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.
Jonatanni ge Davida ra hui
1 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Davida kēbo-aogu ǁanǃkhais Ramas ǃnâ hâsa xu ǃhū tsî ǁkhawa Jonatanni tawa sī tsî ge dî: “Tare-e ta dī hâ? Mâsa a ti dīsā? Tare-e ta sa îba ge tsūdī ob ra ǃgam te ǂgao?”
2 Ob ge Jonatanna ge ǃeream: “Hî-î, sats ge amase ǁō tide. Ti îb ge kai-i kas, ǂkhari-i kas hoasa titab mîba tama xū-e dī tama hâ. Tare xū-i ǃaromab kha ǁnâi ti îba nē xū-e tita xu nî sâu. ǁNās ge ī tide.”
3 Davidi ge Jonatanna nūs ǀkha ge mîba: “Sa îb ge ǃgâise a ǂan sats tita xa a ǃgâibahe ǃkhaisa; ǁnā-amagab ge go ǂâi: ‘Ab Jonatanna nēsa tā ǂan, îb tā tsūse tsâ.’ Xawe amase ǃKhūb a ûitsama tsî sats a ûitsama ǃkhais ao, ǀgui dāǃharos ǀguis ge tita tsî ǁōb tsîkhom ǁaegu hâ.”
4 Ob ge Jonatanna Davida ǃoa ge mî: “Sats ra ǂgao xū-i hoa-e ta ge nî dī.”
5 Davidi ge Jonatanna ǃoa ge mî: “ǁAris ge a ǀAsa ǁKhâb Kaitsē o ta ge gao-aob ǀkha nî ǂûǀhao. Xawe mā-am te, î ta ǃnonaǁî ǃuis kōse ǃaub ǃnâ sī sâusen. 6 Sa îb ga ǁkhui te, ots ge nî mî: ‘Davidi ge tita ai ǀkhomas ǀkha go ǂgansen, îb ǃnoesase Betlehems ǃoa ǃgû, ǁîb ǀaokhoen hoan di kurikorobe ǁguibas ǁnāpa ra dīhe xui-ao.’ 7 ‘ǃGâi a’ tib ga mî, o ta ge a ǃnorasa; xawe ǁaixab kao, o ǂan amaseb tsūdī teb nîsa ǂâibasen hâsa. 8 ǁNā ǃgaeǀhaos ǃKhūb ǀons ǃnâts ge tita ǀkha dīs xa ǂâi, î ǃgâise dī-ū te re. ǀHapixa ta nîs karao, satsa ǁnâi aitsama ǃgam te. Tare xū-i ǃaromats kha sa îba ǃoa nî sī-ū te?”
9 Ob ge Jonatanna ge ǃeream: “ǁNās ge ī tide. Xawe ǂanǁapo ta karao, ti îb tsūdī tsib nîsa ǂâibasen hâsa, o ta ge amase nî mîba tsi.”
10 Ob ge Davida Jonatanna ge dî: “Tari-e hā nî mîba te, sa îb ga ǁaixa ǃereamsa mā tsio?”
11 “Akhom ǃaub ǃoa ǂoa” tib ge Jonatanna Davida ǃoa ge mî. O kha ge ǃaub ǃoa ge ǃgû, 12 tsîb ge Jonatanna Davida ǃoa ge mî: “ǃKhūb, Israeli di Elob a ûitsama ǃkhais ao, nē ǁaeb ǁkhāb ai ǁari tsî sao ra tsēs ai ta ti îba nî dîǂuisa. Sa ǃgâib ǃoab ga ǃhoa, o ta ge amase nî ǂanǂan tsi. 13 Tsî tsūdī tsib nîsab ga ǂâibaseno, ab ǃKhūba ǃgam te, ǁnāsa ta ga mîba tsi tama io, ǃkhoenibasents nîse. Ab ǃKhūba hâǀkhā tsi ti îb ǀkhab ge hâ is ǁkhās khami. 14 Tsî noxopa ta nî ûis karao ǁnā ǃgaeǀhaos ǃKhūb ǀons ǃnâ khom ge dīsa ǃoa ǃgâidī te re, î ta tā ǁō. 15 Tā ǁkhāti sa ǃgâidība ti suriba xu ūdawa re. ǃKhūb ga Davida khākhoen hoana hoatsama a hîkākā, 16 xawe ab Jonatanna Davidi surib xa tā hîkākāhe. ǁNāti iga ī, ob ge ǃKhūba Davida khākhoen âb ǃnâ-u nî dīdawa-am.”
