¹Zvino vaZifi vakauya kuna Sauro paGibhiya, vakati, Ko Dhavhidhi haazikunovanda pachikomo cheHakira, chiri pamberi perenje here?

¹And the Ziphites come in unto Saul, at Gibeah, saying, `Is not David hiding himself in the height of Hachilah, on the front of the desert?`

²Ipapo Sauro akasimuka, akaburukira kurenje reZifi, ana varume vane zviuru zvitatu, vakanga vakatsaurwa kuvaIsiraeri, kuti atsvake Dhavhidhi murenje reZifi.

²And Saul riseth, and goeth down unto the wilderness of Ziph, and with him three thousand men, chosen ones of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

³Sauro akavaka misasa yake pachikomo cheHakira, chiri pamberi perenje, kurutivi rwenzira. Asi Dhavhidhi wakange agere murenje, akaona Sauro achimutevera murenje.

³And Saul encampeth in the height of Hachilah, which [is] on the front of the desert, by the way, and David is abiding in the wilderness, and he seeth that Saul hath come after him in to the wilderness;

⁴Zvino Dhavhidhi akatuma vashori, akanzwa kuti Sauro wasvika zvirokwazvo.

⁴and David sendeth spies, and knoweth that Saul hath come unto Nachon,

⁵Dhavhidhi akasimuka, akasvika pakanga pakavaka Sauro misasa yake, Dhavhidhi akaona pakanga pavete Sauro, ana Abhineri mwanakomana waNeri, mukuru wehondo yake; Sauro wakange avete pakati pengoro dzakanga dzakarongedzwa, asi vanhu vakanga vavaka misasa yavo vakamupoteredza.

⁵and David riseth, and cometh in unto the place where Saul hath encamped, and David seeth the place where Saul hath lain, and Abner son of Ner, head of his host, and Saul is lying in the path, and the people are encamping round about him.

⁶Zvino Dhavhidhi akapindura, akati kuna Ahimereki muHiti, nokuna Abhishai mwanakomana waZeruya, munin'ina waJoabhu, akati, Ndianiko uchaburuka neni kuna Sauro kumisasa? Abhishai akati, Ini ndichaburuka nemi.

⁶And David answereth and saith unto Ahimelech the Hittite, and unto Abishai son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, `Who doth go down with me unto Saul, unto the camp?` and Abishai saith, `I — I go down with thee.`

⁷Naizvozvo Dhavhidhi naAbhishai vakasvika kuvanhu usiku, vakawana Sauro avete pakati pengoro dzakanga dzarongedzwa, pfumo rake rakabayirwa pasi kumusoro kwake; Abhineri navamwe vanhu vakanga vavete vakamupoteredza.

⁷And David cometh — and Abishai — unto the people by night, and lo, Saul is lying sleeping in the path, and his spear struck into the earth at his pillow, and abner and the people are lying round about him.

⁸Zvino Abhishai akati kuna Dhavhidhi, Nhasi Mwari wakaisa muvengi wako pamaoko ako; naizvozvo nditendere ndimubayire pasi nepfumo kamwe chete, handingamubayi rwechipiri.

⁸And Abishai saith unto David, `God hath shut up to-day thine enemy into thy hand; and, now, let me smite him, I pray thee, with a spear, even into the earth at once — and I do repeat [it] to him.`

⁹Dhavhidhi akati kuna Abhishai, Usamuuraya, nekuti ndianiko ungagona kutambanudzira ruoko rwake kumuzodzwa waJehovha, akasava nemhosva?

⁹And David saith unto Abishai, `Destroy him not; for who hath put forth his hand against the anointed of Jehovah, and been acquitted?`

¹⁰Dhavhidhi akati, NaJehovha mupenyu, Jehovha ndiye uchamuuraya, zvimwe zuva rake rokufa, richasvika zvimwe uchaburukira kundorwa akaparadzwapo.

¹⁰And David saith, `Jehovah liveth; except Jehovah doth smite him, or his day come that he hath died, or into battle he go down, and hath been consumed —

¹¹Jehovha ngaandidzivise, ndirege kutambanudzira ruoko rwangu kumuzodzwa waJehovha; asi zvino tora hako pfumo riri kumusoro kwake, nechirongo chemvura, tiende.

¹¹far be it from me, by Jehovah, from putting forth my hand against the anointed of Jehovah; and, now, take, I pray thee, the spear which [is] at his pillow, and the cruse of water, and we go away.`

¹²Naizvozvo Dhavhidhi akatora pfumo nechirongo chemvura, zvakanga zviri pamusoro waSauro, vakaenda; hakuna munhu wakazviona, kana kuzviziva, hakuna wakapepuka, nekuti vakanga vavete vose, nekuti vakanga vakabatwa nehope kwazvo, dzakanga dzatumwa naMwari.

¹²And David taketh the spear, and the cruse of water at the pillow of Saul, and they go away, and there is none seeing, and there is none knowing, and there is none awaking, for all of them are sleeping, for a deep sleep [from] Jehovah hath fallen upon them.

¹³Zvino Dhavhidhi akayambukira mhiri, akamira pamusoro pegomo ari kure; asi pakati pavo pakanga pane nhambo huru.

