1 Unyana kaSawule uIshbhoshete waphelelwa ngamandla zakufika iindaba zokuba uAbhinere ufele eHebron, othuka kakhulu namaSirayeli.
2 Ke kaloku uIshbhoshete wayenabafo ababini abaziinkokheli zabanqolobi. Ayezizinto zikaRimon wesizwe sakwaBhenjamin eBheroti. Amagama abo bafo yayinguBhana noRekabhi. IBheroti le ibalelwa kwaBhenjamin.
3 Abemi balapho basabela eGitayim, apho bahlala khona kude kube ngoku bengabangeneleli.
4 UJonatan unyana kaSawule wayenonyana osisiqhwala kwiinyawo zombini. Wayeminyaka mihlanu ukufa kukayise-mkhulu uSawule noJonatan uyise. Kwathi ukufika kodaba lokufa kwabo, luvela eYizereli, yothuka yamfunqula ibaleka ineni yakhe, waphuncuka wawa, kuba kaloku yayingxamile. Waba sisiqhwala ke loo mntwana. Igama lakhe lalinguMefibhoshete.
5 Basuka ke uRekabhi noBhana oonyana bakaRimon waseBheroti, benjenjeya ukuya kwaIshbhoshete, bafika khona emini emaqanda, ngexesha esangqengqile, ephumle ngokwesiqhelo sakhe emini ngelo xesha.
6 OoRekabhi noBhana bangena endlwini phakathi ngokungathi beze nengqolowa, basuka bamhlaba esiswini, baza basaba.
7 Kaloku bathi ngqo ngomandlalo kaIshbhoshete, bafika bamgwaza bamosela esalele njalo. Bamnqumla intloko, bahamba nayo ubusuku bonke, batyhutyha loo ntili yaseJordan.
8 Bafika eHebron, loo ntloko bayisa kukumkani uDavide, bathi: “Mhlekazi, nantsi intloko kaIshbhoshete unyana walaa mchasi wakho uSawule ubekade ezungula ubomi bakho. Namhlanje *uNdikhoyo, mhlekazi, ukuvulele ukuba ubuyise izitya nawe kwinzala kaSawule.”
9 UDavide wabaphendula uRekabhi nomntakwabo uBhana oonyana bakaRimon waseBheroti, wathi: “Ekho nje uNdikhoyo obekade endikhulula kuzo zonke iingxingwa, inene,
10 kwafika umfo kum eZikelage eze kundixelela ukuba uSawule ufile. Ndamthi ntlithi ndamosela loo mfo. Naxa wayeba undizela neendaba ezimnandi, yaba kukufa umvuzo wakhe.
11 Kubeka phi ke xa amatshijolo anjengani aba aphalaza igazi lomntu ongenatyala emandlalweni wakhe ekhayeni lakhe? Nithi ke mandingaliphindezeli elo gazi, ndinicim' igama ehlabathini?”
12 Wathi uDavide abafana mabababulale abo bafo. Benjenjalo ke, babanqumla iinyawo nezandla, babaxhoma ngasedamini lamanzi eHebron. Intloko kaIshbhoshete yona bayithatha, bayifaka engcwabeni lika-Abhinere apho eHebron.