^{1 Ref} And David fleeth from Naioth in Ramah, and cometh, and saith before Jonathan, `What have I done? what `is' mine iniquity? and what my sin before thy father, that he is seeking my life?'

^{2 Ref} 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 `thing' is not.'

^{3 Ref} 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 And Jonathan saith to David, `What doth thy soul say? -- and I do it for thee.'

^{5 Ref} And David saith unto Jonathan, `Lo, the new moon `is' 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 Ref} 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 `is' there for all the family.

^{7 Ref} If thus he say: Good; peace `is' for thy servant; and if it be very displeasing to him -- know that the evil hath been determined by him;

^{8 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} And David saith unto Jonathan, `Who doth declare to me? or what `if' thy father doth answer thee sharply?'

¹¹ And Jonathan saith unto David, `Come, and we go out into the field;' and they go out both of them into the field.

^{12 Ref} And Jonathan saith unto David, `Jehovah, God of Israel -- when I search my father, about `this' time to-morrow `or' the third `day', and lo, good `is' towards David, and I do not then send unto thee, and have uncovered thine ear --

^{13 Ref} 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 Ref} and not only while I am alive dost thou do with me the kindness of Jehovah, and I die not,

^{15 Ref} 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 Ref} And Jonathan covenanteth with the house of David, and Jehovah hath sought `it' from the hand of the enemies of David;

^{17 Ref} 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 Ref} And Jonathan saith to him, `To-morrow `is' new moon, and thou hast been looked after, for thy seat is looked after;

^{19 Ref} 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 `And I shoot three of the arrows at the side, sending out for myself at a mark;

^{21 Ref} and lo, I send the youth: Go, find the arrows. If I at all say to the youth, Lo, the arrows `are' on this side of thee -- take them, -- then come thou, for peace `is' for thee, and there is nothing; Jehovah liveth.

^{22 Ref} And if thus I say to the young man, Lo, the arrows `are' beyond thee, -- go, for Jehovah hath sent thee away;

^{23 Ref} as to the thing which we have spoken, I and thou, lo, Jehovah `is' between me and thee -- unto the age.'

^{24 Ref} And David is hidden in the field, and it is the new moon, and the king sitteth down by the food to eat,

^{25 Ref} 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 Ref} And Saul hath not spoken anything on that day, for he said, `It `is' an accident; he is not clean -- surely not clean.'

^{27 Ref} 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 Ref} And Jonathan answereth Saul, `David hath been earnestly asked of me unto Beth-Lehem,

^{29 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 `is' a son of death.'

^{32 Ref} And Jonathan answereth Saul his father, and saith unto him, `Why is he put to death? what hath he done?'

^{33 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} And it cometh to pass in the morning, that Jonathan goeth out into the field for the appointment with David, and a little youth `is' with him.

^{36 Ref} 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 `it' to pass over him.

^{37 Ref} 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 Ref} and Jonathan calleth after the youth, `Speed, haste, stand not;' and Jonathan's youth gathereth the arrows, and cometh unto his lord.

³⁹ And the youth hath not known anything, only Jonathan and David knew the word.

⁴⁰ And Jonathan giveth his weapons unto the youth whom he hath, and saith to him, `Go, carry into the city.'

^{41 Ref} 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 Ref} 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.

^{1 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 evening.

^{6 Ref} 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 Ref} If he says, 'It is well;' your servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, then know that evil is determined by him.

^{8 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} You shall not only while yet I live show me the loving kindness of Yahweh, that I not die;

^{15 Ref} 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 Ref} So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, [saying], Yahweh will require it at the hand of David's enemies.

^{17 Ref} 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 Ref} Then Jonathan said to him, Tomorrow is the new moon: and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

^{19 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} But if I say thus to the boy, Behold, the arrows are beyond you; go your way; for Yahweh has sent you away.

^{23 Ref} As touching the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever.

^{24 Ref} So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat food.

^{25 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem:

^{29 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"

^{33 Ref} Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.

^{34 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} He said to his boy, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

^{37 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Ref} 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.

^{1 Ref} And David went in flight from Naioth in Ramah and came to Jonathan and said, What have I done? What is my crime and my sin against your father that he is attempting to take my life?

^{2 Ref} And he said to him, Far be the thought: you will not be put to death: see, my father does nothing, great or small, without giving me word of it: would he keep this secret from me? It is not so.

^{3 Ref} But David took his oath again and said, Your father sees that I am dear to you; so he says to himself, Let Jonathan have no idea of this, for it will be a grief to him; but as the Lord is living, and as your soul is living, there is only a step between me and death.

⁴ Then Jonathan said to David, Whatever your desire is, I will do it for you.

^{5 Ref} And David said to Jonathan, Tomorrow is the new moon, and I will not be seated with the king at his table: but let me go to a safe place in the country till the evening.

^{6 Ref} And if your father takes note of the fact that I am away, say, David made a request to me for himself that he might go to Beth-lehem, to his town: for it is the time when his family make their offering year by year.

