I Samuelis 19
1 locutus est autem Saul ad Ionathan filium suum et ad omnes servos suos ut occiderent David porro Ionathan 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 Ionathan 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 fueris et ego loquar de te ad patrem meum et quodcumque videro nuntiabo 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 Ionathan 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 Philistheum et fecit Dominus salutem magnam universo Israhel 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 Ionathan David et indicavit ei omnia verba haec et introduxit Ionathan David ad Saul et fuit ante eum sicut fuerat heri et nudius tertius
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 rursus bellum et egressus David pugnavit adversus Philisthim 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 in 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 lancea David 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 adnuntiasset 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 nuntios ut viderent David dicens adferte 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 nuntii 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 inlusisti 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 Samuhel in Ramatha et nuntiavit ei omnia quae fecerat sibi Saul et abierunt ipse et Samuhel et morati sunt in Nahioth
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 nuntiatum est autem Sauli a dicentibus ecce David in Nahioth in Rama
Someone told Saul that David was in Naioth.
20 misit ergo Saul lictores ut raperent David qui cum vidissent cuneum prophetarum vaticinantium et Samuhel stantem super eos factus est etiam in illis spiritus Domini 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 nuntiatum esset Sauli misit alios nuntios prophetaverunt autem et illi et rursum Saul misit tertios nuntios qui et ipsi prophetaverunt
When Saul heard about that, he sent messengers a third time, but they also started to speak ecstatically.
22 abiit autem etiam ipse in Ramatha et venit usque ad cisternam magnam quae est in Soccho et interrogavit et dixit in quo loco sunt Samuhel et David dictumque est ei ecce in Nahioth sunt in 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 et abiit in Nahioth in Rama et factus est etiam super eum spiritus Dei et ambulabat ingrediens et prophetabat usque dum veniret in Nahioth in Rama
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 se etiam ipse vestimentis suis et prophetavit cum ceteris coram Samuhel et cecidit 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]
