David and Jonathan
1Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?”
2“Never!” Jonathan replied. “You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn’t do anything, great or small, without letting me know. Why would he hide this from me? It isn’t so!”
3But David took an oath and said, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.’ Yet as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.”
4Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you.”
5So David said, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon feast, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow. 6If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.’ 7If he says, ‘Very well,’ then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me. 8As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the Lord. If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?”
9“Never!” Jonathan said. “If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn’t I tell you?”
10David asked, “Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?”
11“Come,” Jonathan said, “let’s go out into the field.” So they went there together.
12Then Jonathan said to David, “I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, that I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? 13But if my father intends to harm you, may the Lord deal with Jonathan, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away in peace. May the Lord be with you as he has been with my father. 14But show me unfailing kindness like the Lord’s kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, 15and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family—not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”
16So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord call David’s enemies to account.” 17And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.
18Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon feast. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. 19The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. 20I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. 21Then I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,’ then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger. 22But if I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away. 23And about the matter you and I discussed—remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever.”
24So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon feast came, the king sat down to eat. 25He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan,20:25 Septuagint; Hebrew wall. Jonathan arose and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty. 26Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, “Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.” 27But the next day, the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
28Jonathan answered, “David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. 29He said, ‘Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”
30Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? 31As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!”
32“Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Jonathan asked his father. 33But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.
34Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.
35In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, 36and he said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, “Isn’t the arrow beyond you?” 38Then he shouted, “Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!” The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. 39(The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) 40Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, “Go, carry them back to town.”
41After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.
42Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’ ” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.20:42 In Hebrew texts this sentence (20:42b) is numbered 21:1.
Davide ndi Yonatani
1Tsono Davide anathawa ku Nayoti ku Rama ndi kupita kwa Yonatani ndipo anamufunsa kuti, “Kodi ine ndinachita chiyani? Kodi ndinalakwa chiyani? Kodi abambo ako ndinawalakwira chiyani kuti azifuna kundipha?”
2Yonatani anayankha kuti, “Sizitheka! Iwe sufa ayi! Taona abambo anga sachita chinthu chilichonse chachikulu kapena chachingʼono wosandiwuza ine. Tsopano abambo anga angandibisire bwanji zimenezi? Sichoncho ayi.”
3Koma Davide analumbira kuti, “Abambo ako akudziwa bwino lomwe kuti iwe umandikonda ndipo iwo amaganiza kuti, Yonatani sayenera kudziwa zimenezi mwina adzamva chisoni kwambiri. Komabe, pali Yehova ndi pali iwe, imfa sinanditalikire.”
4Yonatani anawuza Davide kuti, “Chilichonse chimene iwe ukufuna kuti ndichite, ndidzakuchitira.”
5Ndipo Davide anati, “Taona mawa ndi tsiku la chikondwerero cha mwezi watsopano, ndipo ine ndiyenera kukadya ndi mfumu. Koma undilole ndipite ndikabisale mʼmunda mpaka mkuja madzulo. 6Ngati abambo ako akafunsa za ine, ukawawuze kuti, ‘Davide anandiwumiriza kuti ndimulole apite msanga kwawo ku Betelehemu, chifukwa akupereka nsembe yapachaka ya banja lonse.’ 7Akanena kuti, ‘Wachita bwino,’ ndiye kuti zinthu zindiyendera bwino ine mtumiki wako. Koma ngati akapsa mtima, ndiye udziwe kuti iwo atsimikiza zondichita zoyipa. 8Koma undikomere mtima ine mtumiki wako, pakuti unapangana nane pangano pamaso pa Yehova. Ngati ndine wolakwa undiphe ndiwe, koma usandipereke kwa abambo ako.”
9Yonatani anati, “Sizitheka! Ndikanadziwa kuti abambo anga atsimikiza kuti akuchite choyipa, kodi sindikanakuwuza?”
10Davide anafunsa kuti, “Adzandiwuza ndani ngati abambo ako akuyankhe mwaukali?”
11Yonatani anawuza Davide kuti, “Tiyeni tikayende ku mundako.” Ndipo anapita onse awiri.
12Kenaka Yonatani anawuza Davide kuti, “Yehova Mulungu wa Israeli akhale mboni! Ine ndikadzafunsa abambo anga nthawi yonga ino mmawa kapena mkuja, ndipo ndikadzapeza kuti akukufunira zabwino, ine ndidzatuma mawu kuti udziwe. 13Koma ngati abambo anga atsimikiza kukuchita choyipa, Yehova andilange ine Yonatani, ndipotu kwambiri ngati sindidzakudziwitsa ndi kukulola kuti upite mu mtendere. Yehova akhale nawe monga anakhalira ndi abambo anga. 14Ndikakhalabe ndi moyo udzandionetse kukoma mtima monga kwa Yehova nthawi yonse ya moyo wanga, kuti ine ndisaphedwe. 15Ndipo usadzaleke kuchitira chifundo banja langa. Pamene Yehova adzawatha adani onse a Davide pa dziko lapansi.”
16“Dzina la ine Yonatani lisadzafafanizidwe nawo pamodzi. Yehova alange adani onse a Davide.” 17Kenaka Yonatani anamulumbiritsanso Davide kuti asaleke kumukonda, pakuti ankamukonda monga ankadzikondera yekha.
