1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before
Jonathan, What have I done? what is my iniquity? and what is my sin before
your father, that he seeks my life? 2 He said to him, Far from it; you
shall not die: behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that
he discloses it to me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? it
is not so. 3 David swore moreover, and said, Your father knows well that I
have found favor in your eyes; and he says, Don’t let Jonathan know this,
lest he be grieved: but truly as Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, there
is but a step between me and death. 4 Then said Jonathan to David,
Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you. 5 David said to
Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with
the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field to the
third day at even. 6 If your father miss me at all, then say, David
earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; for it
is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 7 If he say thus, It is
well; your servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, then know that evil
is determined by him. 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant; for you
have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you: but if there be
in me iniquity, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?
9 Jonathan said, Far be it from you; for if I should at all know that evil
were determined by my father to come on you, then wouldn’t I tell you that?
10 Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me if perchance your father
answer you roughly? 11 Jonathan said to David, Come, and let us go out
into the field. They went out both of them into the field. 12 Jonathan
said to David, Yahweh, the God of Israel, be witness: when I have
sounded my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold,
if there be good toward David, shall I not then send to you, and disclose it
to you? 13 Yahweh do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my
father to do you evil, if I don’t disclose it to you, and send you away, that
you may go in peace: and Yahweh be with you, as he has been with my father.
14 You shall not only while yet I live show me the loving kindness of
Yahweh, that I not die; 15 but also you shall not cut off your kindness
from my house forever; no, not when Yahweh has cut off the enemies of David
everyone from the surface of the earth. 16 So Jonathan made a covenant
with the house of David, saying, Yahweh will require it at the hand
of David’s enemies. 17 Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love
that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. 18 Then
Jonathan said to him, Tomorrow is the new moon: and you will be missed,
because your seat will be empty. 19 When you have stayed three days, you
shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you did hide yourself when
the business was in hand, and shall remain by the stone Ezel. 20 I will
shoot three arrows on the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.
21 Behold, I will send the boy, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I
tell the boy, Behold, the arrows are on this side of you; take them, and
come; for there is peace to you and no hurt, as Yahweh lives. 22 But if I
say thus to the boy, Behold, the arrows are beyond you; go your way; for
Yahweh has sent you away. 23 As touching the matter which you and I have
spoken of, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever. 24 So David hid
himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down
to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on the
seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul’s side: but
David’s place was empty. 26 Nevertheless Saul didn’t say anything that
day: for he thought, Something has happened to him. He is not clean. Surely he
is not clean. 27 It happened on the next day after the new moon, which
was the second day, that David’s place was empty: and Saul said
to Jonathan his son, Why doesn’t the son of Jesse come to meat, neither
yesterday, nor today? 28 Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked
leave of me to go to Bethlehem: 29 and he said, Please let me go, for our
family has a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he has commanded me
to be there: and now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get
away, I pray you, and see my brothers. Therefore he is not come to the king’s
table. 30 Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to
him, You son of a perverse rebellious woman, don’t I know that you have
chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s
nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you
shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Therefore now send and bring him
to me, for he shall surely die.
32 Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be
put to death? What has he done?”
33 Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that
his father was determined to put David to death. 34 So Jonathan arose from
the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month; for
he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. 35 It
happened in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time
appointed with David, and a little boy with him. 36 He said to his boy,
Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. As the boy ran, he shot an arrow
beyond him. 37 When the boy was come to the place of the arrow which
Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, Isn’t the arrow
beyond you? 38 Jonathan cried after the boy, Go fast! Hurry! Don’t delay!
Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. 39 But the
boy didn’t know anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40 Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, Go, carry them
to the city. 41 As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of a
place toward the South, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed
himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another,
until David exceeded. 42 Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, because we
have sworn both of us in the name of Yahweh, saying, Yahweh shall be between
me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever. He arose and
departed: and Jonathan went into the city.
World English Bible - Public Domain |
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