Kings I 20
1 And David fled from Navath in Rama, and comes into the presence of Jonathan; and he said, What have I done, and what [is] my fault, and wherein have I sinned before your father, that he seeks my life?
And David flees from Naioth in Ramah, and comes, and says before Jonathan, “What have I done? What [is] my iniquity? And what [is] my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?”
2 And Jonathan said to him, Far be it from you: you shall not die: behold, my father will not do any thing great or small without discovering it to me; and why should my father hide this matter from me? This thing is not [so].
And he says to him, “Far be it! You do not die; behold, my father does not do anything great or small and does not uncover my ear; and why does my father hide this thing from me? This [thing] is not.”
3 And David answered Jonathan, and said, Your father knows surely that I have found grace in your sight, and he said, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he refuse his consent: but [as] the Lord lives and your soul lives, as I said, [the space] is filled up between me and death.
And David swears again and says, “Your father has certainly known that I have found grace in your eyes, and he says, Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he is grieved; and yet, YHWH lives, and your soul lives, but—as a step between me and death.”
4 And Jonathan said to David, What does your soul desire, and what shall I do for you.
And Jonathan says to David, “What does your soul [desire]? Command and I do it for you.”
5 And David said to Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow [is] the new moon, and I shall not on any account sit down to eat, but you shall let me go, and I will hide in the plain till the evening.
And David says to Jonathan, “Behold, the new moon [is] tomorrow; and I certainly sit with the king to eat; and you have sent me away, and I have been hidden in a field until the third evening;
6 And if your father do in anyway enquire for me, then shall you say, David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethleem his city, for [there is] there, a yearly sacrifice for all the family.
if your father looks after me at all, then you have said, David earnestly asked of me to run to his city of Beth-Lehem, for there [is] a sacrifice of the days for all the family.
7 If he shall say thus, Well, — [all is] safe for your servant: but if he shall answer harshly to you, know that evil is determined by him.
If thus he says: Good; [there is] peace for your servant; and if it is very displeasing to him—know that the evil has been determined by him;
8 And you shall deal mercifully with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with yourself: and if there is iniquity in your servant, kill me yourself; but why do you thus bring me to your father?
and you have done kindness to your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of YHWH with you—and if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why [is] this [that] you bring me to your father?”
9 And Jonathan said, That be far from you: for if I surely know that evil is determined by my father to come upon you, although it should not be against your cities, I will tell you.
And Jonathan says, “Far be it from you! For I certainly do not know that the evil has been determined by my father to come on you, and I do not declare it to you.”
10 And David said to Jonathan, Who can tell me if your father should answer roughly?
And David says to Jonathan, “Who declares [it] to me? Or what [if] your father answers you sharply?”
11 And Jonathan said to David, Go, and abide in the field. And they went out both into the field.
And Jonathan says to David, “Come, and we go out into the field”; and both of them go out into the field.
12 And Jonathan said to David, the Lord God of Israel knows that I will sound my father as I have an opportunity, three several times, and, behold, [if good] should be determined concerning David, and I do not send to you to the field,
And Jonathan says to David, “YHWH, God of Israel, [is my witness]—when I search out my father about [this] time tomorrow [or] the third [day], and behold, [there is] good toward David, and I do not then send to you, and have uncovered your ear—
13 God do so to Jonathan and more also: as I shall [also] report the evil to you, and make it known to you, and I will let you go; and you shall depart in peace, and the Lord shall be with you, as he was with my father.
thus YHWH does to Jonathan, and thus He adds; when the evil concerning you is good to my father, then I have uncovered your ear, and sent you away, and you have gone in peace, and YHWH is with you, as he was with my father;
14 And if indeed I continue to live, then shall you deal mercifully with me; and if I indeed die,
and not only while I am alive do you do the kindness of YHWH with me, and I do not die,
15 you shall not withdraw your mercy from my house for ever: and if you do not, when the Lord cuts off the enemies of David each from the face of the earth,
but you do not cut off your kindness from my house for all time, nor in YHWH’s cutting off the enemies of David, each one from off the face of the ground.”
16 [should it happen] that the name of Jonathan be discovered by the house of David, then let the Lord seek out the enemies of David.
So Jonathan cuts [a covenant] with the house of David, and YHWH has sought [it] from the hand of the enemies of David;
17 And Jonathan swore yet again to David, because he loved the soul of him that loved him.
and Jonathan adds to cause David to swear, because he loves him, for he has loved him [as] the love [for] his own soul.
18 And Jonathan said, To-morrow [is] the new moon, and you will be enquired for, because your seat will be observed as vacant.
And Jonathan says to him, “Tomorrow [is] the new moon, and you have been looked after, for your seat is looked after;
19 And you shall stay three days, and watch an opportunity, and shall come to your place where you may hide yourself in the day of your business, and you shall wait by that stone Ezel.
and on the third day you certainly come down, and have come to the place where you were hidden in the day of the work, and have remained near the stone of Ezel.
20 And I will shoot three arrows, aiming them at a mark.
And I shoot three of the arrows at the side, sending out at a mark for myself;
21 And behold, I [will] send a lad, saying, Go find me the arrow.
and behold, I send the youth, [saying], Go, find the arrows. If I say to the youth at all, Behold, the arrows [are] on this side of you—take them and come, for [there is] peace for you, and there is no [adverse] word—[as] YHWH lives.
