1 Samuel 20

NEW JERUSALEM	DOUAI-RHEIMS
1 Fleeing from the huts at Ramah, David went and confronted Jonathan, 'What have I done, what is myguilt, how have I wronged your father, for him to want to take my life?'	1 But David fled from Najoth, which is in Ramatha, and came and said to Jonathan: What have I done? what is my iniquity, and what is my sin against thy father, that he seeketh my life?
2 He replied, 'You must not think that! You are not going to die. My father, you see, does nothing,important or unimportant, without confiding in me, so why should my father hide this from me? It is not true.'	2 And he said to him: God forbid, thou shalt not die: for my father will do nothing great or little, without first telling me: hath then my father hid this word only from me? no, this shall not be.
3 In reply, David swore, 'Your father knows very wel that I enjoy your favour, and thinks, "Jonathanmust not know about this or he wil be upset." But, as Yahweh lives and as you yourself live, there is only a stepbetween me and death.'	3 And he swore again to David. And David said: Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, and he will say: Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved. But truly as the Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, there is but one step (as I may say) between me and death.
4 At which, Jonathan said to David, 'Whatever you think best, I wil certainly do for you.'	4 And Jonathan said to David: Whatsoever thy soul shall say to me, I will do for thee.
5 David replied, 'Look, tomorrow is New Moon and I ought to sit at table with the king, but you must letme go and hide in the countryside until the evening.	5 And David said to Jonathan: Behold to morrow is the new moon, and I according to custom am wont to sit beside the king to eat: let me go then that I may be hid in the field till the evening of the third day.
6 If your father notices my absence, you must say, "David insistently asked me for permission to hurryover to Bethlehem, his home town, because they are holding the annual sacrifice there for the whole clan."	6 If thy father look and inquire for me, thou shalt answer him: David asked me that he might run to Bethlehem his own city: because there are solemn sacrifices there for all his tribe.
7 If he says, "Very wel ," your servant is safe, but if he flies into a rage, you may be sure that he hassome evil plan.	7 If he shall say, It is well: thy servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, know that his malice is come to its height.
8 Show your servant faithful love, since you have bound your servant to you by a pact in Yahweh'sname. But if I am guilty, then kil me yourself -- why take me to your father?'	8 Deal mercifully then with thy servant: for thou hast brought me thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee. But if there be any iniquity in me, do thou kill me, and bring me not in to thy father.
9 Jonathan replied, 'Perish the thought! If I knew for sure that my father was determined to do you amischief, would I not have told you?'	9 And Jonathan said: Far be this from thee: for if I should certainly know that evil is determined by my father against thee, I could do no otherwise than tell thee.
10 David then said to Jonathan, 'Who wil let me know if your father gives you a harsh answer?'	10 And David answered Jonathan: Who shall bring me word, if thy father should answer thee harshly concerning me?
11 Jonathan then said to David, 'Come on, let us go out into the country,' and the pair of them went outinto the country.	11 And Jonathan said to David: Come and let us go out into the field. And when they were both of them gone out into the field,
12 Jonathan then said to David, 'By Yahweh, God of Israel! I shal sound my father this time tomorrow; ifal is wel for David and I do not then send and inform you,	12 Jonathan said to David: O Lord God of Israel, if I shall discover my father's mind, to morrow or the day after, and there be any thing good for David, and I send not immediately to thee, and make it known to thee,
13 may Yahweh bring unnameable ills to Jonathan and worse ones too! If my father intends to do you amischief, I shal tel you so and let you get away, so that you can be safe. And may Yahweh be with you as heused to be with my father!	13 May the Lord do so and so to Jonathan and add still more. But if my father shall continue in malice against thee, I will discover it to thy ear, and will send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace, and the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
14 If I am stil alive, show your servant faithful love; if I die,	14 And if I live, thou shalt shew me the kindness of the Lord: but if I die,
15 never withdraw your faithful love from my family. When Yahweh has exterminated every enemy ofDavid's from the face of the earth,	15 Thou shalt not take away thy kindness from my house for ever, when the Lord shall have rooted out the enemies of David, every one of them from the earth, may he take away Jonathan from his house, and may the Lord require it at the hands of David's enemies.
16 do not let Jonathan's name be exterminated with Saul's family, or may Yahweh cal David toaccount!'	16 Jonathan therefore made a covenant with the house of David: and the Lord required it at the hands of David's enemies.
17 Jonathan then renewed his oath to David, since he loved him like his very soul.	17 And Jonathan swore again to David, because he loved him: for he loved him as his own soul.
18 Jonathan then said to David, 'Tomorrow is New Moon; your absence wil be noticed, since your placewil be empty.	18 And Jonathan said to him: To morrow is the new moon, and thou wilt be missed:
19 The day after tomorrow your absence wil be very marked, and you must go to the place where youhid on the day of the deed, and stay beside that mound.	19 For thy seat will be empty till after tomorrow. So thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place, where thou must be hid on the day when it is lawful to work, and thou shalt remain beside the stone, which is called Ezel.
20 For my part, the day after tomorrow I shal shoot three arrows in that direction, as though at a target.	20 And I will shoot three arrows near it, and will shoot as if I were exercising myself at a mark.
