1 Emva koko uDavide wasaba eNayoti eRama, wabalekela kuJonatan. Ufike wabuza wathi: “Ngaba yintoni le ndenze yona kukumkani? Ndenze tyala lini? Ndimone ngani na uyihlo le nto afun' ukundibulala?”
2 UJonatan wenjenje ukuphendula uDavide: “Soze ubulawe! Uyazi ukuba akukho nto akhe ayenze ubawo, nokuba inkulu, nokuba incinane, engandityandelanga igila. Ubengathini ke ukungandixeleli into enjengale uyithethayo? Hayi, akukho nto injalo.”
3 Wafunga uDavide, wathi: “Kaloku uyihlo uyazi kakuhle ukuba undithanda kakhulu, waza ke wayifihla le nto kuwe yokuceba ukundibulala, esithi: ‘UJonatan makangakwazi oku, kuba woba buhlungu.’ Kodwa ndithi kuwe, ekho nje *uNdikhoyo, nawe ukho nje, lona ingcwaba sendilikrobile!”
4 Kwesi sithuba ke uJonatan uthe kuDavide: “Yitsho ndikwenzele nantoni na oyifunayo.”
5 Wenjenje ke ukuphendula uDavide: “Ngomso oku ngumsitho wokuthwasa kwenyanga, yaye ke kufuneka ndibekho esidlweni sikakumkani. Nceda undikhulule ndiye kuzimela endle kude kube ngokuhlwa kwangomsomnye.
6 Xa uyihlo ephawula ukuba andikho, uze uthi kuye: ‘UDavide undibongozile ukumvumela khe athi tsi kowabo eBhetelehem, abekho xa kusenziwa idini lonyaka elenzelwa onke amawabo.’
7 Ukuba uthe kulungile, úya kuba enoxolo ngakum. Kodwa ukuba uthe wacaphuka, uze wazi ukuba uzimisele ukundenzakalisa.
8 Uze uncede ke uwugcine umnqophiso owandenzela wona phambi koNdikhoyo, usenzele ububele isicaka sakho. Kodwa ukuba ngenene ndinetyala, ndibulale ngokwakho; akukho nto ithi mandisiwe kuyihlo.”
9 “Unotshe!” kutsho uJonatan. “Ucinga ukuba ngendingakuxelelanga na xa bendisazi ukuba ubawo uzimisele ukukwenzakalisa?”
10 “Ngubani kakade owondazisa xa uyihlo ekuphendule kalukhuni?” wabuza uDavide.
11 “Makhe siye ngasendle,” kutsho uJonatan. Bahamba ke kunye,
12 waza uJonatan wathi kuDavide: “Ekho nje uNdikhoyo uThixo kaSirayeli, ngeli xesha ngomsomnye ndakuba sendiyiphandile le nto kubawo. Ndokwazisa xa ndimfumene engenandawo ngakuwe.
13 Kanti ke ukuba uzimisele ukukwenzakalisa, ndize mna ndingakuxeleli khon' ukuze ubaleke, aze andohlwaye mna lo uNdikhoyo. UNdikhoyo makabe nawe kanye njengoko wayenobawo!
14 Ukuba mna ndisaphila, uze uthembeke kum oku kukaNdikhoyo, kodwa xa ndithe ndafa,
15 uze uhlale unaloo ntembeko kusapho lwam ngalo lonke ixesha, naxa uNdikhoyo selezitshabalalisile iintshaba zakho kulo lonke ihlabathi.”
16 UJonatan wanqophisana nomzi kaDavide, esithi: “Maze uNdikhoyo aziphindezele kwiintshaba zikaDavide.”
17 UJonatan wabuya wamfungisa uDavide ukuba amthande, kuba yena wayemthanda uDavide ngomphefumlo wakhe wonke.
18 Uqhube wathi uJonatan: “Ngomso sisidlo sokuthwasa kwenyanga, yaye kuza kubonakala ukuba akukho. Kaloku indawo yakho iya kuba ingenamntu.
19 Ngomsomnye koba sobala nje ukuba akukho ethekweni. Hamba uye kuzimela kulaa ndawo wawuzimele kuyo, ufike uzifihle ngakwilitye le-Ezeli.
20 Mna ke ndodubula apho ngakulo ngeentolo zibe ntathu, ndibe ngathi ndizijolise entweni.
21 Emva koko ke ndothuma isicaka ukuba siye kuzikhangela. Xa ndithi kwisicaka: ‘Nazi iintolo nganeno kwakho, yiza nazo;’ uze uqonde ukuba akukho ngozi, uphume ubuye.
