1 Samuel 24
1 Philisti hnuk lamloh Saul a mael van neh a taengla puen uh tih, “Engedi khosoek ah David om ke,” a ti nah.
After Saul [and his soldiers] returned [home] after fighting against the Philistia army, someone reported to Saul that David [and his men] had gone into the desert near En-Gedi.
2 Te dongah Saul loh Israel boeih khui lamkah hlang coelh thawng thum te a khuen tih sathai lungpang dan kah David neh a hlang rhoek te tlap ham cet.
[When] Saul [heard that, he] chose 3,000 men from various areas in Israel, and they went to search for David and his men at a place named Rocks of Wild Goats.
3 Saul loh boiva kah tanglung longpuei kaep te a paan. Te vaengah lungko tapkhoeh a om dongah a kho khuk hamla Saul loh a kun thil. Te vaengah David neh a hlang rhoek tah lungko kah a hlaep ah om uh.
At a place where the road was alongside some sheep pens, Saul [left the road and] entered a cave to defecate [EUP]. [He did not know that] David and his men were hiding further inside that same cave!
4 Te vaengah David kah hlang rhoek loh, “BOEIPA loh nang taengah, ‘Tihnin ah Na thunkha, na thunkha te na kut dongla kai loh kam paek coeng he,’ a ti he. Te dongah na mik neh then na ti bangla anih te saii laeh,” a ti na uh. Te dongah David te thoo tih Saul kah hnikul hmoi te a muel la a hlueng pah.
David’s men [saw Saul and] whispered to David, “Today is the day that Yahweh spoke about when he said, ‘I will enable you to defeat your enemy.’ You can do to him whatever you want to!” So David crept toward the entrance of the cave and [with his knife] he cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.
5 Saul kah hni hmoi a hlueng pah dongah David khaw a lungbuei loh a ngawn van.
[And then he returned to his men]. But then David felt guilty for having cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.
6 Te dongah a hlang rhoek taengah, “Anih he BOEIPA kah a koelh la om tih BOEIPA kah a koelh ka boei taengah ka kut thueng thil ham hno he ka saii aya? Te bang te BOEIPA taengah kai lamkah tah savisava,” a ti nah.
He said to his men, “I should not have done that to the king! I hope/desire that Yahweh will never allow me to attack the one whom God has appointed, because Yahweh is the one who chose him [to be the king].”
7 Tedae a hlang rhoek te David loh ol neh a daeh tih amih loh Saul a tlai uh thil ham khaw ngaih puei pawh. Saul ngawn tah lungko lamloh thoo tih longpuei te a paan.
By saying that, David restrained his men, and did not allow them to kill Saul.
8 Te phoeiah David khaw thoo van tih lungko, longko ah cet. Saul te a hnuk longah a khue tih, “Ka boeipa manghai aw,” a ti nah. Te dongah Saul loh a hnuk la a paelki. Te vaengah David loh a tal neh diklai la buluk tih a bawk.
After Saul left the cave and started to walk on the road again, David came out of the cave and shouted to Saul, “King Saul!” Saul turned around and looked, and David bowed down with his face touching the ground.
9 David loh Saul te, “Hlang loh, ‘David loh nang kah a thae ni a tlap ke,’ a ti ol te ba ham lae na hnatun.
Then he said to Saul, “(Why do you pay attention to people when they say ‘David wants to harm you’?/You should not pay attention to people when they say ‘David wants to harm you’.) [RHQ]
10 Ti hnin ah na mik loh a hmuh coeng he. Ti hnin ah lungko khuiah ni nang he BOEIPA loh ka kut dongla m'paek coeng tih nang te ngawn ham pataeng a thui coeng. Tedae nang te kang rhen dongah, ‘Ka boeipa he ka kut ka hlah thil boel eh. Anih tah BOEIPA kah a koelh ni,’ ka ti.
Today you can see with your own eyes that [what they say is not true]. Yahweh put you in a place where my men and I could have killed you when you were in this cave. Some of my men told me that I should do that, but I did not do that. I said to them, ‘I will not harm my master, because he is the king whom Yahweh appointed.’
