1 Samuel 16
1 Finally, Yahweh said to Samuel, “I have decided that I will not allow Saul to continue to be the king. So you should not [RHQ] keep feeling sad [about what he has done]. Put some olive oil in a small container and go to Bethlehem [to anoint someone with the oil, and appoint him to be king]. I am sending you there to a man named Jesse, because I have chosen one of his sons to be the king [of Israel].”
Yehowa gblɔ na Samuel be “Va se ɖe ɣekaɣia nàfa konyi ɖe Saul ta esi megbee be magaɖu fia ɖe Israel dzi o? Azɔ la, de ami wò lãdzo la me eye nàdze mɔ. Mele dɔwòm ɖe Yese gbɔ le Betlehem; metia via ŋutsuwo dometɔ ɖeka be wòaɖu fia.”
2 But Samuel said, “I am afraid [RHQ] to do that! If Saul hears about it, he will kill me!” Yahweh said, “Take a (heifer/young female cow) with you, and say to people that you have come to [kill it and] offer it as a sacrifice to me.
Samuel gblɔ be, “Aleke mayie? Saul ase nya sia eye wòawum.” Yehowa ɖo eŋu nɛ be, “Kplɔ nyivi ɖeka ɖe asi eye nàgblɔ be, ‘Meva vɔ sa ge na Yehowa.’
3 “Invite Jesse to come to the sacrifice. [When he comes, ] I will show you what you should do. And I will show you which of his sons [I have chosen to be the king]. Then you should anoint that one [with the olive oil to be the king].”
Ekema kpe Yese va vɔ la saƒe eye mafia nu si nàwɔ la wò. Àsi ami na ame si dzi matɔ asi la na wò.”
4 Samuel did what Yahweh told him to do. He went to Bethlehem. When the town leaders came to him, they trembled, [because they were worried that Samuel had come to rebuke them about something]. One of them asked him, “Have you come [to speak] peacefully [to us]?”
Samuel wɔ ɖe Yehowa ƒe ɖoɖo sia dzi. Esi wòɖo Betlehem la, dua ƒe ametsitsiwo va kpee kple dzodzo nyanyanya hebiae be, “Ŋutifafa dzie nèva ɖoa?”
5 Samuel replied, “Yes. I have come peacefully, to make a sacrifice to Yahweh. [Perform the rituals to] make yourselves acceptable to Yahweh, and then come with me to where they will offer the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the ritual to make Jesse and his sons acceptable to God, and he also invited them to the sacrifice.
Samuel ɖo eŋu be, “Ɛ̃, ŋutifafa dzie meva ɖo; meva vɔ sa ge na Yehowa. Mikɔ mia ɖokui ŋuti eye miava vɔsaƒea kplim.” Tete wòkɔ Yese kple via ŋutsuwo ŋu eye wòkpe wo va vɔsaƒe lae.
6 When they arrived there, Samuel looked at [Jesse’s oldest son] Eliab, and thought, “Surely this is the one whom Yahweh has appointed [to be king]!”
Esi wova ɖo teƒea la, Samuel kpɔ Eliab eye wòsusu be, “Vavãe, Yehowa ƒe amesiamina lae nye esi le tsitre ɖe Yehowa ŋkume.”
7 But Yahweh said to Samuel, “No, he is not the one whom I have chosen. Don’t pay attention to his being handsome and very tall, because I have not chosen him. I do not evaluate people as people do. You people evaluate people by their appearance, but I evaluate people by what is in their inner beings.”
Ke Yehowa gblɔ na Samuel be, “Mègakpɔ eƒe dzedzeme alo eƒe atsudzɔdzɔ o elabena megbee. Yehowa mekpɔa nu si amewo kpɔna la o. Amegbetɔ kpɔa nuwo ƒe gota ƒe dzedzeme, ke Yehowa ya kpɔa ame ƒe dzime.”
8 Then Jesse told [his next oldest son] Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. [But when he did that], Samuel said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one, either.”
Yese gblɔ na via Abinadab be wòado ɖe ŋgɔ eye wòazɔ le Samuel ŋkume. Ke Samuel gablɔ be “Yehowa metia ame sia hã o.”
9 Then Jesse told [his next oldest son] Shammah to step forward. He stepped forward, but Samuel said, “Yahweh has not chosen this one, either.”
Emegbe Yese yɔ Sama, ke Samuel gblɔ be, “Esia hã Yehowa metiae o.”
10 Similarly, Jesse told his other four sons to walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “Yahweh has not chosen any of these sons of yours.”
Yese na Via ŋutsuvi adreawo to Samuel ŋkume yi gake Samuel gblɔ be; “Yehowa metia wo dometɔ aɖeke o.”
11 Then Samuel asked Jesse, “Do you have any other sons?” Jesse replied, “My youngest son [is not here]; he is out [in the fields] taking care of the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send someone to bring him here! We will not sit down [to eat] until he gets here.”
