Dama la Nathani ne kushanduka kwa Dafite
1 Yahwe bakatuma Nathani kuna Dafite. Wakati eswika kunli kandwa kati, “Kwakatongobe ne balume babili mu mmwe nzi, mmwe akafuma mmwe ali nshayi. 2 Nlume we nfumi wakabe ana pkhwizi ne mbudzi njinji kwazo ne ng'ombe, 3 koga nlume we nshayi wakabe asina tjaanatjo aisi pkhwizana hadzi ing'ompela yaakabe atenga. Wakailela, ikakulila munli ne bana babe. Yakabe ija naye mu ndilo ing'wa mu bhepe lile ibuya ilala mu maboko awe. Yakabe inga nkololokadzi munli. 4 Limwe zhuba nlume we nfumi kakumbiwa nge mwezi mu nzi uwe, koga nlume we nfumi katjiba kutola imwe ye pkhwizi kene mbudzi kene ng'ombe iye kuibhaya ethamila mwezi uwe zojiwa. Mu bumo gwa ikoku, wakatola pkhwizana hadzi ye nlume we nshayi kaibhaya kathamila mwezi uwe zojiwa.” 5 Ipapo Dafite kazhala bushongola kwazo ngekwe nlume iwoyo, ngono kadwa Nathani kati, “Ndolebesa ndotuna na Yahwe banotjila, nlume wakathama ikoku wakafanigwa ngofa! 6 Wakafanila lipa pkhwizana iyeyi kwakatiliyana kanna, ngobe wakathama kuthu ikoku kakale asina ngoni.” 7 Ndizo Nathani kadwa Dafite kati, “Iwoyo nlume ndiwe! Ngono Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ‘Ndakakubiga mambo we Iziraela, abuya akugwila kukudusa mu maboko a Saulo. 8 Ndaka kupa ng'umba ya tetshi uwo, akupa bakadzi ba tetshi uwo mu maboko. Abuya akupa ng'umba dze Iziraela ne Juda. Ngono ha kuli kuti ikoku kwakabe kuli kushomanana, ndabe ndinga kupaphidzila kunjinji kakale. 9 Hwutini walengudza dama la Yahwe ngothama mbipo mbeli kwabo kene? Wakabulaya Uriya we Nhiti nge thumo ku ngwa, ubuya utola nkadzi uwe unthama uwo, wakambulaya nge thumo le Baamoni. 10 Ndizo ngwenu thumo alitjowobhuda mu ng'umba iyo, ngobe wandilengudza, ubuya utola nkadzi wa Uriya we Nhiti unthama uwo!’
11 “Yahwe bakaleba beti, ‘Ndokumusila mbatsha kudwa mukati kwe ng'umba iyo. Ndowotola bakadzi babo mbeli kuko abapa ikamu tjitjo, ngono unowowalilana ne bakadzi babo kuli masikati. 12 Iwe wakakuthama wakabgwata, koga imi ndowothama kuthu ikoku masikati mbeli kwe Baiziraela bose.’ ” 13 Kadwa Nathani kati, “Ndakatjinyila Yahwe.” Nathani kanshandula eti, “Yahwe bakuzwiibhatigwa jinyo lilo, autjowofa. 14 Nekwakajalo, ngobe wakalengudza Yahwe kwazo ngothama ikoku, iwoyo mwana uwo unowozwagwa unowofa.” 15 Shule kwaikoku Nathani ebe eyenda ku nzi uwe.
Nkololo wa Dafite unofa
Yahwe bakaloba mwana wa Dafite waakazwala ne nkadzi wa Uriya kagwala kwazo. 16 Dafite kathigamila Yahwe ekumbilila mwana iwoyu, wakazwinyima zojiwa kangina mu ng'umba iye, kalala akatizwambata pasi busiku gose. 17 Sholotjena dze ng'umba iye dzikamilika dzikayenda kunli kummusa, koga kalamba muka ne zojiwa akasitongozwija nadzo. 18 Mu zhuba le kutendeka mwana kafa. Ngono balanda ba Dafite bakatja kumbudza kuti mwana wafa, ngobe bezwidwa beti, “Kwakati mwana atjatjila, takalebeleka na Dafite, koga kasitongo titeedza, ngono ngwenu towombudza tjini kuti mwana wafa kene? Pamwe ungadwa ezwithama tjimwe tjakabipa!”
19 Kukati Dafite ebona kuti balanda babe banonyebezelana, kaziba ha mwana afa. Ngono kababhuzwa kati, “Mwana wafa kene?” Bakadabila beti, “Ee, wafa.”
20 Ipapo Dafite kamuka pasi, kangula mbili, kazhola mafuta, kaambala zwiambalo zwipoga. Kangina mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe katembezela. Kudwa ipapo kayenda ku ng'umba ye bushe, kakumbila zojiwa bakampa kaja. 21 Sholotjena dzidze dzikambhuzwa dzikati, “Hwutini muthama muijali? Kwakati mwana atjatjila mukazwinyima zojiwa mukanlilila, ngono ngwenu mwana wafa, mamuka mukaja zojiwa.” 22 Dafite kashandula eti, “Kwakati mwana atjatjila, azwinyima zojiwa abuya alila, ngobe ndakazwidwa nditi, ‘Ndiani unoziba? Pamwe Yahwe bangandihwila ngoni, mwana kapola.’ 23 Koga ngwenu mwana wafa, ndowobe nditjazwinyimilani zojiwa? Apa ndinga mmusa kene? Imi ndimi ndinowontobela, koga iye aatjowoshandukila kundili.”
