1 Samuweli 17:1-58

AmaFilisti abutha izimpi zawo ukuba alwe, abuthana eSogo lakwaJuda, amisa phakathi kweSogo ne-Azeka e-Efesu-Damimi. USawuli lamadoda akoIsrayeli basebebuthana bamisa inkamba esigodini seEla, bahlela impi ukumelana lamaFilisti. AmaFilisti ayemi ngalapha kwentaba, u-Israyeli emi ngakolunye uhlangothi lwentaba, kukhona isigodi phakathi kwawo. Kwaphuma iqhawe ekamu lamaFilisti, igama likaGoliyati waseGati, obude bakhe buyizingalo eziyisithupha nobubanzi besandla. Wayenesigqoko sethusi ekhanda lakhe, ebhince isihlangu sesifuba; isisindo sengubo sasingamashekeli ayizinkulungwane eziyisihlanu ethusi. Wayenezitsha zethusi emilenzeni yakhe nesinqe sethusi phakathi kwamahlombe akhe. Udondolo lomkhonto wakhe lwalunjengogongolo lomaluki; ikhanda lomkhonto wakhe lalingamashekeli angamakhulu ayisithupha ensimbi, nophethe isihlangu waphuma phambi kwakhe. Wema, wabiza amabutho akoIsrayeli, wathi kuwo: Liphumeleni ukulungisa impi yenu? Angisiye umFilisti nezinceku zikaSawule na? zikhetheleni indoda, yehle ize kimi. Uma enamandla okulwa nami, angibulale, siyakuba yizinceku zenu; kepha uma ngiyinqoba, ngiyibulala, niyakuba yizigqila zethu, nisikhonze. UmFilisti wathi: “Ngiyadelela namuhla impi yakwa-Israyeli; nginike indoda, silwe sobabili. Lapho uSawule naye wonke u-Israyeli bezwa lawa mazwi omFilisti, bethuka, besaba kakhulu. UDavide wayeyindodana yalowo mEfrata waseBetlehema Juda ogama lakhe lalinguJese; wayenamadodana ayisishiyagalombili; lowo muntu wayesemdala ezinsukwini zikaSawule phakathi kwabantu. Amadodana amathathu amakhulu kaJese amlandela uSawule ukuya empini; amagama amadodana akhe amathathu aphuma impi ayengu-Eliyabe izibulo, no-Abinadaba wesithathu, noShama. UDavide wayengomncinyane, namadoda amadala amathathu amlandela uSawule. Kodwa uDavida wahamba wabuya kuSawuli ukuyakwelusa izimvu zikayise eBhethelehema. UmFilisti wayesesondela ekuseni nakusihlwa, wamhambela izinsuku ezingamashumi amane. UJese wathi kuDavide indodana yakhe: “Thatha abafowenu i-efa likakolweni othosiwe nalezi zinkwa eziyishumi, ugijimele ekamu kubafowenu; Ulethe lawa mashizi ayishumi enduneni yenkulungwane yabo, ubone ukuthi kuhamba kanjani kubafowenu, uthathe isibambiso kubo. USawuli, labo kanye lawo wonke amadoda akoIsrayeli babesesigodini seEla, balwa lamaFilisti. UDavide wavuka ekuseni kakhulu, washiya izimvu kumalusi, wazithatha, wahamba, njengalokho emyalile uJese; wafika emseleni lapho impi iphuma impi, yakhala impi. U-Israyeli namaFilisti bamisa impi, impi ibhekene nempi; UDavide wayishiya inqola yakhe esandleni sabalindi, wagijimela ebuthweni, wafika wabingelela abafowabo. Esakhuluma nabo, bheka, kwenyuka iqhawe, umFilisti waseGati, ogama lakhe linguGoliyati, liphuma emabuthweni amaFilisti, lakhuluma wona lawo mazwi, uDavide wawezwa. Lapho wonke amadoda akwa-Israyeli eyibona le ndoda, abaleka phambi kwayo futhi esaba kakhulu. Athi amadoda akwa-Israyeli: “Nimbonile lowo muntu owenyukile na?” wakhuphuka ukudelela u-Israyeli; umuntu oyombulala, inkosi iyakumcebisa ingcebo eningi, imnike indodakazi yakhe, ikhulule indlu kayise kwa-Israyeli. UDavide wakhuluma kubantu ababemi ngakuye, wathi: “Kwenziwani kumuntu obulala lo mFilisti, asuse ihlazo lika-Israyeli na? Ngokuba ungubani lo mFilisti ongasokile ukuba edelele imiyalo kaNkulunkulu ophilayo na? Abantu bamphendula kanje, bathi: “Kuyakwenziwa ngomuntu ombulalayo.” U-Eliyabe umfowabo omkhulu wezwa lapho ekhuluma namadoda; intukuthelo ka-Eliyabe yamvuthela uDavide, wathi: “Uzeleni lapha na? Uzishiye nobani lezo zimvu ezimbalwa ehlane? Mina ngiyakwazi ukuzikhukhumeza kwakho lenkani yenhliziyo yakho; ngoba nehlele ukubona impi. UDavida wasesithi: Ngenzeni khathesi? Ingabe asikho isizathu? Wasemfulathela waya komunye, wakhuluma ngokunjalo; Lapho amazwi kaDavide ezwakala, azwakala phambi kukaSawule, wathumela