Jonathan Helps David Escape
1 David escaped from Prophets Village. Then he ran to see Jonathan and asked, “Why does your father Saul want to kill me? What have I done wrong?”
2 “My father can't be trying to kill you! He never does anything without telling me about it. Why would he hide this from me? It can't be true!”
3 “Jonathan, I swear it's true! But your father knows how much you like me, and he didn't want to break your heart. That's why he didn't tell you. I swear by the living Lord and by your own life that I'm only one step ahead of death.”
4 Then Jonathan said, “Tell me what to do, and I'll do it.”
5 David answered:
Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival, and I'm supposed to eat dinner with your father. But instead, I'll hide in a field until the evening of the next day. 6 If Saul wonders where I am, tell him, “David asked me to let him go to his hometown of Bethlehem, so he could take part in a sacrifice his family makes there every year.”
7 If your father says it's all right, then I'm safe. But if he gets angry, you'll know he wants to harm me. 8 Be kind to me. After all, it was your idea to promise the Lord that we would always be loyal friends. If I've done anything wrong, kill me yourself, but don't hand me over to your father.
9 “Don't worry,” Jonathan said. “If I find out that my father wants to kill you, I'll certainly let you know.”
10 “How will you do that?” David asked.
11 “Let's go out to this field, and I'll tell you,” Jonathan answered.
When they got there, 12 Jonathan said:
I swear by the Lord God of Israel, that two days from now I'll know what my father is planning. Of course I'll let you know if he's friendly toward you. 13 But if he wants to harm you, I promise to tell you and help you escape. And I ask the Lord to punish me severely if I don't keep my promise.
I pray that the Lord will bless you, just as he used to bless my father. 14-15 Someday the Lord will wipe out all of your enemies. Then if I'm still alive, please be as kind to me as the Lord has been. But if I'm dead, be kind to my family.
16 Jonathan and David made an agreement that even David's descendants would have to keep. Then Jonathan said, “I pray that the Lord will take revenge on your descendants if they break our promise.”
17 Jonathan thought as much of David as he did of himself, so he asked David to promise once more that he would be a loyal friend. 18 After this Jonathan said:
Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival, and people will wonder where you are, because your place at the table will be empty. 19 By the day after tomorrow, everyone will think you've been gone a long time. Then go to the place where you hid before and stay beside Going-Away Rock. 20 I'll shoot three arrows at a target off to the side of the rock, 21 and send my servant to find the arrows.
You'll know if it's safe to come out by what I tell him. If it is safe, I swear by the living Lord that I'll say, “The arrows are on this side of you! Pick them up!” 22 But if it isn't safe, I'll say to the boy, “The arrows are farther away!” This will mean that the Lord wants you to leave, and you must go. 23 But he will always watch us to make sure that we keep the promise we made to each other.
24 So David hid there in the field.
During the New Moon Festival, Saul sat down to eat 25 by the wall, just as he always did. Jonathan sat across from him, and Abner sat next to him. But David's place was empty. 26 Saul didn't say anything that day, because he was thinking, “Something must have happened to make David unfit to be at the Festival. Yes, something must have happened.”
27 The day after the New Moon Festival, when David's place was still empty, Saul asked Jonathan, “Why hasn't that son of Jesse come to eat with us? He wasn't here yesterday, and he still isn't here today!”
28-29 Jonathan answered, “The reason David hasn't come to eat with you is that he begged me to let him go to Bethlehem. He said, ‘Please let me go. My family is offering a sacrifice, and my brother told me I have to be there. Do me this favor and let me slip away to see my brothers.’ ”
30 Saul was furious with Jonathan and yelled, “You're no son of mine, you traitor! I know you've chosen to be loyal to that son of Jesse. You should be ashamed of yourself! And your own mother should be ashamed that you were ever born. 31 You'll never be safe, and your kingdom will be in danger as long as that son of Jesse is alive. Turn him over to me now! He deserves to die!”
32 “Why do you want to kill David?” Jonathan asked. “What has he done?”
33 Saul threw his spear at Jonathan and tried to kill him. Then Jonathan was sure that his father really did want to kill David. 34 Jonathan was angry and hurt that his father had insulted David so terribly. He got up, left the table, and didn't eat anything all that day.
35 In the morning, Jonathan went out to the field to meet David. He took a servant boy along 36 and told him, “When I shoot the arrows, you run and find them for me.”
