1 Ionathan comforteth Dauid 3 They renue their league 33 Saul wolde haue killed Ionathan 38 Ionathan aduertiseth Dauid by thre arrowes of his fathers fury.

1.ANd Dauid ^a fled from Naióth in Ramáh, and came and ſaid before Ionathán, What haue I done? what is mine iniquitie? and what ſinne haue I committed before thy father, that he ſeketh my life?

2.And he ſaid vnto him, God forbid, thou ſhalt not dye : beholde, my father wil do nothing great nor ſmale, but he wil ^" ſhew it me: and why ſhulde my father hide this thing from me? he wil not do it.

3.And Dauid ſware againe and ſaid, Thy father knoweth that I haue founde grace in thine eyes: therefore he thinketh, Ionathán ^b ſhal not knowe it, leſt he be ſory: but in dede, as the Lord liueth, and as thy ſoule liueth, there is but a ſteppe betwene me and death.

4.Then ſaid Ionathán vnto Dauid, Whatſoeuer thy ſoule ^" requireth, that I wil do vnto thee.

5.And Dauid ſaid vnto Ionathán, Beholde, tomorowe is the ^c firſt day of the moneth, and I ſhulde ſit with the King at meat: but let me go, that I may hide my ſelfe in the fields vnto the third day at euen.

6.If thy father make mencion of me, then ſay, Dauid aſked leaue of me, yͤ he might go to Beth-léhẽ to his owne citie: for there is a ^d yerely ſacrifice for all that familie.

7.And if he ſay thus, It is wel, thy ſeruant ſhal haue peace: but if he be angry, be ſure that wickednes is concluded of him.

8.So ſhalt thou ſhewe mercy vnto thy ſeruant: ^* for thou haſt ioyned thy ſeruant into a couenant of the Lord with thee, & if there be in me iniquitie, ſlaye thou me: for why ſhuldeſt thou bring me to thy father?

9.¶ And Ionathán anſwered, God kepe yͤ from thee: for if I knewe that wickednes were ^e concluded of my father to come vpon thee, wolde not I tel it thee?

10.Thẽ ſaid Dauid to Ionathán, Who ſhal tel me? how ^f ſhal I knowe, if thy father anſwere thee cruelly?

11.And Ionathán ſaid to Dauid, Come and let vs go out into the field: and they twaine went out into the field.

12.Then Ionathán ſaid to Dauid, O Lord God of Iſraél, when I haue groped my fathers minde tomorowe at this time, or with in this thre dayes, & if it be wel with Dauid, and I then ſend not vnto thee, and ſhewe it thee,

13.The Lord ^g do ſo & muche more vnto Ionathán: but if my father haue minde to do thee euil, I wil ſhewe thee alſo, & ſend thee away, that thou mayeſt go in peace: and the Lord be with thee as he hathe bene with my father.

14.Likewiſe I require not whiles I liue: for I dout not but thou wilt ſhewe me the mercy of the Lord, ^h that I dye not.

15.But I require that thou cut not of thy mercie from mine houſe for euer: no, not whẽ the Lord hathe deſtroyed the enemies of Dauid, euerie one from the earth.

16.So Ionathán made a bonde with the houſe of Dauid, ſaying, Let the Lord require it at the hands of Dauids enemies.

17.And againe Ionathán ſware vnto Dauid, becauſe he loued him (for he loued him as his owne ſoule)

18.Thẽ ſaid Ionathán to him, Tomorowe is yͤ firſt day of the moneth: and thou ſhalt ^" be looked for, for thy place ſhalbe empty.

19.Therefore thou ſhalt hide thy ſelfe thre dayes, then thou ſhalt go downe quickely and come to the place where thou dideſt hide thy ſelfe, when this matter was in hand, & ſhalt remaine by the ſtone ^" Ezél.

20.And I wil ſhoote thre arrowes on the ſide thereof, as thogh I ſhot at a marke.

