OET interlinear 1SA 26:20

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

אַל־יִפֹּ֤ל דָּֽמִ⁠י֙ אַ֔רְצָ⁠ה

not fall blood_of,my towards=land

David is using the term blood by association to mean his death, since as a foreigner in another country he would be at risk of being killed violently. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: [do not let me die a violent death]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

מִ⁠נֶּ֖גֶד פְּנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה

from,near face/surface_of YHWH

David is using the term face by association to mean Yahweh’s presence. He is referring to the land of Israel, where Yahweh is worshiped. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: [away from the presence of Yahweh] or [in some distant country where the people do not worship Yahweh]

Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

כִּֽי

that/for/because/then/when

Here the word For introduces not a reason but an explanation. Alternate translation: [You can safely agree to this because]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

אֶת־פַּרְעֹ֣שׁ אֶחָ֔ד

DOM flea one(ms)

David is speaking as if he were a flea, a small, insignificant insect. See how you translated the similar phrase in [24:14](../24/14.md). Alternate translation: [one man, who is insignificant]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

כַּ⁠אֲשֶׁ֛ר יִרְדֹּ֥ף הַ⁠קֹּרֵ֖א בֶּ⁠הָרִֽים

just=as hunts the,partridge in/on/at/with,mountains

The point of this comparison is that just as it would not be worthwhile for a person to pursue a partridge once it had fled into the mountains, since whole flocks of partridges lived in fields where people could catch them easily, so the pursuit of one flea would not justify the attention and effort of a king and his army. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: [just as it would be pointless for someone to pursue a partridge in the mountains]

Note 6 topic: translate-unknown

הַ⁠קֹּרֵ֖א

the,partridge

A partridge is a medium-sized bird that people of this culture hunted for food. If your readers would not be familiar with what a partridge is, in your translation you could use the name of a similar bird that your readers would recognize, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: [a game bird] or [a wild bird]