USamuweli wafa; wahlangana wonke u-Israyeli, wamlilela, wammbela ngasendlini yakhe eRama. UDavide wasuka, wehlela ehlane lasePharanu.
Kwakukhona umuntu eMahoni onemfuyo yakhe eKarmeli; lowo muntu wayemkhulu kakhulu, wayenezimvu eziyizinkulungwane ezintathu nezimbuzi eziyinkulungwane; wayezigunda izimvu zakhe eKarmeli. Igama lalowo muntu lalinguNabali; igama lomkakhe lalingu-Abigayili; owesifazane wayehlakaniphile, ebukeka emuhle, kepha indoda yayilukhuni inobubi emisebenzini yayo; yayingekaKalebi.
UDavide wezwa ehlane ukuthi uNabali ugunda izimvu zakhe. UDavide wathuma izinsizwa eziyishumi; uDavide wathi kuzo izinsizwa: “Khuphukelani eKarmeli, niye kuNabali, nimbingelele egameni lami, nithi kumfowethu: ‘Ukuthula makube kuwe, ukuthula nakube kuyo indlu yakho, ukuthula makube kukho konke onakho.
“ ‘Manje sengizwile ukuthi unabagundi; abelusi bakho babe nathi, asibalimazanga, abalahlekelwa lutho zonke izinsuku beseKarmeli. Buza izinsizwa zakho, ziyakukutshela; ngalokho izinsizwa mazithole umusa emehlweni akho, ngokuba sifikile ngosuku oluhle; ake unike izinceku zakho nendodana yakho uDavide okungafunyanwa esandleni sakho.’ ”
Sezifikile izinsizwa zikaDavide zakhuluma kuNabali njengawo onke lawo mazwi egameni likaDavide, bese zilinda.
UNabali waziphendula izinceku zikaDavide, wathi: “Ngubani uDavide na? Ngubani indodana kaJese na? Namuhla kukhona izinceku eziningi ezeqa emakhosini azo. Ngithathe yini isinkwa sami, namanzi ami, nengikuhlabele abagundi bami, ngikuphe abantu engingabazi ukuthi bavelaphi, na?”
Zase ziphenduka izinsizwa zikaDavide endleleni yazo, zabuyela, zamtshela onke lawo mazwi. UDavide wathi kubantu bakhe: “Bhincani, kube yilowo nalowo inkemba yakhe.” Zabhinca-ke, kwaba yilowo nalowo inkemba yakhe; naye uDavide wabhinca inkemba yakhe; kwakhuphuka emva kukaDavide abantu kungathi abangamakhulu amane, kepha abangamakhulu amabili bahlala empahleni.
Kodwa enye yezinsizwa yamtshela u-Abigayili umkaNabali, yathi: “Bheka, uDavide wathuma izithunywa zivela ehlane ukuba zibingelele inkosi yethu, kepha yazithukuthelela. Nokho labo bantu basiphatha kahle, asilimalanga, asilahlekelwanga lutho zonke izinsuku sisahambisana nabo sisendle; babe lugange kithi ubusuku nemini, sonke isikhathi sinabo salusa izimvu. Ngalokho yazi, ubone ukuthi uyakwenzani, ngokuba okubi sekunqunyelwe inkosi yethu nendlu yayo yonke, lokhu engumuntu omubi kangaka, ukuze umuntu angekhulume naye.”
U-Abigayili wayeseshesha, wathatha izinkwa ezingamakhulu amabili, nezimvaba ezimbili zewayini, nezimvu eziyisihlanu ezilungisiweyo, namaseya* ayisihlanu otshwele, nezigaxa eziyikhulu zezithelo zomvini ezomileyo, nezigaxa ezingamakhulu amabili zamakhiwane, wakubeka ezimbongolweni. Wathi kuzo izinsizwa: “Hambani phambi kwami; bhekani, ngiyanilandela.” Kepha akayitshelanga indoda yakhe uNabali.
Kwathi esakhwele imbongolo, esehla endaweni esithekileyo yentaba, bheka, kwehlela kuye uDavide nabantu bakhe, wahlangana nabo. UDavide wayeshilo ukuthi: “Impela ngikugcinele ize konke lowo muntu anakho ehlane ukuba angalahlekelwa lutho lwakho konke okwakhe, ngokuba ungibuyisele okubi ngokuhle. UNkulunkulu makenze njalo kuzo izitha zikaDavide, enezele futhi, uma ngishiya ngasekuseni kusasa kukho konke okungokwakhe nokukodwa okungokwesilisa.”
