AmaFilisti abutha izimpi zawo ukuba alwe; abuthana eSoko lakwaJuda, amisa phakathi kweSoko ne-Azeka e-Efesi Damimi. USawule nabantu bakwa-Israyeli babuthana, bamisa esigodini sase-Ela, bahlela impi ukuhlangabezana namaFilisti. AmaFilisti ayemi entabeni ngalapha, u-Israyeli wayemi entabeni ngalapha; kwakukhona isigodi phakathi kwabo.
Kwaphuma iqhawe elikhulu ekamu* lamaFilisti, igama lalo linguGoliyati waseGati, obude bakhe buyizingalo eziyisithupha nesandla. Wayenesigqoko sethusi ekhanda, egqoke ibhantshi lensimbi; isisindo sebhantshi sasingamashekeli* ayizinkulungwane eziyisihlanu ethusi. Wayenezivikelo zethusi emilenzeni, nengcula yethusi phakathi kwamahlombe. Uthi lomkhonto wakhe lwalunjengogongolo lomaluki; isihloko somkhonto sasingamashekeli* angamakhulu ayisithupha ensimbi; ophethe isihlangu wahamba phambi kwakhe.
Wema, wamemeza ezinhleni zakwa-Israyeli, wathi kuzo: “Niphumelani ukuhlela impi na? Angisiye umFilisti, nina niyizinceku zikaSawule, na? Zikhetheleni umuntu, ehle eze kimi. Uma enamandla okulwa nami, angibulale, siyakuba yizigqila zenu; kepha uma ngimahlula, ngimbulale, niyakuba yizigqila zethu, nisikhonze.” UmFilisti wathi: “Ngiyazeyisa namuhla izinhla zakwa-Israyeli; nginikeni umuntu, silwe naye.” Lapho uSawule naye wonke u-Israyeli bezwa lawo mazwi omFilisti, bashaywa luvalo, besaba kakhulu.
UDavide wayeyindodana yalowo mEfrati waseBetlehema Juda ogama lakhe lalinguJese; wayenamadodana ayisishiyagalombili; lowo muntu wayemdala ezinsukwini zikaSawule phakathi kwabantu. Amadodana amathathu amakhulu kaJese ayemlandele uSawule ukuya empini; amagama amadodana akhe amathathu ayeyile empini ayengu-Eliyabe izibulo, emelamayo ngu-Abinadaba, neyesithathu nguShama. UDavide nguye owayengomncinyane; amathathu amakhulu amlandela uSawule. UDavide wahamba wabuya ukuyakwalusa izimvu zikayise eBetlehema.
UmFilisti wasondela ekuseni nakusihlwa, wema khona izinsuku ezingamashumi amane.
UJese wathi kuDavide indodana yakhe: “Ake uthathele abafowenu i-efa* lalolu tshwele nalezi zinkwa eziyishumi, usheshe uye ekamu* labafowenu, uphathele induna yenkulungwane lawa makhekheba kashizi,* ubheke impilo yabafowenu, uthathe isibambiso kubo.” USawule nabo bonke abantu bakwa-Israyeli base besesigodini sase-Ela, belwa namaFilisti.
UDavide wavuka ekuseni kakhulu, washiya izimvu kumlindi, wathatha, wahamba, njengalokho uJese amyale ngakho; wafika enqabeni yezinqola, impi isaphuma ukuyakuhlelwa, yahlaba umkhosi. U-Israyeli namaFilisti bahlela impi, babhekana. UDavide washiya impahla yakhe esandleni somlindi wempahla, wagijimela empini, wabingelela abafowabo. Kepha esakhuluma nabo, bheka, kwenyuka iqhawe elikhulu, umFilisti waseGati, nguGoliyati igama lalo, ephuma ezinhleni zamaFilisti, wakhuluma wona lawo mazwi; uDavide wawezwa. Bonke abantu bakwa-Israyeli sebebonile lo muntu bambalekela, besaba kakhulu.
Abantu bakwa-Israyeli bathi: “Nimbonile lowo muntu owenyukile na? Ngokuba wenyukile ukuyakweyisa u-Israyeli; kuyakuthi umuntu ombulalayo, inkosi imcebise ngengcebo enkulu, imnike indodakazi yayo, iyenze indlu kayise ibe ngekhululekile kwa-Israyeli.”
UDavide wakhuluma kubantu ababemi naye, wathi: “Kuyakwenziwa ntoni kumuntu obulala lowo mFilisti, asuse ihlazo kwa-Israyeli, na? Ngokuba ngubani lowo mFilisti ongasokile ukuba ayeyise impi kaNkulunkulu ophilayo na?”
Abantu bamphendula ngalona lelo zwi; bathi-ke: “Kuyakwenziwa kanjalo kumuntu ombulalayo.”