Solomoni Unozwagwa
24 Ndizo Dafite kanyaladza nkadzi uwe Bhatisheba, kankumba kawalilana naye, kawana mwana we tjilisana kantumila zina eti Solomoni. Yahwe bakada mbisana, 25 ngono Yahwe bakatuma nlebesambeli Nathani kantumila zina eti Jedidiya.
Dafite unotapa Rabha
(1 Zwiyitikalo 20:1-3)26 Ipapo Joabu kagwa ne Rabha nzi nkulu we Baamoni, ngono bakautapa. 27 Joabu katuma batumwa kunobikila Dafite beti, “Ndakagwa ne Rabha atapa tshima le nzi nkulu una vula njinji. 28 Ngono ngwenu tjikubunganya babhayani bose bakasala, unginilile nzi uwutole, ndisidwe ndiutola imi, ube udwa udang'wa nge zina langu.” 29 Ndizo Dafite kakubunganya babhayani bose bakayenda ku Rabha, kainginilila kaikulila kaitola. 30 Katola tjiala mu nsholo wa mambo wabo tjebulemo gwe talenta ye golide, tjakabe tjakanakisiwa nge mabgwe akanaka, ngono tjikaambadziwa Dafite mu nsholo. Wakatolelanya ne zwakatapiwa mu nzi zwisizwishoma. 31 Kadusila bathu bakabe bali mu nzi iwoyo kuzhe, kabalonga mu kushinga nge dzisaha ne dzipiki ne mashathu, ebuya ebathama kuti bashinge kunothamwa zwitina. Kathama eijalo mu mizi yose ye Baamoni. Ndizo Dafite ne babhayani babe bose bakabgwilila ku Jerusalema.
Nathan's Message and David's Repentance
1 The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David. Nathan went to him and said, “There were two men who lived in the same town; one was rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had many cattle and sheep, 3 while the poor man had only one lamb, which he had bought. He took care of it, and it grew up in his home with his children. He would feed it some of his own food, let it drink from his cup, and hold it in his lap. The lamb was like a daughter to him. 4 One day a visitor arrived at the rich man's home. The rich man didn't want to kill one of his own animals to fix a meal for him; instead, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared a meal for his guest.”
5 David became very angry at the rich man and said, “I swear by the living Lord that the man who did this ought to die! 6 For having done such a cruel thing, he must pay back four times as much as he took.”
7 “You are that man,” Nathan said to David. “And this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I made you king of Israel and rescued you from Saul. 8 I gave you his kingdom and his wives; I made you king over Israel and Judah. If this had not been enough, I would have given you twice as much. 9 Why, then, have you disobeyed my commands? Why did you do this evil thing? You had Uriah killed in battle; you let the Ammonites kill him, and then you took his wife! 10 Now, in every generation some of your descendants will die a violent death because you have disobeyed me and have taken Uriah's wife. 11 I swear to you that I will cause someone from your own family to bring trouble on you. You will see it when I take your wives from you and give them to another man; and he will have intercourse with them in broad daylight. 12 You sinned in secret, but I will make this happen in broad daylight for all Israel to see.’”
13 “I have sinned against the Lord,” David said.
Nathan replied, “The Lord forgives you; you will not die. 14 But because you have shown such contempt for the Lord in doing this, your child will die.” 15 Then Nathan went home.
David's Son Dies
The Lord caused the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David to become very sick. 16 David prayed to God that the child would get well. He refused to eat anything, and every night he went into his room and spent the night lying on the floor. 17 His court officials went to him and tried to make him get up, but he refused and would not eat anything with them. 18 A week later the child died, and David's officials were afraid to tell him the news. They said, “While the child was living, David wouldn't answer us when we spoke to him. How can we tell him that his child is dead? He might do himself some harm!”
19 When David noticed them whispering to each other, he realized that the child had died. So he asked them, “Is the child dead?”
“Yes, he is,” they answered.
20 David got up from the floor, took a bath, combed his hair, and changed his clothes. Then he went and worshiped in the house of the Lord. When he returned to the palace, he asked for food and ate it as soon as it was served. 21 “We don't understand this,” his officials said to him. “While the child was alive, you wept for him and would not eat; but as soon as he died, you got up and ate!”
22 “Yes,” David answered, “I did fast and weep while he was still alive. I thought that the Lord might be merciful to me and not let the child die. 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Could I bring the child back to life? I will some day go to where he is, but he can never come back to me.”
Solomon Is Born
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He had intercourse with her, and she bore a son, whom David named Solomon. The Lord loved the boy 25 and commanded the prophet Nathan to name the boy Jedidiah, because the Lord loved him.
David Captures Rabbah
(1 Chronicles 20.1-3)26 Meanwhile Joab continued his campaign against Rabbah, the capital city of Ammon, and was about to capture it. 27 He sent messengers to David to report: “I have attacked Rabbah and have captured its water supply. 28 Now gather the rest of your forces, attack the city and take it yourself. I don't want to get the credit for capturing it.” 29 So David gathered his forces, went to Rabbah, attacked it, and conquered it. 30 From the head of the idol of the Ammonite god Molech David took a gold crown which weighed about seventy-five pounds and had a jewel in it. David took the jewel and put it in his own crown. He also took a large amount of loot from the city 31 and put its people to work with saws, iron hoes, and iron axes, and forced them to work at making bricks. He did the same to the people of all the other towns of Ammon. Then he and his men returned to Jerusalem.