17 Jonatanni ge Davida ǁkhawa nūs ǀkha ge mîmâiba, Davidab ge ǀnam i amaga; ǁîb ge Davida ǁîb ǂûb khami ge ǀnam i. 18 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Jonatanna ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “ǁAris ge a ǀAsa ǁKhâb Kaitsē tsîts ge nî ǁkhuihe, ǂnûǃkhais âts tāb tawa nî ǀkhaiǃnâ xui-ao. 19 ǁAris khaoǃgâ hâ tsēs ai oaǀkhī, îts ǂguro ǃnāsats ge sîsentsēs ai gau hâ i ǃkhais tawa sī tsî ǁnā ǀuiǁkhopos ǃgâb ai gau. 20 Tita ge ǃnona ǂāga, xū-e ra ǁkhâu khami ǁîs xōǀkhā nî ǁkhâu. 21 Tsî ta ge ti ǃgāba sî tsî ‘ǂĀga sī ôa’ ti nî mî. ǁÎb ǃoa ta ga ‘Kō, ǂāgu ge sa nēǀkhāb ai hâ, ǁîga ūkhâi, î hā’ ti a mî, ots ge a ǃnorasa. ǃKhūb a ûitsama ǃkhais ao i ge ǃaoroxasi-e a ǀkhai. 22 Xawe ǁîb ǃoa ta ga ‘Kō, ǂāgu ge sa nauǀkhāb ai hâ’ ti a mî, o ǃgû, ǃKhūb go sîbē tsi xuige. 23 Tsî ǁnā ǃkhais ǁîs xa khom goro ǃhoas xasa; ǂâis ǃnâ ūhâ, ǃKhūb ge hoaǁae sakhom ǁaegu ǃkhō-amaose hâ.”
24 Ob ge Davida ǃaub ǃnâ sī ge gau. Tsî ǀAsa ǁKhâb Kaitsēs aib ge gao-aoba, ǂûb nîse ge ǂnû. 25 ǁÎb ge ǁnaetisa ǂnûǃkhais âb, ǂnubiǂgoab tawa hâs ai sī ge ǂnû. Jonatanni ge ǁîb ǃoa-ai ge ǂnû tsî Abnera ǁîb xōǀkhā. Davidi ǂnûǃkhais ge ǀkhaiǃnâ i, 26 xaweb ge Saula ǁnātsē xū-i xare-e mî tama ge i, ǂâib ge xui-ao “Xū-i ge ǁîb ǀkha go ī tsîb ge a ǃanuoǃnâ tsî tāb tawa a hā ǁoa.” 27 Xawe sao ra tsē, ǀAsa ǁKhâb Kaitsēs khaoǃgâs ge Davidi ǂnûǃkhaisa noxopa ǀkhaiǃnâ i, ob ge Saula Jonatanna ge dî: “Tare xū-i ǃaromab Isaib ôaba ǁaris tsî nētsēs tsîna ǂûs tawa hā tama?”
28 Ob ge Jonatanna ge ǃeream: “Davidi ge tita ai ǀkhomas ǀkha go ǂgansen Betlehems ǃoab nî ǃgûga. 29 ǁÎb ge go mî: ‘Toxopa mā-am te re, î ta ǃgû, sida surib ǁguibasa ǃās ǃnâ ūhâ tsîb go ti ǃgâsab ǂûba a mîmā te, ǁnāpa ta nî hâsa xuige. Sa mûǁae iga ǃgâi, o ǁnâi mā-am te, î ta ti ǃgâsaga sari.’ ǁNā-amagas ge gao-aots tāb tawab a ǀkhaisa.”
