1 T hen David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity, and 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 S o Jonathan said to him, “By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father 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 T hen David took an oath again, and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Do not let 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 S o Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.”

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

5 A nd David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until 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 permission of me that he might run over 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 thus: ‘ It is well,’ your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, 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 you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity 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 B ut Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then 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 David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me, or what 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 A nd Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out 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 T hen Jonathan said to David: “The Lord God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you,

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 m ay the Lord do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And 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 A nd you shall not only show me the kindness of the Lord while I still live, that I may not die;

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

15 b ut you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the Lord has cut off every one of the enemies 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, “Let the Lord require it at the hand 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 N ow Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

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; and you will be missed, because 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 A nd when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; 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 T hen I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target;

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

21 a nd there 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; get them and come’—then, as the Lord lives, there is safety for you and no harm.

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 thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’—go your way, 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 for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the Lord be 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 T hen David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast.

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

25 N ow the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, 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 N evertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean.”

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

27 A nd it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, 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 S o Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem.

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

29 A nd he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ Therefore 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 aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?

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 on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, 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 A nd Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “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 T hen Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father 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 the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully.

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 A nd so it was, in the morning, that 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 T hen he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” 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 had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “ 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 out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back 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 did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter.

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

40 T hen Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to 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 s soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so.

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 T hen Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘May the Lord be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went 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.