-
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?
02 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.
03 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.
04 Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy
soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.
05 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.
06 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.
07 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.
08 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?
09 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?
10 Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell
me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?
11 And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us
go out into the field. And they went out both of
them into the field.
12 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;
13 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.
14 And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew
me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not:
15 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.
16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of
David, saying, Let the Lord even require it at
the hand of David's enemies.
17 And Jonathan caused David to swear again,
because he loved him: for he loved him as he
loved his own soul.
18 Then Jonathan said to David, To-morrow is the
new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy
seat will be empty.
19 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.
20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side
thereof, as though I shot at a mark.
21 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.
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22 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.
23 And as touching the matter which thou and I
have spoken of, behold, the Lord be between thee
and me for ever.
24 So David hid himself in the field: and when
the new moon was come, the king sat him down to
eat meat.
25 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.
26 Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that
day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him,
he is not clean; surely he is not clean.
27 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?
28 And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly
asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem:
29 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.
30 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?
31 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.
32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and
said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what
hath he done?
33 And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him:
whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of
his father to slay David.
34 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.
35 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.
36 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.
37 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?
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 But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan
and David knew the matter.
40 And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad,
and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.
41 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.
42 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.
And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into
the city.
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