The Slaughter of the Priests
1 David fled from the city of Gath and went to a cave near the town of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of the family heard that he was there, they joined him. 2 People who were oppressed or in debt or dissatisfied went to him, about four hundred men in all, and he became their leader.
3 David went on from there to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come and stay with you until I find out what God is going to do for me.” 4 So David left his parents with the king of Moab, and they stayed there as long as David was hiding out in the cave.
5 Then the prophet Gad came to David and said, “Don't stay here; go at once to the land of Judah.” So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.
6 One day Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under a tamarisk tree on a hill, with his spear in his hand, and all his officers were standing around him. He was told that David and his men had been located, 7 and he said to his officers, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Do you think that David will give fields and vineyards to all of you, and make you officers in his army? 8 Is that why you are plotting against me? Not one of you told me that my own son had made an alliance with David. No one is concerned about me or tells me that David, one of my own men, is right now looking for a chance to kill me, and that my son has encouraged him!”
9 Doeg was standing there with Saul's officers, and he said, “I saw David when he went to Ahimelech son of Ahitub in Nob. 10 Ahimelech asked the Lord what David should do, and then he gave David some food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
11 So King Saul sent for the priest Ahimelech and all his relatives, who were also priests in Nob, and they came to him. 12 Saul said to Ahimelech, “Listen, Ahimelech!”
“At your service, sir,” he answered.
13 Saul asked him, “Why are you and David plotting against me? Why did you give him some food and a sword, and consult God for him? Now he has turned against me and is waiting for a chance to kill me!”
14 Ahimelech answered, “David is the most faithful officer you have! He is your own son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and highly respected by everyone in the royal court. 15 Yes, I consulted God for him, and it wasn't the first time. As for plotting against you, Your Majesty must not accuse me or anyone else in my family. I don't know anything about this matter!”
16 The king said, “Ahimelech, you and all your relatives must die.” 17 Then he said to the guards standing near him, “Kill the Lord's priests! They conspired with David and did not tell me that he had run away, even though they knew it all along.” But the guards refused to lift a hand to kill the Lord's priests. 18 So Saul said to Doeg, “You kill them!”—and Doeg killed them all. On that day he killed eighty-five priests who were qualified to carry the ephod. 19 Saul also had all the other inhabitants of Nob, the city of priests, put to death: men and women, children and babies, cattle, donkeys, and sheep—they were all killed.
20 But Abiathar, one of Ahimelech's sons, escaped, and went and joined David. 21 He told him how Saul had slaughtered the priests of the Lord. 22 David said to him, “When I saw Doeg there that day, I knew that he would be sure to tell Saul. So I am responsible for the death of all your relatives. 23 Stay with me and don't be afraid. Saul wants to kill both you and me, but you will be safe with me.”
Mbulayi we mpirisiti
1 Dafite kamilika mu Gati katizhila ku guwu le Adulamu. Kwakati bakulu babe ne ng'umba yose ya tate babe behwa nge kwako, bakadelukila kunli. 2 Bose bakabe bakamanikana ne bakabe bana zwikoloto ne bakabe basingagutshike, bakakubunganila kunli ngono kabe ntungamili wabo. Balume bakabe banaye bakabe bangabe mazana manna (400). 3 Kudwa ipapo Dafite kayenda ku Mizipha mu Moabu, ngono kadwa mambo we Moabu kati, “Ndokumbila kuti mundibhatile tate na mme, kuswikila ndiziba kuti Ndzimu unowondithamilani.” 4 Kasiya bazwadzi babe muna mambo we Moabu, bakagala naye tjibaka tjose tjakabe Dafite ali mu dizhilo. 5 Koga nlebesambeli Gadi kadwa Dafite kati, “Usigale mu dizhilo, milika ungine mu shango ye Juda.” Ndizo Dafite kamilika, kangina mu ishaka tje Hereti.
