1 Samuel 18
1 Bere a Dawid ne Saulo kasa wiei no, ohyiaa ɔhenebabarima Yonatan. Wɔn baanu no dɔɔ wɔn ho wɔn ho prɛko pɛ na wɔbɛyɛɛ nnamfo pa ara.
After David finished talking with Saul, [he met Saul’s son, Jonathan.] Jonathan [immediately] liked David; in fact, he began to love/like him as much as he loved/liked himself.
2 Efi saa da no, Saulo gyee Dawid tenaa ahemfi hɔ a wampɛ sɛ ɔbɛsan akɔ ne fi.
From that day, Saul kept David with him, and did not let him return home.
3 Na Yonatan ne Dawid yɛɛ apam sɛ, wɔbɛyɛ nnamfo.
Because Jonathan loved David so much, he made a solemn agreement with David. [They promised each other that they would always be loyal friends].
4 Na Yonatan de ne batakari, nhyɛase, afoa, agyan ne nkyekyeremu maa Dawid de sɔw apam no ano.
Jonathan took off his own outer robe and gave it to David. He also gave David his soldier’s tunic, his sword, his bow [and arrows], and his belt.
5 Biribiara a Saulo ka kyerɛɛ Dawid sɛ ɔnyɛ no, Dawid yɛɛ no pɛpɛɛpɛ. Enti Saulo yɛɛ no nʼasraafo so ɔsahene, maa nʼakofo ne wɔn mpanyimfo nyinaa de anigye penee so.
[David went wherever Saul sent him. And] whatever Saul told him to do, David did it very successfully. As a result, Saul appointed David to be a commander in the army. All the officers and other men in the army (approved of/were very pleased with) that.
6 Nanso bere a Israelfo nkonimdifo rekɔ fie, na Dawid akum Filistini no, mmea fifi nkurow a ɛbɛn ɔkwan no ho no bɛtwee mmommomme hyiaa Ɔhene Saulo a na wɔde anigye reto nnwom, bɔ akasae ne kyɛnkyɛn.
But, when the men in the army were returning home after David had killed Goliath, the women came out from many [HYP] towns in Israel to meet/greet King Saul. They were singing and dancing very joyfully, playing tambourines and lyres.
7 Wɔresaw no, wɔtoo dwom se: Saulo akum ne apem apem, na Dawid de ne mpem du du!
As they danced, they sang this song to each other: “Saul has killed 1,000 [enemy soldiers], But David has killed 10,000 [of them].”
8 Eyi maa Saulo bo fuw yiye. Ɔkae se, “Eyi ase ne dɛn? Wɔde mpem du mpem du abata Dawid din ho, na me de, wɔde apem apem pɛ. Dɛn na aka sen sɛ wobesi no hene?”
[When] Saul [heard them singing that, he] did not like it. He became very angry. He said [to himself], “They are saying that David [killed] 10,000 men, but that I [have killed] only 1,000. Soon they will want to make him their king!” [RHQ]
9 Efi saa bere no, Saulo tuu nʼani sii Dawid so.
From that time, Saul watched David very closely because he was suspicious [that David would try to become king].
10 Ade kyee no, Onyankopɔn honhom bɛhyɛɛ Saulo so. Na ɔrehyɛ nkɔm wɔ ne fi, bere a na Dawid rebɔ ne sanku sɛnea na ɔtaa yɛ no. Na Saulo kura peaw
The next day, an evil spirit sent by God suddenly took control of Saul. He began to act like a madman, inside his house. David was playing the lyre for him, as he did every day. Saul was holding a spear in his hand,
11 na ɔkaa wɔ ne tirim se, “Mesina Dawid atare ɔfasu no.” Nanso Dawid huruw sii nkyɛn na oguanee mpɛn abien.
and he hurled it [at David], saying to himself, “I will fasten David to the wall with the spear!” He did that two times, but David jumped aside [both times].
12 Na Saulo suro Dawid, efisɛ na Awurade agyaw no akɔ Dawid afa.
Because [it became evident that] Yahweh had abandoned Saul but [that] he was helping David, Saul was afraid of David.
13 Enti Saulo yii Dawid fii ne ho na ɔma ɔkɔyɛɛ ɔsafohene wɔ asraafo apem so, na, Dawid dii saa nsraadɔm no anim de wɔn kɔɔ ɔsa.
So he appointed David as a commander of 1,000 soldiers and sent David away from him, [hoping that David would be killed in a battle]. But when David led his soldiers [in their battles],
14 Biribiara a Dawid yɛe no, odii nkonim wɔ mu, efisɛ na Awurade ka ne ho.
he always had great success, because Yahweh was helping him.
15 Saulo huu eyi no, osuroo no.
When Saul heard that David [and his soldiers were] very successful, he became more afraid of David.
16 Nanso Israel ne Yuda nyinaa dɔɔ Dawid, efisɛ na odi nʼakofo anim kɔ ɔsa a, odi nkonim.
But all the people of Israel and of Judah loved David, because he led the soldiers very successfully [in the battles].
