1 Samuel 23

1 Ɛda koro bi, Dawid tee sɛ Filistifoɔ no aba Keila, na wɔrewia wɔn ayuo wɔ wɔn ayuporobea.

And they declare to David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are spoiling the threshing-floors.”

2 Dawid bisaa Awurade sɛ, “Menkɔto nhyɛ wɔn so anaa?” Awurade buaa sɛ, “Aane, kɔ na kɔgye Keila.”

And David inquires of YHWH, saying, “Do I go? And have I struck among these Philistines?” And YHWH says to David, “Go, and you have struck among the Philistines, and saved Keilah.”

3 Nanso, Dawid mmarima no kaa sɛ, “Yuda ha mpo yɛsuro. Yɛmpɛ sɛ yɛbɛkɔ Keila akɔko atia Filistifoɔ akodɔm no nyinaa.”

And David’s men say to him, “Behold, we here in Judah are afraid; and how much more when we go to Keilah, to the ranks of the Philistines?”

4 Enti Dawid bisaa Awurade bio maa Awurade buaa no sɛ, “Kɔ Keila na mɛboa wo ama woadi Filistifoɔ no so nkonim.”

And David adds again to inquire of YHWH, and YHWH answers him and says, “Rise, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hand.”

5 Enti, Dawid ne ne mmarima kɔɔ Keila. Wɔkunkumm Filistifoɔ no nyinaa, faa wɔn nyɛmmoa, gyee Keilafoɔ no.

And David goes, and his men, to Keilah, and fights with the Philistines, and leads away their livestock, and strikes among them [with] a great striking, and David saves the inhabitants of Keilah.

6 Ahimelek ba Ɔsɔfoɔ Abiatar redwane akɔ Dawid nkyɛn wɔ Keila no, ɔfaa asɔfotadeɛ sɛ ɔrekɔgye mmuaeɛ afiri Awurade nkyɛn ama Dawid.

And it comes to pass, in the fleeing of Abiathar son of Ahimelech to David, to Keilah, an ephod came down in his hand.

7 Ankyɛre, Saulo tee sɛ Dawid wɔ Keila. Ɔteaam sɛ, “Ɛyɛ. Afei, yɛn nsa aka no. Afei, Onyankopɔn de no ama me. Ɔno ara ama kuro yi ho afasuo ayi no!”

And it is declared to Saul that David has come to Keilah, and Saul says, “God has made him known for my hand, for he has been shut in, to enter into a city of doors and bar.”

8 Enti, Saulo boaboaa nʼakodɔm nyinaa ano sɛ ɔde wɔn rekɔ Keila akɔtua Dawid ne ne mmarima.

And Saul summons all the people to the battle, to go down to Keilah, to lay siege to David and to his men.

9 Nanso Dawid hunuu Saulo nhyehyɛeɛ, na ɔka kyerɛɛ ɔsɔfoɔ Abiatar sɛ, ɔmfa asɔfotadeɛ no mmra, na ɔmmisa Awurade deɛ ɛsɛ sɛ ɔyɛ.

And David knows that Saul is devising the evil against him and says to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod near.”

10 Na Dawid bɔɔ mpaeɛ sɛ, “Ao, Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn, mate sɛ Saulo ayɛ nhyehyɛeɛ sɛ ɔbɛba abɛsɛe Keila, ɛfiri sɛ, mewɔ ha.

And David says, “YHWH, God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul is seeking to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.

11 Merebisa sɛ, enti Keila mmarima bɛyi me ama no anaa? Na Saulo bɛba ampa ara sɛdeɛ mete no? Ao, Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn, ka kyerɛ me.” Na Awurade buaa no sɛ, “Ɔbɛba.”

Do the possessors of Keilah shut me up into his hand? Does Saul come down as Your servant has heard? YHWH, God of Israel, please declare [it] to Your servant.” And YHWH says, “He comes down.”

12 Bio, Dawid bisaa sɛ, “Enti, Keila mmarima bɛyi me ne me mmarima ama Saulo anaa?” Na Awurade buaa sɛ, “Aane, wɔbɛyi mo ama.”

And David says, “Do the possessors of Keilah shut up me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And YHWH says, “They shut [you] up.”

13 Na Dawid ne ne mmarima bɛyɛ sɛ ahansia firii Keila, na wɔkyinkyinii baabiara a wɔbɛtumi akɔ. Na Saulo tee sɛ Dawid afiri Keila no, ɔgyaee nʼakyi die.

And David rises—and his men—about six hundred men, and they go out from Keilah, and go up and down where they go up and down; and it has been declared to Saul that David has escaped from Keilah, and he ceases to go out.

14 Afei, Dawid tenaa nʼabanbɔeɛ hɔ wɔ ɛserɛ so ne Sif mmepɔ asase no so. Saulo hwehwɛɛ no adekyeɛ ne adesaeɛ biara, nanso Awurade amma no anhunu no.

And David abides in the wilderness, in fortresses, and abides in the hill-country, in the wilderness of Ziph; and Saul seeks him [for] all the days, and God has not given him into his hand.

