Βασιλειῶν Αʹ 24
1 καὶ ἐγενήθη ὡς ἀνέστρεψεν Σαουλ ἀπὸ ὄπισθεν τῶν ἀλλοφύλων καὶ ἀπηγγέλη αὐτῷ λεγόντων ὅτι Δαυιδ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ Εγγαδδι
And when Saul had returned after pursuing the Philistines, they reported to him, saying, “Behold, David is in the desert of Engedi.”
2 καὶ ἔλαβεν μεθ’ ἑαυτοῦ τρεῖς χιλιάδας ἀνδρῶν ἐκλεκτοὺς ἐκ παντὸς Ισραηλ καὶ ἐπορεύθη ζητεῖν τὸν Δαυιδ καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον Σαδαιεμ
Therefore, Saul, taking three thousand elect men from all of Israel, traveled in order to search for David and his men, even upon the most broken rocks, which are passable only to mountain goats.
3 καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς τὰς ἀγέλας τῶν ποιμνίων τὰς ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ σπήλαιον καὶ Σαουλ εἰσῆλθεν παρασκευάσασθαι καὶ Δαυιδ καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες αὐτοῦ ἐσώτερον τοῦ σπηλαίου ἐκάθηντο
And he arrived at the sheepfolds, which presented themselves along the way. And a cave was in that place, which Saul entered, so that he might ease his bowels. But David and his men were hiding in the interior part of the cave.
4 καὶ εἶπον οἱ ἄνδρες Δαυιδ πρὸς αὐτόν ἰδοὺ ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη ἣν εἶπεν κύριος πρὸς σὲ παραδοῦναι τὸν ἐχθρόν σου εἰς τὰς χεῖράς σου καὶ ποιήσεις αὐτῷ ὡς ἀγαθὸν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς σου καὶ ἀνέστη Δαυιδ καὶ ἀφεῖλεν τὸ πτερύγιον τῆς διπλοΐδος τῆς Σαουλ λαθραίως
And the servants of David said to him: “Behold the day, about which the Lord said to you, ‘I will deliver your enemy to you, so that you may do to him as it will be pleasing in your eyes.’” Then David rose up, and he quietly cut off the edge of Saul’s cloak.
5 καὶ ἐγενήθη μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἐπάταξεν καρδία Δαυιδ αὐτόν ὅτι ἀφεῖλεν τὸ πτερύγιον τῆς διπλοΐδος αὐτοῦ
After this, his own heart struck David, because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s cloak.
6 καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ πρὸς τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτοῦ μηδαμῶς μοι παρὰ κυρίου εἰ ποιήσω τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο τῷ κυρίῳ μου τῷ χριστῷ κυρίου ἐπενέγκαι χεῖρά μου ἐπ’ αὐτόν ὅτι χριστὸς κυρίου ἐστὶν οὗτος
And he said to his men: “May the Lord be gracious to me, lest I do this thing to my lord, the Christ of the Lord, so that I lay my hand upon him. For he is the Christ of the Lord.”
7 καὶ ἔπεισεν Δαυιδ τοὺς ἄνδρας αὐτοῦ ἐν λόγοις καὶ οὐκ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἀναστάντας θανατῶσαι τὸν Σαουλ καὶ ἀνέστη Σαουλ καὶ κατέβη εἰς τὴν ὁδόν
And David restrained his men with his words, and he would not permit them to rise up against Saul. And so Saul, going out of the cave, continued to undertake his journey.
8 καὶ ἀνέστη Δαυιδ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ σπηλαίου καὶ ἐβόησεν Δαυιδ ὀπίσω Σαουλ λέγων κύριε βασιλεῦ καὶ ἐπέβλεψεν Σαουλ εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔκυψεν Δαυιδ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ
Then David also rose up after him. And departing from the cave, he cried out behind the back of Saul, saying: “My lord, the king!” And Saul looked behind him. And David, bowing himself face down to the ground, reverenced.
9 καὶ εἶπεν Δαυιδ πρὸς Σαουλ ἵνα τί ἀκούεις τῶν λόγων τοῦ λαοῦ λεγόντων ἰδοὺ Δαυιδ ζητεῖ τὴν ψυχήν σου
And he said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say: ‘David seeks evil against you?’
10 ἰδοὺ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ἑοράκασιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὡς παρέδωκέν σε κύριος σήμερον εἰς χεῖρά μου ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ καὶ οὐκ ἠβουλήθην ἀποκτεῖναί σε καὶ ἐφεισάμην σου καὶ εἶπα οὐκ ἐποίσω χεῖρά μου ἐπὶ κύριόν μου ὅτι χριστὸς κυρίου οὗτός ἐστιν
Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord has delivered you into my hand, in the cave. And I thought that I might kill you. But my eye has spared you. For I said: I will not extend my hand against my lord, for he is the Christ of the Lord.