18Kenaka Yonatani anawuzanso Davide kuti, “Mawa ndi tsiku la chikondwerero cha mwezi watsopano. Zidzadziwika kuti iwe palibe chifukwa mpando wako udzakhala wopanda munthu. 19Mkuja adzakufunafuna. Tsono udzapite pamalo pamene unabisala poyamba paja ndipo ukadikire pa mulu wa miyala uli apowo. 20Ine ndidzaponya mivi itatu pambali pake, ngati ndikulasa chinthu. 21Ndipo ndidzatuma mnyamata ndi kuti, ‘Pita ukatole miviyo!’ Ngati ndidzanena kwa iye kuti, ‘Taona, mivi ili mbali yakuno, kayitole,’ iwe ukatuluke, pakuti ndikulumbira, pali Yehova Wamoyo, ndiye kuti zako zili bwino, palibe choopsa chilichonse. 22Koma ndikadzati, ‘Taona mivi ili patsogolo pako,’ iwe udzachoke chifukwa Yehova ndiye walola kuti uchokepo. 23Tsono zimene tapanganazi Yehova ndiye mboni pakati pa iwe ndi ine mpaka muyaya.”
24Choncho Davide anakabisala mʼmunda ndipo nthawi ya chikondwerero cha mwezi watsopano itakwana mfumu Sauli anadzakhala pansi kuti adye. 25Iye anakhala pa malo ake a nthawi zonse pafupi ndi khoma moyangʼanana ndi Yonatani, ndipo Abineri anakhala moyandikana ndi Sauli, koma pa malo a Davide panalibe munthu. 26Sauli sananene chilichonse tsiku limenelo pakuti ankaganiza kuti “Chilipo chimene chachitika ndi Davide. Mwina mwake ngosayenera za chipembedzo.” 27Koma pa tsiku lachiwiri la chikondwerero cha mwezi watsopano pamalo pa Davide panalibenso munthu. Kenaka Sauli anafunsa Yonatani kuti, “Nʼchifukwa chiyani mwana wa Yese sanabwere kudzadya, dzulo ngakhale lero?”
28Yonatani anayankha kuti, “Davide anandiwumiriza kuti ndimulole kuti apite ku Betelehemu. 29Anati, ‘Undilole ndipite, chifukwa banja lathu likupereka nsembe mu mzindamo ndipo mʼbale wanga wandiwumiriza kuti ndikakhale nawo. Ngati wandikomera mtima, chonde ndilole ndipite ndikaone abale anga.’ Nʼchifukwa chake sanabwere kudzadya ndi mfumu.”
30Sauli anamupsera mtima Yonatani ndipo namuwuza kuti, “Iwe mwana wobadwa mwa mkazi wamakhalidwe oyipa ndi wowukira! Kodi ukuyesa kuti ine sindikudziwa kuti umagwirizana ndi mwana wa Yese, amene akufuna kukuchititsa manyazi iwe ndi amayi ako? 31Mwana wa Yese akakhala ndi moyo pa dziko lapansi lino, iwe sudzakhala mfumu. Tsopano tumiza munthu akamutenge kubwera naye kwa ine, pakuti Davide ayenera kufa basi!”
32Yonatani anafunsa abambo ake kuti, “Nʼchifukwa chiyani mufuna kuti Davide aphedwe? Iye walakwa chiyani?” 33Apo Sauli anamuponyera mkondo wake kuti amuphe. Tsono Yonatani anadziwa kuti abambo ake atsimikiza mtima kuti aphe Davide.
34Yonatani anachoka pa tebulopo ali wopsa mtima kwambiri. Tsiku lachiwiri la chikondwererocho Yonatani sanadye chakudya. Iye anawawidwa mtima chifukwa abambo ake anatsimikiza zakupha Davide.
35Tsono mmawa Yonatani anapita ku munda kumene anapangana ndi Davide. Anali ndi mnyamata wake. 36Tsono anawuza mnyamatayo kuti, “Thamanga ukatole muvi umene nditi ndiponye.” Mnyamatayo akuthamanga Yonatani anaponya muvi patsogolo pa mnyamatayo. 37Mnyamatayo atafika pamene muvi wa Yonatani unagwera, 38Yonatani anayitananso mnyamatayo kuti, “Fulumira, pita msanga usayime.” Choncho mnyamatayo anatola muvi uja ndi kubwera nayo kwa mbuye wake. 39(Mnyamatayo sanadziwe chimene chimachitika koma Yonatani ndi Davide ndiwo ankadziwa). 40Pambuyo pake Yonatani anapereka zida zake za nkhondo kwa mnyamatayo ndipo anati, “Pita, nyamula ubwerere nazo ku mzinda.”
41Mnyamatayo anapita. Kenaka Davide anatuluka ku mbali ina ya mulu wa miyala uja, nadzigwetsa pansi ndi kugunditsa nkhope yake pansi katatu. Anapsompsona nayamba kulira onse awiri, koma Davide analira kwambiri.
42Yonatani anawuza Davide kuti, “Pita mu mtendere pakuti ife awiri tinalumbira mʼdzina la Yehova kuti, ‘Yehova ndiye akhale mboni pakati pa iwe ndi ine ndiponso pakati pa zidzukulu zako ndi zidzukulu zanga kwa nthawi yonse.’ ” Kenaka Davide anachoka, ndipo Yonatani anabwerera ku mzinda kuja.