Lapho u-Abigayili embona uDavide, washesha wehlika embongolweni yakhe, wawa ngobuso phambi kukaDavide, wakhothamela phansi. Wawa ngasezinyaweni zakhe, wathi: “Lobo bubi mabube phezu kwami, nkosi; incekukazi yakho mayikhulume ezindlebeni zakho, uzwe amazwi encekukazi yakho. Inkosi yami mayinganakekeli lowo muntu omubi uNabali, ngokuba unjengegama lakhe, unjalo yena; nguNabali* igama lakhe, nobuwula bukuye; kepha mina ncekukazi yakho angizibonanga izinsizwa zenkosi yami owazithumayo.
“Ngalokho, nkosi, kuphila kukaJehova nokuphila komphefumulo wakho, njengokuba uJehova ekuvimbele ukungena ecaleni legazi nokuzisindisa ngesandla sakho, ngalokho-ke mazibe njengoNabali izitha zakho nabayifunela inkosi yami ububi. Manje-ke, lesi sipho esilethwa yincekukazi yakho enkosini yami, masinikwe izinsizwa ezilandela inkosi yami. Ake uthethelele icala lencekukazi yakho, ngokuba uJehova uyakuyenzela nokuyenzela inkosi yami indlu eqinileyo impela, lokhu inkosi yami ilwa izimpi zikaJehova; ububi abuyikufunyanwa kuwe zonke izinsuku zakho. Noma kusukuma umuntu ukukuxosha nokufuna ukuphila kwakho, umphefumulo wenkosi yami uyakube uboshiwe emshuqulwini wabaphilayo kuJehova uNkulunkulu wakho; imiphefumulo yezitha zakho uyakuyijikijela kungathi iphakathi kwendwayimana. Kuyakuthi lapho uJehova esekwenzile enkosini yami njengakho konke okuhle akukhulumileyo ngawe, akubeke ube ngumbusi kwa-Israyeli, akuyikuba yisikhubekiso kuwe, kungabi nesanya enhliziyweni yenkosi yami ukuthi uchithile igazi ngeze nokuthi inkosi yami izisindisile; kepha lapho uJehova eseyenzele inkosi yami okuhle, khumbula incekukazi yakho.”
UDavide wayesethi ku-Abigayili: “Makabusiswe uJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli okuthume namuhla ukungihlangabeza. Futhi makubusiswe ukuhlakanipha kwakho, ubusiswe nawe ongivimbele namuhla ukungena ecaleni legazi nokuzisindisa ngesandla sami. Ngokuba impela, kuphila kukaJehova uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli ongivimbele ukuze ngingakulimazi, uma ungasheshanga ukuza ukuba ungihlangabeze, impela nga kungasalanga kuNabali ngasekuseni kusasa nokukodwa okungokwesilisa.”
UDavide wayesamukela esandleni sakhe lokho amlethele khona; wathi kuye: “Khuphukela endlini yakho ngokuthula; bheka, ngililalele izwi lakho, ngibuvumile ubuso bakho.”
U-Abigayili wafika kuNabali; bheka, wayenedili endlini yakhe, linjengedili lenkosi; inhliziyo kaNabali yayithokoza phakathi kwakhe, ngokuba wayephuze kakhulu; ngalokho akamtshelanga lutho oluncane nolukhulu kwaze kwaba sekuseni. Kwathi ekuseni, lapho iwayini seliphumile kuNabali, umkakhe wamtshela lezo zinto, inhliziyo yakhe yafa phakathi kwakhe, waba njengetshe. Kwathi emva kwezinsuku eziyishumi uJehova wamshaya uNabali, wafa.
UDavide esezwile ukuthi uNabali ufile, wathi: “Makabusiswe uJehova omele indaba yehlazo lami esandleni sikaNabali, ovimbele inceku yakhe ebubini, wabuyisela ububi bukaNabali ekhanda lakhe.” UDavide wathumela wakhuluma ku-Abigayili ukuba amthathe abe ngumkakhe. Izinceku zikaDavide sezifikile ku-Abigayili eKarmeli, zakhuluma kuye, zathi: “UDavide usithumile kuwe ukuba akuthathe, ube ngumkakhe.”
Wasukuma, wakhothama, ubuso bakhe bubheke phansi, wathi: “Bheka, incekukazi yakho mayibe yisigqilakazi sokugeza izinyawo zezinceku zenkosi yami.” U-Abigayili washesha wasuka, wakhwela imbongolo kanye nezintombi zakhe ezazihamba naye; wazilandela izithunywa zikaDavide, waba ngumkakhe. UDavide wathatha no-Ahinohama waseJizreyeli; baba ngomkakhe bobabili. Kepha uSawule wayesemnike uPaliti indodana kaLayishi waseGalimi uMikhali indodakazi yakhe.