^{7 Ref} If he says, It is well, your servant will be at peace: but if he is angry, then it will be clear to you that he has an evil purpose in mind against me.

^{8 Ref} So, then, be kind to your servant; for you have been united with your servant in an agreement made before the Lord: but if there is any wrongdoing in me, put me to death yourself; why take me to your father?

^{9 Ref} And Jonathan said, Do not have such a thought: for if I saw that my father was designing evil against you, would I not give you word of it?

^{10 Ref} Then David said to Jonathan, Who will give me word if your father gives you a rough answer?

¹¹ And Jonathan said to David, Come, let us go out into the country. And the two of them went out together into the open country.

^{12 Ref} And Jonathan said to David, May the Lord, the God of Israel, be witness; when I have had a chance of talking to my father, about this time tomorrow, if his feelings to David are good, will I not send and give you the news?

^{13 Ref} May the Lord's punishment be on Jonathan, if it is my father's pleasure to do you evil and I do not give you word of it and send you away so that you may go in peace: and may the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father.

^{14 Ref} And may you, while I am still living, O may you be kind to me, as the Lord is kind, and keep me from death!

^{15 Ref} And let not your mercy ever be cut off from my family, even when the Lord has sent destruction on all David's haters, cutting them off from the face of the earth.

^{16 Ref} And if it comes about that the name of Jonathan is cut off from the family of David, the Lord will make David responsible.

^{17 Ref} And Jonathan again took an oath to David, because of his love for him: for David was as dear to him as his very soul.

^{18 Ref} Then Jonathan said to him, Tomorrow is the new moon: and it will be seen that you are not present, for there will be no one in your seat.

^{19 Ref} And on the third day it will be specially noted, and you will go to the place where you took cover when the other business was in hand, waiting by the hill over there.

²⁰ And on the third day I will send arrows from my bow against its side as if at a mark.

^{21 Ref} And I will send my boy to have a look for the arrow. And if I say to him, See, the arrow is on this side of you; take it up! then you may come; for there is peace for you and no evil, by the living Lord.

^{22 Ref} But if I say to the boy, See, the arrow has gone past you: then go on your way, for the Lord has sent you away.

^{23 Ref} As for what you and I were talking of, the Lord is between you and me for ever.

^{24 Ref} So David went to a secret place in the country: and when the new moon came, the king took his place at the feast.

^{25 Ref} And the king took his seat, as at other times, by the wall: and Jonathan was in front, and Abner was seated by Saul's side, but there was no one in David's seat.

^{26 Ref} But Saul said nothing that day, for his thought was, Something has taken place making him unclean; it is clear that he is not clean.

^{27 Ref} And on the day after the new moon, that is, the second day, there was still no one in David's seat: and Saul said to his son Jonathan, Why has the son of Jesse not come to the feast yesterday or today?

^{28 Ref} And answering Saul, Jonathan said, He made a request to me that he might go to Beth-lehem,

^{29 Ref} Saying, Our family is making an offering in the town, and my brothers have given me orders to be there: so now, if I have grace in your eyes, let me go away and see my brothers. This is why he has not come to the king's table.

^{30 Ref} Then Saul was moved to wrath against Jonathan, and he said to him, You son of an evil and uncontrolled woman, have I not seen how you have given your love to the son of Jesse, to your shame and the shame of your mother?

^{31 Ref} For while the son of Jesse is living on the earth, your position is unsafe and your kingdom is in danger. So make him come here to me, for it is certainly right for him to be put to death.

^{32 Ref} And Jonathan, answering his father Saul, said to him, Why is he to be put to death? What has he done?

^{33 Ref} And Saul, pointing his spear at him, made an attempt to give him a wound: from which it was clear to Jonathan that his father's purpose was to put David to death.

^{34 Ref} So Jonathan got up from the table, burning with wrath, and took no part in the feast the second day of the month, being full of grief for David because his father had put shame on him.

^{35 Ref} Now in the morning, Jonathan went out into the fields at the time he had said to David, and he had a little boy with him.

^{36 Ref} And he said to the boy, Go and get the arrow I let loose from my bow. And while the boy was running, he sent an arrow past him.

^{37 Ref} And when the boy came to the place where the arrow was, Jonathan, crying out after the boy, said, Has it not gone past you?

^{38 Ref} And Jonathan went on crying out after the boy, Be quick, do not keep waiting about, go quickly. And Jonathan's boy got the arrow and came back to his master.

³⁹ But the boy had no idea what was going on; only Jonathan and David had knowledge of it.

⁴⁰ And Jonathan gave his bow and arrows to the boy, and said to him, Take these and go back to the town.

^{41 Ref} And when the boy had gone, David came from his secret place by the hill, and falling to the earth went down on his face three times: and they gave one another a kiss, weeping together, till David's grief was the greater.

^{42 Ref} And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, for we two have taken an oath, in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord will be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed for ever. Then David went away, and Jonathan went into the town.