AmaFilisti ahlanganisa amabutho awo ukuba ayokulwa; abuthana eSoko kwaJuda, akanisa phakathi kweSoko ne-Azekha, e-Efesi Damimi. USawule no-Israyeli babuthana, bakanisa esigodini i-Ela, impi bayihlela ngezigaba zayo ukuze ibhekane neyamaFilisti. AmaFilisti ayemi kwenye intaba, no-Israyeli emi kwenye, kukhona isigodi phakathi kwabo.
Kwaphuma enkanjini yamaFilisti iqhawe elikhulu, igama lalo kunguGoliyathi waseGathi. Ubude bakhe babungamakhubhithi ayisithupha nesandla. Wayefake isigqokosivikeli sethusi ekhanda, egqoke ibhantshi lensimbi. Isisindo sebhantshi sasingamashekeli ethusi ayizi-5 000. Wayenezivikelo zethusi emilenzeni, nengcula yethusi phakathi kwamahlombe. Uthi lomkhonto wakhe lwalunjengogongolo lomaluki; isihloko somkhonto sasingamashekeli ensimbi angama-600. Phambi kwakhe kwakuhamba ophethe isihlangu.
Wema, wamemeza ezinhleni zakwa-Israyeli, wathi: “Niphumeleni na? Niphumele ukuhlela impi? Mina ngingumFilisti nina niyizinceku zikaSawule. Ziqokeleni umuntu, ehle eze kimi. Uma enamandla okulwa nami, angibulale, siyakuba yizigqila zenu, kodwa uma ngimehlula, ngimbulale, niyakuba yizigqila zethu, nisikhonze.”
UmFilisti wathi: “Ngiyazedelela namuhla izinhla zakwa-Israyeli; nginikeni umuntu, silwe naye.”
Lapho uSawule naye wonke u-Israyeli bezwa lawo mazwi omFilisti, bashaywa luvalo, besaba kakhulu.
UDavide wayeyindodana yomEfrathi waseBhethlehema Juda, ogama lakhe kunguJese. UJese wayenamadodana ayisishiyagalombili; wayesengumuntu omdala ngesikhathi sikaSawule. Amadodana kaJese amathathu, u-Eliyabe izibulo, u-Abhinadaba, noShama aphuma alandela uSawule aya empini. UDavide wayengomncane wamadodana amathathu amadala ayelandele uSawule. UDavide wasuka kuSawule, wabuyela ekwaluseni izimvu zikayise eBhethlehema.
Njalo ekuseni nakusihlwa umFilisti wayephuma, ame, kwaze kwaba yizinsuku ezingama-40.
UJese wathi kuDavide, indodana yakhe: “Ake uthathele abafowenu i-efa lotshwele nalezi zinkwa ezilishumi, uphuthume ubahambisele enkanjini yabo. Uphathele induna yenkulungwane lawa makhekheba kashizi. Ubheke ukuthi basaphila kahle yini abafowenu, ungibuyele nobufakazi.”
USawule nabo bonke abakwa-Israyeli babesesigodini i-Ela, belwa namaFilisti.
UDavide wavuka ekuseni ngovivi, washiya izimvu kumlindi, wathatha ayekuthunyiwe, wangena indlela, njengalokhu uJese emyalile. Wafika enqabeni ngesikhathi impi iphuma ukuyozihlela, kusakhuzwa iziqubulo. U-Israyeli namaFilisti bayihlela impi yabo ukuze batholane phezulu. UDavide wayishiya impahla yakhe kumlindi wempahla, wagijimela empini, wabingelela abafowabo wababuza impilo. Kepha esakhuluma nabo; bheka, kwenyuka isikhondlakhondla somFilisti waseGathi, uGoliyathi igama laso, saphuma ezinhleni zamaFilisti, saphinda wona lawo mazwi; uDavide wawezwa. Bonke abantu bakwa-Israyeli kwathi ukuba bambone lowo muntu babaleka, ngoba babesaba kakhulu. Bonke abantu bakwa-Israyeli bathi: “Nimbonile lowo muntu owenyukile na? Ngokuba wenyukele ukweyisa 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: “Uyokwenzelwani umuntu oyobulala lowo mFilisti, asuse ihlazo kwa-Israyeli na? Ungubani nje lowo mFilisti ongasokile ukuba ayeyise kanje impi kaNkulunkulu ophilayo?”
Abantu bamphendula bamtshela lona lelo lizwi, bathi: “Kuyakwenziwa kanjalo-ke kumuntu oyakumbulala.”
