Pristergu di ǃgamhes
1 Davidi ge Gatsa xu ǃhū tsî Adulammi ǁhoab ǁga ge ǃkhoeni. Tsî ǃgâsagu âb tsî ǁîb surib hoab ge ǁnâun geo, ǁnāǀî ǁîb ǃoa ge ǃgû. 2 Tsî mâ khoeb ǃgomsiba ūhâb, surudeba ūhâb tsî ǂkhîoǃnâb hoab ge ǁîb tawa ge ǀhaoǀhaosen, tsîb ge ǁîba ge ǁîgu ǂgaeǂgui-ao kai. ǁÎb tawa gu ge ǁaubexa hakakaidisi khoega ge ǀhao hâ i.
3 ǁNāpa xub ge Davida Moab ǃnâ ǂnôa ǃās Mispas ǃoa ǃgû tsî Moab di gao-aoba ge ǂgan: “A ra ti îra toxopa, tare-eb Eloba nî dī-ū tesa ta nî ǂans kōse sats tawa hā hâ re.” 4 Davidi ge ǁîra Moab di gao-aob tawa ge ǁnāxū, tsîra ge Davidi ge ǁhoab ǃnâ gau hâ i ǁaeb hoaba ǁîb tawa ge hâ.
5 Xaweb ge kēbo-aob Gada Davida ge ǃkhâikhom: “Tā ǁhoab ǃnâ hâ, ǂoa îts Judab ǃhūb ǃoa ǃgû.” Ob ge Davida ǂoa tsî haiǀgoms Herets ǁga ge ǃgû.
6 Sauli ge Gibeas tawab ǃnâus ai dabehais ǃgao, ǁhâigôaba ǃomǁae ūhâse ǂnôa tsî gu ǁîb ǂamkhoega ǁîb ǂnamipe mâ hîa, Davidi tsî ǁîb khoegu ge hōhe ǃkhaisa ge ǁnâu. 7 Ob ge Saula ǁîb ǂamkhoegu ǁîb tawa mâga ǃoa ge mî: “ǃGâ re, Benjaminǁîgo, Isaib ôaba xareb sago hoago ǃhanaǃhūgu tsî draibeǃhanagu tsîna nî mā, tsî sago hoagob toroǂnubidi danase nî mâi? 8 Sago hoago ge ti ǃoagu ge ǀapeǀhao. ǀGuib sago dib tsîn ge ǂanǂan te tama hâ, ti ôab ge ǃgaeǀhao-e Isaib ôab ǀkha dī ǃkhaisa. ǀGuib sago dib xaweb ge tita xa ǂâiǂhansen tama; ǀguib xaweb ge mîba te tama, ti ôab ǂûb ge ti ǂamkhoeba tita ǃoagu khâikhâiǃnâsa titab nî ǃâuǁgoese, nētsē i ī khami.”
9 Ob ge Edomǁîb Doegi, Sauli ǂamkhoegu tawa mâba ge mî: “Tita ge Isaib ôab Davidi ge Nobs tawa Ahitub ôab Ahimelexi tawa a sī ǃkhaisa ge mû. 10 Ahimelexi ge ǃKhūba ge dî, Davidi tare-e nî dī ǃkhaisa; tsîb ge daob ǂûn tsî Filisteǁîb, Goliati gôab tsîna ge mā bi.”
11 Ob ge gao-aob Saula pristeri Ahimelexi tsî ǁîb surib digu hoagu, Nobs ǃnâ ge prister iga ge ǂgai kai, tsî gu ge hoatsama gao-aob tawa ge hā. 12 Ob ge Saula ge mî: “ǃGâ re, Ahitub ôatse!”
Ob ge “ǃGâ ta ge ra, ǃgôahesatse” ti ge ǃeream.
13 Ob ge Saula ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “Tare-i ǃaroma kho sats tsî Isaib ôab tsîkho tita ǃoagu ge ǀapeǀhao? Tare-i ǃaromats ǁîba daob ǂû-i tsî gôab tsîna mā tsî Elob ai ge ǀapeǂganba? ǁÎb ge tita ǃoagu khâikhâisen tsî nētsē tita ǃâuǁgoe ǃgam teb nîga.”
14 Ob ge Ahimelexa gao-aoba ge ǃeream: “Tariba sa ǂamsagu hoagu ǃnâ Davidi, gao-aots ǀuiǀgôab khami a ǂgomǂgomsaba? ǁÎb ge satsa ra ǃûi khoegu dana tsî sa ommi din hoan mûǁae a ǀgapiǃgôasa. 15 ǂGuro ǃnāsa nēsa, ǁîba ta ge Elob ai dîbasa? Ats gao-aotsa tā tita tsî ti surib hoaba ǀhapimā, tita ge xū-i xare-e nē ǃkhais xa ge ǀū i xuige.”