Ale wòbia Yese be, “Viŋutsuvi siawo koe le asiwòa?” Yese ɖo eŋu be, “Ɖevitɔ li gake ele alẽwo kplɔm le gbedzi.” Samuel gblɔ be, “Dɔ ame ɖo ɖee elabena míanɔ anyi o, va se ɖe esime wòava.”
12 So Jesse sent [someone] to bring [David there. And when David arrived, Samuel saw that] he was handsome and healthy, and had bright eyes. Then Yahweh said, “This is the one [whom I have chosen]; anoint him [to be king].”
Ale Yese dɔ woɖakplɔe vɛ. Enye ɖekakpui, le kpokploe eye wòdze ɖeka. Tete Yehowa gblɔ na Samuel be, “Tsi tre, nàsi ami nɛ elabena eyae nye amea.”
13 So as David [stood there] in front of his older brothers, Samuel took the container of oil that he had brought and poured some of it on David’s head [to set him apart to serve God. After they all ate, Samuel left] and returned to Ramah. But Yahweh’s Spirit came on David powerfully, and stayed with David for the rest of his life.
Ale Samuel tsɔ lãdzo si me ami la le, hesi ami nɛ le nɔviawo ŋkume eye tso gbe ma gbe dzi la Yehowa ƒe Gbɔgbɔ dze David dzi kple ŋusẽ. Ale Samuel gbugbɔ yi Rama.
14 But Yahweh’s Spirit left Saul. Instead [of his Spirit staying with Saul], Yahweh sent an evil spirit to Saul to terrify him [repeatedly].
Ke Yehowa ƒe Gbɔgbɔ dzo le Saul dzi. Yehowa na be gbɔgbɔ vɔ̃ aɖe dzea Saul dzi heɖea fu nɛ.
15 One of his servants said to him, “It is evident that an evil spirit sent by God is terrifying you.
Saul ƒe subɔlawo gblɔ nɛ be, “Kpɔ ɖa, gbɔgbɔ vɔ̃ aɖe tso Mawu gbɔ le fu ɖem na wò.
16 So [we suggest that you] allow us, your servants here, to search for a man who plays the harp well. He can play the harp whenever the evil spirit bothers you. Then [you will calm down and] you will be okay again.”
Míaƒe aƒetɔ neɖe gbe na eƒe dɔlawo woayi aɖadi ame aɖe si nya kasaŋkuƒoƒo nyuie la vɛ, ame si aƒo kasaŋku ne gbɔgbɔ vɔ̃ tso Mawu gbɔ va dziwò eye awɔe be nàkpɔ gbɔdzɔe.”
17 Saul replied, “[Fine/Okay], find for me a man who can play [the harp] well, and bring him to me.”
Saul lɔ̃ ɖe edzi be, “Enyo, midi kasaŋkuƒola nyui aɖe miakplɔ vɛ nam.”
18 One of his servants said to him, “A man named Jesse, in Bethlehem [town], has a son who plays the harp very well. Furthermore, he is a brave man, and is a capable soldier. He is handsome and he always speaks wisely. And Yahweh always protects him.”
Subɔlawo dometɔ ɖeka gblɔ be yenya ɖekakpui aɖe tso Betlehem, enye ŋutsu aɖe si woyɔna be Yese la ƒe vi. Ɖekakpui sia menye kasaŋkuƒola nyui ɖeɖe ko o, ke boŋ enye ɖekakpui dzeɖekɛ, kalẽtɔ sesẽ kple ame ɖɔʋu aɖe hã. Gawu la, Yehowa li kplii.
19 So Saul sent this message to Jesse: “Send your son David to me, the one who takes care of sheep.”
Saul ɖo dɔlawo ɖe Yese hebiae be wòaɖo via David, ame si nye alẽkplɔla la ɖe ye.
20 [So after they went to] Jesse [and told him that, he agreed. He] got a young goat, a container of wine, a donkey on which he put some loaves of bread, and gave them to David to take to Saul [as a present].
Yese meɖo David ɖa asi ƒuƒlu o, ke boŋ eɖo gbɔ̃vi ɖeka hã ɖa kpe ɖe tedzi aɖe si tsɔ nuɖuɖu kple wain hã ŋu.
21 Then David went to Saul and started to work for him. Saul liked David very much, and he became the man who carried Saul’s weapons [when Saul went to fight in battles].
Tso esi Saul kpɔ David ko la, David ƒe nu nyo eŋu, elɔ̃e eye wòna wòzu eƒe adekplɔvi.
22 Then Saul sent [a messenger] to Jesse to tell him, “I am pleased with David. Please let him stay here and work for me.”
Saul ɖo ame ɖe Yese be, “Meɖe kuku, na David nazu ŋunyemewo dometɔ ɖeka elabena eƒe nu nyo ŋunye ŋutɔ.”
23 [Jesse agreed, and after that], whenever the evil spirit whom God sent tormented Saul, David played the harp. Then Saul would become calm, and the evil spirit would leave him.
Eye ne Mawu ƒe gbɔgbɔ la dze Saul dzi la, David tsɔa eƒe asi ƒoa kasaŋku eye edzi kana ɖena na Saul eye gbɔgbɔ vɔ̃ la dzona le edzi.