11 καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ πτερύγιον τῆς διπλοΐδος σου ἐν τῇ χειρί μου ἐγὼ ἀφῄρηκα τὸ πτερύγιον καὶ οὐκ ἀπέκταγκά σε καὶ γνῶθι καὶ ἰδὲ σήμερον ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν κακία ἐν τῇ χειρί μου οὐδὲ ἀσέβεια καὶ ἀθέτησις καὶ οὐχ ἡμάρτηκα εἰς σέ καὶ σὺ δεσμεύεις τὴν ψυχήν μου λαβεῖν αὐτήν
Moreover, see and know, O my father, the edge of your cloak in my hand. For though I cut off the top of your cloak, I was not willing to extend my hand against you. Turn your soul and see that there is no evil in my hand, nor any iniquity or sin against you. Yet you lie in wait for my life, so that you may take it away.
12 δικάσαι κύριος ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ καὶ ἐκδικήσαι με κύριος ἐκ σοῦ καὶ ἡ χείρ μου οὐκ ἔσται ἐπὶ σοί
May the Lord judge between me and you. And may the Lord vindicate me from you. But my hand will not be against you.
13 καθὼς λέγεται ἡ παραβολὴ ἡ ἀρχαία ἐξ ἀνόμων ἐξελεύσεται πλημμέλεια καὶ ἡ χείρ μου οὐκ ἔσται ἐπὶ σέ
So too, it is said in the ancient proverb, ‘From the impious, impiety will go forth.’ Therefore, my hand will not be upon you.
14 καὶ νῦν ὀπίσω τίνος σὺ ἐκπορεύῃ βασιλεῦ Ισραηλ ὀπίσω τίνος καταδιώκεις σύ ὀπίσω κυνὸς τεθνηκότος καὶ ὀπίσω ψύλλου ἑνός
Whom are you pursuing, O king of Israel? Whom are you pursuing? You are pursuing a dead dog, a single flea.
15 γένοιτο κύριος εἰς κριτὴν καὶ δικαστὴν ἀνὰ μέσον ἐμοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον σοῦ ἴδοι κύριος καὶ κρίναι τὴν κρίσιν μου καὶ δικάσαι μοι ἐκ χειρός σου
May the Lord be the judge, and may he judge between me and you. And may he see and judge my case, and rescue me from your hand.”
16 καὶ ἐγένετο ὡς συνετέλεσεν Δαυιδ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα λαλῶν πρὸς Σαουλ καὶ εἶπεν Σαουλ ἦ φωνή σου αὕτη τέκνον Δαυιδ καὶ ἦρεν τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ Σαουλ καὶ ἔκλαυσεν
And when David had completed speaking words in this way to Saul, Saul said, “Could this be your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice, and he wept.
17 καὶ εἶπεν Σαουλ πρὸς Δαυιδ δίκαιος σὺ ὑπὲρ ἐμέ ὅτι σὺ ἀνταπέδωκάς μοι ἀγαθά ἐγὼ δὲ ἀνταπέδωκά σοι κακά
And he said to David: “You are more just than I am. For you have distributed good to me, but I have repaid evil to you.
18 καὶ σὺ ἀπήγγειλάς μοι σήμερον ἃ ἐποίησάς μοι ἀγαθά ὡς ἀπέκλεισέν με κύριος σήμερον εἰς χεῖράς σου καὶ οὐκ ἀπέκτεινάς με
And you have revealed this day the good that you have done for me: how the Lord delivered me into your hand, but you did not kill me.
19 καὶ ὅτι εἰ εὕροιτό τις τὸν ἐχθρὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν θλίψει καὶ ἐκπέμψαι αὐτὸν ἐν ὁδῷ ἀγαθῇ καὶ κύριος ἀνταποτείσει αὐτῷ ἀγαθά καθὼς πεποίηκας σήμερον
For who, when he will have found his enemy, will release him along a good path? So may the Lord repay you for this good turn, because you have acted on my behalf this day.
20 καὶ νῦν ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ γινώσκω ὅτι βασιλεύων βασιλεύσεις καὶ στήσεται ἐν χερσίν σου βασιλεία Ισραηλ
And now I know certainly that you shall be king, and you shall have the kingdom of Israel in your hand.
21 καὶ νῦν ὄμοσόν μοι ἐν κυρίῳ ὅτι οὐκ ἐξολεθρεύσεις τὸ σπέρμα μου ὀπίσω μου καὶ οὐκ ἀφανιεῖς τὸ ὄνομά μου ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός μου
Swear to me in the Lord that you will not take away my offspring after me, nor take away my name from the house of my father.”
22 καὶ ὤμοσεν Δαυιδ τῷ Σαουλ καὶ ἀπῆλθεν Σαουλ εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ καὶ Δαυιδ καὶ οἱ ἄνδρες αὐτοῦ ἀνέβησαν εἰς τὴν Μεσσαρα στενήν
And David swore to Saul. Therefore, Saul went away to his own house. And David and his men ascended to places that were more secure.
