1 David and Saul finished talking, and soon David and Jonathan became best friends. Jonathan thought as much of David as he did of himself. 2 From that time on, Saul kept David in his service and would not let David go back to his own family.
3 Jonathan liked David so much that they promised to always be loyal friends. 4 Jonathan took off the robe that he was wearing and gave it to David. He also gave him his military clothes, his sword, his bow and arrows, and his belt.
5 David was a success in everything that Saul sent him to do, and Saul made him a high officer in his army. That pleased everyone, including Saul's other officers.
Saul Becomes David's Enemy
6 David had killed Goliath, the battle was over, and the Israelite army set out for home. As the army went along, women came out of each Israelite town to welcome King Saul. They were celebrating by singing songs and dancing to the music of tambourines and harps. 7 They sang:
Saul has killed
a thousand enemies;
David has killed
ten thousand!
8 This song made Saul very angry, and he thought, “They are saying that David has killed ten times more enemies than I ever did. Next they will want to make him king.” 9 Saul never again trusted David.
10 The next day the Lord let an evil spirit take control of Saul, and he began acting like a crazy man inside his house. David came to play the harp for Saul as usual, but this time Saul had a spear in his hand. 11 Saul thought, “I'll pin David to the wall.” He threw the spear at David twice, but David dodged and got away both times.
12 Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was helping David and was no longer helping him. 13 Saul put David in charge of 1,000 soldiers and sent him out to fight. 14 The Lord helped David, and he and his soldiers always won their battles. 15 This made Saul even more afraid of David. 16 But everyone else in Judah and Israel was loyal to David, because he led the army in battle.
17 One day, Saul told David, “If you'll be brave and fight the Lord's battles for me, I'll let you marry my oldest daughter Merab.” But Saul was really thinking, “I don't want to kill David myself, so I'll let the Philistines do it for me.”
18 David answered, “How could I possibly marry your daughter? I'm not very important, and neither is my family.”
19 But when the time came for David to marry Saul's daughter Merab, Saul told her to marry Adriel from the town of Meholah.
20 Saul had another daughter. Her name was Michal, and Saul found out that she was in love with David. This made Saul happy, 21 and he thought, “I'll tell David he can marry Michal, but I'll set it up so that the Philistines will kill him.” He told David, “I'm going to give you a second chance to marry one of my daughters.”
22-23 Saul ordered his officials to speak to David in private, so they went to David and said, “Look, the king likes you, and all of his officials are loyal to you. Why not ask the king if you can marry his daughter Michal?”
“I'm not rich or famous enough to marry princess Michal!” David answered.
24 The officials went back to Saul and told him exactly what David had said. 25 Saul was hoping that the Philistines would kill David, and he told his officials to tell David, “The king doesn't want any silver or gold. He only wants to get even with his enemies. All you have to do is to bring back proof that you have killed 100 Philistines!” 26 The officials told David, and David wanted to marry the princess.
King Saul had set a time limit, and before it ran out, 27 David and his men left and killed 200 Philistines. David brought back the proof that Saul had demanded and showed it to him, so he could marry Michal. Saul agreed to let David marry Michal. 28 King Saul knew that she loved David, and he also realized that the Lord was helping David. 29 But knowing those things made Saul even more afraid of David, and he was David's enemy for the rest of his life.
30 The Philistine rulers kept coming to fight Israel, but whenever David fought them, he won. He was famous because he won more battles against the Philistines than any of Saul's other officers.
1 David tja mana ehungi re na Saul, Jonatan, omuzandu wa Saul, wa kara nombango na David ne mu suvere tjinene otja tje risuvera omuini. 2 Okuza keyuva ndo Saul wa ṱizira David pu ye, ne he mu esa okuyaruka rukwao koyawo. 3 Jonatan wa tjita oupanga kuna David, tjinga e mu suverere tjinene otja tje risuvera omuini. 4 Nu Jonatan wa hukura ombanda ye ndja ri na yo morutu, e i yandja ku David, nombanda ye yovita, nengaruvyo re, nouta nekwamo wina. 5 David wa ri nouṋingandu akuhe Saul kuye mu hindi; nu Saul otje mu zika okurira omuhongore wotjimbumba tje tjovita. Ihi tja nyandisa ovandu va Saul avehe novahongore ve.
