< 1 Samuel 23 >

1 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.”
David taengla puen uh tih, “Philisti loh Keilah a vathoh thil tih cangtilhmuen tukvat uh thae ke,” a ti nah.
2 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.”
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.
3 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!”
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.
4 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.”
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.
5 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.
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.
6 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].
Ahimelek capa Abiathar loh Keilah kah David taengla a yong vaengah a kut dongah hnisui a suntlak puei.
7 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.”
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.
8 So Saul summoned his army, and they prepared to go down to Keilah to attack David and his men.
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.
9 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.”
Saul loh boethae neh amah a rhim thil te David loh a ming tih khosoih Abiathar te, “Hnisui te hang khuen,” a ti nah.
10 [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.
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.
11 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.”
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.
12 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.”
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.
13 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.
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.
14 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.
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.
15 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.
Horesh kah Ziph khosoek ah David a om vaengah a hinglu mae pah ham Saul ha pawk te David loh a hmuh.
16 But Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him to continue to trust [God].
Saul capa Jonathan te thoo tih Horesh kah David taengla cet, te vaengah Pathen rhang neh a kut khaw tangkuek.
17 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.”
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.
18 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.
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.
19 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.
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?
20 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.”
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.
21 Saul replied, “I hope/desire that Yahweh will bless you [for telling that to me].
Saul loh, “Kai he nan hnaih uh dongah BOEIPA rhang neh na yoethen uh pai saeh.
22 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].
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.
23 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]!”
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.
24 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.
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.
25 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.
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.
26 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.
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.
27 But then a messenger came to Saul and said to him, “Come quickly! The Philistia army is attacking the people in our land!”
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.
28 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’.
Saul loh David hnuk a hloem te a mael tak tih, Philisti mah hamla cet. Te dongah tekah hmuen te Selahammahlekoth tahahthaelpang a sak.
29 David and his men also left the Maon Desert and went to places to hide safely at En-Gedi.
Te phoeiah David tah te lamloh cet tih Engedi rhalmahim ah kho a sak.

< 1 Samuel 23 >