USAWULE uzama ukubamba uDavide futhi. Uthatha angu-3 000 emasosheni akhe anamandla bahambe bayomfuna. Uma uDavide ezwa ngalokhu, uthuma izinhloli ukuze zizwe ukuthi uSawule namadoda akhe bakanisephi ebusuku. UDavide abuze amabili emadodeni akhe: ‘Ubani kini ozohamba nami siye ekamu likaSawule?’

U-Abhishayi aphendule: ‘Yimi.’ U-Abhishayi yindodana kadadewabo kaDavide uZeruya. Lapho uSawule namadoda akhe belele, uDavide no-Abhishayi banyonyobela ekamu. Bathatha umkhonto kaSawule nesigubhu samanzi, eceleni nje kwekhanda lakhe. Akekho obabonayo noma obezwayo ngoba balele bonke.

Bheka uDavide no-Abhishayi. Sebehambile, baphezulu esiqongweni sentaba. UDavide amemeze induna yempi yakwa-Israyeli: ‘Abhineri, awuyilindanga ngani inkosi yakho na? Bheka! Uphi umkhonto wayo nesigubhu samanzi?’

USawule uyavuka. Uyalizwa izwi likaDavide, abuze: ‘Nguwe lowo Davide?’ Uyababona oSawule no-Abhineri lapha phansi?

‘Yebo, nkosi yami,’ uDavide ephendula uSawule. UDavide abuze: ‘Ungizingelelani na? Ngenze bubi buni? Nanku umkhonto wakho, nkosi. Thuma enye yamadoda izowulanda.’

USawule uyavuma, ‘Ngonile, ngenze ngobuwula.’ Kulokho uDavide ahambe, noSawule abuyele ekhaya. Kodwa uDavide athi: ‘Ngelinye ilanga uSawule uzongibulala. Kufanele ngibalekele ezweni lamaFilisti.’ Wenza kanjalo. UDavide ukhohlisa amaFilisti ukuze akholwe ukuthi usohlangothini lwawo.

Ngemva kwesikhathi esithile amaFilisti ayanyuka ayokulwa no-Israyeli. Empini, kwabulawa bobabili uSawule noJonathani. Lokhu kumdabukisa kakhulu uDavide, ubhala ihubo elihle, ahlabelela kulo: ‘Ngidabukile ngawe mfowethu Jonathani; wawumnandi kakhulu kimi!’

Ngemva kwalokhu uDavide ubuyela kwa-Israyeli emzini waseHebroni. Kukhona impi phakathi kwabantu abakhetha indodana kaSawule u-Ishi-bhosheti, ukuba abe yinkosi nabakhetha uDavide ukuba abe yinkosi. Kodwa ekugcineni kuphumelela abakaDavide. UDavide uneminyaka engu-30 uma eba yinkosi. Ubusa iminyaka eyisikhombisa nengxenye eHebroni. Amanye amadodana awazala khona kwakungo-Amnoni, u-Absalomu no-Adoniya.

Kufika isikhathi lapho uDavide namadoda anaye behlasela umuzi omuhle waseJerusalema. UJowabe, enye indodana kadadewabo kaDavide uZeruya, uyahola kuleyo mpi. Ngakho uDavide uvuza uJowabe ngokumenza induna yempi yakhe. Manje uDavide uqala ukubusa emzini waseJerusalema.