Dafite unoletjedza Saulo etjila
1 Bazifu bakazha kuna Saulo ku Gibiya bakandwa bakati, “Apa Dafite azobgwata mu Dombo le Hakhila, lakalingisana ne Jeshimoni kene?” 2 Ndizo Saulo kabe emilika edelukila ku tjilambanyika tje Zifu, ana balume be Iziraela bakashalugwa bali Zwiwulu zwitatu (3 000), kunoshaka Dafite mu tjilambanyika tje Zifu. 3 Saulo wakakotokela pa wunde ne zila mu duthu le Hakila, lakalingisana ne Jeshimoni, koga Dafite kagala mu tjilambanyika. Wakati asinoziba kuti Saulo wakanlonda mu tjilambanyika, 4 Dafite katuma shodzi, kaziba dumbu kuti Saulo wakaswika. 5 Ndizo Dafite kamilika kazha pakabe Saulo akakotokelapo, kabona panolala Saulo na Abineri nkololo wa Neri nlauli we ikwata tjitje. Saulo wakabe alilele mukati kwe bukotokelo, babhayani ibo bakampoteleka.
6 Ndizo Dafite kabhuzwa muna Ahimeleke we Nhiti ne ku nnung'una wa Joabu Abishayi nkololo wa Zeruya kati, “Apa ndiani unowodelukila nami mu bukotokelo kuna Saulo kene?”
Abishayi kadabila eti, “Ndowoyenda namwi.”
7 Dafite na Abishayi bakabe beyenda ku ikwata busiku, Saulo kabe akaizela mu bukotokelo ne thumo lile lakabhayila pasi ku misholo iye, ngono Abeneri ne babhayani bakayizela bakampoteleka. 8 Abishayi kadwa Dafite kati, “Nasi Ndzimu walonga tjita tjenyu mu maboko enyu, ndizo ngwenu tjimani ndinkothomelele pasi kang'ompela nge thumo, anditowombhaya kabili!”
9 Koga Dafite kadwa Abishayi kati, “Usimbulaye! Apa ndiani ungamilidzila nzhodziwa wa Yahwe luboko, ebe asingabe nlandu kene?” 10 Dafite kabe eti, “Ndowotuna ndi Yahwe banotjila, unowolobgwa ndi Yahwe nge kwabo, kene zhuba lile le kufa lowoswika, pamwe unowongina mu ngwa ebe efa. 11 Yahwe badziba kuti ndisimilidzile nzhodziwa wa Yahwe luboko, koga ngwenu, tola thumo ne ikuyu tje vula zwipa misholo iye tiyende.” 12 Ndizo Dafite katola thumo ne ikuyu tje vula zwakabe zwili pa misholo ya Saulo, bakabe bezwiyendila zwabo. Akuna wakabona kene wakaziba nge kwaikoku, nakuto ali nng'ompela wakamuka, bose bakabe bakafa nge hwope, ngobe Yahwe bakabe babatshambilidza nge hwope.
13 Ndizo Dafite katjolukila seli kwe nkuku, kama pezhugwi kwe duthu kuli kuthambgwana, kwakabe kwakaashama pakati kwabo. 14 Dafite kakambidza ikwata na Abineri nkololo wa Neri, kati, “Abineri! Autodabila kene?” Abeneri kadabila eti, “Uani iwe unodana mambo kene?” 15 Dafite kwadwa Abineri kati, “Apa auteli nlume kene? Ndiani unofanana nawe mu Iziraela kene? Hwutini usagala ukalinda tetshi uwo mambo kene? Ngobe kuna nthu wazha kangina awobulaya she mambo. 16 Kuthu ikoku kwawathama akuzolulwama, ndotuna na Yahwe banotjila, wakafanilofa iwe ne bathu babo, ngobe auzotjengeta tetshi uwo, nzhodziwa wa Yahwe. Thumo ne ikuyu tje vula zwa mambo zwingayi zwabe zwili pa misholo yabo kene?”
