Kuzhodziwa kwa Dafite
1 Yahwe Bakabhuzwa Samuele bakati, “Apa kowodza kukabe lini ulilila Saulo, ha ndakanlamba kuti abe mambo we Iziraela? Zhadza lunyanga gugo mafuta umilike uyende, ndokutuma kuna Jesi we N'bhetilehema, ngobe ndakashalula mmwe we bakololo babe kube mambo.” 2 Samuele kashandula eti, “Ndowoyenda tjini kene? Saulo ha angahwa nge kwako, unowondibulaya.” Ngono Yahwe bakan'dwa bakati, “Tola ng'ombe pholombe uswike uti, ‘Ndazha kuwopisila Yahwe tjibhayilo.’ 3 Ukoke Jesi azhe ku tjibhayilo, ndowokulakidza tjaunowothama, unowondizhodzela iye wandinowokutendekela.” 4 Samuele kathama tjaakadwiwa ndi Yahwe, wakati eswika ku Bhetelehema batungamili be nzi nkulu bakanshanganidza betetema, bakambhuzwa bakati, “Apa mazha nge mbakiso kene?” 5 Samuele kabe eti, “Tjose nge mbakiso, ndazha kuwopisila Yahwe tjibhayilo, Muzwitjenepadze mungine nami mu tjibhayilo.” Katjenapadza Jesi ne bakololo babe, kabakoka kuzha ku tjibhayilo.
6 Bakati basinozha, katilika Eliabu mesho kakumbula eti, “Tjoselele nzhodziwa wa Yahwe umbeli kwabo.” 7 Koga Yahwe bakadwa Samuele bakati, “Usilinge mbumbiko eyi, kene tjimo tjekukula kukwe, ngobe ndanlamba, Yahwe abatobona sekwa kunobona bathu tjinyama, bathu banolinga mbumbiko ye nthu, koga Yahwe banolinga moyo.” 8 Ndizo Jesi kadana Abinadabu, kampitsha mbeli kwa Samuele. Samuele kabe eti, “Ndodwa, Yahwe abazonshalula iwoyu.” 9 Jesi akati Samma apindebo po. Samuele kabe eti, “Ndodwa Yahwe abazonshalula iwoyu.” 10 Jesi kapitsha bakololo babe bali kutendeka mbeli kwa Samuele, ngono Samuele kadwa Jesi kati, “Yahwe abana wabashalula muna ibaba.” 11 Samuele kabhuzwa Jesi kati, “Apa bakololo babo ndibo bose ibaba kene?” Ngono kadabila eti, “Kwasala we kologwe, ngono wakalisa pkhwizi.” Ipapo Samuele kwadwa Jesi kati, “Tuma mmwe anontola, atitowogala pasi kuswikila eswika ipapa.” 12 Ndizo Jesi katuma nthu kanozha naye. Wakabe ekwidzima, ana mesho mabuya, kakale ali mbuya. Yahwe bakabe beti, “Milika unzhodze, ngobe ndiye iwoyu.” 13 Ndizo Samuele katola lunyanga gwe mafuta, kanzhodzela mbeli kwe bakulu babe, ngono kudwa mu zhuba ilelo kuyendila mbeli, meya ye Yahwe ikadelukila muna Dafite nge masimba. Samuele kamilika kayenda ku Rama.
