Samuel 1 20
1 Azɔ la, David si tso Nayɔt le Rama eye wòyi Yonatan gbɔ hebiae be, “Nu ka mewɔ? Agɔ ka medze? Nu ka ta fofowò ɖo ta me kplikpaa nenema be yeawum ɖo?”
David ran from Naioth in Ramah to Jonathan and asked him, “What have I done? What is my wrong have I done? What terrible thing have I done to your father that he wants to kill me?”
2 Yonatan ɖo eŋu nɛ be, “Gbeɖe, mèle kuku ge o. Kpɔ ɖa, fofonye mewɔa naneke, sue alo gã ne megblɔe nam o. Nu ka ŋutie wòaɣla nu sia ya ɖem? Mele ame o!”
“Nothing!” Jonathan replied. “You're not going to die! Listen! My father tells me everything he's planning, whatever it is. Why would my father keep something like this from me? It's not true!”
3 Ke David ka atam hegblɔ be, “Fofowò nyae nyuie be nye nu doa dzidzɔ na wò eye wògblɔ na eɖokui be, ‘Mele be Yonatan nanya esia o. Ne menye nenema o la, ava xa nu.’ Meta Yehowa ƒe agbe kple wò ŋutɔ ƒe agbe be afɔɖeɖe ɖeka koe le nye kple ku dome.”
But David swore an oath again, saying, “Your father knows very well that I'm your friend, and so he's told himself, ‘Jonathan can't find out about this, otherwise he'll be really upset.’ I swear on the life of the Lord, and on your own life, my life is hanging by a thread.”
4 Yonatan gblɔ na David be, “Nu sia nu si ke nedi be mawɔ na ye la, mawɔe na wò.”
“Tell me what you want me to do for you and I'll do it,” Jonathan told David.
5 Ale David gblɔ be, “Kpɔ ɖa, etsɔe nye dzinu yeye ƒe ŋkekenyui eye ele nam be maɖu nu kple fia la, gake na mayi aɖaɣla ɖokuinye ɖe gbe me va se ɖe etsɔ mele eme o ƒe fiẽ.
“Well, the New Moon festival is tomorrow, and I'm meant to sit down and eat with the king. But if it's alright with you, I plan to go and hide in the field until the evening three days from now.
6 Ne fofowò mekpɔm o eye wòbia tanye la, gblɔ nɛ be, ‘David bia mɔm vevie be yeayi ɖe yewo de, Betlehem elabena woawɔ ƒe sia ƒe ƒe vɔsa na eƒe ƒome blibo la.’
If your father does indeed miss me, tell him, ‘David had to urgently ask my permission to hurry down to Bethlehem, his hometown, because of a yearly sacrifice there for his whole family group.’
7 Ke ne egblɔ be, ‘Enyo’ la, ekema wò dɔla le dedie. Gake ne dzi kui la, ekema nyae nyuie be eɖo vɔ̃ ɖe ŋutinye.
If he says, ‘That's fine,’ then there's no problem for me, your servant, but if he gets mad, you'll know he intends to do me harm.
8 Ke wò ya la, ve wò dɔla nu elabena èbla nu kplim le Yehowa ŋkume. Ne medze agɔ la, ekema wò ŋutɔ nàwum! Nu ka ŋuti nàtsɔm ade asi na fofowò?”
So please treat me well, as you promised when you made a agreement with me before the Lord. If I've done wrong, then kill me yourself! Why take me to your father for him to do it?”
9 Yonatan ɖo eŋu be, “Madzɔ nenema gbeɖe o; le nyateƒe me la, ne wò nyawo ɖe wole eme la, anye ne megblɔe na wò xoxo.”
“Absolutely not!” Jonathan replied. “If I knew for certain that if my father had plans to harm you, don't you think I'd tell you?”
10 David biae be, “Aleke mawɔ anya ne fofowò do dɔmedzoe alo medo dɔmedzoe o?”
“So who's going to let me know if your father gives you a nasty answer?” David asked.
11 Yonatan gblɔ be, “Na míayi gbedzi.” Ale wo ame evea yi gbedzi.
“Come on, let's go out into the countryside,” Jonathan said. So they both of them went out into the countryside.
12 Yonatan gblɔ na David be, “Medo ŋugbe na wò le Yehowa, Israel ƒe Mawu ƒe ŋkɔ me be etsɔ ɣe alawo ɣi alo ne edidi ƒãa la nyitsɔ la, maƒo nu kple fofonye tso ŋuwò eye mana nànya ta me si wòɖo ɖe ŋuwò la enumake.
Jonathan said to David, “I promise by the Lord, the God of Israel, that I will question my father by this time tomorrow or the day after. If things look good for you, I'll send a message to you and let you know.
