I Samuelis 19
1 Locutus est autem Saul ad Ionathan filium suum, et ad omnes servos suos, ut occiderent David. Porro Ionathas filius Saul diligebat David valde.
Then Saul urged all his servants and his son Jonathan to kill David. But Jonathan liked David very much.
2 Et indicavit Ionathas David, dicens: Quaerit Saul pater meus occidere te: quapropter observa te, quaeso, mane, et manebis clam, et absconderis.
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 Ego autem egrediens stabo iuxta patrem meum, in agro ubicumque fuerit: et ego loquar de te ad patrem meum: et quodcumque videro, nunciabo tibi.
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 Locutus est ergo Ionathas de David bona ad Saul patrem suum: dixitque ad eum: Ne pecces rex in servum tuum David, quia non peccavit tibi, et opera eius bona sunt tibi valde.
[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 Et posuit animam suam in manu sua, et percussit Philisthaeum, et fecit Dominus salutem magnam universo Israeli: vidisti, et laetatus es. Quare ergo peccas in sanguine innoxio, interficiens David, qui est absque culpa?
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 Quod cum audisset Saul, placatus voce Ionathae, iuravit: Vivit Dominus, quia non occidetur.
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 Vocavit itaque Ionathas David, et indicavit ei omnia verba haec: et introduxit Ionathas David ad Saul, et fuit ante eum, sicut fuerat heri et nudiustertius.
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 Motum est autem rursum bellum: et egressus David, pugnavit adversum Philisthiim: percussitque eos plaga magna, et fugerunt a facie eius.
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 Et factus est spiritus Domini malus in Saul. sedebat autem in domo sua, et tenebat lanceam: porro David psallebat manu sua.
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 Nisusque est Saul configere David lancea in pariete, et declinavit David a facie Saul: lancea autem casso vulnere perlata est in parietem, et David fugit, et salvatus est nocte illa.
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 Misit ergo Saul satellites suos in domum David, ut custodirent eum, et interficeretur mane. Quod cum annunciasset David Michol uxor sua, dicens: Nisi salvaveris te nocte hac, cras morieris:
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 deposuit eum per fenestram. porro ille abiit et aufugit, atque salvatus est.
So she enabled David to climb out through a window, and he ran away and escaped.
13 Tulit autem Michol statuam, et posuit eam super lectum, et pellem pilosam caprarum posuit ad caput eius, et operuit eam vestimentis.
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 Misit autem Saul apparitores, qui raperent David: et responsum est quod aegrotaret.
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 Rursumque misit Saul nuncios ut viderent David, dicens: Afferte eum ad me in lecto, ut occidatur.
[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 Cumque venissent nuncii, inventum est simulacrum super lectum, et pellis caprarum ad caput eius.
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 Dixitque Saul ad Michol: Quare sic illusisti mihi, et dimisisti inimicum meum ut fugeret? Et respondit Michol ad Saul: Quia ipse locutus est mihi: Dimitte me, alioquin interficiam te.
[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 David autem fugiens salvatus est, et venit ad Samuel in Ramatha, et nunciavit ei omnia quae fecerat sibi Saul: et abierunt ipse et Samuel, et morati sunt in Naioth.
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 Nunciatum est autem Sauli a dicentibus: Ecce David in Naioth in Ramatha.
Someone told Saul that David was in Naioth.
20 Misit ergo Saul lictores, ut raperent David: qui cum vidissent cuneum prophetarum vaticinantium, et Samuelem stantem super eos, factus est etiam Spiritus Domini in illis, et prophetare coeperunt etiam ipsi.
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 Quod cum nunciatum esset Sauli, misit et alios nuncios: prophetaverunt autem et illi. Et rursum misit Saul tertios nuncios: qui et ipsi prophetaverunt. Et iratus iracundia Saul,
When Saul heard about that, he sent messengers a third time, but they also started to speak ecstatically.
22 abiit etiam ipse in Ramatha, et venit usque ad cisternam magnam, quae est in Socho, et interrogavit, et dixit: In quo loco sunt Samuel et David? Dictumque est ei: Ecce in Naioth sunt in Ramatha.
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 Et abiit in Naioth in Ramatha, et factus est etiam super eum Spiritus Domini, et ambulabat ingrediens, et prophetabat usque dum veniret in Naioth in Ramatha.
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 Et expoliavit etiam ipse se vestimentis suis, et prophetavit cum ceteris coram Samuele, et cecinit nudus tota die illa et nocte. Unde et exivit proverbium: Num et Saul inter prophetas?
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]
