Jonathan Helps David
1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and went to Jonathan. “What have I done?” he asked. “What crime have I committed? What wrong have I done to your father to make him want to kill me?”
2 Jonathan answered, “God forbid that you should die! My father tells me everything he does, important or not, and he would not hide this from me. It just isn't so!”
3 But David answered, “Your father knows very well how much you like me, and he has decided not to let you know what he plans to do, because you would be deeply hurt. I swear to you by the living Lord that I am only a step away from death!”
4 Jonathan said, “I'll do anything you want.”
5 “Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival,” David replied, “and I am supposed to eat with the king. But if it's all right with you, I will go and hide in the fields until the evening of the day after tomorrow. 6 If your father notices that I am not at the table, tell him that I begged your permission to hurry home to Bethlehem, since it's the time for the annual sacrifice there for my whole family. 7 If he says, ‘All right,’ I will be safe; but if he becomes angry, you will know that he is determined to harm me. 8 Please do me this favor, and keep the sacred promise you made to me. But if I'm guilty, kill me yourself! Why take me to your father to be killed?”
9 “Don't even think such a thing!” Jonathan answered. “If I knew for sure that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?”
10 David then asked, “Who will let me know if your father answers you angrily?”
11 “Let's go out to the fields,” Jonathan answered. So they went, 12 and Jonathan said to David, “May the Lord God of Israel be our witness! At this time tomorrow and on the following day I will question my father. If his attitude toward you is good, I will send you word. 13 If he intends to harm you, may the Lord strike me dead if I don't let you know about it and get you safely away. May the Lord be with you as he was with my father! 14 And if I remain alive, please keep your sacred promise and be loyal to me; but if I die, 15 show the same kind of loyalty to my family forever. And when the Lord has completely destroyed all your enemies, 16 may our promise to each other still be unbroken. If it is broken, the Lord will punish you.”
17 Once again Jonathan made David promise to love him, for Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself. 18 Then Jonathan said to him, “Since tomorrow is the New Moon Festival, your absence will be noticed if you aren't at the meal. 19 The day after tomorrow your absence will be noticed even more; so go to the place where you hid yourself the other time, and hide behind the pile of stones there. 20 I will then shoot three arrows at it, as though it were a target. 21 Then I will tell my servant to go and find them. And if I tell him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them,’ that means that you are safe and can come out. I swear by the living Lord that you will be in no danger. 22 But if I tell him, ‘The arrows are on the other side of you,’ then leave, because the Lord is sending you away. 23 As for the promise we have made to each other, the Lord will make sure that we will keep it forever.”
24 So David hid in the fields. At the New Moon Festival, King Saul came to the meal 25 and sat in his usual place by the wall. Abner sat next to him, and Jonathan sat across the table from him. David's place was empty, 26 but Saul said nothing that day, because he thought, “Something has happened to him, and he is not ritually pure.” 27 On the following day, the day after the New Moon Festival, David's place was still empty, and Saul asked Jonathan, “Why didn't David come to the meal either yesterday or today?”
28 Jonathan answered, “He begged me to let him go to Bethlehem. 29 ‘Please let me go,’ he said, ‘because our family is celebrating the sacrificial feast in town, and my brother ordered me to be there. So then, if you are my friend, let me go and see my relatives.’ That is why he isn't in his place at your table.”
30 Saul became furious with Jonathan and said to him, “How rebellious and faithless your mother was! Now I know you are taking sides with David and are disgracing yourself and that mother of yours! 31 Don't you realize that as long as David is alive, you will never be king of this country? Now go and bring him here—he must die!”
32 “Why should he die?” Jonathan replied. “What has he done?”
33 At that, Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him, and Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David. 34 Jonathan got up from the table in a rage and ate nothing that day—the second day of the New Moon Festival. He was deeply distressed about David, because Saul had insulted him. 35 The following morning Jonathan went to the fields to meet David, as they had agreed. He took a young boy with him 36 and said to him, “Run and find the arrows I'm going to shoot.” The boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy reached the place where the arrow had fallen, Jonathan shouted to him, “The arrow is farther on! 38 Don't just stand there! Hurry up!” The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master, 39 not knowing what it all meant; only Jonathan and David knew. 40 Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and told him to take them back to town.
41 After the boy had left, David got up from behind the pile of stones, fell on his knees and bowed with his face to the ground three times. Both he and Jonathan were crying as they kissed each other; David's grief was even greater than Jonathan's. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, “God be with you. The Lord will make sure that you and I, and your descendants and mine, will forever keep the sacred promise we have made to each other.” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.
