1 Samuel 20
1 Then David fled from Naioth, which is in Ramah, and he went and said before Jonathan: “What have I done? What is my iniquity, or what is my sin, against your father, so that he would seek my life?”
And Dauid fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and sayd before Ionathan, What haue I done? what is mine iniquitie? and what sinne haue I committed before thy father, that he seeketh my life?
2 And he said to him: “May this not be! You shall not die. For my father will not do anything, great or small, without first revealing it to me. Therefore, has my father concealed this word solely from me? By no means shall this be!”
And he sayde vnto him, God forbid, thou shalt not die: beholde, my father will do nothing great nor small, but he will shewe it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? he will not doe it.
3 And he swore again to David. And David said: “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your sight, and so he will say, ‘Let Jonathan not know this, lest he be saddened.’ So truly, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, there is only one step (if I may say it) separating me from death.”
And Dauid sware againe and sayd, Thy father knoweth that I haue found grace in thine eyes: therefore he thinketh, Ionathan shall not knowe it, lest he be sorie: but in deede, as the Lord liueth, and as thy soule liueth, there is but a step betweene me and death.
4 And Jonathan said to David, “Whatever your soul will tell me, I will do for you.”
Then said Ionathan vnto Dauid, Whatsoeuer thy soule requireth, that I wil do vnto thee.
5 Then David said to Jonathan: “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I am accustomed to sit in a seat beside the king to eat. Therefore, permit me that I may be hidden in the field, until the evening of the third day.
And Dauid said vnto Ionathan, Behold, to morowe is the first day of the moneth, and I shoulde sit with the King at meate: but let me goe, that I may hide my selfe in the fieldes vnto the third day at euen.
6 If your father, looking around, will seek me, you shall respond to him: ‘David asked me if he may hurry to Bethlehem, his own city. For there are solemn sacrifices in that place for all of his tribe together.’
If thy father make mention of me, then say, Dauid asked leaue of me, that he might goe to Beth-lehem to his owne citie: for there is a yeerely sacrifice for all that familie.
7 If he will say, ‘It is well,’ then your servant will have peace. But if he will be angry, know that his malice has reached its height.
And if he say thus, It is well, thy seruant shall haue peace: but if he be angrie, be sure that wickednesse is concluded of him.
8 Therefore, show mercy to your servant. For you have brought me, your servant, into a covenant of the Lord with you. But if there is any iniquity in me, you may kill me, and you shall not lead me in to your father.”
So shalt thou shew mercy vnto thy seruant: for thou hast ioyned thy seruant into a couenant of the Lord with thee, and if there be in me iniquitie, slay thou me: for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?
9 And Jonathan said: “May this be far from you. For certainly, if I ever realized that any wickedness was determined by my father against you, I would not be able to do anything other than report it to you.”
And Ionathan answered, God keepe that from thee: for if I knewe that wickednesse were concluded of my father to come vpon thee, would not I tell it thee?
10 And David responded to Jonathan, “Who will repeat it to me, if your father may perhaps answer you harshly about me?”
Then said Dauid to Ionathan, Who shall tell me? how shall I knowe, if thy father answere thee cruelly?
11 And Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out into the field.” And when they both had gone out into the field,
And Ionathan sayde to Dauid, Come and let vs goe out into the fielde: and they twaine went out into the fielde.
12 Jonathan said before David: “O Lord, God of Israel, if I will discover a decision by my father, tomorrow, or the day after, and if there will be anything good concerning David, and yet I do not immediately send to you and make it known to you,
Then Ionathan sayde to Dauid, O Lord God of Israel, when I haue groped my fathers minde to morow at this time, or within this three dayes, and if it be well with Dauid, and I then send not vnto thee, and shewe it thee,
13 may the Lord do these things to Jonathan, and may he add these other things. But if my father will have persevered in malice against you, I will reveal it to your ear, and I will send you away, so that you may go in peace, and so that the Lord may be with you, just as he was with my father.
The Lord doe so and much more vnto Ionathan: but if my father haue minde to doe thee euill, I will shew thee also, and sende thee away, that thou mayest goe in peace: and the Lord be with thee as he hath bene with my father.