The boy started running, and Jonathan shot an arrow so that it would go beyond him. 37 When the boy got near the place where the arrow had landed, Jonathan shouted, “Isn't the arrow on past you?” 38 Jonathan shouted to him again, “Hurry up! Don't stop!”
The boy picked up the arrows and brought them back to Jonathan, 39 but he had no idea about what was going on. Only Jonathan and David knew. 40 Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and told him, “Take these back into town.”
41 After the boy had gone, David got up from beside the mound and bowed very low three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and cried, but David cried louder. 42 Jonathan said, “Take care of yourself. And remember, we each have asked the Lord to watch and make sure that we and our descendants keep our promise forever.”
David left and Jonathan went back to town.
Dāvida un Jonatāna draudzība
1 Tad Dāvids steidzās prom no Najotas Rāmā un, atnācis pie Jonatāna, jautāja: “Ko esmu darījis, ko esmu noziedzies vai grēkojis pret tavu tēvu, ka viņš tīko pēc manas dzīvības?” 2 Jonatāns tam sacīja: “Pasargi, Dievs! Tev nebūs jāmirst. Mans tēvs neko nedarīs – ne lielu, ne mazu, man to neatklājis. Kāpēc lai mans tēvs no manis to slēptu? Tas nevar būt!” 3 Bet Dāvids atkal teica un zvērēja: “Tavs tēvs droši zina, ka esmu guvis tavu vēlību, un viņš domā: Jonatānam tas nav jāzina, lai viņš nebēdātos. Tiešām, dzīvs Kungs un dzīva tava dvēsele! – man līdz nāvei ir tikai viens solis.” 4 Un Jonatāns teica Dāvidam: “Es tavā labā darīšu, ko vien vēlies!”
5 Tad Dāvids sacīja Jonatānam: “Redzi, rīt ir jauns mēness, kad man katrā ziņā jāsēžas ar ķēniņu pie viena galda, bet tu laid mani, un es paslēpšos uz lauka līdz trešās dienas vakaram. 6 Ja tavs tēvs ievēros, ka neesmu klāt, saki: Dāvids man ļoti lūdzās, ka viņš varētu aizskriet uz Betlēmi, savu pilsētu, jo visai dzimtai tur ir gadskārtējā upurēšana. 7 Ja viņš saka: labi, – tad tavs kalps ir drošībā, bet, ja viņš niknumā aizsvilstas, tad zini, ka viņam padomā ļauns. 8 Tad izrādi laipnību savam kalpam, jo tu esi saistījies ar savu kalpu Kunga derībā. Ja esmu vainīgs, tad nonāvē mani pats – kāpēc gan tev vest mani pie sava tēva?!”
9 Jonatāns teica: “Pasargi, Dievs! Ja es manītu, ka manam tēvam padomā darīt tev ļaunu, un tev to nestāstītu!” 10 Dāvids teica Jonatānam: “Ja tēvs tev bargi atcirtīs, kurš man to pastāstīs?” 11 Jonatāns teica Dāvidam: “Nāc, iziesim laukā!” Un viņi abi izgāja uz lauka.
12 Tur Jonatāns teica Dāvidam: “Kungs, Israēla Dievs, ja līdz šim laikam rīt vai parīt es izdibināšu no sava tēva, ka viņš labvēlīgs Dāvidam, vai tad es nesūtīšu pie tevis ar ziņu? 13 Lai Kungs dara Jonatānam tāpat un vēl vairāk! Bet, ja mans tēvs gribēs tev darīt ļaunu, es došu tev ziņu un sūtīšu tevi projām – tad ej ar mieru, un Kungs būs ar tevi, kā viņš bija ar manu tēvu! 14 Un tu, ja es vēl būšu dzīvs, vai tu neparādīsi man Kunga žēlastību, ka es nemirstu! 15 Tu neatrausi savu žēlastību manam namam nemūžam, arī tad ne, kad Kungs no zemes virsas iznīdēs visus Dāvida ienaidniekus.” 16 Un Jonatāns noslēdza derību ar Dāvida namu, sacīdams: “Kungs atprasīs no Dāvida ienaidniekiem!” 17 Jonatāns vēlreiz nozvērināja Dāvidu pie viņu mīlestības, jo viņš to mīlēja kā savu dzīvību.