Saul ma ṱeruru na David
6 Novarwe wovita tji va kotoka konganda, David tja za nokuzepa Goliat, nu ovakazendu vovihuro avihe vyOvaisrael otji va tjakanena ombara Saul amave imbura omaimburiro wondjoroka nokupunda nokunyanda ovihumba novinangoma. 7 Nu mondjorokero yawo ovakazendu mba va imbura ave tja: “Saul wa zepa eyovi nungwari David wa zepa omayovi omurongo!” 8 Saul ka vangere otjiṋa hi; notja pindika tjinene a tja: “Ku David va yandja omayovi omurongo, nungwari ku ami va yandja eyovi rimwe uriri; otjiṋa tji tja sewa po ku ye porwatjo okurira ombara.” 9 Nokuza keyuva ndo Saul otjaa ṱeruru na David.
10 Nu mependukirwa ombepo ombi ndja hindwa i Ndjambi ya hita mu Saul, neye otja zungana tjinene mondjuwo ye tjimuna omundu ngwa vere oviyoze. David aa nyanda otjiharpe otja tje tjita aruhe, nu Saul wa ri nenga meke. 11 Saul wa yumba enga ame ripura nai: “Me papere David kekuma!” Nungwari David wa yepa ro tuvari.
12 Saul wa tira David, Muhona tjinga a kara puna David; nungwari Muhona wa zapo pu Saul. 13 Nu Saul we mu isa po pu ye, ne mu ziki okurira omuhongore wotjimbumba tjovita tjeyovi. David otjaa hongorere otjimbumba tjovita, 14 neye wa ri nondoṋeno mu avihe mbya tjiti, Muhona tjinga a ri puna ye. 15 Saul tja muna kutja David omuṋingandu, arire tja utu okumutirira ko tjinene. 16 Nungwari Ovaisrael nOvajuda avehe va suverere David tjinene, eye tjinga a ri omuhongore wawo omusemba.
David ma kupu omusuko wa Saul
17 Saul wa tja nai ku David: “Omusuko wandje Merab, ingwi erumbi, eye ngo; ami me ku pe u kupe. Nungwari rutenga riraisa otja omurumendu ependa, nu hinga ovita vya Muhona.” Saul we ripura kutja momuano mbwi David ma ṱu i Ovafilisti, nungwari ke nakuṱa i ye omuini.
18 David wa zira a tja: “Ami owami omukendu, nonganda ya tate mOisrael ongenganda kutja me yenene okurira omukwe wombara yandje?” 19 Nungwari indwi oruveze tji rweya kutja Merab, omusuko wa Saul, a yandjewe ku David, otja yandjewa komurumendu Omumehola wena Adriel.
20 Nungwari Mikal, omusuko wa Saul, wa hura David. Nu Saul tja zuva otjiṋa hi wa kara nohange. 21 Saul we ripura nai: “Ami me yandja Mikal ku David, a rire ongwehe ku ye kutja a ṱe i Ovafilisti.” Saul opa tjera nai ku David porutjavari: “Ove mo rire omukwe wandje.” 22 Nu Saul wa rakiza kovakarere ve na tja: “Hungireye na David mongumumu, nu itjeye nai: ‘Tara, ombara i nonyuṋe move na mu imba ovakarere voye avehe wina. Nambano ṱokurira omukwe wombara.’ ”
23 Novakarere va Saul otji va hungira omambo nga ku David; neye wa zira a tja: “Mamu tjangovasi okukupa omusuko wombara otjiṋa otjipupu komurumendu omusyona nowokehi otja ami?”
24 Novakarere va tjivisa Saul imbi David mbya hungira. 25 Saul wa rakiza a tja: “Katjeye nai ku David: ‘Ombara kai nokuvanga ovitunya vyarwe, posi yomikova esere rimwe vyOvafilisti vyomasukarekero, okutjita omasutisiro kovanavita vombara.’ ” Inga ya ri omeripuriro wa Saul kutja David a ṱe i Ovafilisti. 26 Novakarere va Saul va kahungira omambo nga ku David, nu David wa itavera okurira omukwe wombara. Noruveze ngunda aru hiya kapita, 27 David we rirongera puna ovandu ve na kazepa Ovafilisti omasere yevari. Neye wa eta omikova vyawo vyomasukarekero kombara, ne vi yandja avihe otja kotjivaro tjavyo, kokutja a sore okurira omukwe wombara. Komuhingo mbwi Saul otja yandja omusuko we Mikal a kupwe i David.
28 Saul wa muna ongahukiro kutja Muhona u ri puna David nokutja omusuko we Mikal wa suvera David. 29 Saul otja harera ko ondira tjinene na David, na rire omunavita na David ngunda e nomuinyo.
30 Nu aruhe, otjimbumba tjovita tjOvafilisti tji matji hingi ovita, David otjaa kara noutoṋi, komeho yovahongore varwe va Saul; neye otja rira omutjiukwa tjinene.
