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.
David naJonatan
1 Ndele ye eshi a mana okupopya naSaul, omwenyo waJonatan we limanga kumwe nomwenyo waDavid, ndele Jonatan oku mu hole ngaashi omwenyo waye mwene. 2 Ndele Saul okwe mu kufa, ine mu efa a shune vali keumbo. 3 Opo nee Jonatan okwa panga oukaume naDavid, shaashi ye e mu hole ngaashi omwenyo waye mwene. 4 Ndele Jonatan okwe lidula oshikutu shokombada nokwe shi pa David. Heeno, noikutu yaye yo neongamukonda laye nokuli nouta waye nomwiya waye. 5 Ndele David okwa ya keshe apa Saul e mu tuma, ndele ye okwa li e nelao, onghee hano Saul e mu lenga a ninge omukulunhu wovakwaita. Osho sha wapalela ovanhu aveshe novapiya vaSaul yo.
Saul ta tondo David
6 Ndele vo eshi ve uya keumbo, naDavid yo okwa aluka, eshi a dipaa Omufilisti, ovakainhu va pita mo moilando aishe yaIsrael va ka shakeneke Saul nokukuwilila nokutanha noungoma nokwiimba omaimbilo ehafo nouxumbafeta noivela tai kwelengedja. 7 Novakainhu va hafa tava imbi tava ti:
“Saul okwa dipaa eyovi
ndelenee David omayovi omulongo.”
8 Ndele Saul okwa handuka unene, osheshi eendjovo odo inadi mu wapalela. Ndee ye ta ti: Vo ova pa David omayovi omulongo, ndelenee ame eyovi. Paife ouhamba ashike we mu pumba. 9 Ndele okudja kefiku tuu olo Saul okwa tala David nomesho mai. 10 Mefiku la shikula omhepo ii ya tumwa kuKalunga ya hanga Saul, onghee hano ye okwa li ta pwidauka mouhamba waye, fimbo David ta shiki okaxumbafeta ngaashi shito Ndele Saul okwa li e neonga meke laye. 11 Opo nee Saul ta umbu eonga ndee ta ti: “Onda hala okutwa David, ndi mu twile kumwe nekuma!” Ndelenee David okwa yepa luvali. 12 Ndele Saul okwa tila David, osheshi Omwene okwa li e mu na ndele a fiya po Saul. 13 Opo nee Saul e mu lekela nokwe mu lenga a ninge omuneyovi, onghee hano okwa pitila ovakwaita komesho mokudja po nomokwaaluka.
David ta ningi oshitenya shohamba
14 Ndele David okwa li e nelao meendjila daye adishe, osheshi Omwene okwa li e mu na. 15 Saul eshi a mona nokutya, David okwa li e nelao, okwe mu tila. 16 Ndelenee Ovaisraeli aveshe nOvajuda ve hole David, shaashi ye okwa pitila ovakwaita komesho mokudja po nomokwaaluka. 17 Saul okwa lombwela vali David: “Omona wange okakadona oshiveli Merab ou, ohandi mu ku pe a ninge omwalikadi woye. Kala ashike omukwaita ndele diinina oita yOmwene.” Osheshi Saul a diladila: Eke lange lihe mu kume, ndelenee eke lOvafilisti nali mu kume. 18 Ndele David okwa tya kuSaul: “Aame omushike, eumbo lange nepata latate muIsrael olo eshike, ame ndi ninge oshitenya shohamba?” 19 Ndelenee mefimbo olo Merab, omona okakadona kaSaul, kwa li e nokupewa David, ye okwa pewa Adriel, Omumeholati, a ninge omwalikadi waye. 20 Ndelenee Mikal, omona okakadona kaSaul, okwa li e hole David. Ndele vo eshi ve shi lombwela Saul, osho she mu wapalela. 21 Osheshi Saul a diladila: Ame ohandi ke mu yandja kuye, ye a ninge omwiyo waye, opo eke lOvafilisti li mu kume. Onghee hano Saul okwa lombwela David lutivali: “Ove to dulu okukala oshitenya shange.” 22 Ndele Saul okwa lombwela ovapiya vaye ta ti: “Lombweleni David ongumitila mu tye: Tala, ohamba ye ku hokwa, novapiya vayo aveshe ve ku hole. Ninga hano paife oshitenya shohamba.” 23 Ovapiya vaSaul va lombwela hano David eendjovo odo. Ndelenee okwa pula: “Oshinima shinini hamba okuninga oshitenya shohamba, shaashi ame omulumenhu ohepele nomuxupinhu?” 24 Novapiya vaSaul ve mu shiivifila: Eendjovo da tya ngaha David e di popya. 25 Opo nee Saul ta ti: “Lombweleni David mu tye: Ohamba inai hala oyoonda imwe, oipa efele limwe yeenhele doulumenhu Ovafilisti, oyo aike opo ovatondadi vohamba va handukilwe.” Saul okwa diladila nokutya, David ta ka dipawa keke lOvafilisti. 26 Ovapiya eshi va lombwela David eendjovo odo, oshinima sha wapalela David a ninge oshitenya shohamba. Ndele fimbo omafiku a pangelwa inaa xula, 27 David okwa fikama nokwa ya novalumenhu vaye, ndele va dipaa ovalumenhu omafele avali Ovafilisti. Ndele David okwa eta oipa yeenhele doulumenhu wavo, ndele e i yandja ya wana kohamba, opo a shiive okuninga oshitenya shohamba. Opo nee Saul a yandja kuDavid omona waye okakadona Mikal a ninge omwalikadi waye. 28 Saul eshi a mona nokutya, Omwene a kala naDavid, naMikal, omona okakadona kaSaul e mu hole.
29 Saul okwa tila unene David, ndele Saul okwa ninga omutondadi waDavid omafiku aeshe. 30 Ndelenee eehamba dOvafilisti da homona. Ndele alushe do eshi da homona, elao laDavid la hapupala li dule lovapiya aveshe vaSaul, onghee hano edina laye la fimanekwa unene pombada.
