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.
Oukaume pokati kaDavid naJonatan
1 Opo nee David a ya onhapo a dja muNajot puRama, ndele okwe uya kuJonatan ndee ta pula: “Ame onda ninga shike? Okunyona kwange okwaashike netimba lange koshipala shaxo olashike, ye eshi ta kongo omwenyo wange?” 2 Ndelenee ye okwe mu lombwela: “Alala! Ito fi. Tate ita ningi oshilonga nande shinini ile shinene, ine shi hololela nge ngeno. Omolwashike hano tate ta holeke nge oshinima eshi? Osho hasho!” 3 Opo nee David ta ane vali ndee ta ti: “Xo e shi shii naanaa nokutya, ove wa hokwa nge; onghee hano ye a diladila: Jonatan ine shi shiiva, opo ye aha nyike oluhodi. Ndelenee oshili, ngaashi Omwene e nomwenyo naave yo u nomwenyo, ope nonghatu imwe aike pokati ketu nefyo!” 4 Ndele Jonatan okwa nyamukula David: “Osho we shi hala, ame ohandi ke shi ku ningila.” 5 Opo nee David ta ti kuJonatan: “Tala, mongula ohani ipe, naame ondi nokukala omutumba shili pamwe nohamba poshililo. Ndelenee efe nge ndi ye ndi ka hondame moluhaela fiyo onguloshi yomongheleinya. 6 Xo ngeenge ta yongola nge, u nokutya: ‘David okwa indila nge a shiive okuya diva moshilando shavo Betlehem, osheshi ko oku na oshivilo sheyambo lomudo keshe lepata lavo alishe.’ 7 Ye ngeenge ta ti: ‘Eewa! Omupiya woye ke na mbudi.’ Ndelenee ngeenge a handuka unene, kala u shi shii hano, ye e nowii momwenyo waye. 8 Hano fila omupiya woye onghenda, osheshi ove wa panga oukaume nomupiya woye koshipala shOmwene. Ndelenee ngeenge nda nyona, ove mwene dipae nge. Omolwashike to twala nge kuxo?” 9 Opo nee Jonatan ta ti: “Ino diladila ngaha! Osheshi ngeenge handi dimbulukwa shili nokutya, tate e nowii nomwenyo woye e ku nyone po, ame ihandi ke shi ku hololela ngeno?” 10 Ndele David okwa pula Jonatan: “Olyelye ta shiivifile nge, xo ngeenge te ku pe enyamukulo likukutu?” 11 Ndele Jonatan ta ti kuDavid: “Ila, tu ye komaluhaela.” Ndele vo aveshe vavali va ya koluhaela. 12 Opo nee Jonatan ta ti kuDavid: “Omwene Kalunga kaIsrael, Ye ondobwedi nokutya, ame ohandi ka pula tate mefimbo tuu eli mongula ile mongheleinya. Ndele enyamukulo ngeenge tali wapalele David, ame itandi ku tumine ndi ku hololele ngeno? 13 Omwene na ningile Jonatan shonhumba noshongadi ame ngeenge itandi shi ku hololele ngeno noku ku lekela u shiive okuya nombili, tate ngeenge te ku halele owii. NOmwene na kale naave ngaashi a kala natate. 14 Naave yo ito file nge ngeno onghenda yOmwene, ndiha fye, ame ngeenge ndi nomwenyo natango. 15 Ndele ino efa okufila onghenda epata lange nomefimbo olo Omwene ta hanauna po ovatondadi aveshe vaDavid kombada yedu.” 16 Osho ngaha hano Jonatan okwa panga oukaume nepata laDavid. Ndele Omwene na handukile ovatondadi vaDavid! 17 Ndele Jonatan okwa anifa vali David pahole yaye naye. Osheshi ye okwa li e mu hole nohole yokomwenyo waye. 18 Jonatan okwe mu lombwela vali: “Mongula ohani ipe ove oto ka yongolwa, osheshi oshipundi shoye oshi li ngaho. 19 Ndelenee mongheleinya ove u nokweendelela nokuya konhele oyo, ove wa hondamene efiku linya oshilonga osho sha ningwa, ndele kala omutumba pemanya Esel. 20 Ame ohandi ka umba oikuti itatu pomunghulo walo, ndi kale ngeno handi umbu edidiliko. 21 Ndele tala, ame ohandi ka tuma omupiya ndee handi ti: ‘Inda u ka toole oikuti! Oikuti i li konima yoye, kombinga ei, i kufa nee to dulu okuuya.’ Osheshi kape na mbudi yasha oshili Omwene ngaashi e nomwenyo. 22 Ndelenee ngeenge handi ti komunyasha: ‘Oikuti i li komesho yoye, kokule, opo nee inda.’ Osheshi Omwene te ku lombwele u dje po. 23 Ndele Omwene Oye ondobwedi fiyo alushe pokati ketu naave eendjovo odo twe di tonga.” 24 Opo nee David okwa hondama moluhaela. Ohani ipe eshi ye uya ko, ohamba ya ya i ka kale omutumba poshililo. 25 Ohamba ya kala omutumba kolukalwa layo ngaashi shito, kolukalwa layo lopekuma. Ndele Jonatan okwa kala komesho omutumba nokwa fikama, naAbner okwa kala omutumba ponho yaSaul, ndelenee oshipundi shaDavid sha li hamungaho. 26 Ndele Saul ina popya sha mefiku olo, osheshi a diladila: “Kashiimba she mu ningilwa onghee ina yela. Oshili ina yela.” 27 Ndelenee oshipundi shaDavid eshi sha li hamungaho mefiku la shikula nokutya, mefiku etivali la shikula ohani ipe, Saul okwa pula omona waye Jonatan: “Omolwashike omona waIsai ine uya onghela nonena koshililo?” 28 Ndele Jonatan okwa nyamukula Saul: “David okwa indila nge unene a ye kuBetlehem, 29 ndee ta ti: Lekele nge ndi ye ko, osheshi otu noshivilo sheyambo shepata moshilando, nomumwameme mwene a ifana nge. Ame ngeenge nda filwa onghenda koshipala shoye, lekele nge ndi ye ko ndi ka talele po ovamwameme ovalumenhu. Onghee hano ye ine uya koshililo shohamba.” 30 Opo ehandu laSaul la xwamena Jonatan, ndee ta ti kuye: “Oove omumati omona wombwada; ondi shi shii, ove wa hokwa omumati omona waIsai, osho we lififa ohoni ndele wa fifa epenge lanyoko ohoni? 31 Osheshi omafiku aeshe omumati omona waIsai e nomwenyo kombada yedu, ove nouhamba woye itau ka kala wa pama. Tuma ko hano paife u ke mu ete kwaame, osheshi e nokufya.” 32 Ndele Jonatan okwa nyamukula xe Saul ndee ta ti: “Omolwashike ye e nokudipawa? Okwa ninga shike?” 33 Opo nee Saul te mu umbu eonga e mu twe. Jonatan eshi a dimbulukwa nokutya, xe okwa li a hala shili okudipaa David. 34 Jonatan okwa fikama poshililo mehandu la xwama, ndele ina lya omungome mefiku etivali lohani ipe, shaashi ye a nyika oluhodi omolwaDavid, osheshi xe e mu tuka.
35 Ongula ya shikula Jonatan okwa ya koluhaela paudafano lavo naDavid, nomupiya omunyasha pamwe naye. 36 Ndele ye ta ti komupiya: Inda u ka toole oikuti, ame handi i umbu. Ndele fimbo omupiya ta lotokele ko, ye ta umbu oshikuti sha kolokela kombada yaye. 37 Ndele omupiya eshi a ehena popepi nonhele apa oshikuti sha umbwa kuJonatan sha wila, Jonatan okwa ingida komupiya ta ti: Oshikuti shi li komesho yoye, ehena ko komesho! 38 Ndelenee Jonatan okwa popya vali pombada ta ti komupiya: “Endelela, tondoka, ino kanghama!” Nomupiya waJonatan okwa toola po oshikuti ndee te uya komwene waye. 39 Ndelenee omupiya okwa li ina shiiva sha. Jonatan naDavid ovo aveke vavali va li ve shi shii. 40 Opo nee Jonatan a pa omupiya waye ou a li puye, oiti yaye, ndee ta ti kuye: “Inda u i twale koshilando.” 41 Fimbo omupiya ta i keumbo, David okwa kala ofika langhele kombinga yonhumba yomamanya ndee ta wile poshi ta tu oshipala shaye pedu ndele te linyongamene lutatu. Opo va fipafana komilungu ndele va lila aveshe. David okwa lila nokulililila. 42 Ndele Jonatan ta ti kuDavid: “Inda nombili. Eendjovo odo tuu odo ngaashi twe di ana medina lOmwene ndele twa tile: Omwene ta ka kala ondobwedi pokati ketu naave nopokati koludalo letu naloye fiyo alushe.” Ndele ye okwa fikama ndee ta i; ndelenee Jonatan okwa ya koshilando.
