1 Samuel 27
1 Na Dawid dwenee ho sɛ, “Ɛda bi, mɛtɔ wɔ Saulo nsa ano. Na deɛ mɛyɛ a ɛbɛyɛ pa ara ne sɛ, mɛdwane akɔ Filistifoɔ nkyɛn. Ɛba saa a, Saulo bɛgyae mʼakyi die na mɛnya banbɔ.”
David, however, said to himself, “One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me all over Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”
2 Na Dawid ne mmarima ahansia tutu kɔtenaa Gat kɔhyɛɛ Maok babarima ɔhene Akis ase.
So David set out with his six hundred men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
3 Na Dawid de ne yerenom baanu a wɔyɛ Ahinoam a ɔfiri Yesreel ne Abigail a ɔfiri Karmel a na ɔyɛ Nabal kunabaa no kɔeɛ.
David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.
4 Saulo tee sɛ Dawid adwane kɔ Gat no, wanni nʼakyi anhwehwɛ no bio.
And when Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
5 Na Dawid ka kyerɛɛ Akis sɛ, “Sɛ ɛrenha wo a, ma yɛn baabi wɔ nkuro no bi so na yɛnkɔtena hɔ sene sɛ yɛbɛtena ahenkuro yi mu.”
Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let me be assigned a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. For why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”
6 Enti, Akis de Siklag kuro maa no, (na ɛfiri saa ɛda no, ɛhɔ abɛyɛ Yuda ahemfo atenaeɛ de bɛsi ɛnnɛ),
That day Achish gave him Ziklag, and to this day it still belongs to the kings of Judah.
7 na wɔtenaa Filistifoɔ no mu afe ne abosome ɛnan.
And the time that David lived in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.
8 Afei, Dawid ne ne dɔm kɔto hyɛɛ Gesurfoɔ, Girsifoɔ ne Amalekfoɔ so. Saa nnipa yi na na kane no, wɔtete asase a ɛtene kɔ Sur a ɛwɔ Misraim ɛkwan so no.
Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these people had inhabited the land extending to Shur and Egypt.)
9 Dawid annya onipa baako anikann wɔ nkura a ɔkɔto hyɛɛ wɔn so no mu. Ɔfaa nnwan, anantwie, mfunumu, nyoma ne ntadeɛ nyinaa ansa na ɔsane akɔ Akis nkyɛn.
Whenever David attacked a territory, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but he took the flocks and herds, the donkeys, camels, and clothing. Then he would return to Achish,
10 Akis bisaa Dawid sɛ, “Ɛhe na ɛnnɛ mofom nneɛma kɔduruiɛ?” Dawid buaa sɛ, “Yɛkɔɔ Yuda anafoɔ fam, kɔto hyɛɛ Yerahmeelfoɔ ne Kenifoɔ so.”
who would ask him, “What have you raided today?” And David would reply, “The Negev of Judah,” or “The Negev of Jerahmeel,” or “The Negev of the Kenites.”
11 Dawid kumm wɔn nyinaa. Wannya obiara a ɔbɛtumi aba Gat abɛkyerɛ faako a ɔkɔeɛ. Saa adeɛ yi kɔɔ so ara wɔ ɛberɛ a na Dawid te Filistifoɔ mu no.
David did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Otherwise they will report us, saying, ‘This is what David did.’” And this was David’s custom the whole time he lived in Philistine territory.
12 Akis gyee Dawid diiɛ, na ɔdwenee ne tirim sɛ, “Saa ɛberɛ yi deɛ, Israelfoɔ bɛkyiri no kɔkɔɔkɔ. Ɛsɛ sɛ ɔtena ha, na ɔsom me afebɔɔ.”
So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”
