Saulo Twe Dawid Ho Ninkunu
1Ɛberɛ a Dawid ne Saulo kasa wieeɛ no, ɔhyiaa ɔhene babarima Yonatan. Wɔn baanu no dodɔɔ wɔn ho prɛko pɛ na wɔbɛyɛɛ nnamfo pa ara. 2Ɛfiri saa ɛda no, Saulo gyee Dawid tenaa ahemfie hɔ a wampɛ sɛ ɔbɛsane akɔ ne fie. 3Na Yonatan ne Dawid yɛɛ apam sɛ, wɔbɛyɛ nnamfo. 4Na Yonatan de ne batakari, nhyɛaseɛ, akofena, agyan ne abɔwomu maa Dawid de sɔɔ apam no ano.
5Biribiara a Saulo ka kyerɛɛ Dawid sɛ ɔnyɛ no, Dawid yɛɛ no pɛpɛɛpɛ. Enti, Saulo yɛɛ no nʼasraafoɔ so ɔsahene, maa nʼakofoɔ ne wɔn mpanimfoɔ nyinaa de anigyeɛ penee so.
6Nanso, ɛberɛ a Israelfoɔ nkonimdifoɔ rekɔ fie, na Dawid akum Goliat no, asɛm bi siiɛ. Mmaa fifiri nkuro a ɛbemmɛn ɛkwan no ho no bɛtwee mmomone maa ɔhene Saulo. Wɔtoo nnwom, saa ano, bɔɔ akasaeɛ ne kyankyan. 7Wɔn dwom a wɔtoeɛ no nie:
Saulo akum ne mpempem,
na Dawid deɛ, ɔpedupedu!
8Yei maa Saulo bo fuu yie. Ɔkaa sɛ, “Yei ase ne sɛn? Wɔde ɔpedu ɔpedu abata Dawid din ho, na me deɛ, wɔde mpempem. Deɛ ɛdi hɔ ne sɛ, wɔbɛsi no ɔhene.” 9Enti, ɛfiri saa ɛberɛ no, Saulo tuu nʼani sii Dawid so.
10Adeɛ kyeeɛ no, nokorɛm, Onyankopɔn honhommɔne sii Saulo so ma ɔhyɛɛ aseɛ kasakasaa ɔhyew so sɛ ɔbɔdamfoɔ. Dawid hyɛɛ aseɛ bɔɔ ne sankuo sɛdeɛ saa asɛm yi si a, ɔyɛ no. Nanso, Saulo a na ɔkura pea no, 11too pea no prɛko pɛ kyerɛɛ Dawid so sɛ anka ɔde rewɔ no aka no atare fasuo. Nanso, Dawid huri sii nkyɛn na ɔdwaneeɛ. Saa asɛm korɔ yi ara sii bio, 12ɛfiri sɛ na Saulo suro Dawid, na nʼani bere no nso sɛ, Awurade agya no akɔ Dawid afa. 13Ne korakora ne sɛ, Saulo pamoo no firi nʼanim na ɔma ɔyɛɛ ɔsafohene wɔ asraafoɔ apem pɛ so. Nanso, Dawid de adwenemuteɛ dii saa akodɔm no anim de wɔn kɔɔ sa. 14Biribiara a Dawid yɛeɛ no, ɔdii nkonim wɔ mu, ɛfiri sɛ, na Awurade ka ne ho. 15Ɛberɛ a Saulo hunuu yei no, ɛmaa ɔsuroo no mmorosoɔ. 16Nanso, Israel nyinaa ne Yuda dɔɔ Dawid, ɛfiri sɛ, na ɔdi nʼakodɔm anim kɔ sa a, ɔdi nkonim.
