1 One day he said, “Samuel, I've rejected Saul, and I refuse to let him be king any longer. Stop feeling sad about him. Put some olive oil in a small container and go visit a man named Jesse, who lives in Bethlehem. I've chosen one of his sons to be my king.”
2 Samuel answered, “If I do that, Saul will find out and have me killed.”
“Take a calf with you,” the Lord replied. “Tell everyone that you've come to offer it as a sacrifice to me, 3 then invite Jesse to the sacrifice. When I show you which one of his sons I have chosen, pour the olive oil on his head.”
4 Samuel did what the Lord told him and went to Bethlehem. The town leaders went to meet him, but they were terribly afraid and asked, “Is this a friendly visit?”
5 “Yes, it is!” Samuel answered. “I've come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Get yourselves ready to take part in the sacrifice and come with me.” Samuel also invited Jesse and his sons to come to the sacrifice, and he got them ready to take part.
6 When Jesse and his sons arrived, Samuel noticed Jesse's oldest son, Eliab. “He has to be the one the Lord has chosen,” Samuel said to himself.
7 But the Lord told him, “Samuel, don't think Eliab is the one just because he's tall and handsome. He isn't the one I've chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.”
8 Jesse told his son Abinadab to go over to Samuel, but Samuel said, “No, the Lord hasn't chosen him.”
9 Next, Jesse sent his son Shammah to him, and Samuel said, “The Lord hasn't chosen him either.”
10 One by one, Jesse told all seven of his sons to go over to Samuel. Finally, Samuel said, “Jesse, the Lord hasn't chosen any of these young men. 11 Do you have any other sons?”
“Yes,” Jesse answered. “My youngest son David is out taking care of the sheep.”
“Send for him!” Samuel said. “We won't start the ceremony until he gets here.”
12 Jesse sent for David. He was a healthy, good-looking boy with a sparkle in his eyes. As soon as David came, the Lord told Samuel, “He's the one! Get up and pour the olive oil on his head.”
13 Samuel poured the oil on David's head while his brothers watched. At that moment, the Spirit of the Lord took control of David and stayed with him from then on.
Samuel returned home to Ramah.
David Plays the Harp for Saul
14 The Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord was terrifying him. 15 “It's an evil spirit from God that's frightening you,” Saul's officials told him. 16 “Your Majesty, let us go and look for someone who is good at playing the harp. He can play for you whenever the evil spirit from God bothers you, and you'll feel better.”
17 “All right,” Saul answered. “Find me someone who is good at playing the harp and bring him here.”
18 “A man named Jesse who lives in Bethlehem has a son who can play the harp,” one official said. “He's a brave warrior, he's good-looking, he can speak well, and the Lord is with him.”
19 Saul sent a message to Jesse: “Tell your son David to leave your sheep and come here to me.”
20 Jesse loaded a donkey with bread and a goatskin full of wine, then he told David to take the donkey and a young goat to Saul. 21 David went to Saul and started working for him. Saul liked him so much that he put David in charge of carrying his weapons. 22 Not long after this, Saul sent another message to Jesse: “I really like David. Please let him stay with me.”
23 Whenever the evil spirit from God bothered Saul, David would play his harp. Saul would relax and feel better, and the evil spirit would go away.
Yaawe ye Dawuda tomboŋ ka a ke mansa ti
1 Yaawe* ko Samuweli ye ko, “I be tu la i miira la Sawulu la kuwo la fo waati jumaa le? Ŋa a bondi Banisirayilankoolu la mansayaa to le. Bari saayiŋ tuloo fandi i la binoo kono, i ye taa Betilehemu. Taa kewo yaa jee, meŋ too mu Yese ti, kaatu a dinkewolu kono, ŋa moo kiliŋ ne tomboŋ, ka a ke mansa ti.”
2 Samuweli ye a ñininkaa ko, “M be wo ke la ñaadii le? Niŋ Sawulu ye a moyi, a be m faa la le.”
Yaawe ye a jaabi ko, “Ninsiriŋo taa, i niŋ a ye taa, i ye a fo ko, i naata le ka beeyaŋ sadaa* bo Yaawe ye. 3 Yese buuñaatoo kumandi sadaa to, aduŋ m be a yitandi la i la le, i ñanta meŋ ke la. Ŋa moo meŋ taamanseeri i ye, i ñanta tuloo boŋ na wo le kuŋo to, ka a yitandi ko, ŋa ate le tomboŋ.”
4 Yaawe ye meŋ fo Samuweli ye, a ye wo le ke. Kabiriŋ a futata Betilehemu saatewo to, alifaalu bee jarajaratoo le taata a benduŋ. Ì ye a ñininkaa ko, “Fo i la siloo mu kayira le ti baŋ?”
5 A ye ì jaabi ko, “Haa! N naata beeyaŋ sadaa le bo Yaawe ye. Ali ali faŋolu seneyandi, ŋà taa ñoo la.” A ye a fo Yese fanaa niŋ a dinkewolu ye le, fo ì si ì faŋolu seneyandi, kaatu a ye ì buuñaatoo kumandi sadaaboo to le.
