1 And David fled from Naioth by 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 seeks my life?2 And he said to him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, and not apprise me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.3 And David swore again and again, and said, Thy father certainly knows that I have found favour in thy sight: and he has thought, Jonathan shall not know this, lest he be grieved; but truly {as} Jehovah liveth, and {as} thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.4 And Jonathan said to David, What thy soul may say, I will even do it for thee.5 And David said to Jonathan, Behold, to-morrow is 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 until the third evening.6 If thy father should actually 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.7 If he say thus, It is well, -thy servant shall have peace; but if he be very wroth, be sure that evil is determined by him.8 Deal kindly then with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of Jehovah with thee; but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?9 And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee; for, if I knew with certainty that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, would I not tell it thee?10 Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?11 And Jonathan said to David, Come and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.12 And Jonathan said to David, Jehovah, God of Israel, when I sound my father about this time to-morrow, {or} the next day, and behold, there be good toward David, and I then send not to thee, and apprise thee of it,13 Jehovah do so and much more to Jonathan. Should it please my father {to do} thee evil, then I will apprise thee of it, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace; and Jehovah be with thee, as he has been with my father.14 And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of Jehovah, that I die not,15 but thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever, no, not when Jehovah cuts off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth.16 And Jonathan made {a covenant} with the house of David, {saying,} Let Jehovah even require {it} at the hand of David's enemies!17 And Jonathan caused David to swear again, by the love he had for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.18 And Jonathan said to him, To-morrow is the new moon; and thou wilt be missed, for thy seat will be empty;19 but on the third day thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself on the day of the business, and abide by the stone Ezel.20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.21 And behold, I will send the lad, {saying,} Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come, for there is peace for thee, and it is nothing; {as} Jehovah liveth.22 But if I say thus to the youth: Behold, the arrows are beyond thee, -go thy way; for Jehovah sends thee away.23 And as to the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, Jehovah is between me and thee for ever.24 And David hid himself in the field; and it was the new moon, and the king sat at table to eat.25 And the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.26 And Saul said nothing that day; for he thought, Something has befallen {him}, that he is not clean: surely he is not clean.27 And it came to pass the next day after the new moon, the second {day of the month}, as David's place was empty, that Saul said to Jonathan his son, Why has not the son of Jesse come to table, neither yesterday nor to-day?28 And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me {to go} to Bethlehem,29 and said, Let me go, I pray thee; for we have a family sacrifice in the city; and my brother himself has commanded me {to be there}; and now, if I have found favour in thy sight, let me go away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. He has therefore not come to the king's table.30 And Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, Son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame and to the shame of thy mother's nakedness?31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. And now send and fetch him to me, for he must die.32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, Why should he be put to death? what has he done?33 Then Saul cast the spear at him to smite him; and Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to put David to death.34 And Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no meat the second day of the new moon; for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.35 And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field, to the place agreed on with David, and a little lad with him.36 And he said to his lad, Run, find now the arrows which I shoot. The lad ran, and he shot the arrow beyond him.37 And when the lad came to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad and said, Is not the arrow away beyond thee?38 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not! And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.39 And the lad knew nothing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.40 And Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, Go, carry them to the city.41 The lad went, and David arose from the side of 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.42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have both of us sworn in the name of Jehovah, saying, Jehovah be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever!43 And he arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.

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 toe29 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.