Samuel 1 21

1 David yi Nɔb dua me be yeakpɔ Abimelek, nunɔla la. Ke esi Ahimelek kpɔe la vɔvɔ̃ ɖoe eye wòbiae be, “Nu ka ta wò ɖeka nèva? Nu ka ta ame aɖeke mele ŋuwò o?”

Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was shaking in fear when he met David, and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one with you?"

2 David da alakpa na Ahimelek be, “Fia la de dɔ ɣaɣlɛ aɖe asi nam. Egblɔ nam be magana ame aɖeke nanya nu si ta meva afi sia o. Mefia teƒe si nye amewo ado gom le emegbe la wo.

And David said to the priest, "The king has given me orders, and he instructed me, 'No one must know of the matter about which I send you, or about your orders; and I have arranged to meet the young men at a certain place.'

3 Nuɖuɖu aɖe le asiwòa? Na abolo atɔ̃ alo nu bubu ɖe sia ɖe si nàte ŋui lam.”

Now, if there are five loaves of bread under your control, give them into my hand, or whatever there is."

4 Nunɔla la ɖo eŋu be, “Abolo dzodzro ya ƒe ɖeke meli o; abolo kɔkɔe koe li. Mexɔe se be miate ŋu aɖui ne wò ɖekakpuiwo medɔ kple nyɔnuwo le ŋkeke siawo me o ko.”

And the priest answered David, and said, "There is no common bread in my control, but there is holy bread. If the young men have kept themselves from women, they may eat of it."

5 David do eŋu be, “Meka ɖe edzi na wò elabena nyemeɖea mɔ na nye ɖekakpuiwo be woade ha kple nyɔnuwo ne míezɔ mɔ o. Ne wole kɔkɔe ne míezɔ mɔ dzodzrowo la, ekema eme kɔ ƒãa be woanɔ kɔkɔe esi míeva dɔ tɔxɛ sia gbe!”

And David answered the priest, and said to him, "Truly women have been kept from us as always when I set out. All the young men are holy, even when it is an ordinary mission. So how much more today will their vessels be holy?"

6 Ale, esi nuɖuɖu bubu aɖeke meganɔ anyi o ta la, nunɔla la tsɔ abolo kɔkɔe, Ŋkumeɖobolo, si wotsɔ da ɖe Yehowa ŋkume le agbadɔ la me nɛ. Gbe ma gbe kee wotsɔ abolo yeye ɖɔlii.

So the priest gave him what had been consecrated, for there was no bread there but the show bread, that had been removed before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

7 Eva eme be wosika Doeg, Edomtɔ, ame si nye Saul ƒe lãkplɔlawo ƒe amegã la ɖe Yehowa ŋkume le afi ma le ɣeyiɣi ma me.

Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg the Edomite, the best of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.

8 David bia Ahimelek ne akplɔ alo yi aɖe le esi si ŋu dɔ yeate ŋu awɔ. Eɖe eme nɛ be, “Ele be matsɔ dzo ɖe fia ƒe dɔ la ŋu eye mawɔe kaba ale gbegbe be nyemete ŋu tsɔ aʋawɔnu aɖeke ɖe asi o!”

David said to Ahimelech, "Isn't there here under your control spear or sword? For I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste."

9 Nunɔla la ɖo eŋu be, “Goliat, Filistitɔ si nèwu le Ela balime la ƒe yi le asinye. Woblae ɖe avɔ aɖe me le awuwo dzraɖoƒe le kɔmewu la megbe. Ne èlɔ̃ la, àte ŋu atsɔe elabena aʋawɔnu bubu aɖeke megale afi sia o.” David ɖo eŋu be, “Eya tututu dim mele; tsɔe nam!”

The priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, look, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind an ephod. If you will take that, take it; for there is no other except that here." David said, "There is none like that. Give it to me."

10 David ɖe abla dzo elabena enɔ vɔvɔ̃m na Saul eye wòyi Fia Akis gbɔ le Gat.

David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.

11 Ke David ƒe afi ma nɔnɔ medzɔ dzi na Akis ƒe aʋakplɔlawo o. Wobia be, “Menye eyae nye Israel ƒe kplɔla gã la oa? Menye eya ŋue ameawo dea bubui le woƒe ɣeɖuƒewo henɔa ha dzim bena, “‘Saul wu akpe eye David wu akpewo’ oa?”

The servants of Achish said to him, "Isn't this David the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another about him in dances, saying, 'Saul has slain his thousands, David his ten thousands?'"

12 David se nya siawo eye wòvɔ̃ nu si Gat fia Akis ate ŋu awɔe.

David laid up these words in his heart, and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

13 Ale wòwɔ eɖokui abe tsukunɔ ene! Ete fli ɖe ʋɔtruwo ŋu eye wòna ade do tso eƒe nu me hetsyɔ ɖe eƒe ge me.

He changed his behavior before them, and pretended to be mad in their hands, and drummed on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down his beard.

14 Fia Akis gblɔ na eƒe subɔlawo be, “Mikpɔ ame sia ɖa! Ele tsu kum! Nu ka tae miekplɔe vɛ nam ɖo?

Then Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me?

15 Tsukunɔ ƒe koe si le wɔyem tae miekplɔ ame sia vɛ be woava anɔ nu siawo ƒomevi wɔm le nye ŋkutaa? Ɖe wòdze be miakplɔ ame sia ƒomevi va nye aƒe mea?”

Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?"