1 Samuel 16
1 BOEIPA loh Samuel te, “Saul ham te me hil nim na nguek na coi ve? Israel manghai lamloh anih te ka hnawt coeng. Na ki situi than lamtah cet laeh. A ca rhoek khui lamkah te kamah kah manghai la ka hmuh coeng dongah Bethlehem Jesse taengla nang kan tueih coeng,” a ti nah.
Finally, Yahweh said to Samuel, “I have decided that I will not allow Saul to continue to be the king. So you should not [RHQ] keep feeling sad [about what he has done]. Put some olive oil in a small container and go to Bethlehem [to anoint someone with the oil, and appoint him to be king]. I am sending you there to a man named Jesse, because I have chosen one of his sons to be the king [of Israel].”
2 Tedae Samuel loh, “Metlam ka caeh eh? Saul loh a yaak vetih kai n'ngawn ni ta,” a ti nah. BOEIPA loh, “Saelhung khuikah vaitola te na kut dongah khuen lamtah, 'BOEIPA taengah nawn hamla ka pawk coeng,” ti nah.
But Samuel said, “I am afraid [RHQ] to do that! If Saul hears about it, he will kill me!” Yahweh said, “Take a (heifer/young female cow) with you, and say to people that you have come to [kill it and] offer it as a sacrifice to me.
3 Tedae, “Hmueih vaengah Jesse te khue lamtah na saii ham te kai loh kan tueng vetih nang taengah, 'Anih ka ti,’ te kai ham hang koelh,” a ti nah.
“Invite Jesse to come to the sacrifice. [When he comes, ] I will show you what you should do. And I will show you which of his sons [I have chosen to be the king]. Then you should anoint that one [with the olive oil to be the king].”
4 BOEIPA loh a thui te Samuel loh a saii tih Bethlehem a pha hatah anih doe ham te khopuei ka a hamca rhoek lakueng uh tih, “Sading la na pawk dae a?,” a ti na uh.
Samuel did what Yahweh told him to do. He went to Bethlehem. When the town leaders came to him, they trembled, [because they were worried that Samuel had come to rebuke them about something]. One of them asked him, “Have you come [to speak] peacefully [to us]?”
5 Te dongah, “BOEIPA taengah nawn hamla sading la ka pawk coeng. Ciim uh lamtah hmueih ah kai taengla halo uh,” a ti nah. Te dongah Jesse neh a ca rhoek te a ciim tih amih te hmueih ah a khue.
Samuel replied, “Yes. I have come peacefully, to make a sacrifice to Yahweh. [Perform the rituals to] make yourselves acceptable to Yahweh, and then come with me to where they will offer the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the ritual to make Jesse and his sons acceptable to God, and he also invited them to the sacrifice.
6 A pha vaengah Eliab te a hmuh hatah, “BOEIPA hmaiah amah kah a koelh pawn maco he,” a ti.
When they arrived there, Samuel looked at [Jesse’s oldest son] Eliab, and thought, “Surely this is the one whom Yahweh has appointed [to be king]!”
7 Tedae BOEIPA loh Samuel te, “A mueimae neh a song a sang te paelki boeh. Hlang kah a hmuh bangla a hmuh pawt dongah anih te a hnawt pah. Hlang loh a suisak te a hmuh dae BOEIPA loh a thinko ni a. hmuh,” a ti nah.
But Yahweh said to Samuel, “No, he is not the one whom I have chosen. Don’t pay attention to his being handsome and very tall, because I have not chosen him. I do not evaluate people as people do. You people evaluate people by their appearance, but I evaluate people by what is in their inner beings.”
8 Te dongah Jesse loh Abinadab te a khue tih Samuel mikhmuh ah a thak hatah, “Anih te khaw BOEIPA loh a tuek moenih,” a ti nah.
Then Jesse told [his next oldest son] Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. [But when he did that], Samuel said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one, either.”
9 Te phoeiah Jesse loh Shammah te athawt hatah, “Anih te khaw BOEIPA loh a tuek moenih,” a ti nah.
Then Jesse told [his next oldest son] Shammah to step forward. He stepped forward, but Samuel said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one, either.”
10 Jesse loh a parhih ca te Samuel hmai ah a thawt coeng dae Jesse te Samuel loh, “Amih te BOEIPA loh a tuek moenih,” a ti nah.
Similarly, Jesse told his other four sons to walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “Yahweh has not chosen any of these sons of yours.”
11 Te dongah Jesse te Samuel loh, “Camoe rhoek te boeih pawn a?” a ti nah. Tedae, “A noe om pueng dae boiva la a luem puei ke,” a ti nah. Te vaengah Samuel loh Jesse te, “Hlang tueih lamtah anih te loh sak, anih hela ha pawk duela mael uh boel dae sih,” a ti nah.
Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Do you have any other sons?” Jesse replied, “My youngest son [is not here]; he is out [in the fields] taking care of the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send someone to bring him here! We will not sit down [to eat] until he gets here.”
12 A tah tih ha pawk vaengah anih a lingphung la sakthen mik neh mueihmuh khaw then. Te vaengah BOEIPA loh, “Thoo lamtah anih he BOEIPA amah ham koelh laeh,” a ti nah.
So Jesse sent [someone] to bring [David there. And when David arrived, Samuel saw that] he was handsome and healthy, and had bright eyes. Then Yahweh said, “This is the one [whom I have chosen]; anoint him [to be king].”
13 Te daengah Samuel loh situi ki te a loh tih a manuca rhoek kah lakli ah David te a koelh. Te dongah te khohnin lamlong tah BOEIPA kah Mueihla loh David te sarhi a tak tih a so la cungphoek hang. Te phoeiah Samuel te thoo tih Ramah la cet.
So as David [stood there] in front of his older brothers, Samuel took the container of oil that he had brought and poured some of it on David’s head [to set him apart to serve God. After they all ate, Samuel left] and returned to Ramah. But Yahweh’s Spirit came on David powerfully, and stayed with David for the rest of his life.
14 Tahae ah BOEIPA kah Mueihla tah Saul taeng lamloh nong coeng tih BOEIPA lamkah mueihla thae loh anih te a let sak coeng.
But Yahweh’s Spirit left Saul. Instead [of his Spirit staying with Saul], Yahweh sent an evil spirit to Saul to terrify him [repeatedly].
15 Te dongah Saul te a sal rhoek loh, “Pathen kah mueihla thae loh nang n'let sak coeng he.
One of his servants said to him, “It is evident that an evil spirit sent by God is terrifying you.
16 Na mikhmuh kah na sal rhoek taengah ka boeipa loh thui lamtah rhotoeng tum aka ming hlang pakhat te tlam uh saeh. Te daengah ni Pathen kah mueihla thae te nang soah a om a om vaengah a kut neh rhotoeng te a tum vetih nang ham a then eh?,” a ti na uh.
So [we suggest that you] allow us, your servants here, to search for a man who plays the harp well. He can play the harp whenever the evil spirit bothers you. Then [you will calm down and] you will be okay again.”
17 Te dongah Saul loh a sal rhoek te, “Kai hamla a tum aka then hlang te so lamtah kai taengla hang khuen uh,” a ti nah.
Saul replied, “[Fine/Okay], find for me a man who can play [the harp] well, and bring him to me.”
18 Te vaengah camoe rhoek khuikah pakhat loh a doo tih, “Bethlehem Jesse capa te ka hmuh dae ta. Anih loh a tum thai tih tatthai hlangrhalh, caemtloek hlang, olka aka yakming, a suisak neh aka om hlang la om tih anih te BOEIPA loh a om puei bal,” a ti nah.
One of his servants said to him, “A man named Jesse, in Bethlehem [town], has a son who plays the harp very well. Furthermore, he is a brave man, and is a capable soldier. He is handsome and he always speaks wisely. And Yahweh always protects him.”
19 Saul loh Jesse taengla puencawn rhoek te a tueih tih, “Na capa David, boiva taengah aka om te kai taengla han tueih dae,” a ti nah.
So Saul sent this message to Jesse: “Send your son David to me, the one who takes care of sheep.”
20 Te dongah Jesse loh laak, vaidam, misur tuitang, maae ca pakhat te a loh tih a capa David kut dongah Saul taengla a pat.
[So after they went to] Jesse [and told him that, he agreed. He] got a young goat, a container of wine, a donkey on which he put some loaves of bread, and gave them to David to take to Saul [as a present].
21 David te Saul taengla a pawk vaengah a mikhmuh ah pai. Te vaengah anih te bahoeng a lungnah dongah anih kah hnopai phuei la pahoi a om sak.
Then David went to Saul and started to work for him. Saul liked David very much, and he became the man who carried Saul’s weapons [when Saul went to fight in battles].
22 Te phoeiah Saul loh Jesse taengla hlang a tueih tih, “David he ka mikhmuh ah mikdaithen a dang coeng dongah ka mikhmuh ah om saeh,” a ti nah.
Then Saul sent [a messenger] to Jesse to tell him, “I am pleased with David. Please let him stay here and work for me.”
23 Pathen kah mueihla loh Saul te a pha tih a om thil takuem vaengah, David loh rhotoeng a loh tih a kut neh a tum pah. Te vaengah Saul dongkah mueihla thae a nong dongah amah khaw hoengpoek tih a then pah.
[Jesse agreed, and after that], whenever the evil spirit whom God sent tormented Saul, David played the harp. Then Saul would become calm, and the evil spirit would leave him.
