| 1 | And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? |
| 2 | And he said unto him, God forbid; you shall not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so. |
| 3 | And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in your eyes; and he said, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the Lord lives, and as thy soul lives, there is but a step between me and death. |
| 4 | Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desires, I will even do it for thee. |
| 5 | And David said unto 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 unto the third day at even. |
| 6 | If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. |
| 7 | If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him. |
| 8 | Therefore you shall deal kindly with thy servant; for you have brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest you bring me to thy father? |
| 9 | And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? |
| 10 | Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer you roughly? |
| 11 | And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. |
| 12 | And Jonathan said unto David, O Lord God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about tomorrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee; |
| 13 | The Lord do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do you evil, then I will shew it thee, and send you away, that you may go in peace: and the Lord be with thee, as he has been with my father. |
| 14 | And you shall not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not: |
| 15 | But also you shall not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the Lord has cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. |
| 16 | So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies. |
| 17 | And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. |
| 18 | Then Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the new moon: and you shall be missed, because thy seat will be empty. |
| 19 | And when you have stayed three days, then you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shall remain by the stone Ezel. |
| 20 | And I will shoot three arrows on the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. |
| 21 | And, behold, I will send a boy, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the boy, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the Lord lives. |
| 22 | But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the Lord has sent you away. |
| 23 | And as touching the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord be between you and me for ever. |
| 24 | So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. |
| 25 | And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty. |
| 26 | Nevertheless Saul spoke not any thing that day: for he thought, Something has befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. |
| 27 | And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day? |
| 28 | And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem: |
| 29 | And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; 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 favour in your eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table. |
| 30 | Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, You son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness? |
| 31 | For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the ground, you shall not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die. |
| 32 | And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what has he done? |
| 33 | And Saul cast a javelin at him to kill him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. |
| 34 | So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. |
| 35 | And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him. |
| 36 | And he said unto his boy, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. |
| 37 | And when the boy was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? |
| 38 | And Jonathan cried after the boy, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. |
| 39 | And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life? |
| 40 | And he said unto him, God forbid; you shall not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so. |
| 41 | And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in your eyes; and he said, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the Lord lives, and as thy soul lives, there is but a step between me and death. |
| 42 | Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desires, I will even do it for thee. |
| 43 | And David said unto 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 unto the third day at even. |
| 44 | If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. |
| 45 | If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him. |
| 46 | Therefore you shall deal kindly with thy servant; for you have brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest you bring me to thy father? |
| 47 | And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee? |
| 48 | Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer you roughly? |
| 49 | And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field. |
| 50 | And Jonathan said unto David, O Lord God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about tomorrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee; |
| 51 | The Lord do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do you evil, then I will shew it thee, and send you away, that you may go in peace: and the Lord be with thee, as he has been with my father. |
| 52 | And you shall not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not: |
| 53 | But also you shall not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the Lord has cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth. |
| 54 | So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the Lord even require it at the hand of David's enemies. |
| 55 | And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. |
| 56 | Then Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the new moon: and you shall be missed, because thy seat will be empty. |
| 57 | And when you have stayed three days, then you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shall remain by the stone Ezel. |
| 58 | And I will shoot three arrows on the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. |
| 59 | And, behold, I will send a boy, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the boy, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the Lord lives. |
| 60 | But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the Lord has sent you away. |
| 61 | And as touching the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord be between you and me for ever. |
| 62 | So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. |
| 63 | And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty. |
| 64 | Nevertheless Saul spoke not any thing that day: for he thought, Something has befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean. |
| 65 | And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day? |
| 66 | And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem: |
| 67 | And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; 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 favour in your eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table. |
| 68 | Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, You son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness? |
| 69 | For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the ground, you shall not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die. |
| 70 | And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what has he done? |
| 71 | And Saul cast a javelin at him to kill him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David. |
| 72 | So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. |
| 73 | And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him. |
| 74 | And he said unto his boy, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. |
| 75 | And when the boy was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee? |
| 76 | And Jonathan cried after the boy, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. |
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