1 Samuel 18
1 After David finished talking with Saul, [he met Saul’s son, Jonathan.] Jonathan [immediately] liked David; in fact, he began to love/like him as much as he loved/liked himself.
Esi Fia Saul wu eƒe nuƒoƒo kple David nu la, Yonatan kpɔ David eye eƒe nu nyo eŋu ale gbegbe be wòlɔ̃e abe eya ŋutɔ nɔvia ene.
2 From that day, Saul kept David with him, and did not let him return home.
Saul na David tsi egbɔ tso gbe ma gbe eye megana wòtrɔ yi aƒe me o.
3 Because Jonathan loved David so much, he made a solemn agreement with David. [They promised each other that they would always be loyal friends].
Yonatan ka atam na David be yewoanye xɔlɔ̃wo ɖaa elabena elɔ̃e abe eya ŋutɔ ɖokui ene.
4 Jonathan took off his own outer robe and gave it to David. He also gave David his soldier’s tunic, his sword, his bow [and arrows], and his belt.
Etsɔ awu ʋlaya si wòdo, eƒe aʋawu, yi kple dati hekpe ɖe alidziblanu ŋu nɛ. Fia Saul na David tsi Yerusalem eye megaɖe mɔ nɛ be wòatrɔ ayi wo de o.
5 [David went wherever Saul sent him. And] whatever Saul told him to do, David did it very successfully. As a result, Saul appointed David to be a commander in the army. All the officers and other men in the army (approved of/were very pleased with) that.
David zu Saul ƒe kpeɖeŋutɔ tɔxɛ eye wòwɔa dɔ sia dɔ si wòde asi nɛ la nyuie. Saul tsɔe ɖo aʋafiae ɖe eƒe aʋakɔwo nu eye nu sia dze asrafoawo kple ame bubuawo siaa ŋu.
6 But, when the men in the army were returning home after David had killed Goliath, the women came out from many [HYP] towns in Israel to meet/greet King Saul. They were singing and dancing very joyfully, playing tambourines and lyres.
Esi ŋutsuawo trɔ gbɔna va aƒe le David ƒe Filistitɔ la wuwu vɔ megbe la, nyɔnuwo tso Israel ƒe duwo katã me be woado go Fia Saul. Wonɔ ha dzim, nɔ ɣe ɖum. Wodzi aseyetsohawo ɖe asiʋuiwo kple gakogoewo ŋu.
7 As they danced, they sang this song to each other: “Saul has killed 1,000 [enemy soldiers], But David has killed 10,000 [of them].”
Esi wonɔ ɣea ɖum la wodzi ha be, “Saul wu eƒe akpewo ke David wu eƒe akpe ewowo.”
8 [When] Saul [heard them singing that, he] did not like it. He became very angry. He said [to himself], “They are saying that David [killed] 10,000 men, but that I [have killed] only 1,000. Soon they will want to make him their king!” [RHQ]
Saul do dɔmedzoe vevie elabena hagbe la mevivi enu o. Egblɔ le eɖokui me be, “Wotsɔ akpe ewowo na David, ke nye ya akpewo koe wotsɔ nam. Nu kae gasusɔ nɛ wòaxɔ wu fiaɖuƒe la?”
9 From that time, Saul watched David very closely because he was suspicious [that David would try to become king].
Tso gbe ma gbe dzi la, Saul de asi David kpɔkpɔ me kple ŋuʋaʋã ƒe ŋku.
10 The next day, an evil spirit sent by God suddenly took control of Saul. He began to act like a madman, inside his house. David was playing the lyre for him, as he did every day. Saul was holding a spear in his hand,
Esi ŋu ke la, gbɔgbɔ vɔ̃ aɖe tso Mawu gbɔ ɖe fu na Saul eye wòde asi nuwɔwɔ me abe tsukunɔ ene. David faa akɔ nɛ to kasaŋkuƒoƒo nɛ me, abe ale si wòwɔna ne gbɔgbɔ vɔ̃ la mena eƒe mo dze anyi o la ene. Ke, le ɣeyiɣi sia me la, Saul lé akplɔ ɖe asi.
11 and he hurled it [at David], saying to himself, “I will fasten David to the wall with the spear!” He did that two times, but David jumped aside [both times].
Saul gblɔ le eɖokui me be, “Matɔ akplɔe, amimii ɖe gli ŋu.” Eda akplɔ lae zi eve ke David ƒo asa nɛ zi eveawo katã.
12 Because [it became evident that] Yahweh had abandoned Saul but [that] he was helping David, Saul was afraid of David.
Saul ʋã ŋu David elabena Yehowa li kple David hegblẽ eya Saul ɖi.
13 So he appointed David as a commander of 1,000 soldiers and sent David away from him, [hoping that David would be killed in a battle]. But when David led his soldiers [in their battles],
Ale Saul megaɖe mɔ be David nado ɖe yeƒe ŋkume o. Eɖiɖii, meganye aʋafia o, ke boŋ etsɔe ɖo asrafo akpe ɖeka nu. Ke nuwɔna sia boŋ gana amewo gakpɔa ŋudzedze le David ŋu wu.
14 he always had great success, because Yahweh was helping him.
Ke nu sia nu si wòwɔna la dzea edzi nɛ elabena Yehowa li kplii.
15 When Saul heard that David [and his soldiers were] very successful, he became more afraid of David.
Saul de dzesi David ƒe dzidzedzekpɔkpɔ, nu sia na be wògavɔ̃na na David wu tsã,
16 But all the people of Israel and of Judah loved David, because he led the soldiers very successfully [in the battles].
ke Israel kple Yuda blibo la lɔ̃e elabena enɔ ŋgɔ na wo le woƒe aʋawɔwɔ me.
