1 Laxubayela, amabutho amaFilistiya aqokelelana eSoko, idolophu eyayikwaJuda. Ikampu yawo ayimisa kwindawo ekuthiwa yiEfese-damin, phakathi kweSoko neAzeka.
2 USawule namajoni amaSirayeli aya kudibanela entlanjeni ekuthiwa yeyom-oki, ayimisa apho eyawo ikampu, ema ngokwezintlu zawo, alungela idabi namaFilistiya.
3 AmaFilistiya ema endulini, amaSirayeli ema kwenye, kukho intlambo phakathi kwemikhosi yawo.
4 Kwavela umfo othile oyintshatsheli ogama linguGoliyati, wedolophu yaseGati, esuka kwikampu yamaFilistiya. Wayephantse ukuba ziimitha ezintathu ubude,
5 egaxele isikhuselo esenziwe ngobhedu, esasimalunga namashumi amahlanu eekhilogram ubunzima, ethwele umnqwazi wobhedu.
6 Imilenze nayo yayikwakhuselwe ngobhedu, exwaye intshuntshe yobhedu.
7 Umkhonto wawungangesibonda, ubutsolo bawo obenziwe ngentsimbi bumalunga nesixhenxe seekhilogram ubunzima. Wayenomfo othwala ikhaka lakhe ehamba ngaphambi kwakhe.
8 UGoliyati wema bhuxe, wakhwaza ebhekisa kwizintlu zamaSirayeli, wathi: “Wa, zicakandini zikaSawule, nenzani apho? Makuliwe! NdingumFilistiya mna; mayiphume ngapha ibe nye, sigagane.
9 Ukuba indoyisile yandibulala, soba zizicaka zenu thina. Xa indim owoyisileyo, nina noba zizicaka zethu.
10 Ndim lo, ndinibeka ehlazweni, maSirayeli. Khuphani indoda ibe nye, sihlangane!”
11 Boyika, bagubha ooSawule namadoda omkhosi wakhe, bakuyiva into ethethwa nguloo mFilistiya.
12 UDavide wayengunyana kaJese umEfrata waseBhetelehem kwaJuda. UJese wayenoonyana abasibhozo. Wayeselemdala kakhulu ngexesha ekwakulawula uSawule.
13 Oonyana bakhe abakhulu abathathu baya emfazweni kunye nomkhosi kaSawule. Omkhulu yayinguEliyabhi, kuze uAbhinadabhi, kulandele uShama.
14 UDavide yena wayenguntondo. Lo gama abakhuluwa bakhe babenoSawule,
15 yena uDavide wayedla ngokuthi ekwaSawule abe emana egoduka aye eBhetelehem, esiya kwalusa iigusha zikayise.
16 Yaba ngamashumi amane eentsuku uGoliyati mihla le ecela umngeni kumaSirayeli kusasa nangokuhlwa.
17 UJese wathuma unyana wakhe uDavide, wathi: “Hamba nale ngqolowa igcadiweyo, ishumi leekhilogram, neli shumi lezonka, ukhawuleze uzise kubantakwenu emkhosini,
18 uphathele umphathi-butho nala maqebengwana alishumi etshizi, usivele ukuba basaphila na abantakwenu. Uze ube nento oza nayo, eyoba bubungqina bokuba basaphila.
19 Ukumkani Sawule nabantakwenu, kunye nomkhosi wonke wamaSirayeli, nabaya kulaa ntili yom-oki, besilwa namaFilistiya.”
20 Wavuka ekuseni uDavide ngengomso, wayishiya nomnye umalusi impahla. Waya kulanda ukutya awayekuthunyiwe nguJese uyise, wanduluka. Ufike ekampini yomkhosi xa kanye amaSirayeli alungiselela idabi, ehlaba intlaba-mkhosi yawo.
21 AmaSirayeli namaFilistiya amisa izintlu, agolozelana.
22 Oko kutya wayekuphethe uDavide wakushiya kumgcini-mithwalo, wagqotsa ukuya apho kuza kuliwa khona. Akufika wabulisa abantakwabo.
