24

Tavi tseg Xa‑u txujsa

¹Thaus Xa‑u moog lawv cov Filixatee rov qaab lug, muaj tuabneeg has rua nwg tas, “Tavi nyob huv tebchaws moj saab qhua Eekenti.” ²Tes Xa‑u txawm xaiv peb txheeb leej tub rog huv cov Yixayee suavdawg coj moog nrhav Tavi hab nwg cov tuabneeg rua ntawm Roob Tsuas Sai. ³Xa‑u tuaj txug ib lub nkuaj yaaj ntawm ntug kev. Muaj ib lub qhov tsua nyob hov ntawd tes Xa‑u txawm moog tawm rooj rua huv. Tavi hab nwg cov tuabneeg kuj nyob huv lub qhov tsua hov tom qhov kawg nkaus. ⁴Tavi cov tuabneeg has rua Tavi tas, “Nub nua yog nub kws Yawmsaub has rua koj tas, ‘Kuv muab koj tug yeeb ncuab cob rua huv koj txhais teg, mas koj yuav ua rua nwg lawv le koj pum zoo.’ ” Mas Tavi sawv nyaag tuabywv moog txav Xa‑u lub qaab tsho. ⁵Dhau ntawd Tavi kuj tu sab tsua qhov kws nwg txav Xa‑u lub qaab tsho. ⁶Tavi txhad has rua nwg cov tuabneeg tas, “Thov Yawmsaub taav tsw xob kheev kuv tsaa teg tawm tsaam le nuav rua kuv tug tswv kws Yawmsaub tsaa ca lawd, tsua qhov nwg yog tug kws Yawmsaub laub roj tsaa ca.” ⁷Tavi kuj has tej lug nuav cheem nwg cov tuabneeg, nwg tsw kheev puab ntaus Xa‑u. Xa‑u kuj sawv tseeg tawm huv qhov tsua taug kev moog lawm.
⁸Dhau ntawd Tavi kuj sawv tseeg tawm huv qhov tsua moog hab hu rua Xa‑u tas, “Au vaajntxwv kws yog kuv tug tswv.” Thaus Xa‑u tig lug saib, Tavi txawm khoov ntshws rua huv cov aav pe. ⁹Tavi has rua Xa‑u tas, “Ua caag koj yuav noog tej lug kws cov tuabneeg has tas, ‘Tavi nrhav kev yuav txuv koj’? ¹⁰Saib maj, nub nua koj qhov muag tub pum tseeb lawm tas Yawmsaub muab koj cob rua huv kuv txhais teg huv lub qhov tsua nuav. Muaj qee leej has kuas kuv muab koj tua pov tseg, tassws kuv tseg koj txujsa ca. Kuv has tas, ‘Kuv yuav tsw tsaa teg tawm tsaam kuv tug tswv, tsua qhov nwg yog tug kws Yawmsaub laub roj tsaa ca lawm.’ ¹¹Kuv txwv, koj ca le saib koj lub qaab tsho kws nyob huv kuv txhais teg nuav. Qhov kws kuv txav koj lub qaab tsho tassws kuv tsw tua koj, mas koj ca le paub hab pum tas kuv txhais teg tsw tau ua txhum hab tsw faav xeeb rua koj. Txawm yog koj lawv kuv yuav txuv kuv txujsa los kuv tsw tau ua txhum rua koj. ¹²Thov Yawmsaub txav txem rua kuv hab koj saib leejtwg txhum. Qhov kws koj ua txhum rua kuv, thov Yawmsaub ua pauj rua koj. Kuv txhais teg yuav tsw ua ib yaam daabtsw rua koj. ¹³Ib yaam le tej laug has paaj lug tas, ‘Kev phem yeej tawm huv tuabneeg phem lug,’ tassws kuv txhais teg yuav tsw ua ib yaam daabtsw rua koj. ¹⁴Cov Yixayee tug vaajntxwv tawm tuaj lawv leejtwg? Koj tuaj caum leejtwg? Caum tug dev kws tuag lawd, caum tug dev mub xwb. ¹⁵Vem le nuav thov Yawmsaub tu plaub hab txav txem rua kuv hab koj. Thov nwg tshuaj saib hab has kuv tshaaj plaub hab cawm kuv dim huv koj txhais teg.”
¹⁶Thaus Tavi has tej lug nuav rua Xa‑u taag lawd, Xa‑u has tas, “Kuv tug tub Tavi 'e, ntawm kod yog koj lub suab tag lov?” Xa‑u txawm tsaa suab hlo quaj. ¹⁷Nwg has rua Tavi tas, “Koj ua ncaaj dua kuv, vem koj ua qhov zoo pauj kuv, tassws kuv ua qhov phem pauj koj. ¹⁸Koj tub pav nub nua has tas koj ua zoo le caag rua kuv, koj tsw tua kuv txujsa rua thaus Yawmsaub muab kuv cob rua huv koj txhais teg. ¹⁹Yog leejtwg ntswb nwg tug yeeb ncuab, nwg yuav tso tug yeeb ncuab dim dawb tso sab plhuav lov? Yog le nuav thov Yawmsaub ua zoo rua koj pauj qhov kws nub nua koj tau ua zoo rua kuv. ²⁰Nwgnuav kuv paub tseeb tas koj yuav tau ua vaajntxwv tag tag le hab cov Yixayee lub tebchaws yuav raug muab rua huv koj txhais teg kaav moog le. ²¹Yog le nuav ca le tuav Yawmsaub lub npe cog lug twv rua kuv tas thaus kuv tuag lawd koj yuav tsw txav kuv caaj ceg pov tseg hab koj yuav tsw rhuav kuv lub npe kuas pluj huv kuv txwv caaj ceg.” ²²Tavi kuj cog lug twv rua Xa‑u le ntawd tes Xa‑u txawm rov moog tsev, tassws Tavi hab nwg cov tuabneeg nce moog rua huv lub chaw ruaj khov.

24

David Spares Saul’s Life

¹After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” ²So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.
³He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. ⁴The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said⚓ to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ ” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
⁵Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. ⁶He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” ⁷With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
⁸Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. ⁹He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? ¹⁰This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ ¹¹See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. ¹²May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. ¹³As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.
¹⁴“Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea? ¹⁵May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.”
¹⁶When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” And he wept aloud. ¹⁷“You are more righteous than I,” he said. “You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly. ¹⁸You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me. ¹⁹When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. ²⁰I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. ²¹Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.”
²²So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.