1 USamuyeli 21

1 UDavida wasesiza eNobi kuAhimeleki umpristi; uAhimeleki wasesesaba ukuhlangabeza uDavida, wathi kuye: Kungani wena uwedwa, njalo kungelamuntu olawe?

Then David came to Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech came to meet David trembling and said to him, “Why are you alone and have no one with you?”

2 UDavida wasesithi kuAhimeleki umpristi: Inkosi ingilaye udaba, yathi kimi: Kakungabi lamuntu owazi lalutho ngaloludaba engikuthuma lona, lengikulaya khona; lamajaha ngiwazisile ngendawo enje lenje.

David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has sent me on a mission and has said to me, 'Let no one know anything about the business I am sending you, and what I have commanded you.' I have directed the young men to a certain place.

3 Khathesi-ke kuyini okungaphansi kwesandla sakho? Nika esandleni sami izinkwa ezinhlanu loba okungatholakala.

Now then what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.”

4 Umpristi wasephendula uDavida wathi: Kakulasinkwa esejwayelekileyo ngaphansi kwesandla sami, kodwa kulesinkwa esingcwele, nxa amajaha ezigcinile esifazaneni kuphela.

The priest answered David and said, “There is no ordinary bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.”

5 UDavida wasemphendula umpristi wathi kuye: Isibili abesifazana bavinjelwe kithi phose lezinsuku ezintathu ekuphumeni kwami; lezitsha zamajaha zingcwele; kodwa ngandlela thize sejwayelekile, laphezu kwalokho, ngoba lamuhla singcweliswe ezitsheni.

David answered the priest, “Surely women have been kept from us for the past three days, as usual when I set out. The things belonging to the men have been set apart even on ordinary missions. How much more today will what they have be set apart!”

6 Ngakho umpristi wamnika esingcwele; ngoba kwakungelasinkwa lapho, ngaphandle kwesinkwa sokubukiswa, ebesisuswe phambi kweNkosi ukuthi kubekwe isinkwa esitshisayo mhla sithathwa.

So the priest gave him the bread that was set apart. For there was no bread there except the bread of the presence, which was removed from before Yahweh, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day it was taken away.

7 Njalo kwakulomuntu lapho owenceku zikaSawuli mhlalokho, ebambekile phambi kweNkosi, lebizo lakhe lalinguDowegi umEdoma, induna yabelusi uSawuli ayelabo.

Now one of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Yahweh. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.

8 UDavida wasesithi kuAhimeleki: Kanti kakulamkhonto loba inkemba lapha ngaphansi kwesandla sakho? Ngoba kokubili inkemba yami lezikhali zami kangikuthathanga esandleni sami, ngoba udaba lwenkosi lwalungoluphuthunywayo.

David said to Ahimelech, “Now is there not here on hand any spear or sword? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business was urgent.”

9 Umpristi wasesithi: Inkemba kaGoliyathi umFilisti, owambulala esigodini seEla, njalo khangela, igoqelwe ngelembu ngemva kwe-efodi; uba uzithathela yona, ithathe, ngoba kayikho enye lapha ngaphandle kwayo. UDavida wasesithi: Kayikho enjengayo; nginika yona.

The priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want to take that, take it, for there is no other weapon here.” David said, “There is no other sword like that one; give it to me.”

10 Wasesukuma uDavida wabaleka ngalolosuku esuka ebusweni bukaSawuli, waya kuAkishi inkosi yeGathi.

David arose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish, the king of Gath.

11 Izinceku zikaAkishi zasezisithi kuye: Lo kayisuye uDavida yini inkosi yelizwe? Kabahlabelanga yini ngaye emigidweni besithi: USawuli utshayile izinkulungwane zakhe, kodwa uDavida inkulungwane zakhe ezingamatshumi?

Achish's servants said to him, “Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another about him in dances, 'Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands?'”

12 UDavida wasewafaka lamazwi enhliziyweni yakhe, wamesaba kakhulu uAkishi inkosi yeGathi.

David took these words to heart and was very afraid of Achish, the king of Gath.

13 Ngakho waguqula ukuziphatha kwakhe emehlweni abo, wazitshaya uhlanya ezandleni zabo, wadweba ezivalweni zamasango, wagxozisela indenda esilevini sakhe.

He changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands; he made marks on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard.

14 UAkishi wasesithi ezincekwini zakhe: Khangelani, liyabona ukuthi lumuntu uyahlanya; limletheleni kimi?

Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is mad. Why have you brought him to me?

15 Ngiswele inhlanya yini ukuthi lilethe lo ukuthi ahlanye phambi kwami? Lo uzangena endlini yami yini?

Do I lack madmen, so that you have brought this fellow to behave like one in my presence? Will this fellow really come into my house?”