30 Ob ge Saula Jonatanni ǀkha kaise ǁaixa tsî ge mî: “Sa ǂgomǃgâhe ǁoasa, mâǃoaxas ôatse! Tita ge a ǂan Isaib ôabats, sa taosib ase tsî sa îs taosib ase ǁhûiǂuibasen hâ ǃkhaisa. 31 Isaib ôab a ûitsamas kōse ī tide ǃkhais ge sats nî gao-ao kaisa. ǁNā-amaga khoe-e sî îb tita ǃoa hā-ūhe; ǁîb ge nî ǁō.”
32 Ob ge Jonatanna ǁgûba ge dî: “Tare-i ǃaromab nî ǃgamhe? Tare-eb dī hâ?”
33 Ob ge Saula ǁhâigôab âb ǀkha Jonatanna ge ǁhâi ǁîbab nî ǃgamga, tsî ǁnā ǁaeb aib ge Jonatanna ge ǂan, Sauli Davidab nî ǃgamsa amase ǂâibasen hâ ǃkhaisa. 34 Jonatanni ge kaise ǁaixa hâse tāba xu ge khâi, tsîb ge ǁnā tsēs, ǀgamǁî kaitsēs ǀAsa ǁkhâb dis ai xū-i xare-e ǂû tama ge i. ǁÎb ge Davidi ǃaroma kaise gere tsûaǂgao, Sauli ge Davida tsūse dī-ū amaga. 35 Sao ra ǁgoagab ge Jonatanna Davidi ǀkhab ge ǁnâugu hâ i khami, ǁîb ǀkhab nî ǀhaose ǃaub ǃoa ge ǂoa. ǁÎb ge ǂkham axab ǀkha ge hâ i 36 tsî axab ǃoa ge mî: “ǃKhoe, îts tita nî ǁkhâu ǂāga sī ū.” Tsî axab ge ǃkhoe, ob ge Jonatanna ǂāba ǁîba ge ǁkhâu-īǀkhā. 37 Tsî axab ge Jonatanni ge ǁkhâu ǂāb ge ǁnā ǃkhais tawa sīo, ob ge Jonatanna ǁîb ǃoa ge ǃhao: “ǂĀb ge ǃnūse sa ǃgâb ai ǁgoe.” 38 Jonatanni ge ǁkhawa axab ǃoa ge ǃhao: “ǃNoeǃnoesen. ǃHaese dī, î tā ǀhabe.” Ob ge axaba ǂāba ūkhâi tsî Jonatanna ǃoa ge hā. 39 ǁÎb ge xū-i xare-e nē ǀapes xa ge ǂan tama hâ i, Jonatanni tsî Davidi tsîkha ǀguikha ge ǁnās xa ge ǂan i. 40 Jonatanni ge ǁâtanin âba axaba mā tsî ge mî: “Ū, îts ǁîna Gibeas ǃoa ǃgû-ū.”
41 Tsî axab ge ǃgû, ob ge Davida ǀuiǁkhopos ǃgâba xu khâi tsî ǃnona ǃnāde ǃhūb kōse ge ǃgamǃgâ. ǁÎkha ge ǁoagu tsî gere ā; tsî Davidi ge ǃnāsase ge ā. 42 Ob ge Jonatanna ǁîb ǃoa ge mî: “ǂKhîb ǃnâ ǃgû re. Sakhom ge ǃKhūb ǀons ǃnâ nū tsî ge mî: ‘ǃKhūb ge nî dī, sats tsî tita tsîkhom tsî sa surib tsî ti surib tsîn nē mîmâis ǃKhūb ǀons ǃnâ khom ge dīsa ǀamose nî ǃkhōǀgaipesa.’ ” Ob ge Davida ge ǃgû tsî Jonatanni ge ǃās ǁga ge oa.