15 Dabi a Dawid wɔ Hores wɔ Sif ɛserɛ so no, ɔtee sɛ Saulo nam ɛkwan so reba hɔ abɛhwehwɛ no akum no.

And David sees that Saul has come out to seek his life, and David [is] in the wilderness of Ziph, in a forest.

16 Na Yonatan kɔɔ Dawid nkyɛn wɔ Hores kɔhyɛɛ no den wɔ Onyankopɔn ho gyidie mu.

And Jonathan son of Saul rises, and goes to David [in the] forest, and strengthens his hand in God,

17 Yonatan hyɛɛ no den sɛ, “Nsuro! Mʼagya Saulo renhunu wo da. Wobɛyɛ ɔhene wɔ Israel, na mayɛ wʼabadiakyire, sɛdeɛ mʼagya Saulo nim no.”

and says to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of my father Saul does not find you, and you reign over Israel, and I am to you for second, and also so knows my father Saul.”

18 Wɔn baanu no hyɛɛ wɔn ayɔnkofa apam mu den wɔ Awurade anim. Afei, Yonatan kɔɔ efie na Dawid deɛ, ɔtenaa Hores hɔ.

And both of them make a covenant before YHWH; and David abides in the forest, and Jonathan has gone to his house.

19 Ɛnna Sififoɔ no kɔɔ Saulo nkyɛn wɔ Gibea kɔyii Dawid maeɛ sɛ, “Yɛnim baabi a Dawid akɔhinta. Ɔwɔ banbɔeɛ mu, wɔ Hores a ɛwɔ Hakila mmepɔ mu, wɔ Yesimon anafoɔ fam ha yi.

And the Ziphites go up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding himself with us in fortresses, in the forest, in the height of Hachilah, which [is] on the south of the desolate place?

20 Ɔhene, ɛberɛ biara a wobɛnya kwan no, bra na yɛbɛkyere no ama wo.”

And now, by all the desire of your soul, O king, to come down, come down, and ours [is] to shut him up into the hand of the king.”

21 Saulo kaa sɛ, “Awurade nhyira mo! Afei, mahunu sɛ, mʼasɛm fa obi ho.

And Saul says, “Blessed [are] you of YHWH, for you have pity on me;

22 Monkɔ mu bio, nkɔhwehwɛ, nhunu baabi a ɔte ne obi a wahunu no wɔ hɔ, ɛfiri sɛ, menim sɛ ɔyɛ oniferefoɔ.

now go prepare yet, and know and see his place where his foot is; who has seen him there? For [one] has said to me, He is very cunning.

23 Monhwehwɛ nʼahintaeɛm, na monsane mmra mmɛka biribi pɔtee nkyerɛ me. Na me ne mo bɛkɔ. Na sɛ ɔwɔ ɛpɔ mu hɔ nko ara deɛ a, mɛnya no, na mpo, sɛ ɛsɛ sɛ mehwehwɛ ahintaeɛ biara a ɛwɔ Yuda a, mɛyɛ!”

And see and know of all the hiding places where he hides himself, and you have turned back prepared to me, and I have gone with you, and it has been, if he is in the land, that I have searched him out through all the thousands of Judah.”

24 Na Sif mmarima dii Saulo ɛkan kɔɔ wɔn kurom. Saa ɛberɛ no mu na Dawid ne ne mmarima kɔ Maon ɛserɛ a ɛwɔ Araba bɔnhwa a ɛwɔ Yesimon anafoɔ fam no so.

And they rise and go to Ziph before Saul, and David and his men [are] in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain, at the south of the desolate place.

25 Ɛberɛ a Dawid tee sɛ Saulo ne ne mmarima rehwehwɛ no no, ɔdɔɔ mu kɔɔ ɛserɛ so akyirikyiri, kɔsii ɔbotan kɛseɛ no ho, tenaa Maon ɛserɛ so hɔ. Nanso Saulo kɔɔ so pɛɛ no.

And Saul and his men go to seek, and they declare [it] to David, and he goes down the rock, and abides in the wilderness of Maon; and Saul hears, and pursues after David [to] the wilderness of Maon.

26 Afei Saulo ne Dawid kɔdii afa ne afa wɔ bepɔ no so. Ɛbaa sɛ Saulo ne ne mmarima hyɛɛ aseɛ sɛ wɔrebɛn Dawid no,

And Saul goes on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain, and David is hurried to go from the face of Saul, and Saul and his men are surrounding David and his men, to catch them.

27 Saulo nyaa nkra bi a emu yɛ den sɛ, Filistifoɔ abɛto ahyɛ Israel so refom wɔn nneɛma bio.

And a messenger has come to Saul, saying, “Hurry, and come, for the Philistines have pushed against the land.”

28 Ɛno enti, Saulo gyaee Dawid akyidie, na ɔsane nʼakyi sɛ ɔne Filistifoɔ no rekɔko. Ɛfiri saa ɛberɛ no, baabi a Dawid tenaeɛ hɔ no, wɔtoo no edin Dwaneeɛ Botan.

And Saul turns back from pursuing after David, and goes to meet the Philistines, therefore they have called that place “The Rock of Divisions.”

29 Enti, Dawid kɔtenaa En-Gedi banbɔeɛ.

And David goes up there, and abides in fortresses [at] En-gedi.