Oupanga wooDavid na Jonatan
1 David wa taura mOnaiot, a i ku Jonatan na kapura nai ku ye: “Ami mba tjita tjike, mba tataiza tjike, nouvi mbu mba tjita ku iho, eye puma vangere okundjizepa, owatjike?”
2 Nu Jonatan wa zira nai ku ye: “Ndjambi ma tjaere kutja o ha ṱu. Mo tjiwa uri, tate kamaa tjiti otjiṋa nokuhinokundjiraera, nandarire kutja otjinanḓengu poo otjauriri. Tate atja horekera tjike otjiṋa ku ami? Kamaape kara nao!”
3 David arire tja ziri a tja: “Iho ma tjiwa nawanawa kutja ove we ndji suvera, notje ripura nai mu ye omuini: ‘Jonatan ke nakusokutjiwa otjiṋa hi kutja ha hihamwa omutima.’ Tjimbe tja Muhona omunamuinyo na ove, pokati kandje nonḓiro pe nomukambo umwe uriri.”
4 Jonatan wa tja nai: “Atjihe tji movanga me ku tjitire.”
5 David wa zira a tja: “Tara, muhuka o romukandi wOmatendameno wOmueze, nami mbi sokurya puna ombara. Nungwari ndji esa mbi yende, mbi kaṱare mokuti nga kongurova oitjatatu. 6 Nu iho tje ndji varura, itja nai ku ye: ‘David we riyarikaṋa tjinene ku ami, mbi mu pe okuyenda tjimanga kotjihuro tjaihe Betlehem, orondu koṋa ngo maku tjitwa omukandi wombunguhiro keṱunḓu re arihe.’ 7 Neye tja tja: ‘Osemba!’ Okutja omukarere woye ke notjipo. Nungwari tja pindike tjinene, otji mo tjiwa kutja eye we rimana okundjitjita otjipo. 8 Arikana, ndji tjitira ondjingonekero; ove wa tjita omakwizikiro omayapuke ku ami. Tjinangara mba tjita ondjo, arikana, nga rire ove omuini ngu mo ndji zepa; nungwari o ndji twara ku iho.”
9 Jonatan wa zira nai: “O ripure notjiṋa tji tja sana ngo! Andakuzu mba tjiwa kutja, tjiri, tate we rimana okukutjita otjipo, hitje ku raere are?”
10 David we mu pura a tja: “Owaṋi ngu me ndji tjivisa, tjinangara iho we ku ziri nomazenge?”
11 Jonatan wa tja nai ku David: “Indjo tu yende mokuti!” 12 Naveyevari otji va ya, nu Jonatan wa tja nai ku David: “Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, nga rire omuhongonone pokati ketu! Muhuka moruveze ndunondwi poo muhuka yandina ami me pura tate; nomihingo vye kuna ove tji vi ri omiwa, ami me ku tjivisa. 13 Tate tje rimana okutjita otjipo kove, Muhona nge ndji zepe, tji mbi he ku hindire ombuze yokukuisa mo motjipo. Muhona nga kare puna ove, otja tja kara puna tate! 14 Nu ngunda ambi nomuinyo, arikana yenenisa omakwizikiro woye omayapuke, nu kara nouṱakame ku ami. 15 Nungwari tji mba koka, raisa ouṱakame tjingewo keṱunḓu randje nga aruhe. Nu Muhona tja mana okunyona ovanavita na ove avehe oparukaze, 16 omakwizikiro wetu na ove aye ha teyewa; tji ya teyewa Muhona me ku vere.”
17 Jonatan otja yanena David rukwao okumusuvera; orondu Jonatan we mu suverere tjinene otja tje risuvera omuini. 18 Nu Jonatan wa tja ku ye: “Muhuka o romukandi wOmatendameno wOmueze, nu tji u he ri po, mo varurwa, orondu oruveze rwoye kotjiriro tjandje ru ri tjo. 19 Nungwari muhuka yandina mo varurwa tjinene komeho; otji mo sokuyenda poṋa pu wa kaṱarere meyuva ndi nduyavevanga okukuzepa, nu kerihoreke ngo kongotwe yondundu yomawe. 20 Tjazumba otji me yumbu oviku vitatu popezu na yo, aayo me yaha ouhunga. 21 Nu me hindi omukarere wandje nomambo nga: ‘Twende u katjinge oviku!’ Nu tji mba tja nai ku ye: ‘Tara, oviku vi ri kuṱa kove, katoore!’ Mape hee kutja pe ri nawa kove, notji mo sora okupita. Tjimbe tja Muhona omunamuinyo komoo munu otjipo. 22 Nungwari tji mba tja kuye: ‘Oviku vi ri komurungu woye!’ Vyesa, Muhona tjinga e ri ngu ma vanga kutja u ze po. 23 Otja komakwizikiro ngu twa tjita na ove, Muhona ma kara omuhongonone pokati ketu nga aruhe.”
