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 大卫从拉玛的拿约逃走， 来见约拿单， 说： "我作了什么？我有什么罪孽？我在你父亲面前犯了什么罪， 他竟寻索我的性命呢？"
2 约拿单对他说： "绝对没有这事， 你必不会死。我父亲作事， 无论大小， 没有不让我知道的， 为什么这事他偏要隐瞒我呢？不会这样的。"
3 大卫再起誓说： "你父亲一定知道我在你眼中蒙恩， 就心里想： ‘不要让约拿单知道这事， 免得他伤心。’可是， 我指着永活的耶和华， 又指着你的性命起誓， 我离死只差一步。"
4 约拿单对大卫说： "你心里想要什么， 我必为你作成。"
5 大卫就对约拿单说： "你看， 明天是初一， 我本该与王一同坐席。但是， 求你容我去藏在田里， 直到后天晚上。
6 如果你父亲不见我在座， 你就说： ‘大卫恳求我让他赶回他的本城伯利恒去， 因为他全家在那里有献年祭的事。’
7 如果你父亲这样说： ‘好！ ’那么仆人就平安无事了； 如果他大大发怒， 你就知道， 他决意要害我了。
8 求你以慈爱待仆人， 因为你曾与仆人在耶和华面前立盟约。如果我有罪孽， 你就亲手把我杀死， 为什么要把我交给你父亲呢？"
9 约拿单说： "绝对没有这事， 如果我知道我父亲决意要害你， 我会不告诉你吗？"
10 大卫对约拿单说： "如果你父亲严厉地回答你， 谁来告诉我呢？"
11 约拿单对大卫说： "你来， 我们出到田里去吧！ "他们二人就出到田里去了。
12 约拿单对大卫说： "愿耶和华以色列的 神作证， 明天或后天约在这个时候， 我探出了我父亲的意思， 如果他对你有好感， 那时我会不派人来告诉你吗？
13 假如我父亲有意要害你， 我若是不告诉你， 不让你走， 不使你平平安安地离去， 愿耶和华加倍惩罚我。愿耶和华与你同在， 好像从前与我父亲同在一样。
14 我活着的时候， 求你以耶和华的慈爱待我， 使我不致于死。
15 我死了以后， 耶和华从地上一一剪除大卫的仇敌的时候， 你也不可向我的家永远断绝你的慈爱。"
16 于是约拿单与大卫家立盟约， 说： "愿耶和华借大卫仇敌的手追讨违背盟约的罪。"
17 约拿单由于爱大卫， 就使大卫再起誓； 他爱大卫如同爱自己的命。
18 约拿单对大卫说： "明天是初一， 因为你的座位空着， 人必注意到你不在。
19 到后天， 你要赶快下去， 到你以前出事那天藏身的地方， 在以色磐石旁边等候。
20 我要向磐石旁边射三支箭， 好像射箭靶一样。
21 然后， 我要派一个仆人去， 说： ‘你去把箭找回来。’如果我对那仆人说： ‘看哪！ 箭在你的后面， 把箭拿回来。’你就可以回来， 因为我指着永活的耶和华起誓， 你必平安无事。
22 如果我对仆人说： ‘看哪！ 箭在你的前面。’你就要离去， 因为是耶和华打发你去的。
23 至于你我之间所说的这事， 有耶和华永远在你我之间作证。"
24 于是大卫在田里藏起来。到了初一， 王坐席吃饭。
25 王照常坐在他的座位上， 就是靠墙的座位， 约拿单坐在对面， 押尼珥坐在扫罗旁边， 大卫的座位却空着。
26 那天扫罗没有说什么， 因为他心里想： "这是恰巧的事， 或许大卫沾染了不洁， 还没有得到洁净。"
27 次日， 就是初二， 大卫的座位仍是空着。于是扫罗问他的儿子约拿单： "为什么耶西的儿子昨天今天都没有来吃饭呢？"
28 约拿单回答扫罗： "大卫恳切地求我让他回伯利恒去。
29 他说： ‘求你让我去， 因为我们的家在城里有献祭的事， 我哥哥吩咐我去。所以， 我若是在你眼前蒙恩， 求你让我离开， 看看我的哥哥们。’因此， 大卫没有来赴王的筵席。"
30 于是扫罗向约拿单发怒， 对他说： "你这邪僻悖逆妇人所生的， 我岂不知道你喜悦耶西的儿子， 自取羞辱， 也羞辱生你的母亲吗？
31 因为只要耶西的儿子还活在这世上， 你和你的国就不能稳固。现在， 你要派人去把他抓到我这里来， 因为他是该死的。"
32 约拿单回答他父亲扫罗说： "为什么要把他处死呢？他作了什么事呢？"
33 扫罗向着约拿单把枪掷过去， 要刺杀他。约拿单就知道， 他父亲已经决意要杀死大卫。
34 约拿单怒气冲冲地从席间退去， 初二这天， 他没有吃饭； 因为他父亲羞辱了大卫， 他就为大卫担忧。
35 到了早晨， 约拿单照着与大卫约定的时候， 出到田里去， 有一个小童与他在一起。
36 他对那童仆说： "你跑去， 把我所射的箭找回来。"那童仆跑去的时候， 约拿单就把箭射到他前面。
37 那童仆到了约拿单的箭射到的地方， 约拿单就在那童仆的背后喊叫： "箭不是在你的前面吗？"
38 约拿单又在那童仆的背后喊叫： "赶快跑去！ 不要停留！ "那童仆就把箭拾起来， 回到他主人那里去。
39 那童仆一点也不知道这是什么意思， 只有约拿单和大卫知道。
40 约拿单把自己的武器交给他的童仆， 对他说： "你带回城里去吧！ "
41 那童仆一离去， 大卫就从石堆的南边起来， 脸伏于地， 叩拜了三次。二人互相亲嘴， 相对哭泣， 大卫哭得更悲痛。
42 约拿单对大卫说： "你平平安安走吧！ 我们二人曾指着耶和华的名起誓说： ‘愿耶和华在你我之间， 也在我的后裔和你的后裔之间作证， 直到永远。’"大卫就起身离开， 约拿单也回城里去了（"大卫就起身离开， 约拿单也回城里去了。"在《马索拉抄本》为21:1）。