2 uSamuweli 18
18
Impi kaDavide no-Abisalomu
1UDavide wabala abantu ababe naye, wabeka phezu kwabo izinduna zezinkulungwane nezinduna zamakhulu. 2UDavide wamukisa abantu, inxenye yesithathu iphansi kwesandla sikaJowabe, nenxenye yesithathu iphansi kwesandla sika-Abishayi indodana kaSeruya, umfowabo kaJowabe, nenxenye yesithathu iphansi kwesandla sika-Ithayi umGiti. Inkosi yathi kubantu: “Nami ngiyakuphuma nokuphuma nani.”
3 Kepha abantu bathi: “Awuyikuphuma, ngokuba uma sibaleka, abayikusinakekela; noma kufa inxenye yethu, abayikusikhathalela, kepha wena unjengezinkulungwane eziyishumi zethu; ngalokho kuhle ukuba usisize usemzini.”
4Yayisithi inkosi kubo: “Okuhle emehlweni enu ngiyakukwenza.” Inkosi yema ngaseceleni kwesango, bonke abantu baphuma ngamakhulu nangezinkulungwane. 5Inkosi yabayaleza oJowabe no-Abishayi no-Ithayi, yathi: “Anoyiphatha kahle insizwa ngenxa yami, ngisho u-Abisalomu.” Bonke abantu bezwa, lapho inkosi iyaleza zonke izinduna ngo-Abisalomu.
6Base bephumela endle ukulwa no-Israyeli, kwaliwa ehlathini lakwa-Efrayimi. 7Abantu bakwa-Israyeli banqotshwa lapho phambi kwezinceku zikaDavide, kwakukhona ukubulalana okukhulu ngalolo suku, abantu abayizinkulungwane ezingamashumi amabili. 8Ngokuba impi yahlakazeka khona ezweni lonke, ihlathi laqeda abantu abaningi ngalolo suku kunabadliwa yinkemba.
Ukufa kuka-Abisalomu nokukhala kukaDavide
9 U-Abisalomu wasuka wahlangana nezinceku zikaDavide. U-Abisalomu wayekhwele umnyuzi* wakhe, umnyuzi wangena phansi kwehlozi le-oki,* ikhanda lakhe labambelela e-okini, waphakanyiselwa emkhathini wezulu nomhlaba; umnyuzi obuphansi kwakhe wadlula.
10Umuntu othile wakubona, wamtshela uJowabe, wathi: “Bheka, ngibone u-Abisalomu ephanyekekile e-okini.”*
11UJowabe wathi kumuntu omtshelileyo: “Bheka, ukubonile, awumjuqanga ngani khona, awele phansi, na? Nga ngikunikile izinhlamvu eziyishumi zesiliva nebhande.”*
12Wathi-ke umuntu kuJowabe: “Noma bengiyakukhokhelwa izinhlamvu eziyinkulungwane zesiliva esandleni sami, nokho bengingayikuselulela isandla sami endodaneni yenkosi, ngokuba ezindlebeni zethu inkosi yakuyala wena no-Abishayi no-Ithayi ukuthi: ‘Yilondeni insizwa u-Abisalomu.’ 13Uma bengisebenzile inkohliso ngokuphila kwakhe, njengokuba kungekho nto efihlwa enkosini, nawe uqobo ngabe umelene nami.”
14Wayesethi uJowabe: “Anginakulibala kanje nawe.” Wathatha imikhonto emithathu ngesandla sakhe, wambhokoda u-Abisalomu enhliziyweni esezwa, ephakathi kwe-oki.* 15Izinsizwa eziyishumi ezaziphethe izikhali zikaJowabe zamzungeza, zamshaya u-Abisalomu, zambulala.
16UJowabe wayesebetha icilongo, abantu babuya ekumxosheni u-Israyeli, ngokuba uJowabe wabagodla abantu. 17 Bamthatha u-Abisalomu, bamlahla emgodini omkhulu ehlathini, babeka phezu kwakhe inqwaba enkulu kakhulu yamatshe; bonke abakwa-Israyeli, kwaba yilowo nalowo, babalekela ematendeni abo.