24 David otja ṱara mokuti. Meyuva romukandi wOmatendameno wOmueze tji re ya, ombara ya ya kotjiriro okukarya, 25 nai kahaama poṋa payo keṋe yekuma rondjuwo, nu Abner wa haamene meṋe yayo; nungwari Jonatan a haamene kotjiriro tji tjari ouhunga nombara, nu poruveze rwa David pa ri tjo. 26 Nungwari eyuva ndo Saul ka hungirire otjiṋa, eye tjinga a tjangovasi kwa tjitwa otjiṋa ku David, notja rire omuhakohoke. 27 Mependukirwa kombunda yeyuva romukandi wOmatendameno wOmueze poruveze rwa David pa ri tjo rukwao. Saul arire tja pura komuzandu we Jonatan a tja: “Otjikwatjike omuzandu wa Isai tje he ere kotjiriro, erero na ndino?”
28 Nu Jonatan wa zira a tja: “Eye we ndji ningire kutja a yende kObetlehem. 29 Eye wa tja: ‘Ndji esa mbi yende, onganda yetu aihe tjinga amai tjiti ombunguhiro motjihuro, nomarumbi wandje ave ndji rakiza kutja mbi kare po. Nu tjiri, tji u ri epanga randje, ndji esa mbi katare omuhoko wandje.’ David ope ha zire okuhaama poṋa pe sokuhaama potjiriro tjoye.”
30 Saul arire tja ṱomazenge tjinene na Jonatan na tja ku ye: “Muatje, oove wa nyoko wotjivepotjipiku! Hapo, ami mba tjiwa kutja we ritoororera omuzandu wa Isai, no riyamburura omuini na nyoko! 31 David ngunda e nomuinyo, ove komoo rire ombara yehi ndi. Nambano twende kemuete mba, eye u sokuṱa.”
32 Jonatan wa zira ku ihe Saul a tja: “Ma ṱire tjike? Wa ungura tjike?”
33 Saul otja yerera Jonatan enga kutja e mu zepe, nu Jonatan otja muna kutja nangwari ihe, tjiri, we rimana okuzepa David. 34 Jonatan wa sekama kotjiriro nomazenge omanene, na ha ri otjiṋa meyuva ndi oritjavari rOmatendameno womueze. Neye wa hihamwa omutima tjinene mena ra David, ihe tjinga a yamburura David. 35 Nu mependukirwa Jonatan wa ya mokuti okukahakaena na David otja pu va zuvasana; neye wa twaerera omukarere omutanda. 36 Jonatan wa tja nai komukarere ngwi: “Tupuka, u katjinge oviku mbi me yumbu!” Nomukarere ngunda ama tupuka, Jonatan arire tja yumbu otjiku okururumisa ye. 37 Nomukarere tje ya poṋa pu pa wire otjiku, Jonatan wa ravaere ku ye a tja: “Otjiku tji ri komurungu woye! 38 Okurama mbo uriri, hakahana!” Nomukarere wa toora otjiku na kotoka komuhona we. 39 Omukarere ngwi kaa tjiwa kutja ihi matji hee tjike posi ya Jonatan na David ombaa ve tjiwa. 40 Jonatan wa yandja oviyumbe vye komukarere ne mu raere kutja e vi yarure kotjihuro.
41 Nomukarere tja za nokuyaruka, David wa sekama kongotwe yondundu yomawe ne riwisa onḓurumika ne ripete tutatu; tjazumba David na Jonatan arire tji va hupitasana nave riri, noruhoze rwa David rwa ri orunene tjinene pu indwi orwa Jonatan. 42 Jonatan wa tja nai ku David “Twende mohange mape kara otja tji twa kwizikasana mena ra Ndjambi. Muhona ma kara omuhongonone pokati ketu na ove, na pokati kozondekurona zandje nozoye nga aruhe.” Tjazumba David wa sekama na i, nu Jonatan wa yaruka kotjihuro.