Dawid Ware Saulo Babaa
17Ɛda bi Saulo ka kyerɛɛ Dawid sɛ, “Mepɛ sɛ mede me babaa panin Merab ma wo awadeɛ. Deɛ ɛdi ɛkan ne sɛ wobɛkyerɛ sɛ woyɛ ɔkofoɔ kɛseɛ a wobɛko Awurade ko no.” Na Saulo kaa wɔ ne tirim sɛ, “Merentene me nsa wɔ ne so. Mɛma wakɔko atia Filistifoɔ no na wɔakum no.”
18Na Dawid ka kyerɛɛ Saulo sɛ, “Me sɛɛ ne hwan a mɛyɛ ɔhene ase? Me fie, me mʼagya abusua a ɛwɔ Israel nka hwee?” 19Enti, berɛ no duruu sɛ wɔde Saulo babaa Merab ma Dawid awadeɛ no, wɔde no maa Adriel a ɔfiri Meholat awadeɛ.
20Na Saulo babaa Mikal dɔ Dawid, enti ɛberɛ a Saulo teeɛ no, ɛyɛɛ no anigye. 21Saulo kaa wɔ ne tirim sɛ, “Akwannya foforɔ a ɛbɛma Filistifoɔ nsa aka no akum no nie.” Na ɔka kyerɛɛ Dawid sɛ, “Afei, manya ɛkwan foforɔ ama wo a wonam so bɛyɛ ɔhene ase.”
22Na Saulo hyɛɛ ne nkoa sɛ, “Monka no kɔkoam nkyerɛ Dawid sɛ, ‘Hwɛ, ɔhene ani sɔ wo, na yɛn nyinaa pɛ wʼasɛm. Adɛn enti na wompɛ sɛ woyɛ ɔhene ase barima?’ ”
23Wɔtii saa nsɛm yi mu kyerɛɛ Dawid. Nanso, Dawid kaa sɛ, “Ohianiwaa a me fie nni bi, ɛhe na menya ɔhene babaa tirinsa?”
24Nkoa no kɔkaa asɛm a Dawid ka kyerɛɛ wɔn no kyerɛɛ Saulo no, 25Saulo kaa sɛ, “Monkɔka nkyerɛ Dawid sɛ, ‘Ɔhene nhwehwɛ tirinsa biara sɛ Filistifoɔ ɔha mmarima ano wedeɛ. Mʼatamfoɔ so aweretɔ nko ara ne adeɛ a mepɛ.’ ” Na Saulo adwene ara ne sɛ wɔbɛkum Dawid wɔ akono.
26Dawid de anigyeɛ penee adebisa no so. Enti ansa na berɛ no bɛduru no, 27Dawid ne ne mmarima kɔeɛ kɔkumm Filistifoɔ no ahanu. Ɔde wɔn mmarima ano wedeɛ brɛɛ ɔhene. Enti, Saulo de ne babaa Mikal maa Dawid awadeɛ.
28Saulo hunuu sɛ Awurade ka Dawid ho, na ne babaa Mikal nso dɔ Dawid no, 29Saulo kɔɔ so suroo no, na ne nna a aka no mu, Dawid kɔɔ so yɛɛ Saulo ɔtamfoɔ.
30Ɛberɛ biara a Filistifoɔ akodɔm to hyɛɛ Israel so no, Dawid dii nkonim sene Saulo asahene a wɔaka no. Yei maa Dawid gyee edin asase no so nyinaa.
Saul’s Growing Fear of David
1After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. 2From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. 3And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 4Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.
5Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.
6When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. 7As they danced, they sang:
“Saul has slain his thousands,
and David his tens of thousands.”
8Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” 9And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David.
10The next day an evil18:10 Or a harmful spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand 11and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
12Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. 13So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. 14In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. 15When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. 16But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.
17Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the Lord.” For Saul said to himself, “I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!”
18But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” 19So18:19 Or However, when the time came for Merab, Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.
20Now Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. 21“I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.”
22Then Saul ordered his attendants: “Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.’ ”
23They repeated these words to David. But David said, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law? I’m only a poor man and little known.”
24When Saul’s servants told him what David had said, 25Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’ ” Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.
26When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, 27David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.
28When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, 29Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.
30The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.