21 I shal then send a servant to go and find the arrows. If I say to him, "The arrows are this side of you,get them," come out, since al will be well for you and nothing the matter, as sure as Yahweh lives.	21 And I will send a boy, saying to him: Go and fetch me the arrows.
22 But if I say to him, "The arrows are ahead of you," then be off, for Yahweh himself wil be sendingyou away.	22 If I shall say to the boy: Behold the arrows are on this side of thee, take them up: come thou to me, because, there is peace to thee, and there is no evil, as the Lord liveth. But if I shall speak thus to the boy: Behold the arrows are beyond thee: go in peace, for the Lord hath sent thee away.
23 And as regards the agreement we made, you and I, why, Yahweh is witness between us for ever.'	23 And concerning the word which I and thou have spoken, the Lord be between thee and me for ever.
24 So David hid in the country; New Moon came and the king sat down to his meal.	24 So David was hid in the field, and the new moon came, and the king sat down to eat bread.
25 He sat in his usual place with his back to the wall, Jonathan sat facing him and Abner sat next toSaul; but David's place was empty.	25 And when the king sat down upon his chair (according to custom) which was beside the wall, Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place appeared empty.
26 Saul said nothing that day, thinking, 'It is sheer chance; he is unclean.'	26 And Saul said nothing that day, for he thought it might have happened to him, that he was not clean, nor purified.
27 On the day after New Moon, the second day, David's place was stil empty.	27 And when the second day after the new moon was come, David's place appeared empty again. And Saul said to Jonathan his son: Why cometh not the son of Isai to meat neither yesterday nor to day?
28 Saul said to his son Jonathan, 'Why did not the son of Jesse come to the meal either yesterday ortoday?'	28 And Jonathan answered Saul: He asked leave of me earnestly to go to Bethlehem,
29 Jonathan answered Saul, 'David insistently asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. "Please letme go," he said, "for we are holding the clan sacrifice in the town and my brothers have ordered me to attend.So now, if I enjoy your favour, let me get away and see my brothers." That is why he has not come to the king'stable.'	29 And he said: Let me go, for there is a solemn sacrifice in the city, one of my brethren hath sent for me: and now if I have found favour in thy eyes, I will go quickly, and see my brethren. For this cause he came not to the king's table.
30 Saul flew into a rage with Jonathan and said, 'Son of a rebel ious slut! Don't I know that you side withthe son of Jesse to your own shame and your mother's dishonour?	30 Then Saul being angry against Jonathan said to him: Thou son of a woman that is the ravisher of a man, do I not know that thou lovest the son of Isai to thy own confusion and to the confusion of thy shameless mother?
31 As long as the son of Jesse lives on earth, neither you nor your royal rights are secure. Now havehim fetched and brought to me; he deserves to die.'	31 For as long as the son of Isai liveth upon earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Therefore now presently send, and fetch him to me: for he is the son of death.
32 Jonathan retorted to his father Saul, 'Why should he die? What has he done?'	32 And Jonathan answering Saul his father, said: Why shall he die: what hath he done?
33 But Saul brandished his spear at him to strike him, and Jonathan realised that his father wasdetermined that David should die.	33 And Saul caught up a spear to strike him. And Jonathan understood that it was determined by his father to kill David.
34 Hot with anger, Jonathan got up from the table and ate nothing on the second day of the month,being upset about David -- and because his father had insulted him.	34 So Jonathan rose from the table in great anger, and did not eat bread on the second day after the new moon. For he was grieved for David, because his father had put him to confusion.
35 Next morning, Jonathan went out into the country at the time agreed with David, taking a youngservant with him.	35 And when the morning came, Jonathan went into the field, according to the appointment with David, and a little boy with him.
36 He said to his servant, 'Run and find the arrows which I am going to shoot,' and the servant ran whileJonathan shot an arrow ahead of him.	36 And he said to his boy: Go, and fetch me the arrows which I shoot. And when the boy ran, he shot another arrow beyond the boy.
37 When the servant reached the spot to which Jonathan had shot the arrow, Jonathan shouted afterhim, 'Is not the arrow ahead of you?'	37 The boy therefore came to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot: and Jonathan cried after the boy, and said: Behold the arrow is there further beyond thee.
38 Again Jonathan shouted after the servant, 'Quick! Hurry, do not stand around.' Jonathan's servantpicked up the arrow and brought it back to his master.	38 And Jonathan cried again after the boy, saying: Make haste speedily, stand not. And Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and brought them to his master:
39 The servant suspected nothing; only Jonathan and David knew what was meant.	39 And he knew not at all what was doing: for only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
40 Jonathan then gave his weapons to his servant and said, 'Go and carry them to the town.'	40 Jonathan therefore gave his arms to the boy, and said to him: Go, and carry them into the city.
41 As soon as the servant had gone, David stood up beside the mound, threw himself to the ground,prostrating himself three times. They then embraced each other, both weeping copiously.	41 And when the boy was gone, David rose out of his place, which was towards the south, and falling on his face to the ground, adored thrice: and kissing one another, they wept together, but David more.
42 Jonathan then said to David, 'Go in peace. And as regards the oath that both of us have sworn bythe name of Yahweh, may Yahweh be witness between you and me, between your descendants and mine forever.'	42 And Jonathan said to David: Go in peace: and let all stand that we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying: The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever.
	43 And David arose, and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.