13 Ne edo dɔmedzoe eye wòdi be yeawu wò la, ekema Yehowa nawum ne nyemegblɔe na wò ale be nàsi, anɔ agbe o. Yehowa nanɔ kpli wò abe ale si wònɔ kple fofonye tsã la ene.
But if my father plans to do you harm, then may the Lord punish me very severely, if I don't let you know by sending you a message so you can get away safely. May the Lord be with you, just as he was with my father.
14 Ɖo ŋku edzi be ele be nàɖe Yehowa ƒe lɔlɔ̃ kple dɔmenyo afia menye nye ɖeka ko le nye agbenɔɣi me o,
While I live, please show me trustworthy love like that of the Lord so I don't die,
15 ke boŋ na vinyewo hã ne Yehowa tsrɔ̃ wò futɔwo katã.”
and please don't ever remove your trustworthy love for my family, even when the Lord has removed every one of your enemies from the earth.”
16 Ale Yonatan bla nu kple David ƒe ƒometɔwo eye David ka atam be fiƒode dziŋɔ aɖe nava ye kple yeƒe ƒometɔwo dzi ne yewomewɔ nubabla la dzi o.
Jonathan made a solemn agreement with the family of David, saying, “May the Lord impose retribution on David's enemies.”
17 Ke Yonatan na David gaka atam nɛ azɔ kple eƒe lɔlɔ̃ nɛ elabena elɔ̃e abe eɖokui ene.
Jonathan made David swear this once more by making an oath based on David's love for him, for Jonathan already loved David as he loved himself.
18 Yonatan gblɔ be, “Dzinu yeye adze egɔme etsɔ. Ne mèva nuɖukplɔ̃a ŋu etsɔ o la, amewo abia tawò vevie.
Then Jonathan said to David, “The New Moon festival is tomorrow. You'll be missed, because your place will be empty.
19 Ame sia ame anɔ tawò biam tso nyitsɔ, eya ta nɔ afi si nàɣla ɖokuiwò ɖo le afi si woli kɔ kpewo ɖo.
In three days time, go quickly to where you hid when all this started, and stay there beside the pile of stones.
20 Mava da aŋutrɔ etɔ̃ ɖe kpeawo ŋgɔ abe nane medzidze le dadam ene.
I'll shoot three arrows to the side of it as if I were shooting at a target.
21 Emegbe maɖo ɖekakpui aɖe ɖa be wòayi aɖatsɔ aŋutrɔawo vɛ nam. Ne èse megblɔ be, ‘Wole akpa sia’ la, ekema nànya be nya vɔ̃ aɖeke meli o.
Then I'll send a boy and tell him, ‘Go and find the arrows!’ Now, if I say to him specifically, ‘Look, the arrows are this side of you; bring them over here,’ then I swear on the life of the Lord it's safe for you to come out—there's no danger.
22 Ke ne megblɔ nɛ be, ‘Yi ŋgɔ. Aŋutrɔawo gale ŋgɔ na wò’ la, ekema egɔmee nye ele be nàdzo enumake.
But if I tell the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are way past you,’ then you'll have to leave, for the Lord wants you to go away.
23 Yehowa nana míawɔ míaƒe ŋugbedodowo na mía nɔewo dzi elabena Yehowae nye avuléla le mía dome tegbetegbe.”
As for what you and I talked about, remember that the Lord is a witness between you and me forever.”
24 Ale David ɣla eɖokui ɖe gbedzi eye esi ɣleti yeyea ƒe ŋkekenyui la ɖo edzi la, fia la nɔ anyi be yeaɖu nu.
So David hid himself in the field. When the New Moon festival arrived, the king sat down to eat.
25 Enɔ gli ŋu afi si wònɔna ɖaa. Yonatan nɔ anyi dze ŋgɔe eye Abner nɔ Saul xa, ke David ƒe teƒe ɖi gbɔlo.
He sat in his usual place by the wall opposite Jonathan. Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty.
26 Saul megblɔ nya aɖeke tso nu sia ŋu gbe ma gbe o elabena ebu be nya aɖee anya dzɔ alo David ŋu mekɔ o.
Saul didn't say anything that day because he thought, “Something has probably happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—yes, he must be unclean.”
27 Ke esi eƒe teƒe gaɖi gbɔlo le ŋkeke evelia dzi la, Saul bia Yonatan be, “Nu ka ta Yese ƒe vi meva afi sia hena fiẽnuɖuɖu etsɔ kple egbe siaa o?”
But the second day, the day after the New Moon, David's place was still empty. Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to dinner either yesterday or today?”
28 Yonatan ɖo eŋu be, “David bia mɔm kple kukuɖeɖe blibo be yeayi Betlehem.
Jonathan answered, “David had to urgently ask my permission to go to Bethlehem.
