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.
Bereazi Dawidi ro Jonatana be
1 'Dooko Dawidi mute ni Naiota ya Rama yasi, ago ikyite Jonatana re ago atate ekye: “Maye e'diyi ya? Taenji maro ni e'di ya? Ago takozi se mayebe täpi miro lomvo se nda kabe ma uṛi ufune tana ro ni e'di ya?”
2 Ndi Jonatana atate ndäri ekye: “Miri odrane i'do. Mindre, täpi maro ye ŋga 'desi kode giṛiŋwa aza koko teinye tana iti ako märi. Tana e'di täpi maro da'dona ta ono gwo märi niya? Ta 'do a'done inye i'do.”
3 Oko Dawidi zatadrite ekye: “Endaro, täpi miro ni ŋgalu miro märi tana ṛote kado, ago nda usutavote ekye: ‘Mi'ba Jonatana kuni tase ono ko, ukyi nda a'do 'da tusuro.’ Oko endaro, ma ruäṛu OPI se kabe ori lidriidriro ono si ago oso nyabe dri gi ori ono ronye, pa otovo e'be toto alodi lakole maro ndi odra be ya.”
4 'Dooko Jonatana atate Dawidi ri ekye: “Ŋgase nyabe tana atana, mayena ndi miri.”
5 Dawidi atate Jonatana ri ekye: “Mindre, ondo 'do Karama Imba To'di ro, ago aba märi a'done ŋgaonya onyavoya 'bädri'ba be. Oko mi'ba moyi, tana mada'do andivo maro robe lowo ya madale tandrole u'du nina rosi. 6 Ondro täpi miro kusu vote ekye ma i'do, 'dooko nyata ndäri mikye: ‘Dawidi lo'barute ekye yile oyine Beteleme 'ba'desi ndaro ya; tana tori olo ndroa cini ro orivoya lau tana ta katidri cini ndaro rota.’ 7 Ondro ka'do nda katate ekye: ‘Kado yi!’ 'Dooko ta a'dona ndi kado ruindu'ba miro ri; oko ondro ka'do nda koŋgate kyilaro, 'dooko minina ndi nda le ma oyene koziro. 8 Ka'do inye miye takado ayani ruindu'ba miro ri, tana ama mibe mòloci ama te tao'baro alokado ya. Oko ondro taenji ka'dote orivoya ya maro ya, andivo miro mifu ma ni, mi'bana ma gwo ni ufune täpi miro ri etaya?”
9 Ago Jonatana atate ekye: “Nyata ko oso inye! Ondro ka'do mänite anjioko täpi maro le ŋgakozi oyene miri, inye'do marina ndi tana opeako miri ya?”
10 'Dooko Dawidi atate Jonatana ri ekye: “Ondro ka'do täpi miro kozatadri miro te kyila si a'di itina tana ni märi ya?”
11 Ndi Jonatana atate Dawidi ri ekye: “Nyikyi, mi'de mòyi lowo ya.” Ago ànya riti foyite lowo ya.
12 Jonatana atate Dawidi ri ekye: “OPI, Lu Yisaraele ro ka'do tazevoedre'ba ro! Ondo saa oso ono ronye si, kode u'du ṛiri si mejina täpi maro 'da, ondro ka'do nda kaka'da te takado ayani miri, mitina tana 'da miri. 13 Oko ondro ka'do täpi maro kolete mi oyene koziro, OPI koye ma koziro, ago koye ṛo ndra, ondro ka'do ma'ba tana kote unine miri, ago mi o'bane oyine rritiako owo. Ka'do inye OPI ka'do ndi tro mibe, oso nda ka'dobe täpi maro be ronye. 14 Oko ondro ma'do dri gindi 'du lidriidriro, nyaka'da a'do 'diri bereazi ro märi, oso OPI ri ronye, oko ondro ka'do madrate 15 nyaka'da a'do 'diri 'do katidri maro ri 'duro. Ago ondro OPI kutufu kyila'baazii cini miro teni 'bädri yasi, 16 mi'ba ävuru Jonatana ro kokye ko ni katidri Dawidi ro yasi. Ka'do inye OPI kologo votaro kyila'baazii Dawidi ro dri.”
17 Ago Jonatana 'ba Dawidi te ru äṛune kpa to'di ta ŋgalu ndaro ro ndäri ta; tana Jonatana lu Dawidi tawi oso nda kulu modo ndaro be ronye.
18 'Dooko Jonatana atate ndäri ekye: “Ondo 'do Karama Imba To'di ro ago usuna vo miro a'doro i'do 'da, tana vooriro miro a'dona 'da awi. 19 Ago u'du nina si usuna vo a'do miro ro i'do 'da ndra; 'dooko nyoyi vose nyada'do andivo miro be kigye tu käti si ana ya, ago nyada'do mi kuni donjo 'do kundu si. 20 Ago mä'bona ätu nätu 'da driigyero, osoago ma dirina ayani gya. 21 Ago mindre, mazona ŋgaga maro 'da ätu iyi uṛine. Ago ondro matate ndäri makye: ‘Mindre ätu iyi orivoya lama telesi miro nasi ana ya, miru ànya,’ 'do takacina anjioko miri te efone tesi ni ruda'dovo yasi. Ndi nya'dona ndi rritiako, ma ruäṛu OPI si anjioko ŋgakozi aza unina ko a'done miri. 22 Oko ondro matate ŋgagaŋwa ri makye: ‘Mindre, ätu iyi orivoya ndra mikundu si,’ 'dooko nyoyi teri, tana OPI 'ba mi te oyine. 23 Ago ta gi matabe mibe ono, mindre OPI ka'do orivoya tazevoedre'ba ro lakole amaro mibe ya äduako.”
