UJehova wathi kuSamuyeli: ‘Hamba kuJese. Eyinye yamadodana akhe izakuba yinkosi elandelayo yako-Israyeli.’ Yikho uSamuyeli waya kuJese. Wathi ebona indodana kaJese endala wacabanga wathi: ‘Kumele ukuthi lo nguye ozakuba yinkosi.’ Kodwa uJehova watshela uSamuyeli ukuthi kayisuye. UJehova wathi: ‘Mina ngikhangela okusenhliziyweni yomuntu hatshi lokho ayikho ngaphandle.’

UJese waletha amanye amadodana akhe ayisithupha. Kodwa uSamuyeli wathi: ‘Akula okhethwe nguJehova phakathi kwamadodana la. Ulamanye amadodana yini?’ UJese wathi: ‘Ngilayo eyinye indodana elicinathunjana ethiwa nguDavida, yelusa izimvu.’ UDavida wathi esebuyile uJehova wathi kuSamuyeli: ‘Nguye lo engimkhethileyo.’ USamuyeli wamthela amafutha ekhanda, wamgcoba ukuthi abe yinkosi elandelayo yako-Israyeli.

Ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, ama-Israyeli ahamba ayakulwa lamaFilisti. AmaFilisti ayelesotsha elikhulu futhi elilamandla okwakuthiwa nguGoliyathi. Isotsha leli laliqala ama-Israyeli lisithi: ‘Thumani umuntu azokulwa lami, anganginqoba sizakuba yizigqili zenu. Kodwa ngingamnqoba lizakuba yizigqili zethu.’

UDavida wathunywa ukuthi ahambise ukudla kubafowabo ababengamasotsha. Wathi efika wezwa uGoliyathi elokhu eqala ama-Israyeli. UDavida wathi kuSawuli: ‘Ngizakulwa laye.’ USawuli wathi: ‘Uzakulwa laye njani wena umncane kangaka?’ UDavida waphendula wathi: ‘UJehova uzangisiza.’

USawuli wagqokisa uDavida isembatho sakhe sempi kodwa yena wathi: ‘Angenelisi ukuya kulwa ngigqoke lokhu.’ UDavida wathatha isavutha sakhe waya esifuleni wafika wadobha amatshe amahlanu abutshelezi wawafaka esikhwameni sakhe. Wathi esuka lapho wagijima waya kuGoliyathi. UGoliyathi wamemeza wathi: ‘Woza lapha, ngizakubulala udliwe zinyoni lezinyamazana zeganga.’ UDavida kazange esabe kodwa waphendula wathi: ‘Wena uzokulwa lami ngenkemba langomkhonto kodwa mina ngiza kuwe ngebizo likaJehova. Alilwi lathi kodwa lilwa loNkulunkulu. Lamuhla wonke umuntu uzakwazi ukuthi uJehova ulamandla ukwedlula inkemba lomkhonto. Sizalinqoba.’

UDavida wathatha isavutha wafaka ilitshe waseliphosa ngamandla akhe wonke. UJehova wamsiza ngoba ilitshe lelo langena latshona esiphaqeni sikaGoliyathi, wawela phansi wafa. AmaFilisti wonke abaleka. Wena uyamthemba yini uJehova njengoDavida?

INkosi uSawuli yenza uDavida waba ngumkhokheli wamasotsha ngemva kokuthi esebulale uGoliyathi. UDavida wanqoba izimpi ezinengi futhi lokhu kwathokozisa abantu abanengi. Kwakusithi nxa uDavida ebuyela ekhaya evela empini, abesifazana babemhlangabeza begida futhi behlabela besithi: ‘USawuli ubulele izinkulungwane, kodwa uDavida ubulele amatshumi ezinkulungwane.’ USawuli waba lomhawu ngoDavida njalo wasefuna ukumbulala.

UDavida wayesenelisa ukutshaya kuhle ichacho. Ngelinye ilanga wathi elitshaya, uSawuli wamjikijela ngomkhonto. UDavida wavika, umkhonto wayahlaba umduli. Kusukela ngalesosikhathi uSawuli wazama kanengi ukubulala uDavida. UDavida wacina esiyacatsha egangeni.

USawuli lamasotsha angu-3 000 bahamba bayadinga uDavida. USawuli wafika wangena ebhalwini lapho uDavida lamasotsha akhe ababecatshe khona. Amasotsha kaDavida amnyenyezela athi: ‘Awusoze uthole ithuba elihle njengaleli lokuthi ubulale uSawuli.’ UDavida wanyenya wayasika isembatho sikaSawuli. USawuli kazange ananzelele ukuthi isambatho sakhe sasisikiwe. UDavida wazisola ngoba wayedelele inkosi eyayibekwe nguJehova. Kazange avume ukuthi amadoda ayelawo abulale uSawuli. USawuli wathi esephumile ebhalwini uDavida wamemeza emtshela ukuthi wayethole ithuba lokuthi ambulale kodwa kazange. USawuli wayezayekela yini ukudinga uDavida ukuze ambulale?

Hatshi. USawuli waqhubeka emdinga uDavida. Ngobunye ubusuku uDavida lomntakadadewabo u-Abhishayi bahamba baya lapho okwakuloSawuli lamasotsha akhe khona. Bathola bonke belele. Lesotsha okuthiwa ngu-Abhineri elalilinda uSawuli lalilele. U-Abhishayi wathi kuDavida: ‘Wothi ngihle ngimbulale uSawuli.’ UDavida wathi: ‘UJehova uzamjezisa uSawuli. Asithathe umkhonto wakhe lesigubhu sakhe samanzi sihambe.’

