1 D avid fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said to Jonathan, What have I done? Of what am I guilty? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?

And David fleeth from Naioth in Ramah, and cometh, and saith before Jonathan, `What have I done? what mine iniquity? and what my sin before thy father, that he is seeking my life?'

2 J onathan said, God forbid! You shall not die. My father does nothing great or small but what he tells me. And why should hide this thing from me? It is not so.

And he saith to him, `Far be it! thou dost not die; lo, my father doth not do anything great or small and doth not uncover mine ear; and wherefore doth my father hide from me this thing? this is not.'

3 B ut David replied, Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved. But truly as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.

And David sweareth again, and saith, `Thy father hath certainly known that I have found grace in thine eyes, and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved; and yet, Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, but -- as a step between me and death.'

4 T hen Jonathan said to David, Whatever you desire, I will do for you.

And Jonathan saith to David, `What doth thy soul say? -- and I do it for thee.'

5 D avid said to Jonathan, Tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit at the table with the king; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening.

And David saith unto Jonathan, `Lo, the new moon to-morrow; and I do certainly sit with the king to eat; and thou hast sent me away, and I have been hidden in a field till the third evening;

6 I f your father misses me at all, 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.

if thy father at all look after me, and thou hast said, David asked earnestly of me to run to Beth-Lehem his city, for a sacrifice of the days there for all the family.

7 I f he says, All right, then it will be well with your servant; but if he is angry, then be sure that evil is determined by him.

If thus he say: Good; peace for thy servant; and if it be very displeasing to him -- know that the evil hath been determined by him;

8 T herefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought into a covenant of the Lord with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?

and thou hast done kindness, to thy servant, for into a covenant of Jehovah thou hast brought thy servant with thee; -- and if there is in me iniquity, put thou me to death; and unto thy father, why is this -- thou dost bring me in?'

9 A nd Jonathan said, Far be it from you! If I knew that evil was determined for you by my father, would I not tell you?

And Jonathan saith, `Far be it from thee! for I certainly do not know that the evil hath been determined by my father to come upon thee, and I do not declare it to thee.'

10 T hen said David to Jonathan, Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?

And David saith unto Jonathan, `Who doth declare to me? or what thy father doth answer thee sharply?'

11 J onathan said, Come, let us go into the field. So they went into the field.

And Jonathan saith unto David, `Come, and we go out into the field;' and they go out both of them into the field.

12 J onathan said to David, The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness. When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well inclined toward David, and I do not send and let you know it,

And Jonathan saith unto David, `Jehovah, God of Israel -- when I search my father, about time to-morrow the third, and lo, good towards David, and I do not then send unto thee, and have uncovered thine ear --

13 T he Lord do so, and much more, to Jonathan. But if it please my father to do you harm, then I will disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father.

thus doth Jehovah do to Jonathan, and thus doth He add; when the evil concerning thee is good to my father, then I have uncovered thine ear, and sent thee away, and thou hast gone in peace, and Jehovah is with thee, as he was with my father;

14 W hile I am still alive you shall not only show me the loving-kindness of the Lord, so that I die not,

and not only while I am alive dost thou do with me the kindness of Jehovah, and I die not,

15 B ut also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever—no, not even when the Lord has cut off every enemy of David from the face of the earth.

but thou dost not cut off thy kindness from my house unto the age, nor in Jehovah's cutting off the enemies of David, each one from off the face of the ground.'

16 S o Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, And the Lord will require that this covenant be kept at the hands of David’s enemies.

And Jonathan covenanteth with the house of David, and Jehovah hath sought from the hand of the enemies of David;

17 A nd Jonathan caused David to swear again by his love for him, for Jonathan loved him as he loved his own life.

and Jonathan addeth to cause David to swear, because he loveth him, for with the love of his own soul he hath loved him.

18 T hen Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the New Moon festival; and you will be missed, for your seat will be empty.

And Jonathan saith to him, `To-morrow new moon, and thou hast been looked after, for thy seat is looked after;

19 O n the third day you will go quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain by the stone Ezel.

and on the third day thou dost certainly come down, and hast come in unto the place where thou wast hidden in the day of the work, and hast remained near the stone Ezel.

20 A nd I will shoot three arrows on the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.

`And I shoot three of the arrows at the side, sending out for myself at a mark;

21 A nd I will send a lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them—then you are to come, for it is safe for you and there is no danger, as the Lord lives.

and lo, I send the youth: Go, find the arrows. If I at all say to the youth, Lo, the arrows on this side of thee -- take them, -- then come thou, for peace for thee, and there is nothing; Jehovah liveth.