18 U-Abisalomu esekhona wayethathe insika, wazimisela yona esiGodini seNkosi, ngokuba wathi: “Anginandodana yokukhumbuzela igama lami.” Wayiqamba insika ngegama lakhe; ithiwa isikhumbuzo sika-Abisalomu kuze kube namuhla.
19U-Ahimahasi indodana kaSadoki wayesethi: “Ake ngigijime, ngiyibikele inkosi ukuthi uJehova uyiphindisele ezitheni zayo.”
20UJowabe wathi kuye: “Awuyikuba ngumbiki wendaba namuhla, kepha uyakubika ngolunye usuku; namuhla awuyikubika lutho, ngokuba indodana yenkosi ifile.”
21Wayesethi uJowabe kumKushe: “Hamba, uyitshele inkosi okubonileyo.” UmKushe wamkhothamela uJowabe, wagijima.
22U-Ahimahasi indodana kaSadoki wabuye wathi kuJowabe: “Noma kanjani, ake ngigijime nami, ngimlandele umKushe.”
Kepha uJowabe wathi: “Uyakugijimelani wena mntanami, lokhu kungekho mvuzo wombiko kuwe, na?”
23Wathi: “Noma kanjani, ake ngigijime.”
Wathi kuye: “Gijima.” Wayesegijima u-Ahimahasi ngendlela yasethafeni, wamdlula umKushe.
24UDavide wayehlezi emkhathini wamasango omabili; umlindi wakhuphukela ophahleni lwesango ngasogangeni, waphakamisa amehlo akhe, wabheka, nanguya umuntu egijima eyedwa. 25Umlindi wamemeza, wayitshela inkosi. Yathi inkosi: “Uma eyedwa, unombiko emlonyeni wakhe.” Wayelokhu esondela njalo.
26Umlindi wayesebona omunye umuntu egijima; umlindi wabiza umlindisango, wathi: “Bheka, omunye umuntu ugijima eyedwa.”
Inkosi yathi: “Naye uletha umbiko.”
27Umlindi wayesethi: “Ngibona kungathi ukugijima kowokuqala kunjengokugijima kuka-Ahimahasi indodana kaSadoki.”
Yathi inkosi: “Ngumuntu omuhle yena; uletha umbiko omuhle.”
28Wayesememeza u-Ahimahasi, wathi enkosini: “Bayede!” Wakhothama phambi kwenkosi ebhekise phansi ubuso bakhe, wathi: “Makabongwe uJehova uNkulunkulu wakho, onikele abantu abaphakamisela isandla sabo enkosini yami, inkosi.”
29Inkosi yathi: “Isahlezi kahle insizwa u-Abisalomu na?”
U-Ahimahasi wathi: “Ngabona isixuku sabantu, lapho uJowabe inceku yenkosi ethuma inceku yakho, kepha angazanga ukuthi kuyini.”
30Inkosi yathi: “Gudluka, ume lapho.” Wagudluka, wema.
31Bheka, wayesefika umKushe; umKushe wathi: “Ngumbiko, nkosi yami, nkosi, ngokuba uJehova ukuphindisele namuhla kubo bonke abakuvukelayo.”
32Inkosi yathi kumKushe: “Isahlezi kahle insizwa u-Abisalomu na?”
UmKushe wathi: “Izitha zenkosi yami, inkosi, nabo bonke abakuvukelayo ukukulimaza mababe njengaleyo nsizwa.”
33 Yayisidabuka kakhulu inkosi, yakhuphukela ekamelweni elingaphezu kwesango, yakhala; isahamba yathi: “Hhawu, ndodana yami Abisalomu, ndodana yami, ndodana yami Abisalomu! Sengathi nga ngifile esikhundleni sakho, Abisalomu, ndodana yami, ndodana yami!”
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2 uSamuweli 18: ZUL59
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© Bible Society of South Africa 1959, 1997. Used with permission. All rights reserved.