I Samuel 20

vayyivrakh david (mnvvt) [minnayot] baramah vayyavo vayyomer lifne yehonatan meh asiti meh-avoni umeh-khattati lifne avikha ki mevaqqesh et-nafshi

David fled from Naioth in Ramah; he came to Jonathan and said, “What have I done, what is my crime and my guilt against your father, that he seeks my life?”

vayyomer lo khalilah lo tamut hinneh (lv shh) [lo-ya'aseh] avi davar gadol o davar qaton velo yigleh et-ozni umaddua yastir avi mimmenni et-haddavar hazzeh en zot

He replied, “Heaven forbid! You shall not die. My father does not do anything, great or small, without disclosing it to me; why should my father conceal this matter from me? It cannot be!”

vayyishava od david vayyomer yadoa yada avikha ki-matsati khen be'enekha vayyomer al-yeda-zot yehonatan pen-ye'atsev ve'ulam khay-Adonai vekhe nafshekha ki khefesa beni uven hammavet

David swore further, “Your father knows well that you are fond of me and has decided: Jonathan must not learn of this or he will be grieved. But, as GOD lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.”

vayyomer yehonatan el-david mah-ttomar nafshekha ve'e'eseh-llakh

Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want, I will do it for you.”

vayyomer david el-yehonatan hinneh-khodesh makhar ve'anokhi yashov-eshev im-hammelekh le'ekhol veshillakhtani venistarti vassadeh ad ha'erev hashelishit

David said to Jonathan, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and I am to sit with the king at the meal. Instead, let me go and I will hide in the countryside until the third evening.

im-paqod yifqedeni avikha ve'amarta nishol nishal mimmenni david laruts bet-lekhem iro ki zevakh hayyamim sham lekhol-hammishpakhah

If your father notes my absence, you say, ‘David asked my permission to run down to his home town, Bethlehem, for the whole family has its annual sacrifice there.’

im-koh yomar tov shalom le'avdekha ve'im-kharoh yekhereh lo da ki-khaletah hara'ah me'immo

If he says ‘Good,’ your servant is safe; but if his anger flares up, know that he is resolved to do [me] harm.

ve'asita khesed al-avdekha ki bivrit Adonai heveta et-avdekha immakh ve'im-yesh-bi avon hamiteni attah ve'ad-avikha lammah-zzeh tevi'eni

Deal faithfully with your servant, since you have taken your servant into a covenant of GOD with you. And if I am guilty, kill me yourself, but don’t make me go back to your father.”

vayyomer yehonatan khalilah lakh ki im-yadoa eda ki-khaletah hara'ah me'im avi lavo alekha velo otah aggid lakh

Jonathan replied, “Don’t talk like that! If I learn that my father has resolved to kill you, I will surely tell you about it.”

vayyomer david el-yehonatan mi yaggid li o mah-yya'ankha avikha qashah

David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”

vayyomer yehonatan el-david lekhah venetse hassadeh vayyetse'u shenehem hassadeh

Jonathan said to David, “Let us go into the open”; and they both went out into the open.

vayyomer yehonatan el-david Adonai elohe yisra'el ki-ekhqor et-avi ka'et makhar hashelishit vehinneh-tov el-david velo-az eshlakh elekha vegaliti et-oznekha

Then Jonathan said to David, “By the ETERNAL, the God of Israel! I will sound out my father at this time tomorrow, [or] on the third day; and if [his response] is favorable for David, I will send a message to you at once and disclose it to you.

koh-ya'aseh Adonai lihonatan vekhoh yosif ki-yetiv el-avi et-hara'ah alekha vegaliti et-oznekha veshillakhtikha vehalakhta leshalom vihi Adonai immakh ka'asher hayah im-avi

But if my father intends to do you harm, may GOD do thus to Jonathan and more if I do [not] disclose it to you and send you off to escape unharmed. May GOD be with you—as [God] was formerly with my father.

velo im-odenni khay velo-ta'aseh immadi khesed Adonai velo amut

Nor shall you fail to show me GOD’s faithfulness, while I am alive; nor, when I am dead,

velo-takhrit et-khasdekha me'im beti ad-olam velo behakhrit Adonai et-oyeve david ish me'al pene ha'adamah

shall you ever discontinue your faithfulness to my house—not even after GOD has wiped out every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.

vayyikhrot yehonatan im-bet david uviqqesh Adonai miyyad oyeve david

Thus has Jonathan covenanted with the house of David; and may GOD requite the enemies of David!”

vayyosef yehonatan lehashbia et-david be'ahavato oto ki-ahavat nafsho ahevo

Jonathan, out of his love for David, adjured him again, for he loved him as himself.

vayyomer-lo yehonatan makhar khodesh venifqadta ki yippaqed moshavekha

Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow will be the new moon; and you will be missed when your seat remains vacant.

veshillashta tered me'od uvata el-hammaqom asher-nistarta sham beyom hamma'aseh veyashavta etsel ha'even ha'azel

So the day after tomorrow, go down all the way to the place where you hid the other time, and stay close to the Ezel stone.

va'ani sheloshet hakhitsim tsiddah oreh leshallakh-li lemattarah

Now I will shoot three arrows to one side of it, as though I were shooting at a mark,

vehinneh eshlakh et-hanna'ar lekh metsa et-hakhitsim im-amor omar lanna'ar hinneh hakhitsim mimmekha vahennah qakhennu vavo'ah ki-shalom lekha ve'en davar khay-Adonai

and I will order the boy to go and find the arrows. If I call to the boy, ‘Hey! the arrows are on this side of you,’ be reassured and come, for you are safe and there is no danger—as GOD lives!