17 Saulo kaziba hwi la Dafite, kabe eti, “Apa i hwi lilo ilele kene, nkololo wangu Dafite?”
Dafite kabe eti, “Ee, i hwi langu, tetshi wangu mambo wangu.” 18 Kapapha kakale kati, “Hwutini tetshi wangu betobelele nlanda wabo kene? Ndakathamani, nlandu wandathama ndiupi kene? 19 Ndizo ngwenu tetshi wangu mambo, teedzani matama e nlanda wenyu. Ha kuli kuti Yahwe ndibo bakamudzonga kundigwisanya namwi, ngabaamutjile tjipo, koga ha kwakathamwa nge bathu, ngababe nge bhiso mbeli kwa Yahwe! Ngobe bandidusa mu gobe langu mu thaka ya Yahwe, bebe beti, ‘Yenda unoshingila midzimu ipoga.’ 20 Ngono ngwenu, musiletje malopa angu etebukila pasi kulekule pasipo Yahwe. Ini mambo be Iziraela bangabhuda benovima butata gunonga imi? Ini bangandivima kungapa se hwali mu matombo.” 21 Ndizo Saulo kabe eti, “Ndakatjinya, shanduka, nkololo wangu Dafite, ngobe nasi watola butjilo gwangu guli gunosheteka, andingatjagwise kukubulaya kakale. Ndakathama bulengwe, ndaleyanya kukulu kulu kwazo.” 22 Dafite kadabila eti, “Thumo la mambo wangu yele! Tumani mmwe bazhuzha benyu azhe alitole. 23 Yahwe banolipila mmwe ne mmwe ndulamo iye ne kugalikabgwe kukwe, ngobe Yahwe babe bamulonga mu maboko angu nasi, koga ndabe ndisingake amilidzila nzhodziwa wa Yahwe luboko gwangu. 24 Sekwa ndabigilidza butjilo gwenyu nasi, sa ikoku, Yahwe ngababigilidzi butjilo gwangu babuye bandigwile mu mbatsha dzose.” 25 Ndizo Saulo kadwa Dafite kati, “Ukombolegwe iwe, nkololo wangu Dafite! Unowothama zwithu zwikulu kwazo ubuya ukunda nge malebeswa.” Ndizo Dafite kabe ezwiyendigwazwe na Saulo kabgwilila kanyi kukwe.
David Spares Saul's Life Again
1 Some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah and told him that David was hiding on Mount Hachilah at the edge of the Judean wilderness. 2 Saul went at once with three thousand of the best soldiers in Israel to the wilderness of Ziph to look for David, 3 and camped by the road on Mount Hachilah. David was still in the wilderness, and when he learned that Saul had come to look for him, 4 he sent spies and found out that Saul was indeed there. 5 He went at once and located the exact place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, slept. Saul slept inside the camp, and his men camped around him.
6 Then David asked Ahimelech the Hittite, and Abishai the brother of Joab (their mother was Zeruiah), “Which of you two will go to Saul's camp with me?”
“I will,” Abishai answered.
7 So that night David and Abishai entered Saul's camp and found Saul sleeping in the center of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the troops were sleeping around him. 8 Abishai said to David, “God has put your enemy in your power tonight. Now let me plunge his own spear through him and pin him to the ground with just one blow—I won't have to strike twice!”
9 But David said, “You must not harm him! The Lord will certainly punish whoever harms his chosen king. 10 By the living Lord,” David continued, “I know that the Lord himself will kill Saul, either when his time comes to die a natural death or when he dies in battle. 11 The Lord forbid that I should try to harm the one whom the Lord has made king! Let's take his spear and his water jar, and go.” 12 So David took the spear and the water jar from right beside Saul's head, and he and Abishai left. No one saw it or knew what had happened or even woke up—they were all sound asleep, because the Lord had sent a heavy sleep on them all.
13 Then David crossed over to the other side of the valley to the top of the hill, a safe distance away, 14 and shouted to Saul's troops and to Abner, “Abner! Can you hear me?”
“Who is that shouting and waking up the king?” Abner asked.
15 David answered, “Abner, aren't you the greatest man in Israel? So why aren't you protecting your master, the king? Just now someone entered the camp to kill your master. 16 You failed in your duty, Abner! I swear by the living Lord that all of you deserve to die, because you have not protected your master, whom the Lord made king. Look! Where is the king's spear? Where is the water jar that was right by his head?”
17 Saul recognized David's voice and asked, “David, is that you, my son?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” David answered. 18 And he added, “Why, sir, are you still pursuing me, your servant? What have I done? What crime have I committed? 19 Your Majesty, listen to what I have to say. If it is the Lord who has turned you against me, an offering to him will make him change his mind; but if some people have done it, may the Lord's curse fall on them. For they have driven me out from the Lord's land to a country where I can only worship foreign gods. 20 Don't let me be killed on foreign soil, away from the Lord. Why should the king of Israel come to kill a flea like me? Why should he hunt me down like a wild bird?”
21 Saul answered, “I have done wrong. Come back, David, my son! I will never harm you again, because you have spared my life tonight. I have been a fool! I have done a terrible thing!”
22 David replied, “Here is your spear, Your Majesty. Let one of your men come over and get it. 23 The Lord rewards those who are faithful and righteous. Today he put you in my power, but I did not harm you, whom the Lord made king. 24 Just as I have spared your life today, may the Lord do the same to me and free me from all troubles!”
25 Saul said to David, “God bless you, my son! You will succeed in everything you do!”
So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.