1 Samuel 23

1 David taengla puen uh tih, “Philisti loh Keilah a vathoh thil tih cangtilhmuen tukvat uh thae ke,” a ti nah.

And they sent word to David, saying, The Philistines are fighting against Keilah and taking the grain from the grain-floors.

2 Tedae David loh BOEIPA a dawt tih, “Ka cet vetih Philisti rhoek he ka ngawn aya?” a ti nah. David te BOEIPA loh, “Cet, Philisti te tloek lamtah Keilah ke khang laeh,” a ti nah.

So David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go and make an attack on these Philistines? And the Lord said to David, Go and make an attack on the Philistines so that Keilah may be kept from falling into their hands.

3 Tedae David kah hlang rhoek loh, “Mamih he Judah khuiah pataeng n'rhih coeng he, Keilah kah Philisti caem m'muk koini taoe talaih pawn ni,” a ti uh.

And David's men said to him, Even here in Judah we are full of fear: how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

4 Te dongah BOEIPA te David loh a rhaep la koep a dawt. Te vaengah anih te BOEIPA loh a doo tih, “Thoo lamtah Keilah la suntla laeh, Philisti te kamah loh nang kut ah kam paek coeng,” a ti nah.

Then David put the question to the Lord again, and the Lord answering said, Up! go down to Keilah; for I will give the Philistines into your hands.

5 Te dongah David te amah hlang, amah hlang rhoek neh Keilah la cet uh tih Philisti te a vathoh thil. Te vaengah amih kah boiva te bat a vai pah tih, amamih te hmasoe len neh a ngawn phoeiah David loh Keilah khosa rhoek te a khang.

So David and his men went to Keilah, and had a fight with the Philistines, and took away their cattle, and put them to the sword with great destruction. So David was the saviour of the people of Keilah.

6 Ahimelek capa Abiathar loh Keilah kah David taengla a yong vaengah a kut dongah hnisui a suntlak puei.

Now when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, went in flight to David, he came down to Keilah with the ephod in his hand.

7 Keilah la David a pawk te Saul taengla a puen pah. Te vaengah Saul loh, “Anih te Pathen loh kai kut dongah han tloeng coeng, khopuei thohkhaih khuila ael tih thohkalh neh amah tlaeng uh coeng,” a ti.

And news was given to Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, Now God has given him into my hands; for by going into a walled town with locked doors, he has let himself be shut in.

8 Te dongah caemtloek ham neh Keilah la suntla tih David neh a hlang rhoek te dum hamla Saul loh pilnam pum te a yaak sak.

And Saul sent for all the people to come to the fight, and go down to Keilah to make an attack on David and his men.

9 Saul loh boethae neh amah a rhim thil te David loh a ming tih khosoih Abiathar te, “Hnisui te hang khuen,” a ti nah.

And it was clear to David that Saul had evil designs against him, and he said to Abiathar the priest, Come here with the ephod.

10 Te phoeiah David loh, “Israel Pathen, BOEIPA aw, na sal loh a yaak rhoela a yaak coeng. Kai kong ah khopuei phae ham te Keilah la pawk hamla Saul loh a toem coeng.

Then David said, O Lord, the God of Israel, news has been given to your servant that it is Saul's purpose to come to Keilah and send destruction on the town because of me.

11 Keilah boei rhoek he anih kut dongla ka tloeng aya. Na sal loh a yaak bangla Saul ha suntla aya. Israel Pathen BOEIPA loh, “Na sal taengah puen pah laeh,” a ti nah hatah BOEIPA loh, “Ha suntla ni,” a ti nah.

And now, is it true, as they have said to me, that Saul is coming? O Lord, the God of Israel, give ear to your servant, and say if these things are so. And the Lord said, He is coming down.

12 Te dongah David loh, “Keilah boei rhoek loh kai neh ka hlang rhoek te Saul kut dongla n'det aya,” a ti nah vaengah BOEIPA loh, “N'det uh ni,” a ti nah.

Then David said, Will the men of Keilah give me and my men up to Saul? and the Lord said, They will give you up.

13 Te daengah David thoo tih amah kah hlang rhoek hlang ya rhuk tluk neh Keilah lamloh nong uh tih cet uh. A caeh uh phoei daengah Keilah lamloh David loh a loeih te Saul taengla a puen pauh. Te dongah a caeh ham khaw vik a toeng.

Then David and his men, about six hundred of them, went out of Keilah, and got away wherever they were able to go. And Saul, hearing that David had got away from Keilah, did not go there.

14 David tah khosoek ah khaw, rhalmahim ah khaw kho a sak tih, Ziph kah khosoek tlang ah kho a sak. Te vaengah anih te Saul loh hnin takuem a tlap dae Pathen loh Saul kut ah a paek moenih.