ve'im-koh omar la'elem hinneh hakhitsim mimmekha vahale'ah lekh ki shillakhakha Adonai

But if, instead, I call to the lad, ‘Hey! the arrows are beyond you,’ then leave, for GOD has sent you away.

vehaddavar asher dibbarnu ani va'attah hinneh Adonai beni uvenekha ad-olam

As for the promise we made to each other, may GOD be [witness] between you and me forever.”

vayyissater david bassadeh vayehi hakhodesh vayyeshev hammelekh (l) [el-]hallekhem le'ekhol

David hid in the field. The new moon came, and the king sat down to partake of the meal.

vayyeshev hammelekh al-moshavo kefa'am befa'am el-moshav haqqir vayyaqom yehonatan vayyeshev avner mitsad sha'ul vayyippaqed meqom david

When the king took his usual place on the seat by the wall, Jonathan rose and Abner sat down at Saul’s side; but David’s place remained vacant.

velo-dibber sha'ul me'umah bayyom hahu ki amar miqreh hu bilti tahor hu ki-lo tahor

That day, however, Saul said nothing. “It’s accidental,” he thought. “He must be impure and not yet purified.”

vayehi mimmokhorat hakhodesh hasheni vayyippaqed meqom david vayyomer sha'ul el-yehonatan beno maddua lo-va ven-yishay gam-temol gam-hayyom el-hallakhem

But on the day after the new moon, the second day, David’s place was vacant again. So Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why didn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal yesterday or today?”

vayya'an yehonatan et-sha'ul nishol nishal david me'immadi ad-bet lakhem

Jonathan answered Saul, “David begged leave of me to go to Bethlehem.

vayyomer shallekheni na ki zevakh mishpakhah lanu ba'ir vehu tsivvah-li akhi ve'attah im-matsati khen be'enekha immaletah na ve'ereh et-ekhay al-ken lo-va el-shulkhan hammelekh

He said, ‘Please let me go, for we are going to have a family feast in our town and my brother has summoned me to it. Do me a favor, let me slip away to see my kin.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”

vayyikhar-af sha'ul bihonatan vayyomer lo ben-na'avat hammardut halo yadati ki-vokher attah leven-yishay levoshtekha ulevoshet ervat immekha

Saul flew into a rage against Jonathan. “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman!” he shouted. “I know that you side with the son of Jesse—to your shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness!

ki khol-hayyamim asher ben-yishay khay al-ha'adamah lo tikkon attah umalkhutekha ve'attah shelakh veqakh oto elay ki ven-mavet hu

For as long as the son of Jesse lives on earth, neither you nor your kingship will be secure. Now then, have him brought to me, for he is marked for death.”

vayya'an yehonatan et-sha'ul aviv vayyomer elayw lammah yumat meh asah

But Jonathan spoke up and said to his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”

vayyatel sha'ul et-hakhanit alayw lehakkoto vayyeda yehonatan ki-khalah hi me'im aviv lehamit et-david

At that, Saul threw his spear at him to strike him down; and Jonathan realized that his father was determined to do away with David.

vayyaqom yehonatan me'im hashulkhan bokhori-af velo-akhal beyom-hakhodesh hasheni lekhem ki netsav el-david ki hikhlimo aviv

Jonathan rose from the table in a rage. He ate no food on the second day of the new moon, because he was grieved about David, and because his father had humiliated him.

vayehi vabboqer vayyetse yehonatan hassadeh lemo'ed david vena'ar qaton immo

In the morning, Jonathan went out into the open for the meeting with David, accompanied by a young boy.

vayyomer lena'aro ruts metsa na et-hakhitsim asher anokhi moreh hanna'ar rats vehu-yarah hakhetsi leha'aviro

He said to the boy, “Run ahead and find the arrows that I shoot.” And as the boy ran, he shot the arrows past him.

vayyavo hanna'ar ad-meqom hakhetsi asher yarah yehonatan vayyiqra yehonatan akhare hanna'ar vayyomer halo hakhetsi mimmekha vahale'ah

When the boy came to the place where the arrows shot by Jonathan had fallen, Jonathan called out to the boy, “Hey, the arrows are beyond you!”

vayyiqra yehonatan akhare hanna'ar meherah khushah al-ta'amod vayelaqqet na'ar yehonatan et-[hakhitsim] (hkhtsy) vayyavo el-adonayw

And Jonathan called after the boy, “Quick, hurry up. Don’t stop!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered the arrows and came back to his master.—

vehanna'ar lo-yada me'umah akh yehonatan vedavid yade'u et-haddavar

The boy suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement.—

vayyitten yehonatan et-kelayw el-hanna'ar asher-lo vayyomer lo lekh have ha'ir

Jonathan handed the gear to his boy and told him, “Take these back to the town.”

hanna'ar ba vedavid qam me'etsel hannegev vayyippol le'appayw artsah vayyishtakhu shalosh pe'amim vayyishequ ish et-re'ehu vayyivku ish et-re'ehu ad-david higdil

When the boy got there, David emerged from his concealment at the Negeb. He flung himself face down on the ground and bowed low three times. They kissed each other and wept together; David wept the longer.

vayyomer yehonatan ledavid lekh leshalom asher nishbanu shenenu anakhnu beshem Adonai lemor Adonai yihyeh beni uvenekha uven zari uven zarakha ad-olam

Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace! For we two have sworn to each other in the name of GOD: ‘May GOD be [witness] between you and me, and between your offspring and mine, forever!’”