22 B ut if I say to the youth, Look, the arrows are beyond you—then go, for the Lord has sent you away.

And if thus I say to the young man, Lo, the arrows beyond thee, -- go, for Jehovah hath sent thee away;

23 A nd as touching the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever.

as to the thing which we have spoken, I and thou, lo, Jehovah between me and thee -- unto the age.'

24 S o David hid himself in the field, and when the New Moon came, the king sat down to eat food.

And David is hidden in the field, and it is the new moon, and the king sitteth down by the food to eat,

25 T he king sat, as at other times, on his seat by the wall, and Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.

and the king sitteth on his seat, as time by time, on a seat by the wall, and Jonathan riseth, and Abner sitteth at the side of Saul, and David's place is looked after.

26 Y et Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, Something has befallen him and he is not clean—surely he is not clean.

And Saul hath not spoken anything on that day, for he said, `It an accident; he is not clean -- surely not clean.'

27 B ut on the morrow, the second day after the new moon, David’s place was empty; and Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?

And it cometh to pass on the second morrow of the new moon, that David's place is looked after, and Saul saith unto Jonathan his son, `Wherefore hath the son of Jesse not come in, either yesterday or to-day, unto the food?'

28 A nd Jonathan answered, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.

And Jonathan answereth Saul, `David hath been earnestly asked of me unto Beth-Lehem,

29 H e said, Let me go, I pray, for our family holds a sacrifice in the city and my brother commanded me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers. That is why he has not come to the king’s table.

and he saith, Send me away, I pray thee, for a family sacrifice we have in the city, and my brother himself hath given command to me, and now, if I have found grace in thine eyes, let me go away, I pray thee, and see my brethren; therefore he hath not come unto the table of the king.'

30 T hen Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan and he said to him, You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do not I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother who bore you?

And the anger of Saul burneth against Jonathan, and he saith to him, `Son of a perverse rebellious woman! have I not known that thou art fixing on the son of Jesse to thy shame, and to the shame of the nakedness of thy mother?

31 F or as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, you shall not be established nor shall your kingdom. So now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.

for all the days that the son of Jesse liveth on the ground thou art not established, thou and thy kingdom; and now, send and bring him unto me, for he a son of death.'

32 J onathan answered Saul his father, Why should he be killed? What has he done?

And Jonathan answereth Saul his father, and saith unto him, `Why is he put to death? what hath he done?'

33 B ut Saul cast his spear at him to smite him, by which Jonathan knew that his father had determined to kill David.

And Saul casteth the javelin at him to smite him, and Jonathan knoweth that it hath been determined by his father to put David to death.

34 S o Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food that second day of the month, for he grieved for David because his father had disgraced him.

And Jonathan riseth from the table in the heat of anger, and hath not eaten food on the second day of the new moon, for he hath been grieved for David, for his father put him to shame.

35 I n the morning Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him.

And it cometh to pass in the morning, that Jonathan goeth out into the field for the appointment with David, and a little youth with him.

36 A nd he said to his lad, Run, find the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

And he saith to his youth, `Run, find, I pray thee, the arrows which I am shooting;' the youth is running, and he hath shot the arrow, causing to pass over him.

37 W hen the lad came to the place where Jonathan had shot the arrow, Jonathan called to, Is not the arrow beyond you?

And the youth cometh unto the place of the arrow which Jonathan hath shot, and Jonathan calleth after the youth, and saith, `Is not the arrow beyond thee?'

38 A nd Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not! The lad gathered up the arrow and came to his master.

and Jonathan calleth after the youth, `Speed, haste, stand not;' and Jonathan's youth gathereth the arrows, and cometh unto his lord.

39 B ut the lad knew nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

And the youth hath not known anything, only Jonathan and David knew the word.

40 J onathan gave his weapons to his lad and told him, Go, carry them to the city.

And Jonathan giveth his weapons unto the youth whom he hath, and saith to him, `Go, carry into the city.'

41 A nd as soon as the lad was gone, David arose from beside the heap of stones and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another until David got control of himself.

The youth hath gone, and David hath risen from Ezel, at the south, and falleth on his face to the earth, and boweth himself three times, and they kiss one another, and they weep one with another, till David exerted himself;

42 A nd Jonathan told David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and yours forever. And Jonathan arose and departed into the city.

and Jonathan saith to David, `Go in peace, in that we have sworn -- we two -- in the name of Jehovah, saying, Jehovah is between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed -- unto the age;' and he riseth and goeth; and Jonathan hath gone in to the city.