21.And after I wil ſend a boy, ſaying, Go, ſeke the arrowes. If I ſay vnto the boy, Se, yͤ arrowes are on this ſide thee, bring them, and come thou: for it is ^" wel with thee, and no hurt, as the Lord liueth.

22.But if I ſay thus vnto the boy, Beholde, the arrowes are beyonde thee, go thy way: for the ⁱ Lord hathe ſent thee away.

23.As touching the thing which thou and I haue ſpoken of, beholde, the Lord be betwene thee and me for euer.

24.¶ So Dauid hid him ſelfe in the field: & when the firſt day of the moneth came, the King ſate to eat meat.

25.And the King ſate, as at other times vpõ his ſeat, euen vpon his ſeat by the wall: & Ionathán aroſe, and Abnér ſate by Sauls ſide, but Dauids place was empty.

26.And Saúl ſaid nothing that day: for he thoght, Some thing hathe befallen him, thogh he were ^k cleane, or els becauſe he was not purified.

27.But on the morow, which was the ſecõd day of the month, Dauids place was emptie againe: and Saúl ſaid vnto Ionathán his ſonne, Wherefore commeth not the ^l ſonne of Iſhaí to meat, nether yeſterday nor to day?

28.And Ionathán anſwered vnto Saúl, Dauid required of me, that he might go to Beth-léhem.

29.For he ſaid, Let me go, I pray thee: for our familie offreth ^m a ſacrifice in the citie, and my brother hathe ſent for me: therefore now if I haue found fauour in thine eyes, let me go, I pray thee, & ſe my ⁿ brethrẽ: this is the cauſe that he cõmeth not vnto the Kings table.

30.Then was Saúl angry with Ionathán, & ſaid vnto him, Thou ^o ſonne of the wicked rebellious woman, do not I knowe, that thou haſt choſen the ſonne of Iſhaí to thy confuſion and to the confuſion and ſhame of thy mother?

31.For as long as the ſonne of Iſhaí liueth vpon the earth, thou ſhalt not be ſtabliſhed, nor thy kingdome: wherefore now ſend and fet him vnto me, for he ^" ſhal ſurely dye.

32.And Ionathán anſwered vnto Saúl his father, father, and ſaid vnto him, Wherefore ſhal he ^p dye: what hathe he done?

33.And Saúl caſt a ſpeare at him to hit him, whereby Ionathán knewe, that it was de- termined of his father to ſlaye Dauid.

34.¶ So Ionathán aroſe from the table in a great angre, and did eat no meat the ſecōd day of the moneth : for he was ſory for Dauid, and becauſe his father had reui- led him.

35.On the next morning therefore Iona- thán went out into the field, ^q at the time appointed with Dauid, and a litle boy with him.

36.And he ſaid vnto his boy, Runne now, ſeke the arrowes which I ſhoote, & as the boy ran, he ſhot an arrowe beyonde him.

37.And when the boy was come to the pla- ce where the arrowe was that Ionathán had ſhot, Ionathán cryed after the boy, & ſaid, Is not the arrowe beyond thee?

38.And Ionathán cryed after the boy, ^r Make ſpede, haſte and ſtand not ſtil : and Io- nathás boy gathered vp the arrowes, and came to his maſter,

39.But the boy knewe nothing: onely Iona- thán and Dauid knewe the matter.

40.Then Ionathán gaue his ^" bowe and ar- rowes vnto the boy that was with him, & ſaid vnto him, Go, carie them into the citie.

41.¶ Aſſone as the boy was gone, Dauid aroſe out of a place that was towarde the ^s South, and fel on his face to the ground, and bowed him ſelfe thre times: and they kyſſed one an other, and wept bothe twai- ne, til Dauid exceded.

42.Therefore Ionathán ſaid to Dauid, Go in peace : that which we haue ^t ſworne bothe of vs in the Name of the Lord, ſaying, The Lord be betwene me & thee, and betwene my ſeede and betwene thy ſeede, let it ſtand for euer.

43.And he aroſe and departed, and Iona- thán went into the citie.

1 Samuel 20

Notes