UDavida wakhwela entabeni eyayiseduzane wamemeza wathi: ‘Abhineri, yindaba ungayivikelanga inkosi? Singaphi isigubhu sikaSawuli lomkhonto wakhe?’ USawuli wezwa ukuthi nguDavida owayememeza wasesithi: ‘Ubungangibulala ngabe ubufuna kodwa awungibulalanga. Ngiyakwazi ukuthi nguwe ozakuba yinkosi elandelayo yako-Israyeli.’ USawuli wabuyela endlini yakhe. Kodwa bakhona abanye emulini kaSawuli ababemthanda uDavida.

Indodana kaSawuli endala okuthiwa nguJonathani yayilisotsha elilesibindi. UDavida wathi uJonathani wayelejubane ukwedlula inyoni okuthiwa yingqungqulu lokuthi wayelamandla ukwedlula isilwane. Ngelinye ilanga uJonathani wabona amasotsha amaFilisti ephezu kwentaba. Watshela isotsha elalithwala izikhali zakhe wathi: ‘Nxa amaFilisti la angasibiza sizahamba siyekulwa lawo. Lokhu kuyabe kutshengisa ukuthi uJehova uyafuna siyekulwa lawo.’ AmaFilisti amemeza athi: ‘Buyani sizokulwa!’ Yikho uJonathani lesotsha ayelalo bakhwela intaba babulala amasotsha lawo ayengu-20.

UJonathani nguye okwakumele abe yinkosi uyise esefile ngoba nguye owayemdala. Kodwa uJonathani wayekwazi ukuthi uJehova wayekhethe uDavida ukuthi kube nguye ozabusa abako-Israyeli. Lanxa kunjalo uJonathani kazange abe lomhawu. UJonathani loDavida baba ngabangane. Bathembisana ukuthi babezavikelana. UJonathani watshengisa ukuthi ungumngane kaDavida ngokumnika ibhatshi lakhe, inkemba, idandili lebhanti lakhe.

Ngesikhathi uDavida ebalekela uSawuli, uJonathani waya kuDavida wathi: ‘Qina ungesabi. UJehova ukukhethile ukuthi ube yinkosi. Lobaba uyakwazi khonokho.’ Uyafuna yini ukuba lomngane onjengoJonathani?

Zinengi izikhathi lapho uJonathani afaka khona ukuphila kwakhe engozini ukuze ancede umngane wakhe. Wayekwazi ukuthi uSawuli wayefuna ukubulala uDavida, yikho wathi kuye: ‘Kawonanga lutho, yikho nxa ungambulala uyabe wenze isono.’ USawuli wamzondela uJonathani. Ngemva kweminyaka ethile, uSawuli loJonathani bafa empini.

UJonathani esefile, uDavida wadinga indodana kaJonathani okwakuthiwa nguMefibhoshethi. UDavida wathi esemtholile wathi kuye: ‘Ngizakugcina okwempilo yakho yonke ngoba uyihlo wayengumngane wami. Uzahlala endlini yami futhi udle lami.’ UDavida kazange amkhohlwe umngane wakhe uJonathani.

UDavida waba yinkosi ngemva kokufa kukaSawuli. Wayeleminyaka engu-30. Esebuse okweminyaka ethile, wathi ephezu kophahla ngobunye ubusuku wabona owesifazana omuhle. UDavida watshelwa ukuthi owesifazana lo kwakuthiwa nguBhathishebha lokuthi wayetshade lesotsha okuthiwa ngu-Uriya. UDavida wathi uBhathishebha alethwe endlini yakhe. Walala laye, uBhathishebha wazithwala. UDavida wazama ukufihla ayekwenzile. Watshela owayekhokhela amabutho akhe ukuthi afake u-Uriya phambili empini ukuze abulawe. U-Uriya esefile, uDavida watshada loBhathishebha.

UJehova wakubona konke okubi okwenziwa nguDavida. Wenzani ngakho? Wathuma umphrofethi okuthiwa nguNathani kuDavida. UNathani wathi kuDavida: ‘Kwakulendoda enothileyo eyayilezimvu ezinengi lendoda enganothanga eyayilezinyane lemvu eyayilithanda kakhulu. Indoda enothileyo yathatha izinyane lendoda enganothanga.’ UDavida wazonda wathi: ‘Indoda enothileyo kumele ibulawe.’ UNathani wathi kuDavida: ‘Nguwe indoda enothileyo!’ UDavida wazisola kakhulu ngayekwenzile. Wathi kuNathani: ‘Ngonile kuJehova.’ Isono leso senza uDavida lemuli yakhe bahlupheka kakhulu. UJehova wamjezisa uDavida kodwa kazange ambulale ngoba wavuma isono sakhe futhi wayethobekile.

UDavida wayefuna ukwakhela uJehova ithempeli kodwa uJehova wakhetha indodana kaDavida uSolomoni ukuthi kube yiyo emakhela ithempeli. UDavida waqoqa izinto ezazizasetshenziswa nguSolomoni ekwakheni ithempeli. UDavida wathi: ‘Ithempeli likaJehova kumele libe lihle kakhulu. USolomoni usesemncane, yikho ngizamncedisa ekudingeni izinto zokwakha.’ UDavida wakhipha imali enengi eyayizasetshenziswa ekwakheni. Wadinga abantu ababekwazi ukwakha. Waqoqa igolide lesiliva futhi wathi kulethwe izigodo zomsedari zivela eThire laseSidoni. Esezakufa, uDavida wanika uSolomoni umdwebo wesakhiwo sethempeli. Wathi: ‘UJehova uthe ngikubhalele lokhu. Uzakuncedisa. Ungesabi. Qina wenze umsebenzi lo.’