Samuel 1 19
1 Azɔ la, Saul gblɔ na eŋumewo kple via Yonatan be woato mɔ aɖe nu awu David. Ke le lɔlɔ̃ deto si nɔ Yonatan kple David dome ta la,
Then Saul urged all his servants and his son Jonathan to kill David. But Jonathan liked David very much.
2 Yonatan gblɔ ɖoɖo si fofoa wɔ ɖe eŋu la nɛ. Egblɔ nɛ be, “Etsɔ ŋdi la, ele be nàdi teƒe aɖe si nàbe ɖo le gbedzi.
So he warned David, “My father Saul is seeking for a way to kill you. So be careful. Tomorrow morning go and find a place to hide [in the field].
3 Mana be nye kple fofonye míava afi ma eye maƒo nu nɛ tso ŋuwò. Ekema magblɔ nya sia nya si mase tso egbɔ la na wò.”
I will ask my father to go out there with me. [While we are out there], I will talk to him about you. Then I will tell you everything that he tells me.” [So David did what Jonathan told him to do].
4 Le ŋufɔke ƒe ŋdi esi Yonatan nɔ dze ɖom kple fofoa la, ekafu David nɛ eye wòɖe kuku nɛ be wòadzudzɔ ta me vɔ̃ ɖoɖo ɖe eŋu. Yonatan ɖe kuku na fofoa be, “David mewɔ nu vɔ̃ aɖeke ɖe ŋuwò kpɔ o; ekpena ɖe ŋuwò ɣe sia ɣi le mɔ sia mɔ si wòate ŋui la dzi.
[The next morning], Jonathan spoke with his father, saying many good things about David. He said, “You should never do anything to harm your servant David! He has never done anything to harm you! Everything that he has done has helped you very much.
5 Ɖe nèŋlɔ ɣeyiɣi si wòtsɔ eƒe agbe ke, hewu Goliat kple ale si Yehowa to nu sia me he dziɖuɖu gã aɖe vɛ na Israel la bea? Èkpɔ dzidzɔ le nyadzɔdzɔ sia ŋu ɣe ma ɣi me, nu ka ta nàwui azɔ le esime mewɔ nu vɔ̃ aɖeke o? Naneke meli si ta nàwui ɖo o.”
He was in danger of being killed when he fought against [Goliath, the champion of] the Philistia [army. By enabling David to kill him], Yahweh won a great victory for all the people of Israel. You were very happy when you saw that. Why would you want to do anything now to harm David [RHQ]? There is no reason for you to kill him, because he has not done anything wrong!”
6 Mlɔeba la, Saul lɔ̃ ɖe Yonatan ƒe nya siawo dzi eye wòka atam be, “Zi ale si Yehowa li la, nyemawu David o.”
Saul listened to what Jonathan said. Then Saul said, “I solemnly promise that just as certain as Yahweh lives, I will not kill David.”
7 Yonatan yɔ David emegbe eye wòka nya si dzɔ la ta nɛ. Ekplɔ David yi Saul gbɔ eye wo dome ganɔ abe tsã ene.
Afterward, Jonathan summoned David and told him what he and Saul had said. Then Jonathan brought David to Saul, and David served Saul as he had done before.
8 Le ɣeyiɣi kpui aɖe megbe la, aʋa gadzɔ ɖe Israelviwo kple Filistitɔwo dome. David nɔ eƒe aʋakɔ la nu, wowu Filistitɔ geɖewo eye aʋakɔ blibo la si le wo nu.
One day a war started again, and David [led his soldiers to] fight against the Philistia army. David’s [army] attacked them very furiously, with the result that the Philistia army ran away.
9 Ke gbɔgbɔ vɔ̃ aɖe tso Yehowa gbɔ va Saul dzi, esime wònɔ eƒe aƒe me eye eƒe akplɔ nɔ esi. Esime David nɔ kasaŋku ƒom la.
But one day when sitting in his house, an evil spirit [sent] from Yahweh [suddenly] came upon Saul. While David was playing his harp [for Saul],
10 Saul di be yeatsɔ yeƒe akplɔ amimii ɖe gli ŋu, ke David de axa nɛ esime Saul da akplɔ la wòyi gli la me. Le zã ma me la, David si dzo.
Saul hurled his spear at David to try to fasten him to the wall. David (dodged/jumped to one side), and the spear did not hit him. The spear stuck in the wall, but that night David escaped.
11 Saul ɖo asrafowo ɖa be woadzɔ David ƒe aƒe ŋu ne edo go tso eƒe xɔ me ŋdi ko la, woawui. Ke Mixal gblɔ na srɔ̃a David be “Ne mèsi dzo le zã sia me o la, àzu nu kuku etsɔ ŋdi.”
Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house. He told them to watch the house and to kill David [while he was leaving the house] the following morning. But David’s wife Michal [saw them and] warned him, “To survive, you must run away tonight, because if you do not do that, you will be killed tomorrow!”
12 Ale Mixal kpe ɖe srɔ̃a ŋu wòɖi to fesre to hesi.
So she enabled David to climb out through a window, and he ran away and escaped.
13 Mixal tsɔ ametikpakpɛ aɖe da ɖe David ƒe aba dzi, eƒe ta nɔ suɖui si wowɔ kple gbɔ̃fu la dzi eye wòtsyɔ abadzivɔwo nɛ.
Then Michal took an idol and put it in the bed. She covered it with some [of David’s] clothes, and put some goat’s hair on the head of the idol.
14 Esi asrafoawo va be woalé David ayi na Saul la, Mixal gblɔ na wo be David dze dɔ eye mate ŋu afɔ o.
When the messengers came [to the house the next morning], she told them that David was sick [and could not get out of bed].
15 Saul gblɔ ɖo ɖa be woakɔ David kple eƒe abati la vɛ ale be yeate ŋu awui.
[When they reported that to] Saul, he told them to go back to David’s house. He said to them, “Bring him to me lying on his bed, in order that I can kill him!”
16 Ke esi wova be woakɔe kple abatia la, wokpɔ be ametikpakpɛ koe nɔ abatia dzi eye gbɔ̃fuvɔ le eƒe tagbe.
But when those men entered David’s house, they saw that there was only an idol in the bed, with goat’s hair on its head.
17 Saul bia via Mixal be, “Nu ka ta nèblem eye nèna nye futɔ si?” Mixal ɖo eŋu be, “Ɖe kokoko wòle nam be mable wò elabena srɔ̃nye gblɔ nam be ne nyemekpe ɖe ye ŋu o la, yeawum.”
[When they reported that to Saul, ] Saul [summoned] Michal [and] said to her, “Why did you trick me like that? You allowed my enemy to escape!” Michal replied to Saul, “David told me that if I did not help him escape, he would kill me!” [RHQ]
18 Ale David si yi Rama ɖakpɔ Samuel eye wògblɔ nu siwo katã Saul wɔ ɖe eŋu la nɛ eye Samuel kplɔ David yi Nayɔt.
After David had escaped from Saul, he went to Samuel, who was [at his home] at Ramah. He told Samuel everything that Saul had done to [try to kill] him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth, [which was a section] of [Ramah city], and they stayed there.
19 Esi Saul se be David nɔ Nayɔt le Rama la,
Someone told Saul that David was in Naioth.
20 eɖo asrafowo ɖa be woalée vɛ. Ke esi woɖo afi ma eye wokpɔ Samuel kple nyagblɔɖila bubuwo nɔ nya gblɔm ɖi la, Mawu ƒe Gbɔgbɔ va wo dzi eye woawo hã de asi nyagbɔgblɔɖi me.
So Saul sent some messengers to capture David. [When] those messengers [arrived in Ramah, they] met some men who were proclaiming ecstatic messages, and Samuel was there, as their leader. When Saul’s messengers met them, the Spirit of God took control of Saul’s men, and they also spoke ecstatically.
21 Esi Saul se nya si dzɔ la, eɖo asrafo bubuwo ɖa, ke woawo hã gblɔ nya ɖi! Nu ma ke dzɔ zi etɔ̃lia hã.
When Saul heard about that, he sent messengers a third time, but they also started to speak ecstatically.
22 Azɔ Saul ŋutɔ yi Rama eye esi wòɖo vudo la gbɔ le Seku la, ebia be “Afi ka Samuel kple David le?” Ame aɖe gblɔ nɛ be, “Wole Nayɔt le Rama.”
Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah. When he arrived at the well at [a place named] Secu, he asked people there, “Where are Samuel and David?” The people replied, “They are at Naioth in Ramah [city].”
23 Ke esi wòyina Nayɔt la, Mawu ƒe gbɔgbɔ va eya hã dzi eye eya hã de asi nyagbɔgblɔɖi me!
While Saul was walking toward Naioth, the Spirit of God also took control of him. [While he walked on], he continued speaking ecstatic messages until he came to Naioth.
24 Edze eƒe awuwo hetsi amama to ŋkeke kple zã blibo la me eye wògblɔ nya ɖi kple Samuel ƒe nyagblɔɖilawo. Eŋumewo tsi yaa eye wobia be, “Ɖe Saul hã le nyagblɔɖilawo domea?”
There he took off his clothes, and he spoke messages from God in front of Samuel. He lay on the ground doing that all day and all night. That is the reason that [when people see someone doing something that is very unexpected, they think about what happened to Saul, and] they say, “We are surprised, like the people were surprised to see Saul [acting like] a prophet?” [RHQ]
