabo bonke abantu zazinomunyu, kwaba yilowo nalowo ngenxa yamadodana akhe namadodakazi akhe; kepha uDavide waziqinisa kuJehova uNkulunkulu wakhe.

⁷UDavide wathi ku-Abiyathara umpristi, indodana ka-Ahimeleki: “Ake ulethe kimi ingubo yamahlombe.” U-Abiyathara wayiletha ingubo yamahlombe kuDavide.

⁸UDavide wabuza kuJehova, wathi: “Ngixoshe lelo viyo na? Ngingalifica na?” Wamphendula wathi: “Xosha, ngokuba uyakulifica impela, ukhulule konke.”

⁹Wayesehamba uDavide, yena nabantu abangamakhulu ayisithupha ababe naye, wafika emfudlaneni iBesori, lapho kwahlala khona amasalela.

¹⁰Kodwa UDavide waxosha, yena nabantu abangamakhulu amane, ngokuba abangamakhulu amabili basala emuva, bezukekile ukuze bangaweli umfudlana iBesori.

¹¹Bafumana owaseGibithe endle, bamyisa kuDavide, bamnika isinkwa, wadla; bamphuzisa amanzi;

¹²bamnika nocezu lwesigaxa samakhiwane, nezigaxa ezimbili zezithelo zomvini ezomileyo; esedlile kwabuyela kuye umoya wakhe, ngokuba wayengadlanga sinkwa, engaphuzanga manzi, izinsuku ezintathu nobusuku obuthathu.

¹³UDavide wathi kuye: “Ungokabani na? Uvelaphi na?” Wathi: “Ngiyinsizwa yaseGibithe, inceku yomAmaleki, kepha inkosi yami yangishiya, ngokuba sekuyizinsuku ezintathu ngigula.

¹⁴Sangenela ngaseningizimu yamaKhereti, nakwelakwaJuda, naseningizimu kaKalebi, salishisa iSikilagi ngomlilo.”

¹⁵UDavide wathi kuye: “Ungangehlisela kulelo viyo na?” Wathi: “Funga kimi uNkulunkulu ukuthi awuyikungibulala, unganginikeli ezandleni zenkosi yami, ngiyakukwehlisela kulelo viyo.”

¹⁶Wayesemehlisa; bheka, babehlakazekile endaweni yonke, bedla, bephuza, besina phakathi kwayo yonke impango ababeyithathile ezweni lamaFilisti nasezweni lakwaJuda.

¹⁷UDavide wababulala kusukela ekuhweleleni kuze kuhlwe ngangomuso, akwaphunyuka muntu kubo, kuphela izinsizwa ezingamakhulu amane ezazikhwela amakamela, zabaleka.

¹⁸UDavide wakhulula konke okwakuthathwe ngama-Amaleki, uDavide wakhulula nawomkakhe bobabili.

¹⁹Akwasilala muntu, omncane noma omkhulu, namadodana noma amadodakazi, nempango noma okunye ababezithathele khona; uDavide wabuyisa konke.

²⁰UDavide wathatha zonke izimvu nezinkomo; baziqhuba phambi kwakhe, bathi: “Yimpango kaDavide le.”

²¹UDavide wafika kulabo bantu abangamakhulu amabili ababezukekile, bengenakumlandela uDavide, ababebahlalisile ngasemfudlaneni iBesori; baphuma ukumhlangabeza uDavide nokuhlangabeza abantu ababenaye; uDavide esesondela kubantu wababingelela.

²²Base bethatha bonke abantu ababi nabonakeleyo kulabo ababehamba noDavide, bathi: “Njengokuba bengahambanga nathi, asiyikubanika lutho empangweni esiyikhululile, kuphela ukuba yileyo naleyo ndoda inikwe umkayo nabantwana bayo, bamuke nabo, bahambe.”

²³Wayesethi uDavide: “Aniyikwenza kanjalo, bafowethu, ngalokho esikuphiwe nguJehova osilondolozile, wanikela esandleni sethu iviyo elasihlasela.

²⁴Ngubani oyakunilalela kule ndaba na? Ngokuba njengesabelo sowehlele empini siyakuba njalo isabelo salowo owasala nempahla; bayakwabelwa ngokulingeneyo.”

²⁵Kwaba njalo kusukela kulolo suku kuya phambili; wamisa isimiso nomthetho kwa-Israyeli kuze kube namuhla.

²⁶UDavide esefike eSikilagi wathuma enye impango kumalunga akwaJuda nakubo abangane bakhe, ethi: “Bhekani, naso isipho senu sempango yezitha zikaJehova:”

²⁷kwabaseBethele, nakwabaseRamoti laseNingizimu, nakwabaseJatiri,

²⁸nakwabase-Aroweri, nakwabaseSifimoti, nakwabase-Eshitemowa,

²⁹nakwabaseRakali, nakwabasemizini yamaJerameli, nakwabasemizini yamaKheni,

³⁰nakwabaseHorma, nakwabaseBori Ashani, nakwabase-Athaki,

³¹nakwabaseHebroni, nasezindaweni zonke lapho uDavide uqobo nabantu bakhe bebejwayele ukuhamba khona.