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.”
People Join David
1 When David escaped from the town of Gath, he went to Adullam Cave. His brothers and the rest of his family found out where he was, and they followed him there. 2 A lot of other people joined him too. Some were in trouble, others were angry or in debt, and David was soon the leader of 400 men.
3 David left Adullam Cave and went to the town of Mizpeh in Moab, where he talked with the king of Moab. “Please,” David said, “let my father and mother stay with you until I find out what God will do with me.” 4 So he brought his parents to the king of Moab, and they stayed with him while David was in hiding.
5 One day the prophet Gad told David, “Don't stay here! Go back to Judah.” David then left and went to Hereth Forest.
Saul Kills the Priests of the Lord
6 Saul was sitting under a small tree on top of the hill at Gibeah when he heard that David and his men had been located. Saul was holding his spear, and his officers were standing in front of him. 7 He told them:
Listen to me! You belong to the Benjamin tribe, so if that son of Jesse ever becomes king, he won't give you fields or vineyards. He won't make you officers in charge of thousands or hundreds as I have done. 8 But you're all plotting against me! Not one of you told me that my own son Jonathan had made an agreement with him. Not one of you cared enough to tell me that Jonathan had helped one of my officers rebel. Now that son of Jesse is trying to ambush me.
9 Doeg the Edomite was standing with the other officers and spoke up, “When I was in the town of Nob, I saw that son of Jesse. He was visiting the priest Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 Ahimelech talked to the Lord for him, then gave him food and the sword that had belonged to Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Saul sent a message to Ahimelech and his whole family of priests at Nob, ordering them to come to him. When they came, 12 Saul told them, “Listen to me, you son of Ahitub.”
“Certainly, Your Majesty,” Ahimelech answered.
13 Saul demanded, “Why did you plot against me with that son of Jesse? You helped him rebel against me by giving him food and a sword, and by talking with God for him. Now he's trying to ambush me!”
14 “Your Majesty, none of your officers is more loyal than David!” Ahimelech replied. “He's your son-in-law and the captain of your bodyguard. Everyone in your family respects him. 15 This isn't the first time I've talked with God for David, and it's never made you angry before! Please don't accuse me or my family like this. I have no idea what's going on!”
16 “Ahimelech,” Saul said, “you and your whole family are going to die.”
17 Saul shouted to his bodyguards, “These priests of the Lord helped David! They knew he was running away, but they didn't tell me. Kill them!”
But the king's officers would not attack the priests of the Lord.
18 Saul turned to Doeg, who was from Edom, and said, “Kill the priests!”
On that same day, Doeg killed 85 priests. 19 Then he attacked the town of Nob, where the priests had lived, and he killed everyone there—men, women, children, and babies. He even killed their cattle, donkeys, and sheep.
Only Abiathar Escapes from Nob
20 Ahimelech's son Abiathar was the only one who escaped. He ran to David 21 and told him, “Saul has murdered the Lord's priests at Nob!”
22 David answered, “That day when I saw Doeg, I knew he would tell Saul! Your family died because of me. 23 Stay here. Isn't the same person trying to kill both of us? Don't worry! You'll be safe here with me.”