29 Egblɔ be, ‘Na mayi elabena míaƒe ƒometɔwo le vɔ sa ge egbea le dua me eye nɔvinyeŋutsu aɖe ɖo du ɖem. Ne edze ŋuwò la, ekema ɖe mɔ nam mayi aɖakpɔ nɔvinyewo.’ Esia tae meva fia ƒe kplɔ̃ ŋu o.”
He told me, ‘Please let me go, because our family is having a sacrifice in the town and my brother told me I had to be there. If you think well of me, please let me go and see my brothers.’ That's why he's absent from the king's table.”
30 Saul do dɔmedzoe ŋutɔ, eblu ɖe Yonatan hegblɔ be, “Wò, nyɔnu ɖigbɔ, dzeaglã ƒe vi! Ɖe nèbu be nyemenya be yedi be Yese vi ma naɖu fia ɖe nye teƒe eye nàdo ŋukpe wò ŋutɔ kple dawò siaa oa?
Saul got very angry with Jonathan and said, “You rebellious son of a whore! Don't you think I know that you prefer the son of Jesse? Shame on you! You're a disgrace to the mother who bore you!
31 Ŋkeke ale si ɖekakpui ma le agbe la, màɖu fia gbeɖegbeɖe o. Yi, nàkplɔe vɛ ale be mate ŋu awui!”
While the son of Jesse remains alive, you and your kingship are not secure. Now go and bring him here to me, for he has to die!”
32 Yonatan biae be, “Nu kae wòwɔ? Nu ka tae woawui?”
“Why does he have to be put to death?” Jonathan asked. “What has he done?”
33 Tete Saul da akplɔ Yonatan be yeawui. Nu sia na Yonatan dze sii azɔ be menye fefenya ye fofo gblɔ be ele be David naku o.
Saul threw his spear at Jonathan, trying to kill him, so he knew that his father definitely wanted David dead.
34 Yonatan dzo le kplɔ̃ la ŋu kple dɔmedzoe eye wògbe nuɖuɖu ŋkeke blibo la elabena fofoa ƒe ŋukpenanuwɔnawo ɖe David ŋu vee ŋutɔ.
Jonathan left the table absolutely furious. He would not eat anything on the second day of the festival, for he was so upset by the shameful way his father had treated David.
35 Esi ŋu ke la, Yonatan yi gbedzi abe ale si eya kple David ɖoe da ɖi ene. Ekplɔ ŋutsuvi sue aɖe ɖe asi be wòafɔ eƒe aŋutrɔwo nɛ.
In the morning Jonathan went to the field to the place he had agreed with David, and a young boy was with him.
36 Egblɔ na ŋutsuvi la be, “Dze duƒuƒu gɔme ale be nàte ŋu akpɔ aŋutrɔawo ne meda wo.” Ale ŋutsuvia ƒu du eye Yonatan da aŋutrɔ ɖeka wòdze le eŋu.
He told the boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” The boy started running and Jonathan shot an arrow past him.
37 Esi wòsusɔ vie ɖevia naɖo afi si aŋutrɔ la dze la, Yonatan do ɣli be, “Aŋutrɔ la gale ŋgɔ na wò.
When the boy got to the place where Jonathan's arrow had landed, Jonathan shouted to him, “Isn't the arrow farther past you?
38 Ƒu du sesĩe; netsɔ! Mègatɔ o!” Ale ŋutsuvi la fɔ aŋutrɔawo eye wòƒu du yi eƒe aƒetɔ gbɔ.
Hurry up! Do it quickly! Don't wait!” The boy picked up the arrows and took them back to his master.
39 Ke ŋutsuvi la ya mese nu si Yonatan wɔ la gɔme o; Yonatan kple David koe se egɔme.
The boy didn't suspect anything—only Jonathan and David knew what it meant.
40 Yonatan tsɔ eƒe dati kple aŋutrɔ na ŋutsuvi la eye wògblɔ nɛ be wòatsɔ wo ayi dua me.
Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy and said, “Take these back to town.”
41 Esi ŋutsuvi la dzo teti ko la, David do go tso afi si wòbe ɖo le gbegbe la ƒe dziehe lɔƒo. Ebɔbɔ de ta agu na Yonatan zi etɔ̃. Wokpla asi kɔ na wo nɔewo eye wofa avi, ke David fa avi wu Yonatan.
After the boy had gone, David got up from beside the pile of stones, fell facedown to the ground, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and cried together as friends, though David cried the hardest.
42 Mlɔeba la, Yonatan gblɔ na David be, “Lé dzi ɖe ƒo elabena míetsɔ mía nɔewo kple mía nɔewo ƒe viwo de asi na Mawu tegbetegbe.” Ale woklã. David dzo eye Yonatan hã trɔ yi dua me.
Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for the two of us have sworn a solemn oath in the name of the Lord. We said, ‘The Lord will be a witness between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.’” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to town.
