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.
David Lets Saul Live
1 When Saul got back from fighting off the Philistines, he heard that David was in the desert around En-Gedi. 2 Saul led 3,000 of Israel's best soldiers out to look for David and his men near Wild Goat Rocks at En-Gedi. 3 There were some sheep pens along the side of the road, and one of them was built around the entrance to a cave. Saul went into the cave to relieve himself.
David and his men were hiding at the back of the cave. 4 They whispered to David, “The Lord told you he was going to let you defeat your enemies and do whatever you want with them. This must be the day the Lord was talking about.”
David sneaked over and cut off a small piece of Saul's robe, but Saul didn't notice a thing. 5 Afterwards, David was sorry that he had even done that, 6-7 and he told his men, “Stop talking foolishly. We're not going to attack Saul. He's my king, and I pray that the Lord will keep me from doing anything to harm his chosen king.”
Saul left the cave and started down the road. 8 Soon, David also got up and left the cave. “Your Majesty!” he shouted from a distance.
Saul turned around to look. David bowed down very low 9 and said:
Your Majesty, why do you listen to people who say that I'm trying to harm you? 10 You can see for yourself that the Lord gave me the chance to catch you in the cave today. Some of my men wanted to kill you, but I wouldn't let them do it. I told them, “I will not harm the Lord's chosen king!” 11 Your Majesty, look at what I'm holding. You can see that it's a piece of your robe. If I could cut off a piece of your robe, I could have killed you. But I let you live, and that should prove I'm not trying to harm you or to rebel. I haven't done anything to you, and yet you keep trying to ambush and kill me.
12 I'll let the Lord decide which one of us has done right. I pray that the Lord will punish you for what you're doing to me, but I won't do anything to you. 13 An old proverb says, “Only evil people do evil things,” and so I won't harm you.
14 Why should the king of Israel be out chasing me, anyway? I'm as worthless as a dead dog or a flea. 15 I pray that the Lord will help me escape and show that I am in the right.
16 “David, my son—is that you?” Saul asked. Then he started crying 17 and said:
David, you're a better person than I am. You treated me with kindness, even though I've been cruel to you. 18 You've told me how you were kind enough not to kill me when the Lord gave you the chance. 19 If you really were my enemy, you wouldn't have let me leave here alive. I pray that the Lord will give you a big reward for what you did today.
20 I realize now that you will be the next king, and a powerful king at that. 21 Promise me with the Lord as your witness, that you won't wipe out my descendants. Let them live to keep my family name alive.
22 So David promised, and Saul went home. David and his men returned to their hideout.