14 And if I live, you shall show the mercy of the Lord to me. Yet truly, if I die,
Likewise I require not whiles I liue: for I dout not but thou wilt shew me the mercy of the Lord, that I die not.
15 you shall not take away your mercy from my house, even forever, when the Lord will have rooted out the enemies of David, each and every one of them, from the earth. May he take Jonathan from his house, and may the Lord require it from the hands of the enemies of David.”
But I require that thou cut not off thy mercie from mine house for euer: no, not when the Lord hath destroyed the enemies of Dauid, euery one from the earth.
16 Therefore, Jonathan formed a covenant with the house of David. And the Lord required it from the hands of the enemies of David.
So Ionathan made a bond with the house of Dauid, saying, Let the Lord require it at the hands of Dauids enemies.
17 And Jonathan continued to swear to David, because he loved him. For he loved him like his own soul.
And againe Ionathan sware vnto Dauid, because he loued him (for he loued him as his owne soule)
18 And Jonathan said to him: “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be sought.
Then said Ionathan to him, To morowe is the first day of the moneth: and thou shalt be looked for, for thy place shalbe emptie.
19 For your seat will be empty until the day after tomorrow. Therefore, you shall descend quickly, and you shall go to the place where you are to be hidden, on a day when it is lawful to work, and you shall remain beside the stone that is called Ezel.
Therefore thou shalt hide thy selfe three dayes, then thou shalt goe downe quickely and come to the place where thou diddest hide thy selfe, when this matter was in hand, and shalt remayne by the stone Ezel.
20 And I will shoot three arrows near it, and I will cast them as if I were practicing for myself toward a mark.
And I will shoote three arrowes on the side thereof, as though I shot at a marke.
21 Also, I will send a boy, saying to him, ‘Go and bring the arrows to me.’
And after I wil sende a boy, saying, Goe, seeke the arrowes. If I say vnto the boy, See, the arrowes are on this side thee, bring them, and come thou: for it is well with thee and no hurt, as the Lord liueth.
22 If I will say to the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are before you, take them up,’ you shall approach before me, because there is peace for you, and there is nothing evil, as the Lord lives. But if I will have spoken to the boy in this way, ‘Behold, the arrows are away from you,’ then you shall go away in peace, for the Lord has released you.
But if I say thus vnto the boy, Behold, the arrowes are beyonde thee, goe thy way: for the Lord hath sent thee away.
23 Now about the word that you and I have spoken, may the Lord be between you and me, even forever.”
As touching the thing which thou and I haue spoken of, beholde, the Lord be betweene thee and me for euer.
24 Therefore, David was hidden in the field. And the new moon came, and the king sat down to eat bread.
So Dauid hid him selfe in the field: and when the first day of the moneth came, the King sate to eate meate.
25 And when the king had sat down on his chair, (according to custom) which was beside the wall, Jonathan rose up, and Abner sat beside Saul, and David’s place appeared empty.
And the King sate, as at other times vpon his seate, euen vpon his seate by the wall: and Ionathan arose, and Abner sate by Sauls side, but Dauids place was emptie.
26 And Saul did not say anything on that day. For he was thinking that perhaps something happened to him, so that he was not clean, or not purified.
And Saul sayde nothing that day: for hee thought, Some thing hath befallen him, though he were cleane, or els becaus he was not purified.
27 And when the second day after the new moon had begun to dawn, David’s place again appeared empty. And Saul said to Jonathan, his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not arrived to eat, neither yesterday, nor today?”
But on the morowe which was the second day of the moneth, Dauids place was emptie againe: and Saul sayde vnto Ionathan his sonne, Wherefore commeth not the sonne of Ishai to meate, neither yesterday nor to day?
28 And Jonathan responded to Saul, “He petitioned me earnestly that he might go to Bethlehem,
And Ionathan answered vnto Saul, Dauid required of me, that he might goe to Beth-lehem.
