< 撒母耳記上 20 >

1 達味由辣瑪納逃走,去見約納堂說:「我作了什麼,有什麼過錯,哪裏得了你父親,他竟要害我的性命﹖」
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 約納堂回答他說:「決沒有這回事,你決死不了。看,我父親無論作什麼大事小事,沒有不告訴我的;為什麼我父親偏要對我隱瞞這事呢﹖決不會的! 」
And he said unto him, Far from it; thou shalt not die: behold, my father doeth nothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.
3 達味卻對他說:「你父親明知我在你眼裏得寵,所以他想:不要要約納堂知道這事,免得他悲傷。總之,我指著永生的上主敢在你面前發誓:我與死之間只差一步! 」
And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father knoweth well that I have found favor in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.
4 約納堂對達味說:「你願意我為你作什麼﹖」
Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.
5 達味回答約納堂說:「看,明天是月朔,我原該和君王同席吃飯,但你讓我走,藏在田野間,直到第三丌晚上。
And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow 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 如果你父親發覺我不在,你應說:達味懇求我,讓他逃回白冷本城,因為在那裏全族舉行年祭。
If thy father miss me at all, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.
7 他若說:好! 你的僕人就平安無事;他若勃然大怒,你就該知道:他已決意行惡。
If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be wroth, then know that evil is determined by him.
8 望你仁慈對待你僕人! 因你使你因上主的名與你訂了盟約;假若我有罪惡,你可殺我,為何偏要將我交給你父親呢﹖」
Therefore deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of Jehovah with thee: but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?
9 約納堂答說:「千萬別這樣想! 如果我確實知道,我父親決意要加害你,豈有不告訴你的嗎﹖」
And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?
10 達味就問約納堂說:「若你父親嚴厲答覆你,誰來通知我﹖」
Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me if perchance thy father answer thee roughly?
11 約納堂對達味說:「來,我們往田間去」。二人就往田間去了。
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 約納堂對達味說:「上主,以色列的天主作證:明天或天這時候,我探得了我父親的意思,對達味有或否,我必派人來告訴你。
And Jonathan said unto David, Jehovah, the God of Israel, [be witness]: when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, [or] the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee?
13 倘若我父親願意加害你,我若不通知你,不放你走,使你平安離去,願上主這樣這樣加倍罰我約納堂! 願上主與你同在,有如曾與我父親同在一樣!
Jehovah do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not unto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and Jehovah be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
14 若我那時尚在人世,願你對我表示上主的仁慈;設若我死了,
And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the lovingkindness of Jehovah, that I die not;
15 願你不要由我家永遠撤消你的仁慈! 連當上主由地面上一一剷除達味的敵人時;
but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever; no, not when Jehovah hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.
16 若約納堂的名字被達味家族消滅了,願上主藉達味的仇人的手追究此案! 」
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, [saying], And Jehovah will require it at the hand of David’s enemies.
17 約納堂由於愛達味,再向他起了誓,因為他愛達味如愛自己的性命。
And 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 約納堂又對他說:「明日是月朔,因為占座位空著,人必注意你不在,
Then Jonathan said unto him, To-morrow is the new moon: and thou wilt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.
19 到第三天,人必更注意你不在;那麼,你要到你曾出事那日藏身的地方去,坐在那石堆旁邊。
And when thou hast stayed three days, thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.
20 到第三天,我要向石堆射箭,仿佛射靶。
And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.
21 看,我必打發一童僕去找箭,假如我我對童說:看,箭在你後面,拾回來吧! 你就可以出來,我指著永生的上主起誓:你必平安無事。
And, behold, I will send the lad, [saying], Go, find the arrows. If I say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, and come; for there is peace to thee and no hurt, as Jehovah liveth.
22 倘若我對童僕自己說:看,箭在你前面。你就走吧! 因為上主打發你走。
But if I say thus unto the boy, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way; for Jehovah hath sent thee away.
23 至於我和你現今所說的這話,有上主在我和你中間,永遠作證」。
And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, Jehovah is between thee and me for ever.
24 於是達味就去藏在田野間;到了月朔,君王入席吃飯。
So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat food.
25 君王照例靠著牆坐在自己的位上,約納堂坐在他對面,阿貝乃爾坐在撒烏耳旁邊,達味的地方空著。
And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul’s side: but David’s place was empty.
26 撒烏耳那天沒有說什麼,因為他想事情出於偶然,或許他染了不潔,還沒有自潔。
Nevertheless Saul spake not anything that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.
27 日,即初二日,達味的座位仍空著,撒烏耳就對兒子約納堂說:「為什麼葉瑟的兒子昨日沒有來赴宴,今日又沒有來﹖」
And it came to pass on the morrow after the new moon, [which was] the second [day], 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 約納堂答覆撒烏耳說:「達味懇求我許他往白冷去。
And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem:
29 他說:求你讓我去,因為在城裏我們要舉行族祭,我的兄弟定要我去;所以,假若我在你眼中獲寵,求你讓我去,容我得見我的兄弟;為此,他沒有來赴君王的筳席」。
and he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me [to be there]: and now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he is not come unto the king’s table.
30 撒烏耳對約納堂勃然大怒,對他說:「娼婦的兒子! 豈能我不知道你同葉瑟的兒子一夥,甚至羞辱你自己,又我羞辱你母親的私處嗎﹖
Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of a perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame, and unto the shame of thy mother’s nakedness?
31 你要知道,葉瑟的兒子活在世上一天,你連你的王位都不得穩當! 如今你差人去,把他給我抓來,因為他是該死的人」。
For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.
32 約納堂回答他父親撒烏耳說:「為什麼他該死﹖他作了什麼事﹖」
And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore should he be put to death? what hath he done?
33 撒烏耳就舉起槍來要刺死他,約納堂便明白他父親已決意要殺達味。
And Saul cast his spear at him to smite him; whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to put David to death.
34 約納堂就起來,氣憤憤地離開了筳席;初二那天,也沒有吃飯,因為他為達味擔憂,又因為他父親辱罵了自己。
So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no food the second day of the month; for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
35 次日清晨,約納堂按照他與達味的約會,往田間去了;有個童僕跟隨著他。
And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.
36 他對那童僕說:「跑去,找所放的箭! 」童僕往前跑時,他又向前放了一箭。
And he said unto his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
37 當僮僕來到約納堂所射到的地方,約納堂就在僮後面喊說:「箭不是在你前面嗎﹖」
And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?
38 約納堂又在僮僕後面喊說:「趕快跑去,不要站住! 」約納堂的僮僕就拾了箭,給主人拿來。
And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
39 那僮僕卻不知道是意思,只有約納堂和達味知道。
But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40 然後約納堂把自己的武器交給他的僕僮,向他說:「帶回城去吧! 」
And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.
41 僮僕走後,達味就為不堆旁起來,俯伏在地,拜了三拜;以後他們彼此相吻,二人相抱對泣,達味哭得更甚。
And as soon as the lad 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 最後,約納堂對達味說:「你平安去吧! 照我們兩人以上主的名所起的誓:願上主永遠在我和你之間,在我的後代與你的後代之間! 」 達味就動身走了,約納堂也回到城裏﹖
And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of Jehovah, saying, Jehovah shall be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed, for ever. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

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