And David kept in the waste land, in safe places, waiting in the hill-country in the waste land of Ziph. And Saul was searching for him every day, but God did not give him up into his hands.

15 Horesh kah Ziph khosoek ah David a om vaengah a hinglu mae pah ham Saul ha pawk te David loh a hmuh.

And David was full of fear, in the knowledge that Saul had come out to take his life; and David was in the waste land of Ziph, in Horesh.

16 Saul capa Jonathan te thoo tih Horesh kah David taengla cet, te vaengah Pathen rhang neh a kut khaw tangkuek.

And Saul's son Jonathan went to David in Horesh, and made his hands strong in God;

17 Te vaengah David te, “Rhih boeh, a pa Saul kut loh nang m'pha mahpawh, nang loh Israel na manghai thil vetih kai tah na hnukthoi la ka om ni, he he a pa Saul long khaw a ming,” a ti nah.

And said to him, Have no fear, for Saul my father will not get you into his power; and you will be king of Israel, and I will be by your side, and my father Saul is certain of this.

18 BOEIPA mikhmuh ah amih rhoi loh paipi a saii rhoi. Tedae David tah Horesh ah kho a sak tih, Jonathan tah amah im la cet.

And the two of them made an agreement before the Lord: and David went on living in Horesh, and Jonathan went back to his house.

19 Ziphim rhoek loh Gibeah kah Saul taengla cet uh tih, “Khopong bantang, Hakhilah som ah aka om Horesh rhalmahim kah kaimih taengah David a thuh uh moenih a?

Then the Ziphites came up to Gibeah to see Saul, and said, Is not David living secretly among us in the strong places in Horesh, in the hill of Hachilah to the south of the waste land?

20 Na hinglu kah a hue bang boeih la manghai namah te kaimih taengla ha suntla lammah ha suntla dae. Anih te manghai kut ah kan det bitni,” a ti nah.

So now, O king, have your soul's desire and come down, and we, for our part, will give him up into the king's hands.

21 Saul loh, “Kai he nan hnaih uh dongah BOEIPA rhang neh na yoethen uh pai saeh.

And Saul said, The Lord's blessing will be yours, for you have had pity on me.

22 Cet uh laeh, rhuengphong uh bal lamtah a hmuen te so uh laeh. A hnuk om tih anih aka hmuh loh kai taengah tah David he, “A muet lam ni a muet uh,” a ti.

Go now, and take more steps, and see where he is living: for they say that he is expert in deceit.

23 Te dongah so uh lamtah a thuh nah te congket conglong khaw boeih ming uh. Te phoeiah kai taengah rhuemtuet la ha mael lamtah nangmih taengla ka lo eh. Khohmuen ah anih te khoem a om mai khaming, tedae anih te Judah thawngkhat khui ah khaw ka phuelhthaih ni,” a ti nah.

So take care to get knowledge of all the secret places where he is taking cover, and be certain to come back to me, and I will go with you: and without doubt, if he is anywhere in the land, I will get him, among all the families of Judah.

24 Te dongah thoo uh tih Ziph la Saul hmai ah cet uh. Te vaengah David neh a hlang rhoek tah Arabah kah khopong bantang duela, Maon khosoek ah omuh.

And they went back and came to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the waste land of Maon, in the dry land south of the waste land.

25 Saul neh a hlang rhoek loh tlap ham cet uh. Tedae David taengla a puen uh dongah Maon khosoek kah thaelpang la suntla tih kho a sak. Saul loh a yaak vaengah Maon khosoek la David te a hloem.

And Saul and his men went in search of him. And David had word of it, so he came down to the rock in the waste land of Maon. And Saul, hearing of this, went after David into the waste land of Maon.

26 Saul te tlang kah a hael pakhat ah a caeh vaengah David neh a hlang rhoek khaw tlang kah a hael pakhat ah cetuh. Tedae David tah Saul hmai lamkah caeh hamla tamto coeng. Te vaengah Saul neh a hlang rhoek loh David neh a hlang rhoek te tuuk hamla a vael uh.

And Saul and his men went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men went on the other: and David's purpose was to get away as quickly as possible, for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men were making a circle round David and his men in order to take them.

27 Te vaengah puencawn te Saul taengla ha pawk tih, “A loe la halo dae, Philisti loh khohmuen pawk a capit uh thil coeng,” a ti nah.

But a man came to Saul saying, Be quick and come; for the Philistines have made an attack on the land.

28 Saul loh David hnuk a hloem te a mael tak tih, Philisti mah hamla cet. Te dongah tekah hmuen te Selahammahlekoth tahahthaelpang a sak.

So turning back from going after David, Saul went against the Philistines: so that place was named Sela-hammah-lekoth.

29 Te phoeiah David tah te lamloh cet tih Engedi rhalmahim ah kho a sak.

And from there, David went up and took cover in the safe place of En-gedi.