¹³And David passeth over to the other side, and standeth on the top of the hill afar off — great [is] the place between them;

¹⁴Dhavhidhi akashevedzera kuvanhu nokuna Abhineri mwanakomana waNeri, akati, Nhai Abhineri, haudaviri here? Ipapo Abhineri akadavira, akati, Ndiwe aniko unoshevedzera kuna mambo.

¹⁴and David calleth unto the people, and unto Abner son of Ner, saying, `Dost thou not answer, Abner?` and Abner answereth and saith, `Who [art] thou [who] hast called unto the king?`

¹⁵Dhavhidhi akati kuna Abhineri, Ko iwe hausi murume wemhare here? Ndianiko wakafanana newe kuvaIsiraeri? Wakaregereiko kurinda ishe wako mambo? nekuti mumwe munhu wakange apinda kuzoparadza mambo, ishe wako.

¹⁵And David saith unto Abner, `Art not thou a man? and who [is] like thee in Israel? but why hast thou not watched over thy lord the king? for one of the people had come in to destroy the king, thy lord.

¹⁶Ichi chinhu chawaita hachina kunaka. NaJehovha mupenyu, maifanira kufa, nekuti hamuna kurinda ishe wenyu, muzodzwa waJehovha. Zvino chitarira, pfumo ramambo nechirongo chemvura chakanga chiri kumusoro kwake zviripiko?

¹⁶Not good is this thing which thou hast done; Jehovah liveth, but ye [are] sons of death, in that ye have not watched over your lord, over the anointed of Jehovah; and now, see where the king`s spear [is], and the cruse of water which [is] at his bolster.`

¹⁷Sauro akaziva inzwi raDhavhidhi, akati, Ndiro inzwi rako here, mwanangu Dhavhidhi? Dhavhidhi akati, inzwi rangu, ishe wangu, mambo.

¹⁷And Saul discerneth the voice of David, and saith, `Is this thy voice, my son David?` and David saith, `My voice, my lord, O king!`

¹⁸Akati, Ko Ishe wangu unoteverereiko muranda wake? Nekuti ndakaiteiko? Zvakaipa zviri mandiri ndezveiko?

¹⁸and he saith, `Why [is] this — my lord is pursuing after his servant? for what have I done, and what [is] in my hand evil?

¹⁹Naizvozvo zvino ishe wangu mambo chidonzwai mashoko omuranda wenyu. Kana ari Jehovha wakakukurudzirai kurwa neni, ngaapiwe chipiriso; asi kana vari vana vavanhu, ngavave vakatukwa pamberi paJehovha, nekuti vakandidzinga nhasi, kuti ndirege kugara panhaka yaJehovha, vachiti, Enda, undoshumira vamwe vamwari.

¹⁹And, now, let, I pray thee, my lord the king hear the words of his servant: if Jehovah hath moved thee against me, let Him accept a present; and if the sons of men — cursed [are] they before Jehovah, for they have cast me out to-day from being admitted into the inheritance of Jehovah, saying, Go, serve other gods.

²⁰Naizvozvo zvino ropa rangu ngarirege kuwira pasi kure naJehovha, nekuti mambo waIsiraeri wabuda kuzotsvaka rutata rumwe, somunhu unovhima hwari mumakomo.

²⁰`And now, let not my blood fall to the earth over-against the face of Jehovah, for the king of Israel hath come out to seek one flea, as [one] pursueth the partridge in mountains.`

²¹Ipapo Sauro akati, Ndatadza, dzoka hako, mwanangu Dhavhidhi, nekuti handichazokuitiri zvakaipa, nekuti upenyu hwangu hwakanga huchikosha pameso pako nhasi; tarira, ndaita sebenzi, ndatadza kwazvo.

²¹And Saul saith, `I have sinned; turn back, my son David, for I do evil to thee no more, because that my soul hath been precious in thine eyes this day; lo, I have acted foolishly, and do err very greatly.`

²²Ipapo Dhavhidhi akapindura akati, Tarirai pfumo ramambo! Mumwe wamajaya ngaayambukire kuno aritore.

²²And David answereth and saith, `Lo, the king`s spear; and let one of the young men pass over, and receive it;

²³Jehovha unoripira munhu mumwe nomumwe kururama kwake nokutendeka kwake; nekuti Jehovha wakakuisai nhasi kwandiri, asi ndakaramba kutambanudzira ruoko rwangu kumuzodzwa waJehovha.

²³and Jehovah doth turn back to each his righteousness and his faithfulness, in that Jehovah hath given thee to-day into [my] hand, and I have not been willing to put forth my hand against the anointed of Jehovah,

²⁴Zvino tarirai, upenyu bwenyu sezvandakahukudza nhasi, saizvozvowo hupenyu hwangu ngahukudzwe naJehovha, iye andirwire pakutambudzika kwangu kose.

²⁴and lo, as thy soul hath been great this day in mine eyes, so is my soul great in the eyes of Jehovah, and He doth deliver me out of all distress.`

²⁵Ipapo Sauro akati kuna Dhavhidhi, Wakaropafadzwa iwe mwanangu Dhavhidhi; uchava nesimba, uye uchakunda kwazvo. Naizvozvo Dhavhidhi akaenda hake, naSauro akadzokera kumusha kwake.

²⁵And Saul saith unto David, `Blessed [art] thou, my son David, also working thou dost work, and also prevailing thou dost prevail.` And David goeth on his way, and Saul hath turned back to his place.