23 Esathetha nabo njalo, wavakala umFilistiya uGoliyati intshatsheli yaseGati, ephinda esezolo, ewahlazisa amaSirayeli. Wayiva loo nto ke uDavide.
24 Ahlehla amaSirayeli akubona uGoliyati, agubha luloyiko.
25 AmaSirayeli avakala esithi: “Yoo! Nimbonile laa mfo? Niyivile into ayithethayo? Akasidelanga na? Ukumkani uSawule uthe indoda embuleleyo uya kuyinika omkhulu wona umvuzo. Nangaphezu koko uya kumtshatisa nentombi kakumkani, ungàrhafiswa nomzi kayise.”
26 UDavide wabuzisa kumadoda awayemi ngakuye, wathi: “Nithi uya kwenzelwa ntoni umntu obulele laa mFilistiya, awakhuphe kweli hlazo amaSirayeli? Ingubani kakade yona laa ntlanga ingalukanga yomFilistiya idela umkhosi kaThixo ophilayo?”
27 Bamxelela yonke into eya kwenzelwa umntu onokuthi abulale uGoliyati.
28 Umkhuluwa kaDavide uEliyabhi wamvela uDavide ethetha naloo madoda. Wacaphuka, wathi kuDavide: “Uzokwenza ntoni apha, kwedini? Laluswa ngubani na elaa gcuntswana leegusha entlango ulapha nje? Ntondini inekratshi ikhohlakeleyo, uzele nje ukuza kubukela idabi wena!”
29 “Kowu! Sendenze ntoni ngoku? Uthetha ukuba andinakuba sabuza nokubuza oku?” kutsho uDavide.
30 Watsho eguqukela komnye umfo, ebuza kwaloo mbuzo mnye. Ufumene kwaloo mpendulo ikwafanayo.
31 Yeviwa intetho kaDavide, yasiwa kuSawule. Yena wathi makabizwe uDavide.
32 Wafika wathi uDavide kuSawule: “Mhlekazi, makungabikho bani unkwantyayo ngenxa yalaa mFilistiya! Mna mkhonzi wakho ndiza kuya kulwa naye.”
33 Waphendula uSawule wathi: “Ayingangawe into yokuya kulwa nalaa mFilistiya. Ùselula, kanti yena uqhelene nokulwa kwasebutsheni bakhe.”
34 “Mhlekazi,” kutsho uDavide, “ndim owalusa iigusha zikabawo. Xa kuthe kwakho ingonyama okanye ibhere exhwila itakane emhlambini,
35 kusuka mna ndiyilandele ndiyihlasele, ndilihlangule elo takane. Xa ithe loo ngonyama okanye loo bhere yajika yalwa nam, ndisuka ndiyithi nqaku ngoqhoqhoqho, ndiyibethe ife.
36 Ndiqhele ukubulala oozingonyama noomabhere; nale ntlanga ingolukanga yomFilistiya idela umkhosi *kaNdikhoyo ndiza kuyibulala.
37 UNdikhoyo owandisindisayo koozingonyama noomabhere nangoku uza kundisindisa kulo mFilistiya.”“Kulungile ke, yiya, mfo wam; ubenga uNdikhoyo anganawe,” watsho uSawule.
38 Watsho enika uDavide ezakhe izikhuselo, wamthwesa umnqwazi wobhedu, wamfaka nesikhuselo somzimba.
39 UDavide waxwaya ikrele likaSawule, waza wanga angahamba, suka akaba nako, kuba wayengaziqhelanga ezi zixhobo. Ubhekise kuSawule wathi: “Andikwazi ukuhamba ndinxibe ezi zinto; kaloku andiziqhelanga.” Watsho wazikhulula zonke.
