1 Toe het Dawid gevlug uit Najot by Rama, en hy het by Jonatan gekom en gevra: Wat het ek gedoen? Wat is my misdaad, en wat is my sonde voor jou vader, dat hy my lewe soek?
2 Maar hy sê vir hom: Volstrek nie! Jy sal nie sterwe nie. Kyk, my vader doen geen ding, klein of groot, sonder om dit aan my te openbaar nie; waarom sou my vader dan hierdie saak vir my wegsteek? Dit is nie so nie.
3 Toe sweer Dawid verder en sê: Jou vader weet baie goed dat ek guns in jou oë gevind het; daarom het hy gedink: Laat Jonatan dit nie weet nie, anders word hy bedroef. Maar so waar as die HERE leef en jou siel leef, daar is maar net een tree tussen my en die dood!
4 En Jonatan het Dawid geantwoord: Wat jy begeer, sal ek vir jou doen.
5 Toe sê Dawid vir Jonatan: Kyk, môre is dit nuwemaan, en ek moet sekerlik met die koning saam aansit om te eet; maar laat my gaan, dat ek my wegsteek in die veld tot oormôre -aand.
6 As jou vader my inderdaad mis, moet jy sê: Dawid het my dringend verlof gevra om gou na sy stad Betlehem te loop, want daar is die jaarlikse offer vir die hele geslag.
7 As hy so sê: Goed! dan is jou dienaar veilig; maar as hy baie kwaad word, weet dan dat die onheil van sy kant vas besluit is.
8 Bewys dan guns aan jou dienaar, want jy het jou dienaar met jou saam in 'n verbond van die HERE gebring. Maar as daar by my 'n misdaad is, maak jy my dan self dood -- waarom tog sou jy my na jou vader bring?
9 Toe sê Jonatan: Moenie so dink nie! Want as ek sekerlik bemerk dat die onheil van my vader se kant vas besluit is om oor jou te kom, sou ek jou dit dan nie te kenne gee nie?
10 En Dawid het Jonatan gevra: Wie sal my dit te kenne gee of jou vader jou miskien 'n harde antwoord gee?
11 En Jonatan sê vir Dawid: Kom, laat ons uitgaan die veld in. En hulle twee het die veld ingegaan.
12 Daarop sê Jonatan vir Dawid: Die HERE, die God van Israel,is getuie dat ek my vader môre of oormôre op hierdie tyd sal uitvra; en as dit gunstig is vir Dawid, sal ek dan nie na jou stuur en jou dit openbaar nie?
13 Mag die HERE so aan Jonatan doen en so daaraan toedoen: as my vader goedvind om onheil oor jou te bring, dan sal ek jou dit openbaar en jou laat gaan, dat jy veilig kan wegkom; en mag die HERE met jou wees soos Hy met my vader gewees het.
14 En sal jy my nie, as ek dan nog lewe, die guns van die HERE bewys nie, sodat ek nie sterwe nie?
15 Jy sal ook nimmer aan my huis jou guns onttrek nie; wanneer die HERE die vyande van Dawid, een vir een, van die aarde af uitroei nie.
16 So het Jonatan dan 'n verbond gesluit met die huis van Dawid. En die HERE het dit geëis van die hand van Dawid se vyande.
17 En Jonatan het Dawid weer laat sweer by sy liefde vir hom; want hy het hom liefgehad met die liefde van sy siel.
18 Verder het Jonatan vir hom gesê: M"re is dit nuwemaan, en jy sal gemis word, want jou sitplek sal leeg wees.
19 Maar oormôre moet jy sekerlik afkom en gaan na die plek waar jy jou op die werkdag weggesteek het, en jy moet langs die klip Esel gaan sit.
20 Dan sal ek drie pyle aan die kant daarvan skiet asof ek na 'n teiken skiet.
21 En kyk, ek sal die dienaar stuur en sê: Gaan soek die pyle! As ek uitdruklik aan die dienaar sê: Daar is die pyle, van jou af duskant toe, bring dit -- dan kan jy maar kom; want jy is veilig en daar is niks nie, so waar as die HERE leef!
