Dafite unotjidza nzi we Keila
1 Kwakati Dafite ebudziwa kuyi, “Bona, Bafilisitiya banogwa ne Keila, kakale bakabatolela mbuwa.” 2 Dafite kabhuzwa kuna Yahwe kati, “Apa ndingayenda anonginilila Bafilisitiya ibaba kene?” Yahwe bakashandula Dafite beti, “Yenda unonginilila Bafilisitiya ibaba, utjidze Keila.” 3 Koga bathu ba Dafite bakandwa bakati, “Iswi totja imomu mu Juda, ngono kutja kwedu kowobe kungapani, ha tingayenda ku Keila, kunogwa ne ngwa dze Bafilisitiya kene?” 4 Ndizo Dafite kakumbila Yahwe kakale, Yahwe bakan'dabila beti, “Ee, delukila ku Keila, ndowothama kuti ukunde Bafilisitiya.” 5 Ndizo Dafite ne bathu babe bakayenda ku Keila, bakagwa ne Bafilisitiya, bakatakula zwithuwo zwabo, bakabakulila kukulu kwazo. Dafite kagwila bathu be Keila. 6 Kwakati Abiathari nkololo wa Ahimeleki etizhila kuna Dafite ku Keila, kazha akabhata efodi. 7 Saulo wakabudziwa kuti Dafite wabe ku Keila, ngono kabe eti, “Ndzimu wandipa iye mu maboko, wazwizhalilila ngongina mu nzi una mikoba ne mazhalilo.” 8 Saulo kadanila bathu bose ku ngwa, kunokombeledza Keila, kulalila Dafite ne bathu babe. 9 Kwakati Dafite asinoziba kuti Saulo unonlukila gwanga gwe kumbulaya, akadwa Mpirisiti Abiathari kati, “Zhisa efodi ngeno.” 10 Dafite kati, “Ndomutembezela, Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela, nlanda wenyu wahwa kuti Saulo unoshakazha ku Keila, kowokolomodza nzi nkulu nge kwangu. 11 Ngono ngwenu, apa Saulo unowozha sekwa akahwa nlanda wenyu kene? Ndomutembezela, Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela, ndomukumbila, budzani nlanda wenyu.” Yahwe bakadabila beti, “Unowozha.” 12 Ndizo Dafite kabhuzwa eti, “Apa bagali be Keila banowotipa Saulo mu maboko imi ne bathu bangu kene?” Yahwe bakashandula beti, “Banowomulonga mu maboko awe.” 13 Ndizo Dafite ne bathu babe, bakabe bangabe mazana ali kutathatu (600), bakamilika bakabhuda mu Keila, bakayenda bengina ntuthu ne ntuthu. Kwakati Saulo asinobudziwa kuti Dafite watizha mu Keila, kasitjayendeko. 14 Dafite kagala mu matizhilo mu tjilambanyika, mu matuthu e Tjilambanyika tje Zifu. Saulo kanshaka mazhuba wose, koga Yahwe bakasithame kuti ambone. 15 Kukati Dafite atji mu Tjilambanyika tje Zifu ku Horeshi, kaziba kuti Saulo unoshaka kumbulaya. 16 Nkololo wa Saulo Jonatani kamilika kayenda kuna Dafite ku Horeshi, kambatsha kuti awane simba muna Yahwe. 17 Kandwa kati, “Usitje, ngobe tate bangu Saulo abatjowokubulaya, unowobe mambo we Iziraela, imi ndowokubhata thudzi, na ibo tate bangu Saulo banoziba kuthu ikoku.” 18 Bubili gwabo bakathama tjidumano mbeli kwa Yahwe, Jonatani kabe ebgwilila kanyi, Dafite kabe esala ku Horeshi. 19 Ndizo Bazifu bakatathila ku Gibiya kuna Saulo kunon'dwa beti, “Dafite wakabgwata kanyi kwedu, mu matizhilo e Horeshi mu duthu le Hakhila, liku burwa gwe Jeshimoni. 20 Ngwenu mambo, mungazha zwenyu pamunowobe mawana tjibaka, iswi kowobe mu mathudzi edu kunlonga mu maboko a mambo.” 21 Saulo kabadwa kati, “Yahwe bamukombolele, ngobe mandiyitila hanya. 22 Yendani munobona kakale, ipo paayapo dumbu, ne kuti wakabong'wa ndiani ikweno, ngobe ndakabudziwa kuti i jenjedu gulu. 23 Mushake kose, mu zibe mabgwatilo awe wose kwaanozwisumbikako, mube mubuya mowondibudza ha motjizibisisa. Ndizo ndowoyenda namwi, ngono ha kuli kuti uyapo mu shango, ndowonvima pakati kwe zwiwulu (10 000) zwe Juda.”
