1 Samuel 23

1 Ahnimouh ni khenhaw! Filistinnaw ni Keilah khopui a tuk awh teh, cangkatinnae a la awh e hah, Devit ni a thai toteh,

One day someone told David, “You need to know that the Philistia army is attacking Keilah [town] and they are stealing grain from where men are threshing it.”

2 Kai ni hote Filistinnaw hah ka cei vaiteh ka tuk han namaw telah BAWIPA koe a pacei. BAWIPA ni, cet haw. Filistinnaw hah tuk nateh, Keilah khopui hah rungngang haw telah Devit koe a dei pouh.

David asked Yahweh, “Should my men and I go to fight against those men from the Philistia people-group?” Yahweh answered, “Yes, go. Attack them, and rescue the people of Keilah.”

3 Devit e taminaw nihai, maimouh ni Judah ram dawk patenghai taki awh toe. Keilah khopui cei awh vaiteh, Filistin tuk hane teh taki ka tho poung na bo aw telah a dei awh.

But David’s men said to him, “We are afraid [that Saul will attack us] here in Judah. We will be more afraid if we go to Keilah where the Philistia army is!”

4 Devit ni BAWIPA koe bout a pacei teh, BAWIPA ni, cet awh nateh, Filistinnaw teh nange kut dawk na poe han telah atipouh.

So David asked Yahweh again [if they should go to Keilah]. Yahweh answered, “Yes, go down to Keilah. I will help you to defeat the men of the Philistia people-group.”

5 Devit hoi a taminaw teh, Keilah khopui koelah a cei awh teh, Filistinnaw hoi a kâtuk awh. Saringnaw a la pouh awh, ahnimanaw moikapap a thei awh. Hottelah Devit ni Keilah khopui hah a rungngang.

So David and his men went to Keilah. They fought against the men of the Philistia people-group and captured many of their cattle. David and his men killed many of the Philistia men and rescued the people of Keilah.

6 Ahimelek capa Abiathar teh, Devit aonae koe Keilah khopui koelah a yawng navah, Ephod a sin laihoi a tho.

Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, fled to be with David at Keilah, and he brought the sacred vest with him [to use it to determine what God wanted to be done].

7 Devit teh Keilah khopui a cei tie Sawl ni a thai toteh, Cathut ni ka kut dawk na poe toung nahoehmaw. Kho longkha hoi tarennae kaawm e khopui thung a kâen teh paung awh toe telah ati.

Soon Saul found out that David was at Keilah. So he said, “That is good! God is enabling me to capture him! He has trapped himself in that town, because it has high walls with gates around it.”

8 Keilah khopui tuk hanelah Devit hoi a taminaw kalup hanelah, amae taminaw pueng a kamkhueng sak.

So Saul summoned his army, and they prepared to go down to Keilah to attack David and his men.

9 Devit ni ka lathueng vah, Sawl ni hnokathout a sak tie hah a panue teh, vaihma Abiathar koevah Ephod hah hi thokhai haw atipouh.

But David found out that Saul was planning [for his army] to attack him. So he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring [here] the sacred vest.”

10 Devit ni Oe Isarel BAWIPA Cathut, Sawl ni kai kecu dawkvah, Keilah khopui raphoe hanelah a kâcai awh tie ka thai.

[So when Abiathar brought it, ] David prayed, “Yahweh, God of us Israelis, I have heard that Saul is planning to come here [with his army] and destroy Keilah because I am here.

11 Keilah khocanaw ni kai hah a kut dawk na poe han na maw. Na san ni ka thai e patetlah Sawl teh a tho han namaw. Isarel miphun e BAWIPA Cathut, na san koe uren dei haw telah ka pacei navah, BAWIPA ni, a tho han doeh, telah ati pou.

Will Saul come down [here to Keilah], as people reported to me? Will the leaders of Keilah enable Saul to capture me? Yahweh, God of us Israelis, please tell me!” Yahweh answered, “Yes, Saul will come down.”

12 Devit ni Keilah taminaw hoi ka taminaw teh Sawl kut dawk na poe han na maw telah a pacei. BAWIPA ni na poe awh han telah ati.

Then David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah enable Saul’s army to capture me and my men [if we stay here]?” [By means of the stones in the sacred vest], Yahweh replied, “Yes, they will.”

13 Hottelah hoi Devit hoi a taminaw 600 tabang a thaw awh teh, Keilah khopui hoi a tâco awh teh, a coung thai e patetlah a cei awh. Devit teh Keilah khopui hoi a yawng e hah Sawl ni a thai dawkvah, cet hoeh toe.

So David and his 600 men left Keilah. They continued to move from one place to another, [wherever they thought that Saul would not find them]. And when Saul found out that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.

14 Devit teh, Zeph monrui kahrawngum rapanimnaw dawkvah ao. Sawl ni hnintangkuem a tawng eiteh, Cathut ni a kut dawk Devit hah poe hoeh.

David and his men stayed in hiding places in the desert and in the hills of Ziph Desert. Every day Saul [sent men to] search for David, but Yahweh did not allow them to capture David.

