1 Wathi akubhubha uSamweli aqokelelana onke amaSirayeli, aza amzilela. Wangcwatyelwa kowabo eRama uSamweli.Emva koko uDavide wemka waya kuhlala kwintlango iParan.
2 Ke kaloku eMawon bekukho indoda eyayifuya eKarmele. Le ndoda ibimi kakuhle, inewaka leebhokhwe namawaka amathathu eegusha eyayizicheba eKarmele.
3 Igama laloo ndoda lalinguNabhali, lona elomkayo linguAbhigeli. Umfazi lowo wayehlakaniphile eyinzwakazi. Indoda yayingqwabalala, ingenambeko, yona ingumKalebhi.
4 Esentlango apho uDavide weva ukuba uNabhali ucheba iigusha.
5 Wathumela ishumi lamadodana eKarmele ukuba aye kumbuza impilo uNabhali.
6 Wathi ze bambulisele, badlulise iminqweno emihle nakwintsapho yakhe nako konke okwakhe, baze bathi:
7 “Inkosi yethu uDavide ithi: ‘Ndivile ukuba kuyachetywa kwakho. Ke abelusi bakho babekunye nathi, saza sabaphatha kakuhle, baza abalahlekelwa nto lonke elo xesha babekunye nathi eKarmele.
8 Nabo bangayingqina loo nto. Ke ngoku, njengokuba la madodana ndiwathumele kuwe ngomhla wetheko, nceda uwanike nokuba yintoni na, eze nayo apha kum, mna nyana wakho.’ ”
9 Loo madoda awusa kuNabhali loo mlomo kaDavide, aza alinda impendulo.
10 Wavakala uNabhali esithi: “Loo Davide nithetha ngaye ngubani; engubani loo nyana kaJese? Ngathi kuthe saa elizweni zizicaka ezisabayo kwiinkosi zazo ndibonanje.
11 Ndingathini ukuthatha ukutya kwam, nesiselo sam, nenyama endiyixhelele abachebi bam, ndiphise ngayo kumadoda angoovuk' engceni.”
12 Abuyela kwakuDavide loo madodana, afika amxelela konke okuthethwe nguNabhali.
13 UDavide wathi kumadoda akhe: “Xwayani nonke amakrele enu!” Bonke bawaxwaya, waza naye wenjenjalo. Wahamba namakhulu amane amadoda, kwasala amakhulu amabini elinde impahla.
14 Kwesuka esinye kwizicaka zakwaNabhali, saya kuhlebela umkakhe uAbhigeli, safika sathi: “Nkosikazi, uvile na? UDavide ubethumele izigidimi zivela entlango ukuba zizise imibuliso kumhlekazi, wasuka yena wazinukuneza.
15 Kanti ke la madoda ayesiphethe kakuhle. Akazanga asihlupha nganto, saye singazange sibe nanto ilahlekayo ngalo lonke elo xesha sasisendle kunye nawo.
16 Asoloko esikhusela ubusuku nemini ngokuya sasisalusa impahla endle.
17 Khawuyicinge nawe loo nto, ukhangele ukuba wena ungenza ntoni na. Isenokuba yingozi kumhlekazi le nto, nkqu nakumzi wakhe wonke. Ayizonkani kumhlekazi; akeva mntu!”
18 Wagxabha-gxabhisa uAbhigeli, waqokelela amakhulu amabini ezonka, neemvaba ezimbini zizele yiwayini, kunye nenyama yeegusha ezintlanu eyosiweyo, nengqolowa egcadiweyo eziikhilogram ezisixhenxe, nekhulu lezikhinkci zerasentyisi, namafiya aqwayitiweyo alikhulu lezikhinkci. Yonke loo nto wayilayisha phezu kweedonki.
19 Wathi kwizicaka zakhe: “Khokelani; mna ndiza kulandela.” Akazange ase lizwi kumyeni wakhe uNabhali.
20 Kwathi esahamba ngaloo donki yakhe uAbhigeli, xa kanye agwejelayo endulini, wagagana noDavide kunye namadoda akhe, besiza ngakuye.
21 UDavide wayesatsho ukuthi: “Kube lilize ukukhusela impahla yelaa tshijolo uNabhali endle. Akukho nanye into yakhe eyakha yabiwa, kodwa ngoku undibulela ngesikhohlela ndakugqiba ukumnceda!
22 Makandigwebe kalukhuni uThixo ukuba ilanga lithe lasa kusekho into eyindoda kwaNabhali!”
23 Wathi uAbhigeli akuthana nqwakaqhwa noDavide, wakhawuleza wehla kuloo donki wayekhwele kuyo, wawa ngobuso emhlabeni ezinyaweni zikaDavide,
24 wakhahlela wathi: “Mhlekazi, nceda, libeke kum ityala! Ndivumele mna sicakazana sakho ndithethe nawe, uyive into endiyibhekisa kuwe.
