UDavide Uyengwa NguSathane Ukubala U-Israyeli
1USathane wamelana no-Israyeli, wamyenga uDavide ukuba abale u-Israyeli. 2UDavide wathi kuJowabe nakubaholi babantu: “Hambani nibale u-Israyeli kusukela eBheri Sheba kuze kube kwaDani, nilethe inani labo kimi ukuze ngazi ukuthi ungakanani.”
3UJowabe wathi: “USimakade makenezelele kubantu bakhe kuphindwe kayikhulu. Nkosi yami, nkosi, kanti abasizo yini izinceku zenkosi yami bonke na? Inkosi yami ifunelani ukwenza lokhu na? Kungani ifuna ukuba yimbangela yecala ku-Israyeli na?”
4Izwi lenkosi nokho lamehlula uJowabe. UJowabe waphuma walihamba lonke elakwa-Israyeli waze wayofika eJerusalema. 5UJowabe wamnika uDavide inani labantu ababebaliwe. Esewonke u-Israyeli wayeyisi-1 100 000 ababengaphuma baye empini, uJuda yena eyizi-470 000.
6AbaLevi nabakwaBhenjamini abazange babalwe, ngokuba uJowabe wayecunulwe yizwi elalikhishwe yinkosi. 7Lokhu kwakukubi phambi kukaNkulunkulu, ngalokho-ke wamjezisa u-Israyeli.
8UDavide wayesethi kuNkulunkulu: “Ngonile kakhulu ngale nto engiyenzileyo. Manje Simakade, ake uthethelele inceku yakho icala elenzileyo, ngokuba ngenzile ubuwula obukhulu.”
9USimakade wayesekhuluma kuGadi, umboni kaDavide, ethi: 10“Hamba uyokhuluma noDavide, uthi: ‘Usho kanje uSimakade, uthi: “Nginezinto ezintathu engizibeka phambi kwakho; khetha ibe yinye kuzo ukuba ngikwenzele yona.” ’ ”
11UGadi wafika kuDavide, wathi kuye: “Usho kanje uSimakade, uthi: 12‘Zikhethele noma kube yiminyaka emithathu yendlala, noma izinyanga ezintathu unqotshwa yizitha zakho ngenkemba yazo, noma izinsuku ezintathu zenkemba kaSimakade nobhubhane ezweni, ingelosi kaSimakade ibhubhisa kulo lonke elakwa-Israyeli. Manje-ke qoka, lizwi lini engiyakulibuyisela kongithumileyo na?’ ”
13UDavide wathi kuGadi: “Ngidabuka kakhulu; kungcono mangiwele esandleni sikaSimakade, ngokuba umusa wakhe mkhulu kakhulu, kunokuba ngiwele esandleni somuntu.”
14USimakade wathumela ubhubhane kwa-Israyeli, kwafa abantu abayizi-70 000 kwa-Israyeli. 15UNkulunkulu wathumela ingelosi eJerusalema ukuba ilibhubhise. Kwathi lapho isabhubhisa uSimakade wabuka, wazisola ngale nhlekelele, wathi engelosini eyayibhubhisa: “Sekwanele manje, finyeza isandla sakho.”
Ingelosi kaSimakade yayimi ngasesibuyeni sika-Orinani, umJebusi.
16UDavide waphakamisa amehlo akhe wayibona ingelosi kaSimakade imi emkhathini womhlaba nezulu, ikhokhe inkemba esandleni sayo iyelulele phezu kweJerusalema. UDavide namalunga babembethe ingubo yesaka base bekhothama bathi mbo ngobuso.
17UDavide wathi kuNkulunkulu: “Akumina yini owayaleza ukuba kubalwe abantu na? Yimi engonileyo, ngenze okubi kakhulu, kodwa lezi zimvu zenzeni na? Isandla sakho, Simakade Nkulunkulu wami, masijezise mina nendlu kababa, hhayi laba bantu bakho obashaya ngobhubhane.”
UDavide Wakhela USimakade I-althare Esibuyeni
18Ingelosi kaSimakade yamyala uGadi ukuba ayotshela uDavide ukuthi makakhuphuke, amisele uSimakade i-althare esibuyeni sika-Orinani, umJebusi. 19UDavide wakhuphuka njengalokhu eshilo uGadi ekhuluma egameni likaSimakade.
20U-Orinani waphenduka wayibona ingelosi; amadodana akhe amane acasha, u-Orinani wayebhula ukolo. 21UDavide wafika ku-Orinani, u-Orinani wabheka, wabona uDavide, waphuma esibuyeni, wakhothama kuDavide, ubuso bakhe bubheke phansi.
22UDavide wathi ku-Orinani: “Nginike le ndawo eyisibuya ukuba ngakhele kuyo uSimakade i-althare; ngizoyikhokhela imali epheleleyo ukuze lolu bhubhane lunqamuke kubantu.”
23U-Orinani wathi kuDavide: “Zithathele yona; inkosi yami, inkosi, mayenze lokho okuhle emehlweni ayo. Bheka, ngiyakukunika izinkabi zibe ngezeminikelo yokushiswa, izibhulo zibe yizinkuni, nokolo ube ngumnikelo wokusanhlamvu; ngikunika konke lokho.”
24Inkosi uDavide yathi ku-Orinani: “Qha, ngiyakukukhokhela konke imali epheleleyo, ngokuba angizukumthathela uSimakade okungokwakho, noma nginikele umnikelo wokushiswa ongabizanga lutho.”
25UDavide wamkhokhela u-Orinani ngaleyo ndawo amashekeli egolide angama-600 ngokwesisindo. 26UDavide wamakhela lapho uSimakade i-althare, wanikela ngeminikelo yokushiswa nangeminikelo yokuthula, wakhuleka kuSimakade. USimakade esezulwini waphendula ngomlilo e-althare leminikelo wokushiswa.
27USimakade wakhuluma engelosini; yayisiyibuyisela inkemba yayo emgodleni wayo.
28Ngaleso sikhathi lapho uDavide esebonile ukuthi uSimakade umphendulile esibuyeni sika-Orinani umJebusi, wenza umhlatshelo khona lapho. 29Ngokuba ithabanakeli likaSimakade ayelenzile uMose ehlane, ne-althare lomnikelo wokushiswa kwakusendaweni ephakemeyo eGibheyoni ngaleso sikhathi, 30uDavide akakwazanga ukuya phambi kwalo ukuba abuze kuNkulunkulu, ngokuba wayesaba inkemba yengelosi kaSimakade.