15 Devit ni, Sawl ni na thei han tie a panue dawkvah, ahni teh Ziph ramke ratu thung vah ao.

While David and his men were at [a place named] Horesh in Ziph desert, he found out that Saul was coming there to kill him.

16 Sawl capa Jonathan a tho teh, Devit aonae koe Horesh lah a cei teh, Cathut dawk tha a kâla nahanelah a kabawp.

But Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him to continue to trust [God].

17 Na lungpuen hanh. Isarelnaw e siangpahrang lah na o vaiteh, kai teh nang kabawmkung lah ka o han tie hah Sawl ni a panue.

Jonathan told him, “Do not be afraid, because my father will not be able to harm [IDM] you. [Some day] you will be the king of Israel, and I will be the second [most important man in Israel]. My father Saul also knows that.”

18 BAWIPA e hmalah lawk rei a kam roi. Devit teh kahrawng vah pou ao teh, Jonathan teh a ma im lah a ban.

Then the two of them repeated their solemn promise that Yahweh [had heard them make previously, that they would always be loyal to each other]. Then Jonathan went home, but David stayed at Horesh.

19 Ziphnaw teh Sawl onae koe Gibeah kho lah a cei awh teh, Devit teh maimouh onae koe Jeshimon khopui akalah, Hakhilah monrui Horesh rapanim vah a kâhro.

Some people from Ziph went to Saul when he was at Gibeah, and they told him, “David [and his men] are hiding in our land [RHQ]! They are hiding in places at Horesh on Hakilah Hill, south of [a place named] Jeshimon.

20 Oe Siangpahrang na cei han na ngainae patetlah cet leih. Ahni hah nange kut dawk poe hane thaw teh kaimae thaw lah awm lawi seh atipouh.

So, O king, come down there any time that you want to. It is our duty to capture him and turn him over to you.”

21 Sawl, BAWIPA ni yawhawi na poe seh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, nangmanaw ni kai hah na pahren awh toe.

Saul replied, “I hope/desire that Yahweh will bless you [for telling that to me].

22 Atu cet awh nateh, kârakueng awh. Ahni a kâhronae hmuen hah thoseh, la a hmu awh e hai thoseh ripdawng awh. Ahni teh a lung hroung a ang tie ka thai.

Go back and find out more about him. Find out exactly where he is staying, and find out who has seen him there. People tell me that he is very clever, [so we need to be clever also to be able to capture him].

23 Hatdawkvah, ahni a kâhronae a hmuennaw hah kamcengcalah na radoung awh hnukkhu, kai koe bout na tho awh pawiteh, nangmouh hoi rei ka cei han. Ahni teh hote ram dawk awm pawiteh, Judahnaw a thong moikapap dawk ka hmu roeroe han telah ati.

Find out all the places where he and his men hide. Then come back and tell me everything that you have found out. Then I will [take my army and] go there with you. If David is in any of the clans/caves of Judah, we will search for him [and find him]!”

24 Hahoi a thaw awh teh Sawl a cei hoehnahlan Ziph lah a cei awh. Hatei Devit hoi a taminaw teh, Jeshimon akalae tanghling dawk Moan kahrawng vah ao awh.

So those people went back to Ziph before Saul went there. At that time David and his men were in Maon Desert, south of Jeshimon.

25 Sawl teh a taminaw hoi rei a kamthaw awh teh, a tawng awh e hah Devit ni bout a thai toteh, talung rahak hoi a yawng teh, mon kahrawngum vah ao. Sawl ni bout a thai toteh, mon vah Devit bout a tawng.

Saul and his soldiers went to search for David, but David heard about that. So he and his men went further [south] to a rocky hill/peak in the Maon Desert. When Saul heard about that, he and his men followed David and his men to the Maon Desert.

26 Sawl teh avanglae mon dawk thoseh, Devit hoi a taminaw teh avanglae mon dawk thoseh, a cei awh teh hlout hane a kâyawm awh navah, Sawl hoi a taminaw ni Devit hoi a taminaw man hanelah a kalup awh.

Saul and his soldiers were walking along one side of the hill/peak, and David and his men were on the other side. David and his men were hurrying to escape from Saul’s soldiers, because Saul and his soldiers were coming much closer.

27 Hatnavah patoune a tho teh, Sawl koe karanglah tho leih, Filistinnaw ni ram hah a tuk awh toe telah a dei awh dawkvah,

But then a messenger came to Saul and said to him, “Come quickly! The Philistia army is attacking the people in our land!”

28 Devit pâleinae koehoi a ban teh, Filistin taminaw tuk hanelah a cei. Hatdawkvah, hote hmuen hah Selahhammahlekoth, kânguenae lungsong ati awh.

So Saul stopped pursuing David, and he [and his soldiers] went to fight against the Philistia army. That is the reason that people call that place ‘Escape Rock’.

29 Devit teh hote hmuen koehoi a cei teh, Engedi ram rapanim vah ao.

David and his men also left the Maon Desert and went to places to hide safely at En-Gedi.