6 Ipapo Saulo kahwa kuti Dafite ne balanda babe bakabong'wa. Saulo wakabe ali gele ku Gibiya, kusi kwe ntamarisiki pezhugwi kwe duthu, akabhata thumo lile nge luboko, balanda babe bakabe bali mile bakampoteleka. 7 Saulo kadwa balanda babe bakampoteleka kati, “Teedzani ngeno, imwi Babhenjamini, apa nkololo wa Jesi unowopa mmwe ne mmwe wenyu shango ne minda ye mizhambi kene? Apa mose unowomuthama balauli be babhayani bali zwiwulu (1 000) ne balauli bali mazana (100) kene? 8 Ini makazwibumba mose kugwa nami? Akuna ne nng'ompela wakandiluma zebe, ha nkololo wangu ethama tjidumano ne nkololo wa Jesi, ndodwa ne nng'ompela wenyu wakabe ne hanya nami, kundibudza kuti nkololo wangu unokulumbidza Dafite nlanda wangu, kuti andilalile sekwa anothama nasi.”
9 Koga Doegi we N'edoma, wakabe ali mile ne balanda ba Saulo, kadabila eti, “Ndakabona nkololo wa Jesi paakayenda ku Nobhu kuna Ahimeleke nkololo wa Ahitubhu, 10 Ahimeleki kantembezelela kuna Yahwe, kampa zojiwa, kabuya kampa bukano gwa Goliati we Nfilisitiya.” 11 Ndizo mambo katuma bathu kunodana mpirisiti Ahimeleki ne be nsha wa tate babe bose, bapirisiti bakabe bali ku Nobhu, bose bakazha kuna mambo. 12 Saulo kandwa kati, “Teedza, nkololo wa Ahitubhu.”
Kadabila kati, “Ndipano tetshi wangu.”
13 Saulo kambhuzwa kati, “Hwutini makazwibumba kugwa nami, iwe ne nkololo wa Jesi, wakampa zojiwa ne bukano, ukantembezelela ku Ndzimu, kuti andipandukile, andilalile sekwa athama nasi?” 14 Ndizo Ahimeleki kabhuzwa mambo kati, “Apa ndiani unogalikabgwe sa Dafite mu balanda benyu bose kene? Nkwasha wenyu mambo, nlauli we ntjengeti wenyu, kakale unokudziwa mu ng'umba yenyu? 15 Apa i zhuba le kutanga nasi ndintembezelela mu Ndzimu kene? Ndodwa! Ngakusijalo! Mambo basitilike nlandu mu nlanda wabo, kene mu mmwe webe ng'umba ya tate bangu, ngobe akuna tjandinoziba ngekwe zwithu zose izwezwi, nakuto kuli kungapani.” 16 Mambo kandwa kati, “Ndolebesa unowofa, Ahimeleki, iwe ne be ng'umba ya tate babo bose.” 17 Ndizo mambo kadwa balisi bakabe bali mile bakampoteleka kati, “Shandukani mu bulaye bapirisiti ba Yahwe, ngobe banoma na Dafite, bakaziba kuti wakatizha, ngono bakasitongo ndibudza.” Koga balanda ba mambo bakasimilidze luboko kubabulaya bapirisiti ba Yahwe. 18 Ndizo mambo kadwa Doegi kati, “Iwe Doegi shanduka ubalaye bapirisiti.” Doegi we N'edomu kashanduka kabulaya bapirisiti, mu zhuba ilelo kabulaya bali makumi ali zhanakadzi ana bali bashanu (85) bakabe bakaambala efodi. 19 Kalidza bukano mu Nobhu, nzi nkulu we bapirisiti, katemelela balume ne bakadzi, bana ne ngawana ne ng'ombe dzawo ne madonki ne pkhwizi, kabulaya kose. 20 Koga mmwe we bakololo ba Ahimeleki nkololo wa Ahitubhu, unoyi Abiathari, kapudzumuka katizhila kuna Dafite. 21 Abiathari wakabudza Dafite kuti Saulo wakabulaya bapirisiti ba Yahwe. 22 Dafite kadwa Abiathari kati, “Ndakaziba mu zhuba ilelije, pakabe Doegi we N'edomu ali ikweno, kuti tjoselele unowobudza Saulo. Ndimi ndakazhisila be nsha wa tate babo lufu. 23 Gala nami, usitongotja, ngobe unoshaka kundibulaya, unoshaka bulaya nawe, ngono unowotjidziwa nami.”