18 Jonatāns viņam teica: “Rīt ir jauns mēness, ja tava vieta būs tukša, to ievēros, 19 bet parīt steidz lejā uz to vietu, kur tu slēpies toreiz, un paliec pie Ezela akmens. 20 Es izšaušu trīs bultas uz tā pusi, it kā es šautu mērķī. 21 Tad es teikšu zēnam: ej, sameklē bultas! – Ja es saku zēnam: re, bultas ir šaipus tevis, paņem tās! – tad nāc, jo tu esi drošībā un tev nekas nedraud. – Dzīvs Kungs! – 22 Bet, ja es puikam teikšu: re, bultas ir aiz tevis, tad ej, jo Kungs tevi sūta projām. 23 Bet par to, ko mēs runājām, tu un es, redzi, Kungs starp mani un tevi uz mūžiem!”
24 Dāvids paslēpās uz lauka. Iestājās jauns mēness, un ķēniņš sēdās pie mielasta. 25 Ķēniņš, kā parasti, apsēdās savā vietā uz sēdekļa pie sienas, Jonatāns piecēlās, un Abnērs apsēdās blakus Saulam, bet Dāvida vieta palika tukša. 26 Todien Sauls neko neteica, jo domāja, ka tam kaut kas atgadījies un viņš nav šķīsts – droši vien vēl nav šķīstījies. 27 Bet nākamajā, jauna mēness otrajā dienā Dāvida vieta atkal bija tukša. Tad Sauls teica savam dēlam Jonatānam: “Kādēļ Jišaja dēls nav nācis uz mielastu ne vakar, ne šodien?” 28 Jonatāns atbildēja Saulam: “Dāvids mani lūgtin lūdza, ka varētu iet uz Betlēmi. 29 Viņš teica: jel laid mani, jo mūsu dzimtai šajā pilsētā ir upurēšana, un mans brālis pieteica, ka man tur jābūt. Tad nu, ja esmu guvis tavu vēlību, es aiztecēšu apraudzīt savus brāļus, – tāpēc viņš nav ieradies pie ķēniņa galda.”
30 Sauls iedegās dusmās pret Jonatānu un teica: “Tu samaitātās tiepīgās sievas dēls! Domā, es nezinu, ka tu esi izvēlējies Jišaja dēlu par kaunu sev un par kaunu savas mātes klēpim! 31 Kamēr vien Jišaja dēls dzīvo uz zemes, nepastāvēsi ne tu, ne tava valdīšana! Tagad sūti pēc viņa un atved pie manis, jo viņš ir parādā nāvei!” 32 Jonatāns sacīja savam tēvam Saulam: “Kāpēc viņam jāmirst, ko viņš nodarījis?!” 33 Bet Sauls svieda uz viņu šķēpu, lai nodurtu, un Jonatāns saprata, ka viņa tēvs ir gatavs nonāvēt Dāvidu. 34 Degdams dusmās, Jonatāns piecēlās no galda un neko neēda šajā jauna mēness otrajā dienā, jo bija satriekts par Dāvidu un to, ka tēvs viņu tā apkaunojis.
35 No rīta Jonatāns izgāja uz lauka, kā bija norunāts ar Dāvidu, un viņam līdzi bija mazs zēns. 36 Viņš teica zēnam: “Skrien sameklē bultas, kuras es šaušu.” Zēns aizskrēja, un viņš izšāva bultu tam pāri. 37 Kad zēns nonāca tur, kur bija Jonatāna izšautā bulta, Jonatāns sauca zēnam: “Vai bulta nav aiz tevis?” 38 Un Jonatāns sauca zēnam nopakaļ: “Ātrāk! Pasteidzies! Neapstājies!” Jonatāna zēns salasīja bultas un atgriezās pie sava kunga. 39 Zēns nesaprata neko, vienīgi Jonatāns un Dāvids zināja, kas par lietu. 40 Jonatāns atdeva ieročus zēnam un sacīja: “Ej, nes tos uz pilsētu.” 41 Kad zēns bija aizgājis, no slēptuves dienvidu pusē piecēlās Dāvids, krita uz sava vaiga pie zemes un klanījās trīs reizes. Viņi skūpstīja viens otru un raudāja, un Dāvids raudāja nevaldāmi. 42 Jonatāns teica Dāvidam: “Ej ar mieru! Mēs abi esam zvērējuši Kunga vārdā: Kungs lai ir starp mani un tevi, starp maniem pēcnācējiem un taviem pēcnācējiem – tas paliek mūžīgi!”
