1 Bayigqiba incoko yabo ooSawule noDavide. Intliziyo yonyana kaSawule, uJonatan, yaphakelana kanobom nekaDavide, wamthanda ngale ndlela azithanda ngayo yena.
2 Kususela loo mini uSawule akazange amvumele agoduke uDavide.
3 UJonatan wanqophisana noDavide, kuba wayemthanda ngale ndlela awazithanda ngayo yena.
4 Wakhulula umnweba awayewambethe uJonatan, wawunika uDavide, kunye nesinxibo sakhe sobujoni, nekrele lakhe, nesaphetha, nebhanti yakhe.
5 UDavide wayephumelela kuyo yonke imicimbi athunywa yona nguSawule, waza ke uSawule wamnyusela wamenza umphathi emkhosini wakhe. Eso senzo sabakholisa bonke abantu kunye namagosa omkhosi kaSawule.
6 Ukubuya kukaDavide kunye nomkhosi emfazweni, emva kokuba wayebulele uGoliyati, baphuma bonke abafazi beedolophu zakwaSirayeli, beze kuhlangabeza ukumkani uSawule. Babesombela, bengqungqa, bebetha iintambula neekatala.
7 Babevuma bengqungqa besithi:“Wabulal' amawaka uSawule;yen' uDavide uwise amawaka ngamawaka alishumi.”
8 USawule akazange ayithande loo nto, wacaphuka gqitha. Wavakala esithi: “UDavide bambalela amashumi ngamashumi amawaka, kodwa mna bandibalela amawaka ngamawaka nje. Selibubukumkani nje into angekabi nayo!”
9 Waba nomona ke uSawule, wasoloko embeke esweni uDavide ukususela loo mini.
10 Ngengomso uSawule waphathwa ngumoya okhohlakeleyo ovunyelwe nguThixo, wamtsho waliphambana kuloo ndlu yakhe. Wayebetha uhadi uDavide ngokwesiqhelo, uSawule yena ephethe umkhonto.
11 “Ndingambethelela koluya ludonga ngalo mkhonto lo Davide,” uzitsholo uSawule. Waba selemjula uDavide ngawo, kodwa yena wawuphepha zozibini izihlandlo uDavide.
12 USawule wamoyika uDavide, kuba *uNdikhoyo wayenaye, emfulathele uSawule.
13 USawule wamshenxisa uDavide kuye, wamenza umphathi wewaka lamadoda omkhosi. Wayewakhokela emadabini loo madoda,
14 aphumelele uDavide kuyo yonke imisebenzi ayiphathayo, kuba kaloku uNdikhoyo wayenaye.
15 USawule wamoyika ngakumbi ke uDavide akubona impumelelo yakhe.
16 Wonke ubani kwaSirayeli nakwaJuda wayemthanda uDavide, kuba wayeyinkokheli emadabini.
17 USawule wabiza uDavide, wathi kuye: “Nanku uMerabhi, intombi yam enkulu. Ndiya kumendisela kuwe. Wena ke uzundikhonze ngobugorha, ulwe amadabi *kaNdikhoyo.” USawule wayesithi: “Andizukumsa sandla mna ngokwam; mayibe ngamaFilistiya.”
18 UDavide waphendula wathi: “Bendingubani na mna, nabakowethu bayintoni na bona, nditsho kwaumzi kabawo uyintoni na kwaSirayeli, khon' ukuze ndibe ngumkhwenyana kakumkani?”
19 Kodwa lathi lakufika ixesha lokwendela kukaMerabhi kuDavide, suka wendiselwa komnye umfo owayegama linguAdriyeli waseMehola.
20 UMikali, enye intombi kaSawule, wamthanda uDavide, waza noSawule wathakazela akuyiva loo nto.
21 Wacamanga wathi: “Heke! UMikali ndiza kumendisela kuDavide. Ndiza kumbambisa ngaye uDavide lo, aze abulawe ngamaFilistiya.” Ke uSawule wathi kuDavide: “Nali ithuba lakho lesibini lokuba ngumkhwenyana wam.”
22 Wathuma amaphakathi akhe uSawule, esithi: “Thethani noDavide bucala, nithi: ‘Ukumkani ukholisekile nguwe, yaye onke amagosa kakumkani ayakuthanda. Ngoko ke yiba ngumkhwenyana kakumkani.’ ”
23 Amaphakathi ke awathetha loo mazwi kuDavide. Yena wenjenje ukuphendula: “Nicinga ukuba kuyinto elula na ukuba ngumkhwenyana kakumkani? Kaloku mna ndilihlwempu elingaziwayo.”
24 Amaphakathi kaSawule aya kumxelela okwathethwa nguDavide.
25 USawule wathi: “Yitshoni kuDavide ukuthi: ‘Kuphela kwakhazi alifunayo kuwe ukumkani ngamajwabu amaFilistiya alikhulu awe edabini. Ufuna ukuziphindezela ngolo hlobo kwiintshaba zakhe.’ ” Kaloku yayilicebo likaSawule lokubulala uDavide ngesandla samaFilistiya.
26 Ayixela le nto amaphakathi kaSawule kuDavide, yalunga loo nto kuye ukuba abe ngumkhwenyana kakumkani. UDavide akaphozisanga maseko,
27 waphuma namadoda omkhosi wakhe, wabulala amakhulu amabini amaFilistiya. Waya nezo nyama zazisikwe kuwo, wazinika ukumkani zonke, ukuze abe ngumkhwenyana kakumkani. Waza ke uSawule wendisela uMikali intombi yakhe kuDavide.
28 Waqonda kakuhle ngoku uSawule ukuba *uNdikhoyo ukunye noDavide. Nayo intombi yakhe uMikali yayimthanda uDavide.
29 USawule wamoyika ngakumbi uDavide, waba lutshaba kuye bonke ubomi bakhe.
30 Iinkokheli zamaFilistiya zazimana ukuwahlasela amaSirayeli. Kuwo onke loo madabi uDavide wayetshatshela ukudlula zonke ezinye iinkokheli eziphantsi koSawule. Ngenxa yaloo nto ke igama likaDavide laba nodumo.