1 Ke kaloku uSawule waxelela unyana wakhe uJonatan kunye namaphakathi akhe ukuba uDavide makabulawe. Phofu uJonatan wayevana kakhulu noDavide.
2 Usuke ke uJonatan waya kuchazela uDavide, esithi: “Ubawo uzama indlela yokukubulala; uze ulumke ke ngomso kusasa. Uze uye kufuna indawo yokuzimela, uhlale apho.
3 Mna ndiza kuya nobawo apho endle, ndifike ndime naye kuloo ndawo uzimele kuyo, ndithethe ngawe kuye. Ukuba ndive nto yimbi, ndobe ndikwazise.”
4 UJonatan wathetha ngoDavide kuSawule, emncoma esithi: “Mhlekazi, noko ngewungamenzi nto imbi umkhonzi wakho uDavide; akukho nto wakha wakona ngayo. Usuke waba luncedo kakhulu kuwe ngayo yonke into ayenzileyo.
5 Nangamhla wabulala uGoliyati obakhe ubomi wabubeka esichengeni, waza *uNdikhoyo wawanika uloyiso olukhulu amaSirayeli. Yaye nawe wavuya kakhulu ukuyibona le nto. Yini na ukuba wone umntu ongenatyala, umbulale uDavide kungekho sizathu?”
6 Yavakala le ntetho kaJonatan kuSawule, watsho wafunga wathi: “Ekho nje uNdikhoyo, akayi kubulawa uDavide.”
7 Emva koko ke uJonatan wambiza uDavide, wamchazela ngengxoxo yakhe noyise. Ukusuka apho waya naye kuSawule, waza ke uDavide wabuyiselwa kwasesikhundleni sakhe komkhulu.
8 Kwabuya kwavuka imfazwe kwakhona phakathi kwamaSirayeli namaFilistiya. Wabuya wawahlasela uDavide, wawabetha ee qhu saa.
9 USawule wafikelwa ngumoya ombi ovunyelwe nguNdikhoyo. Ngaloo mini wayehleli engqendevile ebhotwe, ephethe umkhonto, edlalelwa ihapu nguDavide.
10 Wawujula umkhonto uSawule, efuna ukubethelela ngawo uDavide eludongeni. Suka waphepha yena uDavide, umkhonto wona watshona lé eludongeni apho.
11 Ngobo busuku waphuncuka wabaleka uDavide. USawule wathumela amadoda ukuba aye kungqinga indlu kaDavide, ukuze ambulale kwakusa. UMikali walumkisa umyeni wakhe uDavide, wathi: “Ukuba akubaleki umke apha ngobu busuku, ngomso woba ngofileyo!”
12 Watsho wamkhupha ngefestile, wabaleka wasaba uDavide.
13 UMikali uthathe *umlonde-khaya, wawubeka emandlalweni, wawuqamelisa ngomqamelo woboya bebhokhwe, waza wawambathisa.
14 USawule uthume amadoda ukuba ambambe uDavide, uMikali wathi kuwo: “Akaphilanga.”
15 USawule wathi makaye azibonele ngokwawo uDavide. Watsho esithi: “Ze nimthwale ngaloo mandlalo wakhe, nize naye apha, ndimbulale.”
16 Bafika bangena endlwini abo bafo, bafika kukho umlonde-khaya kuloo mandlalo, uqamele ngomqamelo woboya bebhokhwe.
17 Wabuza intombi yakhe uMikali uSawule esithi: “Yini na ukuba wenjenje ukundikhohlisa? Uyabona, ulubalekisile utshaba lwam lwasinda!”UMikali uphendule wathi: “Úthe kum: ‘Ndiyeke ndimke! Yini na ukuba ndikubulale?’ ”
18 UDavide wabalekela kuSamweli eRama, wamchazela ngazo zonke izinto uSawule amenze zona. Banduluka apho uSamweli kunye noDavide, baya kuhlala eNayoti.
19 Uthe uSawule akuva ukuba uDavide uhlala eNayoti eRama,
20 wathumela amadoda, efuna ukumbamba. Abona iqela labashumayeli lihamba lishumayela, likhokelwe nguSamweli. UMoya kaThixo wawafikela loo madoda awayethunywe nguSawule, nawo angenelela ahamba nabashumayeli.
21 Uthe akuyiva loo nto wathumela amanye amadoda, aza nawo angenelela. USawule uthumele izigidimi isihlandlo sesithathu, kwehla esezolo nakwezi.
22 Usuke yena siqu uSawule wenjenjeya ukusinga eRama. Uthe akufika kwiqula elikhulu laseSeku, wabuzisa apho esithi: “Baphi uSamweli noDavide?”Uxelelwe kwathiwa: “BaseNayoti eRama.”
23 Uthe esendleleni eya apho, naye wafikelwa nguMoya kaThixo, waza wahamba eshumayela yonke loo ndlela isinga eNayoti.
24 Wafika wakhulula izambatho zakhe, washumayela njalo apho ekho uSamweli. Walala ze loo mini nobusuku bayo. Savela ngolo hlobo ke nesaci esithi: “NoSawule lo kanti selewaba ngumshumayeli naye?”