David Spares Saul's Life
1 When Saul came back from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David was in the wilderness near Engedi. 2 Saul took three thousand of the best soldiers in Israel and went looking for David and his men east of Wild Goat Rocks. 3 He came to a cave close to some sheep pens by the road and went in to relieve himself. It happened to be the very cave in which David and his men were hiding far back in the cave. 4 They said to him, “This is your chance! The Lord has told you that he would put your enemy in your power and you could do to him whatever you wanted to.” David crept over and cut off a piece of Saul's robe without Saul's knowing it. 5 But then David's conscience began to hurt, 6 and he said to his men, “May the Lord keep me from doing any harm to my master, whom the Lord chose as king! I must not harm him in the least, because he is the king chosen by the Lord!” 7 So David convinced his men that they should not attack Saul.
Saul got up, left the cave, and started away. 8 Then David went out after him and called to him, “Your Majesty!” Saul turned around, and David bowed down to the ground in respect 9 and said, “Why do you listen to people who say that I am trying to harm you? 10 You can see for yourself that just now in the cave the Lord put you in my power. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I felt sorry for you and said that I would not harm you in the least, because you are the one whom the Lord chose to be king. 11 Look, my father, look at the piece of your robe I am holding! I could have killed you, but instead I only cut this off. This should convince you that I have no thought of rebelling against you or of harming you. You are hunting me down to kill me, even though I have not done you any wrong. 12 May the Lord judge which one of us is wrong! May he punish you for your action against me, for I will not harm you in the least. 13 You know the old saying, ‘Evil is done only by evil people.’ And so I will not harm you. 14 Look at what the king of Israel is trying to kill! Look at what he is chasing! A dead dog, a flea! 15 The Lord will judge, and he will decide which one of us is wrong. May he look into the matter, defend me, and save me from you.”
16 When David had finished speaking, Saul said, “Is that really you, David my son?” And he started crying. 17 Then he said to David, “You are right, and I am wrong. You have been so good to me, while I have done such wrong to you! 18 Today you have shown how good you are to me, because you did not kill me, even though the Lord put me in your power. 19 How often does someone catch an enemy and then let him get away unharmed? The Lord bless you for what you have done to me today! 20 Now I am sure that you will be king of Israel and that the kingdom will continue under your rule. 21 But promise me in the Lord's name that you will spare my descendants, so that my name and my family's name will not be completely forgotten.” 22 David promised that he would.
Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went back to their hiding place.
Davidi ge Sauli ûiba ra sâu
1 Sauli ge Filisteǁîn ǀkha torodīsa xu a oaǀkhī, ob ge Davidi ǃgaroǃhūb Engedib ǃnâ hâ ǃkhaisa ge mîbahe. 2 Ob ge Saula ǃnonaǀoadisi ǁhûiǂuisa aoga Israeli hoaba xu ū tsî ge ǃgû, Davidi tsî ǁîb aogab ǁKhâiseǃhaob ai sī nî ôase. 3 Tsîb ge daob amǃgâ ǁhoab ǀgūse mâ gūǃharadi tawab ge sī, o ǃgaroǂnûb sī nîga ǁhoab ǃnâ ge ǂgâ. Davidi tsî ǁîb aogu tsîn ge ǃgamse ǁhoab ǃnâ ǂgana ge gauǂnôa i. 4 O gu ge Davidi aoga ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Nēs ge sa ǃēsa. ǃKhūb ge satsa ǃoa ge mî: ‘Sa khākhoeba ta ge sa ǃomǁae nî mā, ots ge ǁîba satsa i ǃgâiba khami nî dī-ū.’ ” Ob ge Davida ǀkhurisī tsî ǂanhe tamab hâse Sauli sarab ǂaoba ge ǃgaoǁnâ. 5 Xaweb ge Davida ǁnās khaoǃgâ ǂgaoǂans âb xa ge ǂhanihe, Sauli sarab ǂaobab ge ǃgaoǁnâ ǃkhais xa. 6 ǁÎb ge khoegu âb ǃoa ge mî: “Ab ǃKhūba ǁnāsa xu sâu te, î ta tā ti gao-aob, ǃKhūb di ǀnausabeba ǂkhôadī. A ta ǁîba tā ǂkhôadī, ǁîb ge ǃKhūb xa ǁhûihe hâ gao-aoba xuige.” 7 Davidi ge ǁîb aoga Saula ǁnāǂamsa mā-am tama ge i.