25 Musa ukuzikhathaza ngesiya sikhohlakali sendoda uNabhali! Iyile nto kanye lithetha yona igama layo – sisihiba. Mna khange ndiwabone loo madodana inkosi yam ibiwathumele.
26 Nangoku *nguNdikhoyo lo ukunqandileyo ukuba ungaphalazi igazi ngokuziphindezela kwiintshaba zakho. Ekho nje uNdikhoyo zonke iintshaba zakho kunye nâbo bakuzondayo baza kohlwaywa, bafane noNabhali.
27 Nasi isipho endize naso, mhlekazi; sithathe usinike amadoda akho.
28 Uze nam sicakazana sakho undixolele. UNdikhoyo uya kukwenzela umzi ozinzileyo, kuba uyamlwela, yaye ububi abuyi kufunyanwa kuwe imihla yakho yonke.
29 Xa kukho bani ukuhlaselayo efuna ukukubulala, uNdikhoyo uThixo wakho wokukhusela, axel' indoda elinde indyebo yayo. Zona iintshaba zakho uNdikhoyo wozithi jwi-jwi okwamatye ajiwulwa *ngenkwitshi.
30 Akuba uNdikhoyo ekufezekisile konke okulungileyo akuthembise kona, wakumisela waba ngolawulayo kwaSirayeli,
31 okwenzekileyo namhlanje akuyi kuba sisizathu sokuba ukhubeke okanye uzisole ngento yokuphalaza igazi elimsulwa uziphindezela. Nam ke, mhlekazi, uze ungandilibali xa athe wakuthamsanqela uNdikhoyo.”
32 Uphendule ngelithi uDavide: “Makabongwe uNdikhoyo uThixo kaSirayeli othe wakuthumela ukuba undihlangabeze namhlanje!
33 Makabongwe uThixo okuphe loo ngqondo ube nayo, ukuze wenze le nto indivalelayo, ukuze ndingenzi bugwinta ngokuziphindezela ngezam izandla.
34 Ewe, nguNdikhoyo lo undinqandileyo ukuba ndingamenzakalisi uNabhali. Kambe ndifunga uThixo kaSirayeli ukuba, xa ubungakhawulezanga wandikhawulela, ngengomso ibiya kuba ifile yonke into eyindoda kwaNabhali.”
35 UDavide wazamkela ezo zipho awayeze nazo uAbhigeli, waza wathi: “Hamba ngoxolo ugoduke. Ndikuvile, yaye ndosenza isicelo sakho.”
36 Wagoduka ke uAbhigeli, ebuyela kuNabhali, owayenze itheko elifana nelekumkani. Wayeshushu umfo, watsho wayimvuzemvuze bububele. UAbhigeli ke akazanga abe samxelela nto kwada kwangegomso.
37 Wathi akuqabuka uNabhali, wandula uAbhigeli ukumbalisela konke akwenze ngezolo. Wasuka wafa umzimba wasisigogo.
38 Kwathi emva kwemihla elishumi uNdikhoyo wambetha uNabhali, wasweleka.
39 Zathi zakufika kuDavide iindaba zokuba uNabhali akasekho, wavakala esithi: “Makabongwe uNdikhoyo ondilamleleyo kwimbambano yam noNabhali owandenzela ulunya. Mna sicaka sakhe uNdikhoyo wandinqanda ekwenzeni ububi, baza ubugwenxa bukaNabhali babuyekezelwa kwakuye.”Emva koko uDavide wathumelisa kuAbhigeli emcela ukuba abe ngumkakhe.
40 Zafika kuAbhigeli eKarmele izicaka zikaDavide, zathi: “Uthe uDavide masize kukuphuthuma ukuze ube ngumkakhe.”
41 Wathoba ubuso bakhe, wabujongisa emhlabeni uAbhigeli, wathi: “Ewe, mna ndisisicakazana sakhe; ndiyavuma ukumkhonza, ndihlambe nokuhlamba iinyawo zezicaka zakhe.”
42 Wagxabha-gxabhisa, wakhwela edonkini yakhe, wahamba nezigidimi zikaDavide, ekhatshwa ziimpelesi zakhe ezintlanu ukuya kwendela kuDavide.
43 UDavide wayeselenomfazi onguAhinowam intombi yaseYizereli ngoku athatha uAbhigeli.
44 Kanti ke uSawule intombi yakhe uMikali, eyayikwangumka-Davide, wayeyendisele kuPalti unyana kaLayishe waseGalim.