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.
Jonathan Helps David Escape
1 David escaped from Prophets Village. Then he ran to see Jonathan and asked, “Why does your father Saul want to kill me? What have I done wrong?”
2 “My father can't be trying to kill you! He never does anything without telling me about it. Why would he hide this from me? It can't be true!”
3 “Jonathan, I swear it's true! But your father knows how much you like me, and he didn't want to break your heart. That's why he didn't tell you. I swear by the living Lord and by your own life that I'm only one step ahead of death.”
4 Then Jonathan said, “Tell me what to do, and I'll do it.”
5 David answered:
Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival, and I'm supposed to eat dinner with your father. But instead, I'll hide in a field until the evening of the next day. 6 If Saul wonders where I am, tell him, “David asked me to let him go to his hometown of Bethlehem, so he could take part in a sacrifice his family makes there every year.”
7 If your father says it's all right, then I'm safe. But if he gets angry, you'll know he wants to harm me. 8 Be kind to me. After all, it was your idea to promise the Lord that we would always be loyal friends. If I've done anything wrong, kill me yourself, but don't hand me over to your father.
9 “Don't worry,” Jonathan said. “If I find out that my father wants to kill you, I'll certainly let you know.”
10 “How will you do that?” David asked.
11 “Let's go out to this field, and I'll tell you,” Jonathan answered.
When they got there, 12 Jonathan said:
I swear by the Lord God of Israel, that two days from now I'll know what my father is planning. Of course I'll let you know if he's friendly toward you. 13 But if he wants to harm you, I promise to tell you and help you escape. And I ask the Lord to punish me severely if I don't keep my promise.
I pray that the Lord will bless you, just as he used to bless my father. 14-15 Someday the Lord will wipe out all of your enemies. Then if I'm still alive, please be as kind to me as the Lord has been. But if I'm dead, be kind to my family.
16 Jonathan and David made an agreement that even David's descendants would have to keep. Then Jonathan said, “I pray that the Lord will take revenge on your descendants if they break our promise.”
17 Jonathan thought as much of David as he did of himself, so he asked David to promise once more that he would be a loyal friend. 18 After this Jonathan said:
Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival, and people will wonder where you are, because your place at the table will be empty. 19 By the day after tomorrow, everyone will think you've been gone a long time. Then go to the place where you hid before and stay beside Going-Away Rock. 20 I'll shoot three arrows at a target off to the side of the rock, 21 and send my servant to find the arrows.
You'll know if it's safe to come out by what I tell him. If it is safe, I swear by the living Lord that I'll say, “The arrows are on this side of you! Pick them up!” 22 But if it isn't safe, I'll say to the boy, “The arrows are farther away!” This will mean that the Lord wants you to leave, and you must go. 23 But he will always watch us to make sure that we keep the promise we made to each other.
24 So David hid there in the field.
During the New Moon Festival, Saul sat down to eat 25 by the wall, just as he always did. Jonathan sat across from him, and Abner sat next to him. But David's place was empty. 26 Saul didn't say anything that day, because he was thinking, “Something must have happened to make David unfit to be at the Festival. Yes, something must have happened.”
27 The day after the New Moon Festival, when David's place was still empty, Saul asked Jonathan, “Why hasn't that son of Jesse come to eat with us? He wasn't here yesterday, and he still isn't here today!”
28-29 Jonathan answered, “The reason David hasn't come to eat with you is that he begged me to let him go to Bethlehem. He said, ‘Please let me go. My family is offering a sacrifice, and my brother told me I have to be there. Do me this favor and let me slip away to see my brothers.’ ”
30 Saul was furious with Jonathan and yelled, “You're no son of mine, you traitor! I know you've chosen to be loyal to that son of Jesse. You should be ashamed of yourself! And your own mother should be ashamed that you were ever born. 31 You'll never be safe, and your kingdom will be in danger as long as that son of Jesse is alive. Turn him over to me now! He deserves to die!”
32 “Why do you want to kill David?” Jonathan asked. “What has he done?”
33 Saul threw his spear at Jonathan and tried to kill him. Then Jonathan was sure that his father really did want to kill David. 34 Jonathan was angry and hurt that his father had insulted David so terribly. He got up, left the table, and didn't eat anything all that day.
35 In the morning, Jonathan went out to the field to meet David. He took a servant boy along 36 and told him, “When I shoot the arrows, you run and find them for me.”
The boy started running, and Jonathan shot an arrow so that it would go beyond him. 37 When the boy got near the place where the arrow had landed, Jonathan shouted, “Isn't the arrow on past you?” 38 Jonathan shouted to him again, “Hurry up! Don't stop!”
The boy picked up the arrows and brought them back to Jonathan, 39 but he had no idea about what was going on. Only Jonathan and David knew. 40 Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and told him, “Take these back into town.”
41 After the boy had gone, David got up from beside the mound and bowed very low three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and cried, but David cried louder. 42 Jonathan said, “Take care of yourself. And remember, we each have asked the Lord to watch and make sure that we and our descendants keep our promise forever.”
David left and Jonathan went back to town.