24 Ago Dawidi da'do andivo ndaro te lowo ya. Ago ondro tu Karama Imba To'di ro kosate oko, 'Bädri'ba Saulo rite vuru ŋgaonya onya. 25 'Bädri'ba rite vooriro ndaro dri; oso ondoalo ronye, tiṛi lomvosi. Ago Jonatana rite miäwuäwu ro nda be, ago Abinera rite lama Saulo ro yasi, oko vo Dawidi ro rite awi.
26 Caoko tu ana si Saulo ata ta aza kote; tana nda kusu iro be, ekye: “Ta aza 'do a'dote Dawidi ri se 'ba nda kote a'done wäṛiro.” 27 U'du ṛiri si, kyenono Karama Imba To'di ro vosi vo Dawidi ro gi 'du awi. Ago Saulo atate Jonatana ŋgwa ndaro ri ekye: “Tana e'di Dawidi ŋgwa Yisai ro ikyi ko ŋgaonya, ca tandrobe ago ca ondro niya?”
28 Jonatana zatadri Saulo rote ekye: “Dawidi eji tate oyine Beteleme ya; 29 nda eji ma te ekye: ‘Mi'ba ma oyine; tana katidri maro ka karama tori olo 'ba'desi ro oyena; ago ädrupi maro atate märi a'done lau. Ondro ka'do mile ndi märi oyine, mi'ba ma oyine, mandre 'didiri maro yi robe.’ Tana ta'doro 'bani nda ikyi kote tara'biza 'bädri'ba ro lomvo.”
30 'Dooko Saulo ŋgate kyilaro Jonatana be, ago nda atate ndäri ekye: “Mi orivoya ŋgwa toko, se ko orivoya ŋgye ro, inye'do mäni ṛo ko mi'be bereazi te Dawidi be driupi eziza modo miro dri ago endre miro dri ya? 31 Dawidi ka'dobe gi orine dri lidriidri ro 'bädri ya, ca mi ca miri 'bädri'ba miro ro a'done liatokpe ro i'do. Ka'do inye mizo lazo ndri nda vo; äfu nda robe.”
32 'Dooko Jonatana zatadri Saulo täpi ndaro rote ekye: “Ale nda o'ba odrane etaya? Inye'do nda ye e'di ya?”
33 Oko Saulo ru äzu iro te aba nda le Jonatana u'dine; ta'dota Jonatana nite anjioko täpi ndaro lete ṛo Dawidi ufune endaro. 34 Ago Jonatana ŋgate ni tara'biza lomvosi kyilaro ago nya ŋga aza kote tu 'dosi, u'du ṛiri 'do orivoya Karama Imba To'di ro ro owo. Nda a'dote tusuro ta Dawidi rota, tana ya täpi ndaro ro kwo tawi nda lomvo.
35 Kyenonosi, Jonatana oyite tesi lowo ya drio'bene Dawidi be saa se ànya konjibe ana si, nda ru ŋgagaŋwa ndi tro nda be. 36 Ndi nda atate ŋgagaŋwa ndaro ri ekye: “Mimu ago nyusu ätu se mä'bobe iyi.” Ago ŋgagaŋwa kadri ugu umu oko, nda 'bo ätu aza te ndra nda kundu si. 37 Ago ondro ŋgagaŋwa kesate vo ätu se Jonatana ku'bobe ana roya oko, Jonatana zi ŋgagaŋwa te ago atate ekye: “Inye'do ätu ṛo ko orivoya ndra mikundu siya?” 38 Ndi Jonatana zi ŋgagaŋwa te ekye: “Nyimu ri ndrindri, miri ko.” Ago ŋgagaŋwa Jonatana ro oto ätu te, ago egote 'desi ndaro re. 39 Oko ŋgagaŋwa ni ta aza ko; toto Jonatana ndi Dawidi be niyi tana ni. 40 Ago Jonatana ozo lakazà ndaro kyila rote ŋgagaŋwa rigye, ago atate ndäri ekye: “Nyugu ànya kovole 'ba'desi ya.”
41 Ago ndriŋwa oyi ŋgagaŋwa ro vosi oko, Dawidi ŋgate ni kuni donjo ro kundusi ago 'dete militi si vuru, ago ändite perena nätu. Ago Ànya njunjuyi iyi te, ago 'deyigwo liyine, ago tusu Dawidi ro a'dote ndrani Jonatana ro drisi. 42 'Dooko Jonatana atate Dawidi ri ekye: “Nyoyi liatokpero. Tana ama riti mäṛu andivo amaro te ävuru OPI rosi màkye: ‘OPI ni tazevoedre'ba yi äduako lakole amiro mibe ya ago lakole zelevoi miro ro ndi maro be ya.’ ” 'Dooko Dawidi oyite, ago Jonatana gote kovole 'ba'desi ya.