17 Da bi, Saulo ka kyerɛɛ Dawid se, “Mepɛ sɛ mede me babea panyin Merab ma wo aware. Nea edi kan ne sɛ wobɛkyerɛ sɛ woyɛ ɔkofo kɛse a wobɛko Awurade ko no.” Na Saulo kaa wɔ ne tirim se, “Merenteɛ me nsa wɔ ne so. Mɛma wakɔko atia Filistifo no na wɔakum no.”
One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my oldest daughter, Merab, to be your wife. I will do that if you serve me bravely by fighting battles for Yahweh [against the Philistines]”. He said that because he thought, “I will not try to get rid of David by myself. I will allow the Philistines to do that.”
18 Na Dawid ka kyerɛɛ Saulo se, “Me sɛɛ ne hena a mɛyɛ ɔhene ase? Me fi ne mʼagya abusua a ɛwɔ Israel nka hwee?”
But David said to Saul, “I am not [RHQ] a very important person, and my family is not very important, and my clan is not a very important Israeli clan. So I do not deserve to become your son-in-law.” [RHQ]
19 Enti bere no duu sɛ wɔde Saulo babea Merab ma Dawid aware no, wɔde no maa Adriel a ofi Meholat aware.
So, when it was time for Merab to be given to David to become his wife, instead, Saul gave her to a man named Adriel, from Meholah [town].
20 Na Saulo babea Mikal dɔ Dawid, enti bere a Saulo tee no, ɛyɛɛ no anigye.
But Saul’s other daughter, Michal, fell in love with David. When they told Saul about that, he was pleased.
21 Saulo kaa wɔ ne tirim se, “Mede no bɛma no na wafa so ayɛ afiri a ɛbɛma Filistifo nsa aka no akum no.” Na ɔka kyerɛɛ Dawid se, “Afei, ɔkwan a ɛto so abien a wobɛfa so ayɛ mʼase no abue ama wo.”
He thought, “I will let Michal marry him, in order that she may trap him, and the Philistines will be able to kill him.” So he said to David, [“You can marry Michal],” and by saying that, he indicated for the second time that David would become his son-in-law.
22 Na Saulo hyɛɛ ne nkoa se, “Monka no kokoa mu nkyerɛ Dawid se, ‘Hwɛ, ɔhene ani sɔ wo, na yɛn nyinaa pɛ wʼasɛm. Adɛn nti na wompɛ sɛ woyɛ ɔhene ase barima?’”
Saul told his servants, “Talk to David privately, and say to him, ‘Listen, the king is pleased with you, and all of us his servants love you. So now [we think that] you should [marry Michal and] become the king’s son-in-law.’”
23 Wotii saa nsɛm yi mu kyerɛɛ Dawid. Nanso Dawid kae se, “Ohiani ba a me fi nni bi, mususuw sɛ ɛyɛ ade a ɛda fam sɛ obi bɛyɛ ɔhene nʼase ana?”
So they told that to David. But David said, “It would be a great honor [RHQ] to become the king’s son-in-law. But [I do not think that I should do that, because] I am only a poor and insignificant man.”
24 Nkoa no kɔkaa asɛm a Dawid ka kyerɛɛ wɔn no kyerɛɛ Saulo no,
When the servants told Saul what David had said,
25 Saulo kae se, “Monkɔka nkyerɛ Dawid se, ‘Ɔhene nhwehwɛ ti nsa biara sɛ Filistifo ɔha mmarima ano were. Mʼatamfo so aweretɔ nko ara ne ade a mepɛ.’” Na Saulo adwene ara ne sɛ wobekum Dawid wɔ akono.
Saul replied, “Go and say to David, ‘[In order for] the king [to allow you to marry Michal, he] wants [you to kill] 100 Philistines [and cut off] their foreskins [and bring the foreskins to him to prove that you have killed them]. In that way he will get revenge on his enemies.’” But what Saul wanted was that the Philistines would kill David [while David was trying to kill them].
26 Dawid de anigye penee adebisa no so. Enti ansa na bere no duu no,
When the servants told that to David, he was very pleased that he could become the king’s son-in-law [by doing that. The king had said how many days he would allow for David to do that]. But before that time ended,
27 Dawid ne ne mmarima kɔ kokum Filistifo no ahannu. Ɔde wɔn mmarima ano were brɛɛ ɔhene. Enti Saulo de ne babea Mikal maa Dawid aware.
David and his men went and killed, [not 100, but] 200 Philistines! He brought their foreskins to Saul, and counted them [while Saul was watching], in order to prove that he had [done what the king required so that he could become Saul’s son-in-law. So then Saul was obligated] to allow David to marry his daughter Michal.
28 Saulo huu sɛ Awurade ka Dawid ho, na ne babea Mikal nso dɔ Dawid no,
But when Saul realized that Yahweh was helping David, and that his daughter loved David,
29 Saulo kɔɔ so suroo no, na ne nna a aka no mu no, Dawid kɔɔ so yɛɛ Saulo tamfo.
he became more afraid of David. So, as long as Saul lived, he was David’s enemy.
30 Bere biara a Filistifo asraafo tow hyɛɛ Israel so no, Dawid dii nkonim sen Saulo asahene a wɔaka no. Eyi maa Dawid gyee din wɔ asase no so nyinaa.
The Philistine armies repeatedly came to fight the Israelis, but every time they fought, David and his soldiers were more successful than any of Saul’s other army commanders. As a result, David became very famous.