29 and he said: ‘Permit me. For there is a solemn sacrifice in the city. One of my brothers has summoned me. Now therefore, if I have found favor in your eyes, I will go quickly, and I will see my brothers.’ For this reason, he has not come to the table of the king.”
For he sayde, Let me goe, I pray thee: for our familie offreth a sacrifice in the citie, and my brother hath sent for me: therfore now if I haue found fauour in thine eyes, let me goe, I pray thee, and see my brethren: this is the cause that he commeth not vnto the Kings table.
30 Then Saul, becoming angry against Jonathan, said to him: “You son of a woman wantonly seizing a man! Could I be ignorant that you love the son of Jesse, to your own shame, and to the shame of your disgraceful mother?
Then was Saul angrie with Ionathan, and sayde vnto him, Thou sonne of the wicked rebellious woman, doe not I know, that thou hast chosen the sonne of Ishai to thy confusion, and to the confusion and shame of thy mother?
31 For all the days that the son of Jesse moves upon earth, neither you, nor your kingdom, will be secure. And so, send and bring him to me, here and now. For he is a son of death.”
For as long as the sonne of Ishai liueth vpon the earth, thou shalt not be stablished, nor thy kingdome: wherefore now send and fet him vnto me, for he shall surely die.
32 Then Jonathan, answering his father Saul, said: “Why should he die? What has he done?”
And Ionathan answered vnto Saul his father, and said vnto him, Wherefore shall he die? what hath he done?
33 And Saul picked up a lance, so that he might strike him. And Jonathan understood that it had been decided by his father that David be put to death.
And Saul cast a speare at him to hit him, whereby Ionathan knew, that it was determined of his father to slay Dauid.
34 Therefore, Jonathan rose up from the table in a rage of anger. And he did not eat bread on the second day after the new moon. For he was saddened over David, because his father had confounded him.
So Ionathan arose from the table in a great anger, and did eate no meate the seconde day of the moneth: for he was sorie for Dauid, and because his father had reuiled him.
35 And when the morning had begun to dawn, Jonathan went into the field according to the agreement with David, and a young boy was with him.
On the next morning therefore Ionathan than went out into the fielde, at the time appoynted with Dauid, and a litle boy with him.
36 And he said to his boy, “Go, and bring to me the arrows that I shoot.” And when the boy had run, he shot another arrow away from the boy.
And he saide vnto his boy, Runne now, seeke the arrowes which I shoote, and as the boy ran, he shot an arrowe beyond him.
37 And so, the boy went to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot. And Jonathan cried out, from behind the back of boy, and said: “Behold, the arrow is there, farther away from you.”
And when the boy was come to the place where the arrowe was that Ionathan had shot, Ionathan cryed after the boy, and sayde, Is not the arrowe beyond thee?
38 And Jonathan cried out again, from behind the back of the boy, saying, “Go quickly! Do not stand still!” Then Jonathan’s boy collected the arrows, and he brought them to his lord.
And Ionathan cryed after the boy, Make speede, haste and stand not still: and Ionathans boy gathered vp the arrowes, and came to his master,
39 And he did not understand at all what was happening. For only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
But the boy knewe nothing: onely Ionathan and Dauid knew the matter.
40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy, and he said to him, “Go, and carry them into the city.”
Then Ionathan gaue his bowe and arrowes vnto the boy that was with him, and sayd vnto him, Goe, carrie them into the citie.
41 And when the boy had gone away, David rose up from his place, which turned toward the south, and falling prone on the ground, he reverenced three times. And kissing one another, they wept together, but David more so.
Assoone as the boy was gone, Dauid arose out of a place that was towarde the South, and fel on his face to the ground, and bowed him selfe three times: and they kissed one another, and wept both twaine, till Dauid exceeded.
42 Then Jonathan said to David: “Go in peace. And let us both keep all that we have ever sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘May the Lord be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, even forever.’” And David rose up and went away. But Jonathan entered into the city.
Therefore Ionathan said to Dauid, Goe in peace: that which we haue sworne both of vs in the Name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be betweene me and thee, and betweene my seede and betweene thy seede, let it stand for euer. And he arose and departed, and Ionathan went into the citie.