22 Maar as ek so aan die jongman sê: Daar lê die pyle van jou af, verder -- gaan dan weg, want die HERE stuur jou weg.
23 En wat die saak aangaan wat ons bespreek het, ek en jy -- kyk, die HERE is tussen my en jou tot in ewigheid.
24 Daarop het Dawid hom in die veld weggesteek. En toe dit nuwemaan was, gaan die koning aan die maaltyd sit om te eet --
25 die koning het op sy sitplek gaan sit soos die vorige kere, op die sitplek teen die muur; en Jonatan het opgestaan, en Abner het langs Saul gesit, maar Dawid se plek was leeg.
26 En Saul het die dag niks gepraat nie, want hy het gedink: Daar het iets met hom gebeur dat hy nie rein is nie; waarlik, hy is nie rein nie.
27 Maar toe op die volgende, die tweede dag na die nuwemaan, Dawid se plek leeg was, sê Saul vir sy seun Jonatan: Waarom kom die seun van Isai gister sowel as vandag nie na die maaltyd nie?
28 En Jonatan het Saul geantwoord: Dawid het my dringend verlof gevra na Betlehem toe
29 en gesê: Laat my tog gaan, want ons het 'n familie-offer in die stad, en my broer self het my laat roep. As ek dan nou guns in jou oë gevind het, laat my tog heengaan om my broers te besoek. Daarom het hy nie aan die koning se tafel gekom nie.
30 Toe ontvlam die toorn van Saul teen Jonatan, en hy sê vir hom: Jou ontaarde, wederstrewige seun, weet ek nie dat jy die seun van Isai verkies tot jou skande en tot skande van jou moeder se naaktheid nie?
31 Want al die dae dat die seun van Isai op die aarde lewe, sal jy en jou koningskap nie bevestig word nie; stuur dan nou en bring hom na my, want hy moet sterwe.
32 En Jonatan het sy vader Saul geantwoord en vir hom gesê: Waarom moet hy gedood word, wat het hy gedoen?
33 Daarop gooi Saul die spies na hom om hom te tref. Toe Jonatan dan merk dat dit van sy vader se kant vas besluit was om Dawid dood te maak,
34 staan Jonatan op van die tafel in gloeiende toorn, en hy het geen brood geëet op die tweede dag van die nuwemaan nie, want hy was bedroef oor Dawid, omdat sy vader hom smadelik bejeën het.
35 Die volgende môre gaan Jonatan, volgens afspraak met Dawid, na die veld toe uit, en 'n jong dienaar met hom saam.
36 En hy sê aan die dienaar: Loop soek tog die pyle wat ek afskiet. En terwyl die dienaar loop, skiet hy 'n pyl dwarsoor hom heen.
37 Toe die dienaar dan by die plek kom waar Jonatan die pyl geskiet het, roep Jonatan die dienaar agterna en sê: Lê die pyl nie van jou af, verder nie?
38 En Jonatan roep die dienaar agterna: Maak gou, hardloop, moenie bly staan nie. En die dienaar van Jonatan het die pyl opgetel en by sy heer gekom.
39 Maar die dienaar het van niks geweet nie: net Jonatan en Dawid het van die saak geweet.
40 Toe gee Jonatan sy wapens aan die dienaar wat by hom was, en sê vir hom: Gaan, bring dit na die stad.
41 Terwyl die dienaar huis toe gaan, staan Dawid op van die suidekant en val met sy aangesig op die aarde en buig drie maal; daarna het hulle mekaar gesoen en saam geween, totdat Dawid hardop gesnik het.
42 En Jonatan sê vir Dawid: Gaan in vrede, omdat ons twee in die Naam van die HERE gesweer en gesê het: Die HERE sal tussen my en jou wees, en tussen my nageslag en jou nageslag vir altyd.
1 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 As for what you and I were talking of, the Lord is between you and me for ever.
24 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 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 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 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 And answering Saul, Jonathan said, He made a request to me that he might go to Beth-lehem,
29 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 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 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 And Jonathan, answering his father Saul, said to him, Why is he to be put to death? What has he done?
33 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.\
43 \20:42\Then David went away, and Jonathan went into the town.