17 One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my oldest daughter, Merab, to be your wife. I will do that if you serve me bravely by fighting battles for Yahweh [against the Philistines]”. He said that because he thought, “I will not try to get rid of David by myself. I will allow the Philistines to do that.”
Gbe ɖeka la, Saul gblɔ na David be, “Mele klalo be matsɔ vinyenyɔnu tsitsitɔ, Merab, na wò, wòazu srɔ̃wò. Ke gbã la, ele be nàfia ɖokuiwò abe aʋawɔla nyui aɖe ene to Yehowa ƒe aʋawo wɔwɔ me.” Saul gblɔ alea elabena ebu le eɖokui me be, “Maɖoe ɖa wòawɔ aʋa kple Filistitɔwo eye mana woawui; esia anyo wu be nye ŋutɔ mawui.”
18 But David said to Saul, “I am not [RHQ] a very important person, and my family is not very important, and my clan is not a very important Israeli clan. So I do not deserve to become your son-in-law.” [RHQ]
David gblɔ le eɖokui me be, “Ame kae nye kple nye ƒome kpakple hlɔ̃ nye le Israel be maɖe fiavi? Fofonye ƒe ƒome mele ɖeke me o!”
19 So, when it was time for Merab to be given to David to become his wife, instead, Saul gave her to a man named Adriel, from Meholah [town].
Esi azã la su na srɔ̃ɖeɖea la, Saul tsɔ via nyɔnu la na Adriel ame si tso Meholat la boŋ wòɖe.
20 But Saul’s other daughter, Michal, fell in love with David. When they told Saul about that, he was pleased.
Le ɣeyiɣi sia me la, Saul vinyɔnu, Mixal, lɔ̃ David eye esi Saul se nya sia la, edzɔ dzi nɛ.
21 He thought, “I will let Michal marry him, in order that she may trap him, and the Philistines will be able to kill him.” So he said to David, [“You can marry Michal],” and by saying that, he indicated for the second time that David would become his son-in-law.
Saul gagblɔ le eɖokui me be, “Esia nye mɔnukpɔkpɔ bubu nam be mana Filistitɔwo nawui.” Ke egblɔ na David be, “Àte ŋu anye nye toyɔvi faa elabena matsɔ vinyenyɔnu suetɔ na wò.”
22 Saul told his servants, “Talk to David privately, and say to him, ‘Listen, the king is pleased with you, and all of us his servants love you. So now [we think that] you should [marry Michal and] become the king’s son-in-law.’”
Saul bla nu kple eƒe amewo be woable David be fia la kple yewo siaa yewolɔ̃e ŋutɔ eye yewobu be anyo be wòalɔ̃ ɖe susu si fia la do ɖa la dzi eye wòazu fia la ƒe toyɔvi.
23 So they told that to David. But David said, “It would be a great honor [RHQ] to become the king’s son-in-law. But [I do not think that I should do that, because] I am only a poor and insignificant man.”
Ke David ɖo eŋu be, “Aleke ame dahe abe nye ene, ame si tso ƒome gblɔe aɖe ko me la ate ŋu akpɔ srɔ̃ɖenuwo ana ɖe fiavinyɔnu ta?”
24 When the servants told Saul what David had said,
Esi Saul ŋumewo gblɔ nya si David gblɔ la,
25 Saul replied, “Go and say to David, ‘[In order for] the king [to allow you to marry Michal, he] wants [you to kill] 100 Philistines [and cut off] their foreskins [and bring the foreskins to him to prove that you have killed them]. In that way he will get revenge on his enemies.’” But what Saul wanted was that the Philistines would kill David [while David was trying to kill them].
Saul gblɔ na wo be, “Migblɔ na David be srɔ̃ɖenu si medi tso esi koe nye Filistitɔ alafa ɖeka ƒe aʋanuyiwo: hlɔ̃biabia nye futɔwo koe nye nu si mehiã.” Ke ta me si Saul ɖo lae nye be woawu David le aʋa la me!
26 When the servants told that to David, he was very pleased that he could become the king’s son-in-law [by doing that. The king had said how many days he would allow for David to do that]. But before that time ended,
Nya sia trɔ na David eya ta hafi ŋkekea naɖo na srɔ̃ɖeɖea la,
27 David and his men went and killed, [not 100, but] 200 Philistines! He brought their foreskins to Saul, and counted them [while Saul was watching], in order to prove that he had [done what the king required so that he could become Saul’s son-in-law. So then Saul was obligated] to allow David to marry his daughter Michal.
David kple eƒe amewo yi ɖawu Filistitɔ alafa eve eye wòtsɔ woƒe aʋanuyiwo yi na Fia Saul. Ale Fia Saul tsɔ via nyɔnuvi, Mixal, na David wòɖe.
28 But when Saul realized that Yahweh was helping David, and that his daughter loved David,
Esi Saul kpɔ ale si Yehowa nɔ kple David kple ale si ameawo katã lɔ̃e hã la,
29 he became more afraid of David. So, as long as Saul lived, he was David’s enemy.
egavɔ̃ David wu tsã eye eƒe fulélee nu ganɔ sesẽm ɖe edzi wu gbe sia gbe.
30 The Philistine armies repeatedly came to fight the Israelis, but every time they fought, David and his soldiers were more successful than any of Saul’s other army commanders. As a result, David became very famous.
Ɣe sia ɣi si Filistitɔwo ho aʋa ɖe Israelviwo ŋu la, David ƒe aʋakɔwo ɖua Filistitɔwo dzi wu Saul ƒe aʋakplɔla mamlɛawo tɔwo. Ale David ƒe ŋkɔ ɖi hoo le anyigba blibo la dzi.
