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.
Pea ʻi he liu mai ʻa Saula mei heʻene tuli ʻae kau Filisitia, pea hoko ʻo pehē, naʻe tala kiate ia, ʻo pehē, “Vakai, ʻoku ʻi he toafa ʻo Eni-Keti ʻa Tevita.”
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.
Pea naʻe ʻave ʻe Saula ʻae kau tangata naʻe fili ʻe toko tolu afe mei ʻIsileli kotoa pē, pea naʻe ʻalu ia ke kumi ʻa Tevita mo hono kau tangata ʻi he funga ʻoe ngaahi maka ʻoe fanga kosi kaivao.
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!
Pea naʻe hoko ia ki he ngaahi lotoʻā sipi ʻi he veʻehala, ʻaia naʻe ʻi ai ʻae ʻana, pea hū ki ai ʻa Saula ke ʻufiʻufi hono vaʻe: pea naʻe ʻi he tafaʻaki ʻana ʻa Tevita mo hono kau tangata.
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.
Pea pehē ʻe he kau tangata ʻo Tevita kiate ia, “Vakai, ko eni ʻae ʻaho ʻaia naʻe pehē ai ʻe Sihova kiate koe, Vakai, te u tukuange ho fili ki ho nima, koeʻuhi ke ke fai kiate ia ʻaia ʻoku lelei kiate koe.” Pea naʻe tuʻu hake ʻa Tevita ʻo ne heleʻi ʻo motuhi fakafufū ʻae mui kofu ʻo Saula.
5 [And then he returned to his men]. But then David felt guilty for having cut off a piece of Saul’s robe.
Pea hili ʻa hono fai naʻe tautea ʻa Tevita ʻe hono loto, ko e meʻa ʻi heʻene motuhi ʻae potu ʻoe kofu ʻo Saula.
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].”
Pea pehē ʻe ia ki hono kakai, “Ke taʻofi ʻe Sihova ke ʻoua naʻaku fai ʻae meʻa ni ki hoku ʻeiki, ko e fakatapui ʻe Sihova, ke mafao atu hoku nima angatuʻu kiate ia, ka ko e pani ia ʻa Sihova.”
7 By saying that, David restrained his men, and did not allow them to kill Saul.
Ko ia naʻe taʻofi ʻe Tevita ʻene kau tamaioʻeiki ʻaki ʻae ngaahi lea ni, pea naʻe ʻikai tuku ʻakinautolu kenau tuʻu hake kia Saula. Ka naʻe tuʻu hake ʻa Saula mei he ʻana, pea ʻalu ʻi hono hala.
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.
Pea naʻe tuʻu foki ʻa Tevita ʻo ʻalu kituʻa mei he ʻana, pea kalanga ia kia Saula ʻo pehē, “ʻA hoku ʻeiki ko e tuʻi.” Pea naʻe tafoki ʻo vakai ki mui ʻa Saula, ʻoku tulolo ʻa Tevita hono mata ki he kelekele, pea punou ia.
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]
Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Tevita kia Saula, “Ko e hā ʻoku ke tokanga ai ki he ngaahi lea ʻae kau tangata, ʻoku pehē, ‘Vakai, ʻoku kumi ʻe Tevita ke ke lavea?’
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.’
Vakai, kuo ke mamata ʻaki ho mata he ʻaho ni ki heʻene tuku mai koe ʻe Sihova he ʻaho ni ki hoku nima ʻi he ʻana pea naʻe tala ʻe he niʻihi ke u taaʻi koe ka naʻe fakamoʻui koe ʻe hoku mata; pea ne u pehē, ‘ʻE ʻikai te u mafao atu hoku nima ʻo angatuʻu ki hoku ʻeiki he ko e fakatapui ia ʻa Sihova.’
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.
Pea ko eni foki, ʻa ʻeku tamai, vakai, ʻio, vakai ki he potu ʻo ho kofu ʻi hoku nima: ʻi heʻeku heleʻi ke motu ʻae kapa ʻo ho kofu, ʻo ʻikai te u taaʻi koe, ke ke ʻilo ai mo vakai ʻoku ʻikai ha kovi pe ha angahala ʻi hoku nima, pea kuo ʻikai te u fai angahala kiate koe; ka ʻoku ke tuli ʻa ʻeku moʻui ke taaʻi ia.
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.
Ke fakamaauʻi ʻe Sihova kiate au mo koe, pea totongi kiate koe ʻe Sihova koeʻuhi ko au: ka ʻe ʻikai ʻiate koe ʻa hoku nima ʻoʻoku.
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.
Kae hangē: ko e lea ʻae mātuʻa ʻi muʻa, ‘ʻOku tupu ʻae fai kovi mei he angakovi’ ka ʻe ʻikai ʻiate koe ʻa hoku nima.
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.
Kuo haʻu ʻae tuʻi ʻo ʻIsileli ʻo tuli kia hai? ʻOku ke tulia ʻa hai? Ko e kulī mate, ko e kutufisi.
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].”
Ko ia ke fakamaau ʻe Sihova, pea fakamaau kiate au mo koe, pea vakai, ʻo langomakiʻi au, pea fakamoʻui au mei ho nima.”
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.
Pea naʻe hoko ʻo pehē, ʻi he fakaʻosi ʻe Tevita ʻae ngaahi lea ni kia Saula, naʻe pehē ʻe Saula, “He ko ho leʻo eni, ʻE Tevita ko hoku foha?” Pea naʻe hiki hono leʻo ʻe Saula ʻo ne tangi.
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.
Pea naʻe pehē ʻe ia kia Tevita, “ʻOku ke angatonu lahi koe ʻiate au: he kuo ke totongi lelei kiate au, ka kuo u totongi kovi kiate koe.
18 When Yahweh put me in a place [in that cave] where you could have easily killed me, you did not do that.
Pea kuo ke fakahā he ʻaho ni ʻa hoʻo fai lelei kiate au: koeʻuhi ʻi he tukuange au ʻe Sihova ki ho nima, naʻe ʻikai te ke tāmateʻi au.
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.
He kapau ʻoku ʻilo ʻe ha tangata hono fili, te ne tuku ke toe ʻalu moʻui? Ko ia ke totongi lelei ʻe Sihova kiate koe, ʻi he meʻa kuo ke fai kiate au he ʻaho ni.
20 I know that [some day] you will surely become the king, and that your kingdom will prosper as you rule the Israeli people.
Pea ko eni, vakai, ʻOku ou ʻilo pau ko e moʻoni te ke hoko ke tuʻi, pea ʻe fakatuʻumaʻu ʻae puleʻanga ʻo ʻIsileli ʻiate koe.
21 Now while Yahweh is listening, solemnly promise to me that you will not kill my family and get rid of all my descendants.”
Ko ia ke ke fuakava ni kiate au ʻia Sihova, ke ʻoua naʻa ke motuhi hoku hako kimui ʻiate au, pea ʻoua naʻa ke fakaʻauha hoku hingoa mei he fale ʻo ʻeku tamai.”
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.
Pea naʻe fuakava ʻe Tevita kia Saula, pea ʻalu ʻa Saula ki hono ʻapi, ka naʻe ʻalu hake ʻa Tevita mo hono kau tangata ki he toitoiʻanga.