U-Eliyabe umfowabo omkhulu wezwa lapho ekhuluma kubantu; intukuthelo ka-Eliyabe yamvuthela uDavide, wathi: “Wehleleni na? Uzishiye kubani leziya zimvu ezingengakanani ehlane na? Mina ngiyakwazi ukuziphakamisa kwakho nobubi benhliziyo yakho, ngokuba wehlile ukuba ubuke impi.”
Kepha uDavide wathi: “Ngenzeni na? Bekungumbuzo nje.” Wamfulathela, wabheka komunye, wakhuluma lona lelo zwi; abantu bamphendula njengakuqala. Esezwakele amazwi abewakhulumile uDavide alandwa phambi kukaSawule; wambiza.
UDavide wayesethi kuSawule: “Makungaqedwa nhliziyo yamuntu ngalowo; inceku yakho iyakuhamba ilwe nalowo mFilisti.”
USawule wathi kuDavide: “Awunamandla okuya kulowo mFilisti, ulwe naye, ngokuba ungumfana nje, yena eyindoda yempi kwasebusheni bakhe.”
UDavide wathi kuSawule: “Inceku yakho yayizalusa izimvu zikayise; lapho kwafika ingonyama nebhere* kwathatha imvu emhlambini, ngaphuma ngakulandela, ngakubulala, ngayophula emlonyeni wakho; lapho kwangivukela, ngakubamba ngesilevu, ngakwahlula, ngakubulala. Inceku yakho yahlula ingonyama nebhere,* nalowo mFilisti ongasokile uyakuba njengenye yazo, lokhu eyeyisile impi kaNkulunkulu ophilayo.” UDavide wathi: “UJehova owangophula ozisheni lwengonyama nasozisheni lwebhere* uyakungophula nasesandleni salowo mFilisti.”
USawule wathi kuDavide: “Hamba, uJehova uyakuba nawe.”
USawule wamembathisa ezakhe izingubo, wamfaka isigqoko sethusi ekhanda, wamgqokisa ibhantshi lensimbi. UDavide wabhinca inkemba yakhe phezu kwezambatho zakhe, wazama ukuhamba, ngokuba wayengakazilingi. UDavide wathi kuSawule: “Anginakuhamba nalezi, angikazilingi.” UDavide wayesezikhumula. Wathatha induku yakhe ngesandla, wazikhethela amatshe ayisihlanu abushelezi emfudlaneni, wawafaka esikhwameni somalusi ayenaso, eyikeni lakhe, indwayimana yakhe isesandleni sakhe; wayesesondela kumFilisti.
Weza umFilisti, wafika wasondela kuDavide; umuntu ophethe isihlangu wahamba phambi kwakhe. UmFilisti esabuka wambona uDavide, wameyisa, ngokuba wayengumfana nje, ebomvana, ebukeka emuhle. UmFilisti wathi kuDavide: “Ngiyinja yini ukuba uze kimi unezinduku na?” UmFilisti wamthuka uDavide ngawonkulunkulu bakhe. UmFilisti wathi kuDavide: “Woza kimi, nginike izinyoni zezulu nezilwane zasendle inyama yakho.”
UDavide wayesethi kumFilisti: “Wena uza kimi nenkemba, nomkhonto, nengcula, kepha mina ngiza kuwe ngegama likaJehova Sebawoti, uNkulunkulu wempi ka-Israyeli oyeyisile. Namuhla uJehova uyakukunikela esandleni sami; ngiyakukubulala, ngisuse ikhanda lakho kuwe, nginike namuhla izinyoni zezulu nezilwane zomhlaba izidumbu zempi yamaFilisti, ukuze umhlaba wonke wazi ukuthi kukhona uNkulunkulu kwa-Israyeli, yazi yonke le nhlangano ukuthi uJehova akasindisi ngenkemba nangomkhonto; ngokuba ukulwa kungokukaJehova; uyakuninikela esandleni sethu.”
Kwathi lapho esuka umFilisti weza wasondela ukuhlangabezana noDavide, uDavide washesha wagijimela ngasempini ukuhlangana nomFilisti. UDavide wafaka isandla sakhe esikhwameni sakhe, wakhipha khona itshe, waliphonsa, wamshaya umFilisti ebunzini, itshe lashona ebunzini, wawela phansi ngobuso.
UDavide wamahlula umFilisti ngendwayimana nangetshe, wamshaya umFilisti, wambulala; kodwa kwakungekho nkemba esandleni sikaDavide.
Wayesegijima uDavide, wema phezu komFilisti, wathatha inkemba yakhe, wayihosha emgodleni wayo, wambulala, wamnquma ikhanda ngayo. Lapho amaFilisti ebona ukuthi iqhawe lawo lifile, abaleka.
Uhlelo Lokusebenza lweBhayibheli
Uhlelo Lokusebenza LweBhayibheli yezingane