Dafite unolidzila Saulo
14 Ipapo meya ya Yahwe yakabe isitjipo muna Saulo, meya mibi yakatumwa ndi Yahwe ikammukila. 15 Ngono balanda ba Saulo bakandwa bakati, “Bona meya mibi inodwa ku Ndzimu yamumukila. 16 Tetshi, idwani balanda benyu banoshaka nthu we nyambi mu kulidza herepa, kowoti meya yakabipa inodwa ku Ndzimu yadelukila mu muli, unowomulidzila herepa, ngono mowotebama.” 17 Ndizo Saulo kadwa balanda babe kati, “Mundiwanile nthu ungalidza zwinozipa, munzhise kundili.” 18 Mmwe we bazhuzha kadabila eti, “Ndakabona nkololo wa Jesi we N'bhetelehema we nyambi mu kulidza, nlume wakasima tjilopa, wakasima mu ngwa, i nyambi ye ndebo, kakale mbuya kulingwa, ngono Yahwe banaye.” 19 Ndizo Saulo katuma batumwa kuna Jesi kunon'dwa beti, “Unditumile nkololo uwo Dafite unolisa pkhwizi.” 20 Jesi wakatola donki katjibelesa tjiwunga ne gukhwa le nkumbi we zhambi ne tjibudzana, katuma nkololo uwe Dafite kunozwipa Saulo. 21 Dafite kaswika kuna Saulo, kangina mu nshingo uwe. Saulo wakan'da kwazo, kanthama nsengi we zwibhayano zwizwe. 22 Ndizo Saulo wakatumila dama kuna Jesi eti, “Ndokumbila kuti musunungule Dafite agalile tjose mu nshingo wangu, ngobe ndan'da.” 23 Kwakabe kuti meya mbi inodwa ku Ndzimu idelukila muna Saulo, Dafite kabe etola herepa iye elidza, Saulo ebe ewiligwa etebama, meya mbi ibe ibhuda munli.
1 One day he said, “Samuel, I've rejected Saul, and I refuse to let him be king any longer. Stop feeling sad about him. Put some olive oil in a small container and go visit a man named Jesse, who lives in Bethlehem. I've chosen one of his sons to be my king.”
2 Samuel answered, “If I do that, Saul will find out and have me killed.”
“Take a calf with you,” the Lord replied. “Tell everyone that you've come to offer it as a sacrifice to me, 3 then invite Jesse to the sacrifice. When I show you which one of his sons I have chosen, pour the olive oil on his head.”
4 Samuel did what the Lord told him and went to Bethlehem. The town leaders went to meet him, but they were terribly afraid and asked, “Is this a friendly visit?”
5 “Yes, it is!” Samuel answered. “I've come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Get yourselves ready to take part in the sacrifice and come with me.” Samuel also invited Jesse and his sons to come to the sacrifice, and he got them ready to take part.
6 When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel noticed Jesse's oldest son, Eliab. “He has to be the one the Lord has chosen,” Samuel said to himself.
7 But the Lord told him, “Samuel, don't think Eliab is the one just because he's tall and handsome. He isn't the one I've chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.”
8 Jesse told his son Abinadab to go over to Samuel, but Samuel said, “No, the Lord hasn't chosen him.”
9 Next, Jesse sent his son Shammah to him, and Samuel said, “The Lord hasn't chosen him either.”
10 One by one, Jesse told all seven of his sons to go over to Samuel. Finally, Samuel said, “Jesse, the Lord hasn't chosen any of these young men. 11 Do you have any other sons?”
“Yes,” Jesse answered. “My youngest son David is out taking care of the sheep.”
“Send for him!” Samuel said. “We won't start the ceremony until he gets here.”
12 Jesse sent for David. He was a healthy, good-looking boy with a sparkle in his eyes. As soon as David came, the Lord told Samuel, “He's the one! Get up and pour the olive oil on his head.”
13 Samuel poured the oil on David's head while his brothers watched. At that moment, the Spirit of the Lord took control of David and stayed with him from then on.
Samuel returned home to Ramah.
David Plays the Harp for Saul
14 The Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord was terrifying him. 15 “It's an evil spirit from God that's frightening you,” Saul's officials told him. 16 “Your Majesty, let us go and look for someone who is good at playing the harp. He can play for you whenever the evil spirit from God bothers you, and you'll feel better.”
17 “All right,” Saul answered. “Find me someone who is good at playing the harp and bring him here.”
18 “A man named Jesse who lives in Bethlehem has a son who can play the harp,” one official said. “He's a brave warrior, he's good-looking, he can speak well, and the Lord is with him.”
19 Saul sent a message to Jesse: “Tell your son David to leave your sheep and come here to me.”
20 Jesse loaded a donkey with bread and a goatskin full of wine, then he told David to take the donkey and a young goat to Saul. 21 David went to Saul and started working for him. Saul liked him so much that he put David in charge of carrying his weapons. 22 Not long after this, Saul sent another message to Jesse: “I really like David. Please let him stay with me.”
23 Whenever the evil spirit from God bothered Saul, David would play his harp. Saul would relax and feel better, and the evil spirit would go away.