16 Xaweb ge gao-aoba ge mî: “Ahimelextse, sats tsî sa surib digo hoago ge amase nî ǁō.” 17 Tsîb ge gao-aoba ǁîb tawa mâ ǃûi-aoga ge mîmā: “Mâǂnami, î go ǃKhūb di pristerga ǃgam, ǁîgu ge Davidi ǀkha ǀapeǀhao xuige. ǁÎgu ge ǃgâise gu go ǂan i Davidi go ǃhū ǃkhaisa, xawe mîba te tama go i.” Xawe gu ge gao-aob ǃûi-aoga ǃommi xaweba khui ǂgao tama ge i, ǃKhūb pristerga gu nî ǃgamse. 18 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge gao-aoba Edomǁîb Doegi ǃoa ge mî: “Satsa ǁîga ǂgâǃnâ tsî ǃgam!” Ob ge Edomǁîb Doega ǁîga ǂgâǃnâ tsî hoaga ge ǃgam. ǁÎb ge ǁnātsē ǁkhaisadisikoroǀa pristergu, efoda ra anaga ge ǃgam. 19 Pristergu ǃās, Nobs din on ge gôab ǀkha ge hîkākāhe; khoegu tsî khoedi, ǀgôan tsî dairan, goman, dâukin tsî gūn kōse.
20 Xaweb ge Ahitub ôab, Ahimelexi ôagu di ǀguib, Abiatara ûiǂoa tsî Davidi ǁga ge ǃkhoeni. 21 Abiatari ge Davida Sauli ge ǃKhūb pristerga a ǃgam ǃkhaisa a mîba, 22 ob ge Davida Abiatara ǃoa ge mî: “Edomǁîb, Doega ta ge ǁnātsē ǁnāpa mû, o ta ge Saulab hoa xūna nî ǂanǂan ǃkhaisa ge ǂan. Tita ge a ǃaroma, sa surib hoab go ǃgamhesa. 23 Tita ǀkha hâ, î tā ǃao; tita ra ǃgam ǂgaob ǁkhāb ge sats ona ra ǃgam ǂgaoba xuige, xawe tita tawats ge ǃnorasase nî hâ.”
People Join David
1 When David escaped from the town of Gath, he went to Adullam Cave. His brothers and the rest of his family found out where he was, and they followed him there. 2 A lot of other people joined him too. Some were in trouble, others were angry or in debt, and David was soon the leader of 400 men.
3 David left Adullam Cave and went to the town of Mizpeh in Moab, where he talked with the king of Moab. “Please,” David said, “let my father and mother stay with you until I find out what God will do with me.” 4 So he brought his parents to the king of Moab, and they stayed with him while David was in hiding.
5 One day the prophet Gad told David, “Don't stay here! Go back to Judah.” David then left and went to Hereth Forest.
Saul Kills the Priests of the Lord
6 Saul was sitting under a small tree on top of the hill at Gibeah when he heard that David and his men had been located. Saul was holding his spear, and his officers were standing in front of him. 7 He told them:
Listen to me! You belong to the Benjamin tribe, so if that son of Jesse ever becomes king, he won't give you fields or vineyards. He won't make you officers in charge of thousands or hundreds as I have done. 8 But you're all plotting against me! Not one of you told me that my own son Jonathan had made an agreement with him. Not one of you cared enough to tell me that Jonathan had helped one of my officers rebel. Now that son of Jesse is trying to ambush me.
9 Doeg the Edomite was standing with the other officers and spoke up, “When I was in the town of Nob, I saw that son of Jesse. He was visiting the priest Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 Ahimelech talked to the Lord for him, then gave him food and the sword that had belonged to Goliath the Philistine.”
11 Saul sent a message to Ahimelech and his whole family of priests at Nob, ordering them to come to him. When they came, 12 Saul told them, “Listen to me, you son of Ahitub.”
“Certainly, Your Majesty,” Ahimelech answered.
13 Saul demanded, “Why did you plot against me with that son of Jesse? You helped him rebel against me by giving him food and a sword, and by talking with God for him. Now he's trying to ambush me!”
14 “Your Majesty, none of your officers is more loyal than David!” Ahimelech replied. “He's your son-in-law and the captain of your bodyguard. Everyone in your family respects him. 15 This isn't the first time I've talked with God for David, and it's never made you angry before! Please don't accuse me or my family like this. I have no idea what's going on!”
16 “Ahimelech,” Saul said, “you and your whole family are going to die.”
17 Saul shouted to his bodyguards, “These priests of the Lord helped David! They knew he was running away, but they didn't tell me. Kill them!”
But the king's officers would not attack the priests of the Lord.
18 Saul turned to Doeg, who was from Edom, and said, “Kill the priests!”
On that same day, Doeg killed 85 priests. 19 Then he attacked the town of Nob, where the priests had lived, and he killed everyone there—men, women, children, and babies. He even killed their cattle, donkeys, and sheep.
Only Abiathar Escapes from Nob
20 Ahimelech's son Abiathar was the only one who escaped. He ran to David 21 and told him, “Saul has murdered the Lord's priests at Nob!”
22 David answered, “That day when I saw Doeg, I knew he would tell Saul! Your family died because of me. 23 Stay here. Isn't the same person trying to kill both of us? Don't worry! You'll be safe here with me.”