Tsî Sauli ge ǁhoaba xu ǂoa tsî daob âba ge ǃgû. 8 Davidi on ge ǁhoaba xu ǂoa tsî Saula ge ǂgaiǃgon: “ǃGôahesa gao-aotse!” Tsî Sauli ge ǂnan, ob ge Davida ǃgôasib ǃoa ǃhūb kōse ge ǃgamǃgâ. 9 Tsîb ge Davida Sauli ǃoa ge mî: “Tare xū-i ǃaromats, ǂkhôadī tsi ǂgao ta ra, ti ra mî khoena ra ǃgâ? 10 Nētsēts ge aitsama go mû, ǃKhūb go ǁhoab ǃnâ ti ǃomǁae māǁnâ tsi ǃkhaisa. ǀNîgu go a ta ǃgam tsi ti a mî, xawe ta ge tita satsa ǀkhom tsî go mî ǂkhôadī tsi ta tidesa, ǃKhūb xa ǀnauhe hâ gao-aots a amaga. 11 Kō re ti îtse, kō re, sa sarab ǂaoba ti ǃommi ǃnâ. Sa sarab ǂaob ǀguiba ta go ǃgaoǁnâ, satsa ǃgam tamase ǃkhais xats ge ǂkhaba ǂâi-i tamas ka io mâǃoaxasi-e ta sats ǃoagu ūhâ tama ǃkhaisa a mû ǁkhā. Tita ge satsa mâǃoa tama hâ, xawets ge satsa tita ra ǃgôaǃgon, ǃgam tets nîga. 12 Ab ǃKhūba sakhom ǁaegu ǀgoraǃgâ, tarib a ǀhapixasa, îb satsa ǁkharaba te, xawe tita ge satsa xū-e dī tide. 13 ǀOro ǂkhoamîs ra mî khami: ‘ǂKhabadīn ge ǂkhabadī-aona xu ra ǀkhī’ xawe tita ge satsa ǂkhôadī tide. 14 Tari-i ǂamab Israeli gao-aoba go ǂoaxa? Tari-eb ra ǃgôaǃgon? ǁŌ hâ ari-e? ǀGui ǃaedas ǀguisa? 15 ǃKhūb ge nî ǀgoraǃgâ tsî mîǀgui tarib a ǀhapixasa. ǁÎb ge tita sats ǃoagu ǂnoaguba tsî sa ǀgaiba xu nî huiǂui te.”
16 Davidi ge nēn hoana Saula mîbatoa, ob ge Saula ge dî: “Satsa nē ra ǃhoatsa ti ôa Davitse?” Tsîb ge Saula ǃgarise ā 17 tsî Davidi ǃoa ge mî: “Sats ge tita xa ǃnāsase a ǂhanu-ai. Sats ge tita ǃgâiba go dīdawa-am tita ge tsūdī tsi xawe. 18 Nētsēts ge go ǁgau te mâtikō ǃgâisets go dī-ū tesa, ǃKhūb go tita sa ǃomǁae māǁnâ xawets go ǃgam te tama is ǀkha. 19 Khoe-e kha ǁî-i khākhoe-e ǀhao-ū tsî xū-e ǁî-e dī tamase ǃgû kai i nî? Ab ǃKhūba ǃgâidī tsi nētsēts go tita ǀkha dī ǃgâi dīgu ǃaroma. 20 Nēsi ta ge a ǂan sats amase nî gao-ao kai tsî Israeli gaosis sa ǂgaeǂguis ǃnaka nî mâǁaposa. 21 Xawe nēsi ǃKhūb ǀons ǃnâ mîmâiba te re ti suribats ti ǁōb khaoǃgâ hîkākā tide, tsî ti ǀons tsî ti îb surib hoaragase kāǃari tidesa.” 22 Davidi ge Saula mîmâibas khaoǃgâb ge Saula oms ǁga ge oa, xawe Davidi tsî ǁîb khoegu tsîn ge sâusenǃkhais ǃhommi dis ǃoa ge ǃapa.
