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.
Jonatani unobhatsha Dafite
1 Dafite katizha kudwa mu Naioti ku Rama, kayenda kuna Jonatani kambhuzwa kati, “Ndakathamani? Nlandu wangu ini? Apa ndakatjinyilani tate babo kwabanogwisa kundibulaya kene?” 2 Jonatani kadabila eti, “Ndodwa! Aungafe. Akuna tate tjabangathama basandibudza, kene tjingabe tjikulu kene tjitukununu kungapani, ngono ikoku bangandisumbikila iko tjini kene? Akuna tjakajalo!” 3 Koga Dafite na iyebo katuna kati, “Tate babo banoziba zubuyanana kuti unondida, ngono banokumbula beti, ‘Ikoku akusizibgwe ndi Jonatani, pamwe kunganhwisa zogwadza.’ Koga ndolebesa, ndotuna na Yahwe banotjila, nanganawe tjose, kwabe pejo nami kuti ndife.” 4 Jonatani kadwa Dafite kati, “Tjaungandikumbila, ndowokuthamila itjo.” 5 Dafite kadwa Jonatani kati, “Bona, mangwana, Nzano we Mwedzi ugala ndakafanila kuti ndibe ndili pa ndilo na mambo, koga ima ndiyende, ndinobgwata ku shango kuswikila nngwani madekwana. 6 Ha kuli kuti tate babo bangandishaka, ubadwe uti, ‘Dafite wakazwikumbila mundili eteta, eti ndinsunungule, alabukile ku Bhetelehema nzi nkulu wa kanyi kwabo, ngobe kuna nshingo we tjibhayilo tje gole ikweno, tje nsha wabo wose.’ 7 Ha bangati, ‘Kwakalulwama!’ Nlanda uwo unowobe atjila, koga abangagwadza moyo, uzibe kuti bakazwimisila kundibulaya. 8 Ndizo ngwenu, uhwile nlanda uwo ngoni, ngobe wakathama tjidumano naye mbeli kwa Yahwe. Koga ha ndili nlandu, undizwibulaigwe iwe! Ini ungandiseyenya kuna tate babo?”
9 Jonatani kashandula eti, “Ndodwa! Apa ha ndabe ndina luzibonyana gwe kuti tate bakazwimisila kukubulaya, ndobe ndisakakubudza kene?” 10 Dafite kabhuzwa Jonatani kati, “Ndowobudziwa ndiani, ha tate babo bakushandula nge bushongola?” 11 Jonatani kashandula Dafite eti, “Izha ngeno, ngatibhudile ku shango.” Ndizo bakayenda bose. 12 Jonatani kadwa Dafite kati, “Ndotuna na Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela! Ndowodaziba muna tate mangwana nge tjibaka itjetji, kuti ndiwe mazwihwo a tate nge kuko. Ha kuli kuti batjina ludo mu kuli, apa andingatumile dama ku kuli kukuzibisa kene? 13 Koga ha kuli kuti tate banoshaka kukubulaya, ngono ndibe ndisingakubudze, kuti uzwiyendigwezo utjila, ndoti Yahwe bandilobe bepaphulula. Yahwe babe nawe, se kwabagala ba na tate. 14 Koga ha nditjatjila, undilakidze ludo gwe malebeswa gwa Yahwe, ngono nakutobe ndingafa, 15 usitongobe ukapedza ludo gugo gwe malebeswa mu nsha wangu, nakutobe Yahwe bakabe batshwayila zwita zose zwa Dafite mu shango.” 16 Ipapo Jonatani kathama tjidumano ne be nsha wa Dafite, kaleba eti, “Yahwe banowobuzuludzila zwita zwa Dafite.” 17 Jonatani katunisa Dafite kakale nge ludo gwanon'da ndigo, ngobe en'da sekwa anozwida. 18 Jonatani kandwa kati, “Mangwana Nzano we Mwedzi ugala, unowobe ushakika, ngobe bugalo gugo gowobe gusina nthu. 19 Mu zhuba la nngwani, unowoshakiwa kwazo, uyende kwawakabe wakabgwatako zhulo, ngono ugale pa wunde ne shongwe ikweno. 20 Ndowoposela misebe mitatu pawunde nayo, seungati ndoposela ku tjilipo. 21 Ndowobe ndituma mbisana, nditi, ‘Yenda unoshaka misebe.’ Ha ndingadwa mbisana nditi, ‘Bona misebe yakabapa nawe, uizhise ngeno,’ ipapo ube uzha, ngobe, kowobe kwakakululwama, kusina mbatsha, ndotuna na Yahwe. 