11 A pa so lah he, ka kut dongkah na hnikul hmoi he so. Na hnikul hmoi ka ah dae nang kang ngawn pawt te ming. Ka kut dongah boethae neh boekoek a om pawt te khaw hmuh. Nang soah ka tholh pawt dae nang longtah ka hinglu loh ham na rhaem.
Your majesty, look at this piece of your robe that is in my hand! I cut it from your robe, but I did not kill you. So now you should be able to understand that I am not planning to do anything evil to you. I have not done anything wrong to you, but you are searching for me to kill me.
12 Kai laklo neh nang laklo ah BOEIPA loh laitloek nawn saeh. Nang lamkah kah khaw BOEIPA loh kai taengah phulo nawn saeh. Tedae ka kut loh nang n'cuuk thil boel saeh.
I hope/desire that Yahweh will judge and decide which of us ([is doing what is right/pleases him]). And I hope/desire that he will punish you for the wrong things that you have done to me. But I will not try to harm you.
13 Yan kah thuidoeknah loh a thui vanbangla halang lamloh halangnah ni a thoeng. Te dongah ka kut loh nang n'cuuk thil boel saeh.
There is a proverb that has the words, ‘Evil things are done by evil people.’ But [I am not evil, so] I will not do evil things to you.
14 Israel manghai loh ulae a thoeng thil? U hnuk lae na hloem? Ui duek hnuk neh uihli hnuk a?
“You are the king of Israel. So (why are you pursuing me?/you should not be pursuing me.) [RHQ] I am [as harmless as] [MET] a dead dog or a flea.
15 Te dongah BOEIPA he laitloekkung la om saeh lamtah kai laklo neh nang laklo ah laitloek nawn saeh. Ka tuituknah khaw hmu saeh lamtah ho saeh. Nang kut lamkah pataeng kai n'tang sak nawn saeh,” a ti nah.
I hope/desire that Yahweh will judge which of us [is doing what (he wants/is right)]. I trust that he will [act like a lawyer and] judge (my case/what I have done), and that he will rescue me from your power [MTY].”
16 Hekah ol he David loh Saul taengah a thui boeih phoeiah tah Saul loh, “Ka ca David nang ol dae a?” a ti nah. Te phoeiah Saul loh a ol a huel tih rhap.
When David finished speaking, Saul [called out to him and] asked, “My son David, is that your voice [that I am hearing]?” Then he began to cry loudly.
17 Te phoeiah David te, “Nang tah kai lakah na dueng. Nang loh kai taengah hnothen neh nan thuung vaengah kai loh nang taengah boethae neh kan thuung.
He said, “You are a better man than I am. You have done something very good to me when I tried to do something very bad to you.
18 Tihnin kah na phoe vanbangla kai taengah a then ni na saii pai. Kai he nang kut dongah BOEIPA loh n'det coeng dae kai nang ngawn pawh.
When Yahweh put me in a place [in that cave] where you could have easily killed me, you did not do that.
19 Hlang pakhat loh a thunkha te a hmuh coeng atah longpuei ah a then la a tueih a? Tihnin ah kai taengah na saii te BOEIPA loh nang taengah a then neh n'thuung saeh.
(Who else would/No one else would) find his enemy and allow his enemy to escape [when he could kill him instead] [RHQ]. I hope/desire that Yahweh will reward you for being kindly to me today.
20 Manghai rhoela na manghai vetih na kut ah Israel ram pai ni tila ka ming coeng ne.
I know that [some day] you will surely become the king, and that your kingdom will prosper as you rule the Israeli people.
21 Te dongah kamah hnukah ka tii ka ngan na saii pawt ham neh, kai ming te a pa imkhui lamloh na diil sak pawt ham BOEIPA ming neh kamah taengah toemngam laeh,” a ti nah.
Now while Yahweh is listening, solemnly promise to me that you will not kill my family and get rid of all my descendants.”
22 Te dongah David loh Saul taengah ol a caeng. Te phoeiah Saul te amah im la cet tih David neh a hlang rhoek tah rhalvong la cet uh.
David solemnly promised Saul that he would not [harm Saul’s family]. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went back up into the place where they had been hiding.
