1 Samuel 20

Hvis din Fader savner mig, så sig: David har bedt mig om Lov til at skynde sig til Betlehem, sin Fødeby, da hele hans Slægt har sit årlige Slagtoffer der.

Hvis han så siger: Godt! er der ingen Fare for din Træl; men bliver han vred, så vid, at han vil min Ulykke.

HERREN ramme Jonatan både med det ene og det andet: Hvis det er min Faders bestemte Vilje at bringe Ulykke over dig, vil jeg lade dig det vide og hjælpe dig bort, så du kan fare i Fred. HERREN være med dig, som han har været med min Fader.

Og måtte du så, hvis jeg endnu er i Live, måtte du så vise HERRENs Godhed imod mig. Men skulde jeg være død,

så unddrag ingen Sinde min Slægt din Godhed. Og når HERREN udrydder hver eneste af Davids Fjender af Jorden,

Da svor Jonatan på ny David en Ed, fordi han elskede ham; thi han elskede ham af hele sin Sjæl.

men i Overmorgen vil du blive savnet endnu mere; gå så hen til det Sted, hvor du holdt dig skjult, den Dag Skændselsdåden skulde have fundet Sted, og sæt dig ved Jorddyngen der;

i Overmorgen vil jeg så skyde med Pile der, som om jeg skød til Måls.

Jeg sender så Drengen hen for at lede efter Pilen, og hvis jeg da siger til ham: Pilen ligger her på denne Side af dig, hent den! så kan du komme; thi da står alt vel til for dig, og der er ingen Fare, så sandt HERREN lever.

Men siger jeg til den unge Mand: Pilen ligger på den anden Side af dig, bedre frem! så fly,thi da vil HERREN have dig bort.

David skjulte sig så ude på Marken. Da Nymånedagen kom,satte Kongen sig til Bords for at spise;

Kongen sad på sin vante Plads, på Pladsen ved Væggen, medens Jonatan sad lige overfor og Abner ved Siden af Saul, men Davids Plads stod tom.

Da kastede Saul Spydet efter ham for at ramme ham. Så skønnede Jonatan, at det var hans Faders bestemte Vilje at dræbe David.

Og Jonatan rejste sig fra Bordet i heftig Vrede og spiste intet den anden Nymånedag, thi det gjorde ham ondt for David, at hans Fader havde smædet ham.

Næste Morgen gik Jonatan fulgt af en dreng ud i Marken, til den Tid han havde aftalt med David.

Og Drengen vidste ikke noget, thi kun Jonatan og David kendte Sammenhængen.

Da Drengen var gået, rejste David sig fra sit Skjul ved Jorddyngen og faldt til Jorden på sit Ansigt og bøjede sig ned tre Gange. Og de kyssede hinanden og græd bitterlig sammen.

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?

And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it {is} not {so}. {shew...: Heb. uncover mine ear}

And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly {as} the LORD liveth, and {as} thy soul liveth, {there is} but a step between me and death.

Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do {it} for thee. {Whatsoever...: or, Say what is thy mind and I will do, etc} {desireth: Heb. speaketh, or, thinketh}

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.

If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked {leave} of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for {there is} a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. {sacrifice: or, feast}

If he say thus, {It is} well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, {then} be sure that evil is determined by him.

Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?

And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?

Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what {if} thy father answer thee roughly?

And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.

And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, {or} the third {day}, and, behold, {if there be} good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee; {sounded: Heb. searched} {shew...: Heb. uncover thine ear}

The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father {to do} thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father. {shew...: Heb. uncover thine ear}

And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:

But {also} thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.

So Jonathan made {a covenant} with the house of David, {saying}, Let the LORD even require {it} at the hand of David's enemies. {made: Heb. cut}

And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. {because...: or, by his love toward him}

Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow {is} the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. {empty: Heb. missed}

And {when} thou hast stayed three days, {then} 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. {quickly: or, diligently: Heb. greatly} {when the...: Heb. in the day of the business} {Ezel: or, that sheweth the way}

And I will shoot three arrows on the side {thereof}, as though I shot at a mark.

And, behold, I will send a lad, {saying}, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows {are} on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for {there is} peace to thee, and no hurt; {as} the LORD liveth. {no hurt: Heb. not any thing}

But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows {are} beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.

And {as touching} the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD {be} between thee and me for ever.

So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.

And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, {even} upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.

Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he {is} not clean; surely he {is} not clean.

And it came to pass on the morrow, {which was} the second {day} of the month, 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?

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

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 favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table.

Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious {woman}, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness? {Thou...: or, Thou perverse rebel: Heb. Son of perverse rebellion}

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. {shall...: Heb. is the son of death}

And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?

And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.

So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.

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.

And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. {And} as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. {beyond...: Heb. to pass over him}

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?

And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry {them} to the city. {artillery: Heb. instruments} {his lad: Heb. the lad that was his}

{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.

And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. {forasmuch...: or, the LORD be witness of that which etc}

And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.