22 Koga andingadwa mbisana nditi, ‘Bona misebe itjandieno kuko,’ ipapo uyende, ngobe Yahwe banowobe bekupa zila. 23 Mu ndebeleko yatalebeleka imi nawe, ziba kuti, Yahwe ntendeki pakati kwangu nawe nge kusingapele.” 24 Ndizo Dafite kanobgwata mu shango ngono kukati Nzano we Mwedzi ugala waswika mambo kagala pasi kuti aje. 25 Wakagala pa tjigalo tjitje tje misi yose pa hwunde ne guma, kulingisana na Jonatani, Abineri kagala pejo na Saulo, koga bugalo gwa Dafite gwakabe gusina nthu. 26 Mu zhuba ilelo Saulo aana tjaakaleba, ngobe wakakumbula eti, “Kuna tjimwe tjawila Dafite, tjantemapadza, tjoselele wakatemapala.” 27 Koga tjimuka, zhuba le bubili le Nzano we Mwedzi ugala, bugalo gwa Dafite gukabe gusina nthu kakale. Ndizo Saulo kabhuzwa nkololo uwe Jonatani kati, “Hwutini nkololo wa Jesi asazha ku zojiwa, kwetjinga kwe madekwe na nasi?” 28 Jonatani wakadabila Saulo eti, “Dafite wakazwikumbila mundili nge buthu eti ndinsunungule ayende ku Bhetelehema. 29 Wakandidwa kati, ‘Undidumile ndiyende, ngobe be nsha wedu bana tjibhayilo mu nzi, ngono nkulu wangu wakandidwa kati ndibepo bo. Ha ubona kuli kubuyanana mu mesho awo, ndokumbila, undidumile ndiyende ndinobona bakulu bangu.’ Ndizo wale asazha kuwoja na mambo.”
30 Saulo kagwadziligwamoyo Jonatani, kandwa kati, “Iwe nkololo we nkadzi wakakombama, usingagalikebgwe! Unozwidwa uti anditoziba kuti umile ne nkololo wa Jesi, kuzwibhatisa shoni na mme yabo bakakuzwala kene? 31 Ha nkololo wa Jesi atjatjila mu shango iyeyi, nakuto kuli iwe kene bushe gugo akungabe ne tjilumbi. Sangwenu wale, untumile bathu azhe kundili, ngobe wakafanilo fa.” 32 Jonatani kabhuzwa Saulo tate babe kati, “Hwutini angabulawa? Wathamani?” 33 Ipapo Saulo kamposa nge thumo kuti ambhaye, ndizo Jonatani kaziba kuti kumu nkumbulo wa tate babe kubulaya Dafite. 34 Jonatani wakamilika pa tafuli nge bushongola gunotjisa, kasitongoja zojiwa mu zhuba le bubili le Nzano we Mwedzi ugala, ngobe wakabe elilila Dafite, nenge kuti tate babe bakabe banlengudza. 35 Kwakati mu mangwanana Jonatani kabhudila kuzhe mu shango kunoshangana na Dafite, ngono wakabe ana mbisana ntjetjana. 36 Kadwa mbisana kati, “Labuka unonunga misebe yandinoposa.” Kwakati mbisana atjakalabuka, kaposa nsebe ukampindila. 37 Kukati mbisana eswika pawila nsebe wa Jonatani, Jonatani kakambidza mbisana kati, “Apa, nsebe auteli mbeli kuko kene?” 38 Jonatani kakambidza mbisana kati, “Tjimbidza, libilidza, usimoneleke.” Ndizo mbisana wa Jonatani kanunga misebe kashandukila kuna tetshi uwe. 39 Mbisana wakabe asingazibe tjinoshingikala, Jonatani na Dafite bali ibo banoziba. 40 Jonatani wakapa mbisana zwibhayano zwizwe, kandwa kati, “Yenda, uzwiyise ku nzi.” 41 Kwakati mbisana asinoyenda, Dafite kamilika kudwa ku burwa gwe bgwe kakotamisa nsholo mbeli kwa Jonatani katatu akalinga pasi. Ndizo bakaputana, bakalilidzana, koga Dafite kalila kupinda. 42 Ndizo Jonatani kadwa Dafite kati, “Yenda ne mbakiso, tatuna tose bubili gwedu nge zina la Yahwe, ati, Yahwe ba ntendeki pakati kwangu nawe, nenge pakati kwe zwizekugwana zwangu ne zwizekugwana zwizo nge kusingapele.” Ndizo Dafite kamilika kayenda, ngono Jonatani kabgwilila ku nzi.