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.
1 David então fugiu de Naiote em Ramá e encontrou-se com Jónatas. Que foi que eu fiz?, exclamou. Porque é que teu pai procura tirar-me a vida?
2 Não é verdade!, protestou Jónatas. Tenho a certeza de que ele não está a planear uma tal coisa, pois que sempre me diz tudo o que pensa fazer, mesmo as mais pequenas coisas, e sei que não me esconderia um projecto desses. Não, isso não pode ser.
3 Tu é que não sabes o que se passa! Teu pai sabe bem da nossa amizade e por isso pensa para consigo, 'Não vou dizer nada a Jónatas para não o magoar.'Mas a verdade é que eu ando constantemente a dois passos da morte - tão verdade como o Senhor ser vivo e ser viva a tua alma!
4 Jónatas disse-lhe: Então diz-me o que poderei fazer em teu favor.
5 Amanhã começa a celebração da lua nova. Anteriormente sempre passei essa ocasião com o teu pai, mas amanhã escondo-me no campo e fico lá até à noite do terceiro dia. Se o teu pai perguntar onde estou eu, diz-lhe que pedi licença para ir a casa a Belém, para a reunião anual de família. Se responder, 'Está bem!
9 Com certeza que não faria uma coisa dessas!, exclamou Jónatas. Eu não deixaria de te avisar se soubesse que o meu pai estava com intenções de te matar!
10 Então David perguntou, Como hei-de eu saber se o teu pai está ou não zangado?
11 Vamos para o campo, convidou Jónatas. E sairam juntos.
12 Jónatas disse então a David: Prometo, pelo Senhor Deus de Israel, que amanhã por esta altura do dia, ou depois de amanhã o mais tardar, falarei ao meu pai a teu respeito e dar-te-ei a conhecer definitivamente o que ele sente por ti. Se estiver encolerizado e com a intenção de te matar, então que seja o Senhor a matar-me se eu não to disser, para que possas escapar e viver. Que o Senhor seja contigo como foi antes com o meu pai. E lembra-te de que deves demonstrar o amor e a bondade do Senhor não só para comigo, durante a minha vida, mas também para com os meus filhos, depois do Senhor ter destruído todos os teus inimigos.
16 Assim Jónatas fez uma aliança com a família de David, e este jurou respeitar essa aliança, sob o risco de terríveis maldições contra si próprio e contra os seus descendentes no caso de vir a ser infiel à sua promessa. Jónatas fez que David jurasse segunda vez, pela grande amizade que havia entre eles; porque lhe queria tanto quanto a si próprio.
18 Então Jónatas disse: Sim, amanhã eles darão pela tua falta à mesa, quando virem o teu lugar vazio. Depois de amanhã, toda a gente perguntará por ti; por isso mantém-te no esconderijo onde te encontrares, junto à pedra de Ezel. Eu aproximar-me-ei desse sítio e atirarei três setas em direcção à pedra, como se estivesse a atirar ao alvo. A seguir mandarei um moço ir buscar as setas. Se me ouvires dizer-lhe: 'Procura-as aí, que estão aí mesmo
24 Assim David escondeu-se no campo. Quando a celebração da lua nova começou, o rei sentou-se para comer no seu lugar habitual, junto à parede. Jónatas sentou-se à sua frente e Abner ao lado de Saul, ficando vazio o lugar de David. Saul nada disse sobre o facto, durante o dia todo, porque supos que qualquer coisa teria acontecido a David que o tivesse tornado ritualmente impuro. Mas quando no dia seguinte o seu lugar continuou vazio, perguntou a Jónatas: Porque é que David não veio comer, nem ontem nem hoje?
28 Ele pediu-me se podia ir a Belém tomar parte na celebração que faz a família, respondeu Jónatas. O irmão pediu para ele lá estar, e eu disse-lhe que fosse.
30 Saul ficou ardendo em ira: Filho duma cadela!, gritou-lhe. Pensas tu que eu não sei muito bem que aliaste a esse filho de Jessé, envergonhando-te a ti mesmo e à tua família? Enquanto esse indivíduo for vivo, tu nunca serás rei. Vai já à procura dele para que o mate!
32 Mas que mal fez ele? Porque é que havia de morrer?
33 Então Saul atirou-lhe com a lança para o matar. Jónatas deu-se bem conta com efeito de que o seu pai estava absolutamente decidido a matar David. Deixou a mesa profundamente revoltado e recusou comer naquele dia por causa do vergonhoso comportamento do seu pai para com David.
35 Na manhã seguinte, como combinado, saiu para o campo, e levou consigo um moço que lhe fosse apanhar setas.
36 Vai a correr apanhar as setas que eu atirar. Este partiu e ele atirou uma seta que fez passar adiante dele. Quando o rapaz estava quase a chegar ao sítio gritou-lhe: A seta está mais à frente de ti. Avia-te, não demores. O moço apanhou as setas, e veio entregá-las a Jónatas, sem ter percebido nada das intenções do seu senhor. Só Jónatas e David sabiam do significado daquelas palavras.
40 Jónatas entregou as setas e o arco ao rapaz, e disse-lhe que regressasse à cidade.
41 Logo que o rapaz partiu, David saiu do lugar onde estava escondido, para o lado sul do campo, veio ao seu encontro, abraçaram-se tristemente e ficaram ambos a chorar. David estava mesmo inconsolável!
42 Por fim Jónatas disse-lhe: Olha, tem coragem, porque no fundo confiámos as nossas vidas e as vidas de nossos filhos nas mãos de Deus para sempre. Então separaram-se, e Jónatas regressou à cidade.