U-Eliyabe, umfowabo omdala, wezwa lapho ekhuluma kubantu; intukuthelo ka-Eliyabe yamvuthela uDavide, wathi: “Wehleleni na? Uzishiye nobani leziya zimvu ezingengakanani ehlane? Ngiyakwazi ukuziphakamisa kwakho nobubi benhliziyo yakho, wehlile ukuba uzobona impi.”
Kepha uDavide wathi: “Ngenzeni na? Bengizibuzela nje.”
Wamfulathela, wabheka ngakomunye, wakhuluma lona lelo lizwi; abantu bamphendula njengakuqala. Esezwakele amazwi akhulunywe nguDavide, abikwa kuSawule, wayesembiza.
UDavide wayesethi kuSawule: “Izinhliziyo zabantu mazingadangaliswa yilowo muntu. Inceku yakho izohamba ilwe nalowo mFilisti.”
USawule wathi kuDavide: “Awunawo amandla okuphuma uyolwa nalowo mFilisti, ngokuba wena usengumfana nje; yena uyindoda yempi kusukela ebusheni bakhe.”
UDavide wathi kuSawule: “Inceku yakho yayaluse izimvu zikayise lapho kufika ingonyama nebhere kuthatha imvu emhlambini. Ngaphuma ngakulandela, ngakubulala, ngayihlenga imvu emlonyeni wakho. Kuthe lapho kungivukela ngakubamba ngedevu ngakushaya phansi, ngakubulala. Inceku yakho yehlula ingonyama nebhele, nalo mFilisti ongasokile uyakuba njengenye yalokho, ngokuba weyise impi kaNkulunkulu ophilayo.”
UDavide wathi: “USimakade owangophula ozisheni lwengonyama nasozisheni lwebhele, uzakungisindisa nasesandleni salo mFilisti.”
USawule wathi kuDavide: “Hamba, uSimakade uzokuba nawe.”
USawule wamgqokisa uDavide izingubo zakhe zempi, wamethwesa isigqoko sethusi ekhanda, wamembathisa nebhantshi lensimbi. Wambhincisa uDavide inkemba yakhe phezu kwezingubo ayemgqokise zona, wazama ukuhamba ngokuba wayengazejwayele. UDavide wathi kuSawule: “Angikwazi ukuhamba nalezi zinto; angikazejwayeli.”
UDavide wayesezikhumula. Wathatha induku yakhe wayiphatha ngesandla, wazikhethela amatshe ayisihlanu abushelelezi emfundlaneni, wawafaka esikhwameni somelusi, waphatha nendwayimane yakhe ngesandla. Wasondela kumFilisti.
Weza umFilisti, wafika wasondela kuDavide; umuntu owayephethe isihlangu wayehamba phambi kwakhe. UmFilisti wabuka, wambona uDavide, wameyisa, ngokuba wayengumfana nje, ebomvana, ebukeka. UmFilisti wathi kuDavide: “Ngiyinja yini ukuba uze kimi uphethe izinduku na?”
UmFilisti wamthuka uDavide ngonkulunkulu bakhe. UmFilisti wathi kuDavide: “Woza kimi, nginike izinyoni zezulu nezilwane zasendle inyama yakho.”
UDavide wayesethi kumFilisti: “Wena uza kimi nenkemba, umkhonto nengcula, kodwa mina ngiza kuwe ngegama likaSimakade Wamabandla, uNkulunkulu wempi ka-Israyeli oyeyisileyo. Namuhla uSimakade uzokunikela esandleni sami. Ngizokubulala, ngikunqume ikhanda. Khona namuhla izidumbu zempi yamaFilisti ngizozinika izinyoni zezulu nezilwane zomhlaba, ukuze umhlaba wazi ukuthi ukhona uNkulunkulu kwa-Israyeli. Yonke le nhlangano iyokwazi ukuthi uSimakade akasindisi ngenkemba nangomkhonto, ngokuba impi ingekaSimakade; uyakuninikela esandleni sethu.”
Kwathi lapho esuka umFilisti weza wasondela ukuyohlangabezana noDavide, uDavide washesha wagijimela ngasempini ukuyohlangana nomFilisti. UDavide wafaka isandla sakhe esikhwameni sakhe, wakhipha khona itshe, walidwiza, wamshaya umFilisti ebunzini, itshe lashona ebunzini, wawela phansi ngobuso.
UDavide wamehlula 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, acela empunzini.
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