1 Samuel 24
1 After Saul [and his soldiers] returned [home] after fighting against the Philistia army, someone reported to Saul that David [and his men] had gone into the desert near En-Gedi.
Cumque reversus esset Saul, postquam persecutus est Philisthæos, nuntiaverunt ei, dicentes: Ecce David in deserto est Engaddi.
2 [When] Saul [heard that, he] chose 3,000 men from various areas in Israel, and they went to search for David and his men at a place named Rocks of Wild Goats.
Assumens ergo Saul tria millia electorum virorum ex omni Israël, perrexit ad investigandum David et viros ejus, etiam super abruptissimas petras, quæ solis ibicibus perviæ sunt.
3 At a place where the road was alongside some sheep pens, Saul [left the road and] entered a cave to defecate [EUP]. [He did not know that] David and his men were hiding further inside that same cave!
Et venit ad caulas ovium, quæ se offerebant vianti: eratque ibi spelunca, quam ingressus est Saul ut purgaret ventrem: porro David et viri ejus in interiore parte speluncæ latebant.
4 David’s men [saw Saul and] whispered to David, “Today is the day that Yahweh spoke about when he said, ‘I will enable you to defeat your enemy.’ You can do to him whatever you want to!” So David crept toward the entrance of the cave and [with his knife] he cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.
Et dixerunt servi David ad eum: Ecce dies de qua locutus est Dominus ad te: Ego tradam tibi inimicum tuum, ut facias ei sicut placuerit in oculis tuis. Surrexit ergo David, et præcidit oram chlamydis Saul silenter.
5 [And then he returned to his men]. But then David felt guilty for having cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.
Post hæc percussit cor suum David, eo quod abscidisset oram chlamydis Saul.
6 He said to his men, “I should not have done that to the king! I hope/desire that Yahweh will never allow me to attack the one whom God has appointed, because Yahweh is the one who chose him [to be the king].”
Dixitque ad viros suos: Propitius sit mihi Dominus, ne faciam hanc rem domino meo, christo Domini, ut mittam manum meam in eum: quia christus Domini est.
7 By saying that, David restrained his men, and did not allow them to kill Saul.
Et confregit David viros suos sermonibus, et non permisit eos ut consurgerent in Saul: porro Saul exsurgens de spelunca, pergebat cœpto itinere.
8 After Saul left the cave and started to walk on the road again, David came out of the cave and shouted to Saul, “King Saul!” Saul turned around and looked, and David bowed down with his face touching the ground.
Surrexit autem et David post eum: et egressus de spelunca, clamavit post tergum Saul, dicens: Domine mi rex. Et respexit Saul post se: et inclinans se David pronus in terram adoravit,
9 Then he said to Saul, “(Why do you pay attention to people when they say ‘David wants to harm you’?/You should not pay attention to people when they say ‘David wants to harm you’.) [RHQ]
dixitque ad Saul: Quare audis verba hominum loquentium: David quærit malum adversum te?
10 Today you can see with your own eyes that [what they say is not true]. Yahweh put you in a place where my men and I could have killed you when you were in this cave. Some of my men told me that I should do that, but I did not do that. I said to them, ‘I will not harm my master, because he is the king whom Yahweh appointed.’
Ecce hodie viderunt oculi tui quod tradiderit te Dominus in manu mea in spelunca: et cogitavi ut occiderem te, sed pepercit tibi oculus meus: dixi enim: Non extendam manum meam in dominum meum, quia christus Domini est.
11 Your majesty, look at this piece of your robe that is in my hand! I cut it from your robe, but I did not kill you. So now you should be able to understand that I am not planning to do anything evil to you. I have not done anything wrong to you, but you are searching for me to kill me.
Quin potius pater mi, vide, et cognosce oram chlamydis tuæ in manu mea: quoniam cum præscinderem summitatem chlamydis tuæ, nolui extendere manum meam in te: animadverte, et vide, quoniam non est in manu mea malum, neque iniquitas, neque peccavi in te: tu autem insidiaris animæ meæ ut auferas eam.
12 I hope/desire that Yahweh will judge and decide which of us ([is doing what is right/pleases him]). And I hope/desire that he will punish you for the wrong things that you have done to me. But I will not try to harm you.
Judicet Dominus inter me et te, et ulciscatur me Dominus ex te: manus autem mea non sit in te.
13 There is a proverb that has the words, ‘Evil things are done by evil people.’ But [I am not evil, so] I will not do evil things to you.
Sicut et in proverbio antiquo dicitur: Ab impiis egredietur impietas: manus ergo mea non sit in te.
14 “You are the king of Israel. So (why are you pursuing me?/you should not be pursuing me.) [RHQ] I am [as harmless as] [MET] a dead dog or a flea.
Quem persequeris, rex Israël? quem persequeris? canem mortuum persequeris, et pulicem unum.
15 I hope/desire that Yahweh will judge which of us [is doing what (he wants/is right)]. I trust that he will [act like a lawyer and] judge (my case/what I have done), and that he will rescue me from your power [MTY].”
Sit Dominus judex, et judicet inter me et te: et videat, et judicet causam meam, et eruat me de manu tua.
16 When David finished speaking, Saul [called out to him and] asked, “My son David, is that your voice [that I am hearing]?” Then he began to cry loudly.
Cum autem complesset David loquens sermones hujuscemodi ad Saul, dixit Saul: Numquid vox hæc tua est, fili mi David? Et levavit Saul vocem suam, et flevit:
17 He said, “You are a better man than I am. You have done something very good to me when I tried to do something very bad to you.
dixitque ad David: Justior tu es quam ego: tu enim tribuisti mihi bona, ego autem reddidi tibi mala.
18 When Yahweh put me in a place [in that cave] where you could have easily killed me, you did not do that.
Et tu indicasti hodie quæ feceris mihi bona: quomodo tradiderit me Dominus in manum tuam, et non occideris me.
19 (Who else would/No one else would) find his enemy and allow his enemy to escape [when he could kill him instead] [RHQ]. I hope/desire that Yahweh will reward you for being kindly to me today.
Quis enim cum invenerit inimicum suum, dimittet eum in via bona? sed Dominus reddat tibi vicissitudinem hanc pro eo quod hodie operatus es in me.
20 I know that [some day] you will surely become the king, and that your kingdom will prosper as you rule the Israeli people.
Et nunc quia scio quod certissime regnaturus sis, et habiturus in manu tua regnum Israël:
21 Now while Yahweh is listening, solemnly promise to me that you will not kill my family and get rid of all my descendants.”
jura mihi in Domino, ne deleas semen meum post me, neque auferas nomen meum de domo patris mei.
22 David solemnly promised Saul that he would not [harm Saul’s family]. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went back up into the place where they had been hiding.
Et juravit David Sauli. Abiit ergo Saul in domum suam: et David et viri ejus ascenderunt ad tutiora loca.
