1 Samuel 19
1 Saulo hyɛɛ nʼasomfo ne ne babarima Yonatan sɛ wonkum Dawid. Nanso esiane sɛ na Yonatan adamfo pa ara ne Dawid nti,
Then Saul urged all his servants and his son Jonathan to kill David. But Jonathan liked David very much.
2 Yonatan kaa adwene a nʼagya ayɛ afa ne ho no kyerɛɛ no tuu no fo se, “Ɔkyena anɔpa, pɛ wuram baabi kɔbɔ wo ho aguaa, efisɛ mʼagya rehwehwɛ wo akum wo.
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 Mɛka akyerɛ mʼagya, na ɔne me aba hɔ na mɛka wo ho asɛm nyinaa akyerɛ no. Na biribiara a mehu wɔ hɔ no nso, mɛbɔ wo amanneɛ.”
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 Ade kyee anɔpa no, Yonatan ne nʼagya dii nkɔmmɔ faa Dawid ho. Yonatan kaa ne ho nsɛm pa pii. Yonatan srɛɛ nʼagya se, “Mesrɛ wo, nyɛ bɔne biara ntia Dawid. Ɔnyɛɛ biribiara a ɛbɛhaw wo. Daa, ɔfa ɔkwan biara a obetumi so boa wo.
[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 Wo werɛ afi bere a ɔde ne nkwa too ne nsam, kokum Filistini no, na ɛnam so maa Awurade de nkonimdi kɛse brɛɛ Israel no? Saa bere no, akyinnye biara nni ho sɛ, wʼani gyei. Adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ wukum onipa a ne ho nni asɛm sɛ Dawid? Nkyerɛase pa biara nni mu koraa.”
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 Enti Saulo tiee Yonatan, na ɔkaa ho ntam dii nsew se, “Sɛ Awurade te ase yi, wɔrenkum Dawid.”
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 Akyiri no, Yonatan frɛɛ Dawid kaa asɛm a asi no kyerɛɛ no. Enti ɔfaa Dawid de no kohuu Saulo, na biribiara totɔɔ yiye, sɛnea kan no na ɛte no ara pɛ.
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 Ankyɛ biara na ɔko bi sii, maa Dawid dii nʼakofo anim kɔko tiaa Filistifo. Ɔde anibere toaa wɔn, maa wɔn nyinaa guanee.
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 Nanso da bi, Saulo te fi ara no, honhommɔne a efi Awurade bɛhyɛɛ ne mu prɛko pɛ bio. Bere a Dawid rebɔ ne sanku ama ɔhene no,
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 Saulo tow ne peaw kyerɛɛ Dawid so, pɛɛ sɛ okum no. Nanso Dawid twee ne ho, totɔɔ esum mu guan maa peaw no kaa ɔfasu no mu.
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 Saulo somaa mmarima kɔɔ Dawid fi kɔwɛn hɔ sɛ, opue anɔpa a wonkum no. Nanso Dawid yere Mikal bɔɔ no kɔkɔ se, “Sɛ woanguan ampɛ wo nkwa anadwo yi a, ɔkyena, wobekum wo.”
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 Enti Mikal de Dawid faa mfɛnsere mu ma oguanee.
So she enabled David to climb out through a window, and he ran away and escaped.
13 Na Mikal faa ohoni bi de no too mpa so de atade kataa ho, na ne ti hɔ no nso, ɔde abirekyi ho nwi katae.
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 Bere a Saulo somaa mmarima sɛ wɔnkɔkyere Dawid no, Mikal ka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Ɔyare a ontumi nsɔre mfi mpa so.”
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 Saulo san somaa mmarima no bio se, “Monkɔfa no mfi ne mpa so mmra, sɛnea metumi akum no.”
[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 Nanso mmarima no wuraa ɔdan no mu no, na ohoni na ɔda mpa no so a abirekyi ho nwi na ɛkata so.
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 Saulo bisaa Mikal se, “Adɛn nti na woadaadaa me, ama me tamfo aguan?” Mikal buaa no se, “Na ɛsɛ sɛ meyɛ saa efisɛ ɔka kyerɛɛ me se, ‘Mammoa no a, obekum me.’”
[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 Bere a Dawid guanee no, ɔkɔɔ Samuel nkyɛn wɔ Rama kɔkaa nea Saulo ayɛ no no nyinaa kyerɛɛ no. Enti Samuel de Dawid kɔtenaa Naiot.
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 Bere a Saulo tee sɛ Dawid te Naiot a ɛwɔ Rama no,
Someone told Saul that David was in Naioth.
20 ɔsomaa asraafo sɛ wɔnkɔkyere no mmra. Nanso woduu a wohuu Samuel ne adiyifo bi sɛ wɔrehyɛ nkɔm no, Onyankopɔn honhom baa Saulo mmarima no so, maa wɔn nso hyɛɛ nkɔm.
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 Saulo tee asɛm a aba no, ɔsan somaa asraafo foforo, nanso wɔn nso kɔhyɛɛ nkɔm! Asɛm koro no ara sii ne mprɛnsa so.
When Saul heard about that, he sent messengers a third time, but they also started to speak ecstatically.
22 Akyiri yi koraa, Saulo no ankasa kɔɔ Rama, koduu abura kɛse bi a ɛwɔ Seku ho. Obisae se, “Samuel ne Dawid wɔ he?” Obi ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Wɔn baanu wɔ Naiot a ɛwɔ Rama hɔ.”
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 Na ɔrekɔ Naiot no, ɔkwan no so na Onyankopɔn honhom baa Saulo so, na ɔno nso fii ase hyɛɛ nkɔm.
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 Osunsuan nʼatade mu, de ne ho too fam, daa hɔ da mu ne anadwo mu nyinaa, hyɛɛ nkɔm wɔ Samuel anim. Nnipa a wɔrehwɛ no no teɛteɛɛ mu se, “Asɛm ni? Enti daa yi Saulo nso yɛ odiyifo?”
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]