24 Bakamilika bakayenda ku Zifu kutangila Saulo. Dafite ne bathu babe bakabe bali mu tjilambanyika tje Maoni, mu Araba ku burwa gwe Jeshimoni. 25 Saulo ne balanda babe bakatangisa kunshaka. Kwakati Dafite abudziwa ngekwako, kadelukila ku shongwe kanogala mu tjilambanyika tje Maoni. Kukati Saulo ehwa ikoku, katobela Dafite mu tjilambanyika tje Maoni. 26 Saulo wakabe eyenda ali ntha imwe ye dombo, Dafite ne bathu babe beyendabo bali ntha imwe ye dombo, beyenda belibilidza kuti batizhe basiye Saulo, koga Saulo ne balanda bakakomba Dafite ne bathu babe kuti bababhate. 27 Kukaswika ntumwa kuna Saulo, kandwa kati, “Tjimbidza ubuye, Bafilisitiya bangina nge ngwa mu shango kuwoitapa.”
28 Ndizo Saulo kaletjedza kulonda Dafite, kabe eyenda enogwa ne Bafilisitiya, Ndizo wale pathu ipapo pakadang'wa kuyi Shongwe ye Kupudzumuka. 29 Kudwa ipapo Dafite wakayenda kanogala mu matizhilo ye Enigedi.
David Rescues the Town of Keilah
1 One day some people told David, “The Philistines keep attacking the town of Keilah and stealing grain from the threshing place.”
2 David asked the Lord, “Should I attack these Philistines?”
“Yes,” the Lord answered. “Attack them and rescue Keilah.”
3 But David's men said, “Look, even here in Judah we're afraid of the Philistines. We will be terrified if we try to fight them at Keilah!”
4 David asked the Lord about it again. “Leave at once,” the Lord answered. “I will give you victory over the Philistines at Keilah.”
5 David and his men went there and fiercely attacked the Philistines. They killed many of them, then led away their cattle, and rescued the people of Keilah.
6-8 Meanwhile, Saul heard that David was in Keilah. “God has let me catch David,” Saul said. “David is trapped inside a walled town where the gates can be locked.” Saul decided to go there and surround the town, in order to trap David and his men. He sent messengers who told the towns and villages, “Send men to serve in Saul's army!”
By this time, Abiathar had joined David in Keilah and had brought along everything he needed to get answers from God.
9 David heard about Saul's plan to capture him, and he told Abiathar, “Let's ask God what we should do.”
10 David prayed, “Lord God of Israel, I was told that Saul is planning to come here. What should I do? Suppose he threatens to destroy the town because of me. 11 Would the leaders of Keilah turn me over to Saul? Or is he really coming? Please tell me, Lord.”
“Yes, he will come,” the Lord answered.
12 David asked, “Would the leaders of Keilah hand me and my soldiers over to Saul?”
“Yes, they would,” the Lord answered.
13 David and his 600 men got out of there fast and started moving from place to place. Saul heard that David had left Keilah, and he decided not to go after him.
Jonathan Says David Will Be King
14 David stayed in hideouts in the hill country of Ziph Desert. Saul kept searching, but God never let Saul catch him.
15 One time, David was at Horesh in Ziph Desert. He was afraid because Saul had come to the area to kill him. 16 But Jonathan went to see David, and God helped him encourage David. 17 “Don't be afraid,” Jonathan said. “My father Saul will never get his hands on you. In fact, you're going to be the next king of Israel, and I'll be your highest official. Even my father knows it's true.”
18 They both promised the Lord that they would always be loyal to each other. Then Jonathan went home, but David stayed at Horesh.
David Escapes from Saul
19 Some people from the town of Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Your Majesty, David has a hideout not far from us! It's near Horesh, somewhere on Mount Hachilah south of Jeshimon. 20 If you come, we will help you catch him.”
21 Saul told them:
You've done me a big favor, and I pray that the Lord will bless you. 22 Now please do just a little more for me. Find out exactly where David is, as well as where he goes, and who has seen him there. I've been told that he's very tricky. 23 Find out where all his hiding places are and come back when you're sure. Then I'll go with you. If he is still in the area, or anywhere among the clans of Judah, I'll find him.
24 The people from Ziph went back ahead of Saul, and they found out that David and his men were still south of Jeshimon in the Maon Desert. 25 Saul and his army set out to find David. But David heard that Saul was coming, and he went to a place called The Rock, one of his hideouts in Maon Desert.
Saul found out where David was and started closing in on him. 26 Saul was going around a hill on one side, and David and his men were on the other side, trying to get away. Saul and his soldiers were just about to capture David and his men, 27 when a messenger came to Saul and said, “Come quickly! The Philistines are attacking Israel and taking everything.”
28 Saul stopped going after David and went back to fight the Philistines. That's why the place is called “Escape Rock.”
29 David left and went to live in the hideouts at En-Gedi.