1 Ke kaloku *uNdikhoyo wathumela uNatan kuDavide. Efikile kuDavide uNatan wathi: “Mhlekazi, kwakha kwakho abafo ababini dolophini ithile. Omnye umfo wayesisityebi, omnye elihlwempu.
2 Isityebi eso sasifuye iinkomo neegusha ezininzi.
3 Ihlwempu lona lalingenanto ngaphandle nje kwetakane legusha elalilithengile. Walifuyela kwakhe lo mfo elo takane, londleka, likhulela phakathi kwabantwana bakhe. Wayelifunza kokwakhe ukutya, aliseze ngendebe yakhe, alisingathe. Lalifana nqwa nentombi yakhe kuye.
4 Ngamini ithile laa mfo usisityebi wafikelwa lundwendwe. Ngenxa yomunyu lo mfo akazange athande kulihlinzela undwendwe kweyakhe imfuyo. Usuke waya kuthatha elaa takane lomfo olihlwempu, wenzela undwendwe lwakhe ngalo isidlo.”
5 UDavide wavutha ngumsindo ngakuloo ndoda akuyiva loo nto, waqokela wenjenje, ebhekisa kuNatan: “Ehleni nje uNdikhoyo, inene, loo mntu wenze into enjalo ufanelwe kukufa;
6 yaye ufanelwe kukuhlawuliswa ixabiso lelo takane ngokuphindwe kane, ngenxa yokuba enze ulunya olunje engenalo novelwano.”
7 Ke uNatan wathi kuDavide: “Loo ndoda nguwe! Utsho uNdikhoyo uThixo kaSirayeli ukuthi: ‘Ndakuthambisa, ndakwenza ukumkani wamaSirayeli, ndakuhlangula esandleni sikaSawule.
8 Ndakunika umzi wenkosi yakho, abafazi bayo ndabanikela esifubeni sakho, ndakwenza ukumkani wakwaSirayeli nakwaJuda. Kanti ke ukuba bezinganelanga ezo zinto ndakwenzela zona, bendingakongezayo.
9 Khawutsho, ngani ukuba ulidele ilizwi likaNdikhoyo, khon' ukuze wenze okubi emehlweni akhe? U-Uriya umHeti umbulele ngekrele, wathatha umkakhe, wamenza umkakho. Ewe, umbulalise ngekrele lama-Amon.
10 Kungokunje ikrele alisobe liphele ukudla kulo mzi wakho, kuba undidelile wada wathatha nomka-Uriya umHeti wamenza umfazi wakho.’
11 Utsho ke uNdikhoyo ukuthi: ‘Ndiza kukuvusela isihelegu sento kwalapha phakathi komzi wakho. Abafazi bakho ndiza kubanikela kosondeleyo kuwe, alale nabo kujongiwe, ilanga lihlabe umhlaba.
12 Le nto ubuyenza ngasese wena, mna ndifuna yenziwe emini, ibonwa ngamaSirayeli onke.’ ”
13 Ke uDavide wathi kuNatan: “Ewe, ndonile kuNdikhoyo.”Uthe kuDavide uNatan: “UNdikhoyo usisusile isono sakho. Akuzi kufa.
14 Kodwa ke, ngenxa yokuba iintshaba zikaNdikhoyo uzinike ithuba lokunyelisa ngenxa yale nto uyenzileyo, loo mntwana wakho uza kufa.”
15 Emva koko ke usuke wahamba uNatan, wagoduka.*UNdikhoyo wamfaka isifo umntwana owamfumana ngomka-Uriya uDavide, wagula kakhulu.
16 UDavide usuke wacela ukuba amphilise uThixo, wazila ukutya, wangena endlwini, waqungquluza emhlabeni bonke ubusuku.
17 Amadoda amakhulu endlu yakhe aya kuye, efuna ukumvusa kuloo ndawo wayelele kuyo, suka akavuma yena, akafuna nokutya oku kunye nawo.
18 Wasweleka loo mntwana ngosuku lwesixhenxe, zoyika ukumxelela izicaka zakhe ukuba loo mntwana akasekho, zatsho zisithi: “Singamxelela njani sithi: ‘Umntwana ufile’? Asinguye kanene lo ubengafuni nokuthetha oku nathi engekabhubhi nokubhubha lo mntwana? He bethu, akangesuke enze into embi efile nje umntwana?”
19 Kodwa kuthe akuzibona zisebezelana izicaka, warhana uDavide ukuba lubhubhile olo sana. Uzibuzile ke wathi: “Kwenzeke ntoni? Ufile na umntwana?”“Ewe, mhlekazi, ubhubhile,” zitshilo izicaka.
20 Wavuka ke emhlabeni uDavide, wahlamba. Wathambisa, wanxiba ezinye izambatho, waya kungena endlwini kaNdikhoyo, wanqula. Usuke apho waya endlwini yakhe, wafika wacela into etyiwayo, watya akuba elungiselelwe.
21 Izicaka zakhe zathi: “Mhlekazi, noko ke le uyenzayo asisayiqondi. Ube uzilile, ulila, uyenza loo nto usana lungekabhubhi. Ngoku luswelekileyo usana uyavuka utye nokutya!”
22 Uphendule wathi: “Ewe, bendizila, ndilila ngokuya belusahleli usana, kuba bendisithi: ‘Ngubani owaziyo? Mhlawumbi uNdikhoyo angandenzela inceba, luphile olo sana.’
23 Ngoku ke usana lubhubhile; ke ndiza kuba sazilela ntoni ndingenakuluvusa nje? Ndim oza kuya apho lukhoyo; lona alunakuze luze kum.”
24 Emva koko uDavide waya kuthuthuzela umkakhe uBhashebha, walala naye. Wazala umntwana oyinkwenkwe, wathi igama lakhe nguSolomon. Wayithanda loo nkwenkwana *uNdikhoyo,
25 waza wathumela *umshumayeli uNatan ukuba aye kuthi igama layo nguYedidiya ngenxa yokuthandwa kwayo nguNdikhoyo.
26 Ke kaloku uJowabhi wahlasela iRabha, ikomkhulu lama-Amon, wathimba umzi wakomkhulu.
27 Emva koko uthumele izigidimi ukuba ziye kwazisa uDavide zithi: “Ndiyihlasele iRabha, ndawathimba namadama ayo anqatyisiweyo.
28 Ngoku ke ukumkani kufuneka ahlanganise umkhosi, aze kusithatha isixeko, hleze ibe ndim osithimbayo, sibe sesam.”
29 Wathatha wonke umkhosi wakhe ke uDavide, waya eRabha, wayihlasela, wayithimba.
30 UDavide wasothula isithsaba esasisentloko yokumkani wama-Amon. Sasibunzima bumalunga namashumi amathathu anantlanu eekhilogram, senziwe ngegolide, sihonjiswe ngamatye axabisekileyo. Wasithweswa eso sithsaba uDavide. Wathatha amaxhoba amaninzi kweso sixeko,
31 abemi balapho wabathatha wabafaka emsebenzini wokusarha, nowokumba, nokucanda, abanye besebenza kumaziko okwenza izitena. Wenjenjalo ke nakwabanye abemi bezixeko zama-Amon. Emva koko uDavide wabuyela eJerusalem kunye nomkhosi wakhe wonke.