22 Kodwa xa ndithe: ‘Nazo ngaphaya kwakho iintolo;’ uze usuke umke, kuba uNdikhoyo woba esithi: ‘Hamba!’
23 Uze ukhumbule ukuba uNdikhoyo ulingqina phakathi kwethu ngomnqophiso esiwenzileyo.”
24 Wahamba ke uDavide, waya kuzimela endle. Ngomhla womsitho wokuthwasa kwenyanga ukumkani uSawule
25 wahlala endaweni yakhe ethekweni ngaseludongeni. Ecaleni kwakhe kwahlala uAbhinere, waza uJonatan wahlala ejongene nokumkani. Yayingenamntu indawo kaDavide,
26 kodwa uSawule akazange athethe nto loo mini, kuba wacinga esithi: “Ngahle kukho nto imvaleleyo uDavide, emenze waba ngongahlambulukanga – inene *unomlaza.”
27 Ngengomso olandela itheko lokuthwasa kwenyanga ayibanga namntu kwakhona indawo kaDavide, waza uSawule wabuza kuJonatan wathi: “Kutheni engezanga esidlweni izolo nanamhla unyana kaJese?”
28 UJonatan uphendule ngelithi: “Undicengile ukuba ndimvumele ahambe aye eBhetelehem.
29 Uthe: ‘Nceda undikhulule, kuba kowethu eBhetelehem kuza kubakho idini, waye ke nomkhuluwa wam undiyalele ukuba ndibekho nakanjani. Ukuba ungumhlobo wam, ndikhulule ndikhe nditsibe ekhaya, ndibone amawethu.’ Yiyo ke loo nto umbona engekho nje endaweni yakhe apha etafileni kakumkani.”
30 Wavutha ngumsindo uSawule akuyiva le ntetho kaJonatan, wathi: “Yini le, gqubushandini lomvukeli! Uba andikuqondi ukuba ukhetha icala likaDavide unyana kaJese? Phofu uzihlaza wena kunye naloo nyoko wakuzalayo.
31 Wena kunye nobukumkani bakho akusoze uzinze esaphila unyana kaJese. Yiza naye apha ke ngoku – ndimfuna efile!”
32 UJonatan ubuze kuyise wenjenje: “Uza kubulawelwa ntoni? Wenze tyala lini?”
33 Kweso sithuba uSawule wajula umkhonto, efuna ukumbulala uJonatan. Waqonda mhlophe ke uJonatan ukuba uyise uzimisele mpela ukumcim' igama uDavide.
34 Wemka kuloo tafile efutha ngumsindo uJonatan. Akasa nasuntswana eli emlonyeni ngaloo mini yesibini yetheko. Wayebuhlungu yindlela ekrwada uyise amphathe ngayo uDavide.
35 Ngengomso uJonatan waya endle kuDavide ngokwesigqibo sabo. Wayehamba nenkwenkwana,
36 wathi kuyo: “Baleka ulande iintolo zam ndakuzidubula.” Yabaleka ngaphambili loo nkwenkwe, uJonatan wadubula utolo lwaya kuwa ngaphaya kwayo.
37 Ithe yakufika ngakuloo ndawo beluwe kuyo utolo loo nkwenkwe, wayikhwaza uJonatan, esithi: “Kwedini, utolo naluya ngaphaya kwakho!
38 Umele ntoni apho! Baleka!” Yaluchola olo tolo inkwenkwe, yalusa kwinkosi yayo,
39 ingazi yona ukuba kwakuqhubeka ntoni na. Loo nto yayisaziwa nguJonatan noDavide kuphela.
40 Wayinika izikrweqe zakhe uJonatan loo nkwenkwe, wathi mayigoduke nazo.
41 Yakuba imkile, uDavide waphuma kuloo ndawo wayezimele kuyo, wathi guqaqa ngamadolo, ekhahlela, ubuso bude buye kutsho emhlabeni izihlandlo zade zaba zithathu. Bangana bobabini belilelana, uDavide elila ngokugqithisileyo.
42 Kwesi sithuba uJonatan uthe kuDavide: “Hamba ngoxolo, mfondini, kuba thina sobabini sifungile egameni likaNdikhoyo. Ngoko ke uNdikhoyo ulingqina phakathi kwam nawe, naphakathi kwenzala yam neyakho.” UDavide ke wemka, waza yena uJonatan wabuyela edolophini.