40 Wathatha intonga yakhe, wachola amatye ampuluswa amahlanu apho entlanjeni, wawafaka engxoweni yakhe yokwalusa. Warhola *inkwitshi yakhe, wahamba ukuya kugagana nomFilistiya lowo.
41 Yena umFilistiya wanyantsula esondela ngakuDavide, umphathi-khaka wakhe ehamba ngaphambi kwakhe.
42 UmFilistiya akumbona uDavide wamdela, kuba kaloku uDavide wayeselula, eyinzwana, ebusweni ekhangeleka esegazini.
43 Uvakele esithi kuDavide: “Uza kwenzani ngezo ntonga? Uba ndiyinja?” Watsho etyibela uDavide ngeziqalekiso *zoothixo bakhe.
44 “Sondela, loo mzinjana wakho ndiwuphose kumaxhalanga namarhamncwa,” waqokela watsho.
45 Uthe yena uDavide kumFilistiya lowo: “Uza kum uphethe ikrele, umkhonto, nentshuntshe, wena; kodwa mna ndiza kuwe egameni likaNdikhoyo onamandla onke, uThixo womkhosi wakwaSirayeli, lo wena uwudelileyo.
46 Namhla oku uNdikhoyo uza kukunikela kum. Ndiza kukuwisa, ndikunqumle intloko. Izidumbu zomkhosi wamaFilistiya zona ndoziphosa kumaxhalanga namarhamncwa, lonke elimiweyo likwazi ukuba uSirayeli unoThixo.
47 Sonke esi sihlwele esihlangene apha soqonda ukuba uNdikhoyo akadingi makrele namikhonto ukusindisa abantu bakhe. Nguye olilawulayo idabi, yaye nonke uza kuninikela ezandleni zethu.”
48 Waya esondela kuDavide umFilistiya lowo, ezimisele ukumhlasela, waza uDavide wasukela ukumhlangabeza ekulweni.
49 Wafaka isandla engxoweni yakhe, warhola ilitye lalinye, wajolisa ngenkwitshi kuGoliyati. Wamchana ebunzi, latsho latshona ilitye. Waya kuwa ngobuso emhlabeni uGoliyati.
50 Waba ke uDavide uyamongamela uGoliyati, wamoyisa engaphethe krele, wambulala ngenkwitshi nelitye!
51 Wasukela waya kutsho phezu kukaGoliyati. Wafika walithi rhutyu esingxotyeni salo ikrele likaGoliyati, wamnqumla intloko ngalo, emgqibezela.Acela kwabasicatyana amaFilistiya, akubona ukuwa kwegorha lawo.
52 Amadoda akwaSirayeli nawakwaJuda wona ahlaba umkhosi, awasukela amaFilistiya, ada aya kutsho ekungeneni eGati nasemasangweni e-Ekron. Kwakuthe waca ngamaFilistiya aziingxwelerha konke endleleni eya eSharayim kuse eGati nase-Ekron.
53 Ukubuya kwawo ekusukeleni amaFilistiya, amaSirayeli aya kuthatha amaxhoba kwikampu yomkhosi wamaFilistiya.
54 UDavide yena wathatha intloko kaGoliyati, waya nayo eJerusalem, zona izikrweqe zikaGoliyati wazigcina ententeni yakhe.
55 USawule akubona uDavide esiya kulwa noGoliyati wabuza kuAbhinere umphathi-mkhosi, wathi: “Yinto kabani laa ntwana?”UAbhinere wathi: “Mhlekazi, inene, andinalwazi konke.”
56 Wathi uSawule: “Hamba ubuzisa kaloku, siqonde ukuba ungunyana kabani laa mfana.”
57 Uthe ke akubuyela ekampini uDavide, emva kokuba ebulele uGoliyati, uAbhinere wamsa kuSawule. Wayesaphethe loo ntloko kaGoliyati uDavide.
58 USawule wambuza wathi: “Uyinto kabani, mfo wam?”Wathi uDavide: “Ndingunyana wesicaka sakho uJese waseBhetelehem.”