6 Kabiriŋ ì futata, Samuweli ye Yese dinkewo Eliyabu je, bituŋ a ko a faŋo ye ko, “Tooñaa-tooñaa, ñiŋ keendiŋo meŋ be looriŋ Yaawe ñaatiliŋo la, a ye wo le tomboŋ.” 7 Bari Yaawe ko a ye ko, “Kana a la jamfoo niŋ a la ñiiñaa juubee. N te ate ke la mansa ti, kaatu nte buka kiitiyo teyi ko hadamadiŋolu ka a ke ñaameŋ. Hadamadiŋolu ka moo muluŋo le juubee, bari nte ka moo sondomoo le juubee.”
8 Wo to le Yese ye a dinkewo Abinadabu kumandi, a ye a samba Samuweli yaa. Bari Samuweli ko, “Hanii, Yaawe maŋ ate fanaa tomboŋ.” 9 Bituŋ Yese ye Samma samba. Samuweli ko, “Hanii, Yaawe maŋ ate fanaa tomboŋ.” 10 Yese ye a dinkee woorowuloo bee samba naŋ Samuweli ye wo le ñaama. Aduŋ Samuweli ko a ye ko, “Hanii! Yaawe maŋ ñinnu doodoo tomboŋ.”
11 Bituŋ a ye Yese ñininkaa ko, “Fo i ye ñiŋ dinkewolu dammaa le soto baŋ?”
Yese ye a jaabi ko, “Dindimmaa be jee le, bari a be saajiyolu le kanta kaŋ.”
Samuweli ko, “Kiilaa kii a ye, ǹ te sii la ka domoroo ke, fo niŋ a naata.” 12 Wo to le a ye kiilaa kii, ka taa a kumandi. Kabiriŋ a naata, moolu ye a je, a be koyiriŋ ne, a ñaakesoolu niŋ a muluŋo bee le ñiiñaata. Bituŋ Yaawe ko, “Wuli, i ye tuloo boŋ a kuŋo to, ŋa ate le tomboŋ.” 13 Bituŋ Samuweli ye binoo sika, a ye tuloo boŋ a kuŋo to a kotoolu ñaa la. Ka bo wo luŋo la, Yaawe la Nooroo jiita Dawuda kaŋ niŋ semboo la. Bituŋ Samuweli taata Rama.
Dawuda ye kontiŋo kosi Sawulu ye
14 Yaawe la Nooroo bota Sawulu bala, bituŋ Yaawe ye noora jawoo meŋ kii, jiita a kaŋ, wo ye a toorandi. 15 A la dookuulaalu ko a ye ko, “Ŋà a loŋ ne ko, Yaawe ye noora jawoo meŋ jindi i kaŋ, wo le ka i toorandi. 16 Alifaa, yaamaroo dii ǹ na, aduŋ m̀ be kewo ñini la le, meŋ ye kontiŋ kosoo noo. Bituŋ niŋ noora jawoo naata i kaŋ, keendiŋo ñiŋ si kontiŋo kosi, fo i si seyi i ñaama kotenke.”
17 Sawulu ko ì ye ko, “Ali keendiŋo ñini n ye, meŋ ye a noo kendeke, ali ye a samba naŋ.”
18 A la dookuulaa kiliŋ ye a jaabi ko, “Ŋa Yese dinkewo je le, meŋ be Betilehemu. Wo ye a loŋ ne, ì ka kontiŋo kosi ñaameŋ. Kee fatiŋo le mu, aduŋ kelelaa le fanaa mu. A ye diyaamoo noo baake le, kee ñiimaa le mu a ti. Aduŋ Yaawe be a fee le.”
19 Bituŋ Sawulu ye kiilaalu kii Yese yaa, ka a fo a ye ko, “I dinkewo Dawuda kii n ye naŋ, meŋ ka saajiyolu kanta.” 20 Wo to le Yese ye mbuuroo aniŋ sufuroo meŋ be faariŋ wayinoo* la taa, aniŋ baariŋo, a ye ì ke faloo koo to, a ye ì duŋ a dinkewo Dawuda bulu, ka ì ke Sawulu ye silafandoo ti. 21 Dawuda naata Sawulu yaa, ka dookuwo ke a ye. Sawulu ye a kanu baake le, bituŋ a ye a ke a la kelejooraŋolu sambalaa ti. 22 Sawulu ye kiilaa kii Yese ye ko, “Ŋa Dawuda kanu le. A ye sabati jaŋ ka n na dookuwo ke.” 23 Ka bo wo to, niŋ noora jawoo Alla ye meŋ jindi, naata Sawulu kaŋ doroŋ, Dawuda ka a la kontiŋo le taa, a ye a kosi a ye. Noora jawoo si taa, Sawulu si fisiyaa, aduŋ a si seyi a ñaama kotenke.