ukuba abizwe. UDavide wayesethi kuSawule: “Makungaphelelwa nhliziyo yamuntu ngenxa yakhe; inceku yakho iyakuhamba, ilwe nalo mFilisti. USawule wayesethi kuDavide: “Awunakwenyuka ukulwa nalo mFilisti, ngokuba wena uyinsizwa, kepha yena uyindoda yempi kwasebusheni bakhe. UDavide wayesethi kuSawule: “Inceku yakho yayiluse izimvu zikayise, kwafika ingonyama nebhere, zathatha imvu emhlambini; Ngaphuma ngiyilandela, ngayishaya, ngayisindisa emlonyeni wayo; lapho ingivukela, ngayibamba ngentshebe ngayishaya ngayibulala. Inceku yakho ibulele kokubili ingonyama nebhere, futhi lo mFilisti ongasokile uyakuba njengenye yazo, ngoba udelele amabutho kaNkulunkulu ophilayo. Futhi uDavide wathi: “UJehova owangisindisa esandleni sengonyama nasoshawini lwebhere, nguyena oyangisindisa esandleni salo mFilisti. USawuli wasesithi kuDavida: Hamba, njalo uJehova uzakuba lawe. USawule wagqokisa uDavide izikhali zakhe, wafaka isigqoko sethusi ekhanda lakhe; wabuye wahloma ngesikhali. UDavide wabhinca inkemba yakhe empahleni yakhe, wazama ukuhamba; ngoba akazange akufakazele. UDavide wayesethi kuSawule: “Anginakuhamba nawo; ngoba kangibalinganga. UDavide wawasusa kuye. Waphatha udondolo lwakhe esandleni sakhe, wazikhethela amatshe ayisihlanu abushelezi emfudlaneni, wawafaka esikhwameni esikhwameni somalusi ayenaso; indwayimane yakhe yayisesandleni sakhe, wasondela kumFilisti. UmFilisti wasesiza, wasondela kuDavida; indoda ephethe isihlangu yaphuma phambi kwakhe. UmFilisti waqalaza, wabona uDavide, wameyisa, ngokuba engumfana ebomvana, emuhle ebusweni. UmFilisti wasesithi kuDavida: Ngiyinja yini ukuthi uze kimi uphethe izinduku? UmFilisti wamthuka uDavide ngonkulunkulu bakhe. UmFilisti wathi kuDavide: “Woza kimi, nginike izinyoni zezulu nezilwane zasendle inyama yakho.” UDavide wayesethi kumFilisti: “Wena uza kimi nenkemba, nomkhonto, nesihlangu; kepha mina ngiza kuwe egameni likaJehova Sebawoti, uNkulunkulu Sebawoti ka-Israyeli. Namuhla uJehova uyakukunikela esandleni sami; ngiyakukwehlula, ngisuse ikhanda lakho kuwe; ngiyakuzinika namuhla izinyoni zezulu nezilwane zomhlaba izidumbu zebutho lamaFilisti; ukuze umhlaba wonke wazi ukuthi kukhona uNkulunkulu kwa-Israyeli. Lonke leli bandla liyakwazi ukuthi uJehova akophuli ngenkemba nangomkhonto; ngokuba impi ingekaJehova, uyakuninikela esandleni sethu. Kwathi umFilisti eseqedile ukuhlangana loDavida, uDavida waphangisa wagijimela empini ukumhlangabeza umFilisti. UDavide wafaka isandla sakhe ekhukhwini lakhe, wakhipha itshe khona, walijikijela, wamshaya umFilisti ebunzini, itshe lashona ebunzini lakhe; wawa ngobuso emhlabathini. UDavide wamnqoba umFilisti ngendwayimana nangetshe, wamshaya umFilisti, wambulala; kodwa kwakungekho nkemba esandleni sikaDavide. Ngakho uDavida wagijima wema eduze lomFilisti, wathatha inkemba yakhe, wayihotsha emgodleni wayo, wambulala, wamquma ikhanda ngayo. Lapho amaFilisti ebona ukuthi iqhawe lawo lifile, abaleka. Amadoda akwa-Israyeli noJuda azilungisa, amemeza, awaxosha amaFilisti, kwaze kwaba sesigodini nasemasangweni ase-Ekroni. Abalimeleyo bamaFilisti bawa endleleni eya eSaharayimi, kuze kufike eGati nase-Ekroni. Abantwana bakwa-Israyeli babuya ekuxosheni amaFilisti, baphanga amatende awo. UDavide walithatha ikhanda lomFilisti, waliyisa eJerusalema; kepha izikhali zakhe wazibeka etendeni lakhe. Lapho uSawule ebona uDavide ephuma ukuhlangabezana nomFilisti, wathi ku-Abineri induna yempi: “Abineri, iyindodana kabani le nsizwa na? U-Abineri wayesethi: “Kuphila komphefumulo wakho, nkosi, angikwazi ukusho. Inkosi yasisithi: Uyabuza ukuthi indodana kabani? UDavide esebuyile ekubulaleni umFilisti, u-Abineri wamthatha, wamyisa phambi kukaSawule, enekhanda lomFilisti esandleni sakhe. USawuli wasesithi kuye: Uyindodana kabani, nsizwa? UDavide wathi: “Ngiyindodana yenceku yakho uJese waseBetlehema.”