22 If I should expressly say to the lad, The arrow [is] here, and on this side of you, take it; [then] come, for it is well with you, and there is no reason [for fear, as] the Lord lives: [but] if I should say thus to the young man, The arrow [is] on that side of you, and beyond; go, for the Lord has sent you away.
And if thus I say to the young man, Behold, the arrows [are] beyond you—go, for YHWH has sent you away;
23 And as for the word which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord [is] witness between me and you for ever.
as for the thing which you and I have spoken, behold, YHWH [is] between me and you for all time.”
24 So David hides himself in the field, and the [new] month arrives, and the king comes to the table to eat.
And David is hidden in the field, and it is the new moon, and the king sits down by the food to eat,
25 And he sat upon his seat as in former times, even on his seat by the wall, and he went before Jonathan; and Abenner sat on one side of Saul, and the place of David was empty.
and the king sits on his seat, as time by time, on a seat by the wall, and Jonathan rises, and Abner sits at the side of Saul, and David’s place is looked after.
26 And Saul said nothing on that day, for he said, It seems to have fallen out that he is not clean, because he has not purified himself.
And Saul has not spoken anything on that day, for he said, “It [is] an accident; he is not clean—surely not clean.”
27 And it came to pass on the morrow, on the second day of the month, that the place of David was empty; and Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has not the son of Jessae attended both yesterday and today at the table?
And it comes to pass on the second day of the new moon, that David’s place is looked after, and Saul says to his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come in, either yesterday or today, to the food?”
28 And Jonathan answered Saul, and said to him, David asked leave of me to go as far as Bethleem his city;
And Jonathan answers Saul, “David has earnestly asked [permission] from me [to go] to Beth-Lehem,
29 and he said, Let me go, I pray you, for we have a family sacrifice in the city, and my brethren have sent for me; and now, if I have found grace in your eyes, I will even go over and see my brethren: therefore he is not present at the table of the king.
and he says, Please send me away, for we have a family sacrifice in the city, and my brother has given command to me himself, and now, if I have found grace in your eyes, please let me go away and see my brothers; therefore he has not come to the table of the king.”
30 And Saul was exceedingly angry with Jonathan, and said to him, You son of traitorous damsels! for do I not know that you are an accomplice with the son of Jessae to your same, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?
And the anger of Saul burns against Jonathan, and he says to him, “Son of a perverse [woman] of rebellion! Have I not known that you are fixing on the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of the nakedness of your mother?
31 For so long as the son of Jessae lives upon the earth, your kingdom shall not be established: now then send and take the young man, for he shall surely die.
For all the days that the son of Jesse lives on the ground you are not established, you and your kingdom; and now, send and bring him to me, for he [is] a son of death.”
32 And Jonathan answered Saul, Why is he to die? What has he done?
And Jonathan answers his father Saul and says to him, “Why is he put to death? What has he done?”
33 And Saul lifted up his spear against Jonathan to kill him: so Jonathan knew that this evil was determined on by his father to kill David.
And Saul casts the javelin at him to strike him, and Jonathan knows that it has been determined by his father to put David to death.
34 And Jonathan sprang up from the table in great anger, and did not eat bread on the second [day] of the month, for he grieved bitterly for David, because his father determined [on mischief] against him.
And Jonathan rises from the table in the heat of anger, and has not eaten food on the second day of the new moon, for he has been grieved for David, for his father put him to shame.
35 And morning came, and Jonathan went out to the field, as he appointed [to do] for a signal to David, and a little boy [was] with him.
And it comes to pass in the morning, that Jonathan goes out into the field for the appointment with David, and a little youth [is] with him.
36 And he said to the boy, Run, find me the arrows which I shoot: and the boy ran, and [Jonathan] shot an arrow, and sent it beyond [him].
And he says to his youth, “Now run, find the arrows which I am shooting”; the youth is running, and he has shot the arrow, causing [it] to pass over him.
37 And the boy came to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan shot; and Jonathan cried out after the lad, and said, The arrow [is] on that side of you and beyond you.
And the youth comes to the place of the arrow which Jonathan has shot, and Jonathan calls after the youth, and says, “Is the arrow not beyond you?”
38 And Jonathan cried out after his boy, saying, Make all speed, and stay not. And Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and brought the arrows to his master.
And Jonathan calls after the youth, “Speed, hurry, do not stand”; and Jonathan’s youth gathers the arrows, and comes to his lord.
39 And the boy knew nothing, only Jonathan and David [knew].
And the youth has not known anything, only Jonathan and David knew the word.
40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to his boy, Go, enter into the city.
And Jonathan gives his weapons to the youth whom he has and says to him, “Go, carry into the city.”
41 And when the lad went in, then David arose from the south, and fell upon his face, and did obeisance to him three times, and they kissed each other, and wept for each other, for a great while.
The youth has gone, and David has risen from Ezel, at the south, and falls on his face to the earth, and bows himself three times, and they kiss one another, and they weep with one another, until David exerted himself;
42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, and as we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord shall be witness between me and you, and between my seed and your seed for ever—[even so let it be]. And David arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.
and Jonathan says to David, “Go in peace, in that we have sworn—the two of us—in the Name of YHWH, saying, YHWH is between me and you, and between my seed and your seed—for all time”; and he rises and goes; and Jonathan has gone into the city.
