Liber Primus Samuelis

I Samuelis, chapter 20, Vulgate and King James Version

Chapter 20 Vulgate

   1 Fugit autem David de Naioth, quae est in Rama, veniensque locutus est coram Ionathan: "Quid feci? Quae est iniquitas mea et quod peccatum meum in patrem tuum, quia quaerit animam meam?".
   2 Qui dixit ei: "Absit, non morieris; neque enim faciet pater meus quidquam grande vel parvum, nisi prius indicaverit mihi; hoc ergo celavit me pater meus tantummodo? Nequaquam erit istud".
   3 Et rursum respondit David et ait: "Scit profecto pater tuus quia inveni gratiam in oculis tuis et dixit: "Nesciat hoc Ionathan, ne forte tristetur". Quinimmo vivit Dominus, et vivit anima tua, quia uno tantum gradu ego morsque dividimur".
   4 Et ait Ionathan ad David: "Quid desiderat anima tua, ut faciam tibi?".
   5 Dixit autem David ad Ionathan: "Ecce neomenia est crastino, et ego ex more sedere soleo iuxta regem ad vescendum; dimitte ergo me, ut abscondar in agro usque ad vesperam diei tertiae.
   6 Si requisierit me pater tuus, respondebis ei: "Rogavit me David, ut iret celeriter in Bethlehem civitatem suam, quia victimae annuae ibi sunt universis contribulibus eius".
   7 Si dixerit: "Bene", pax erit servo tuo; si autem fuerit iratus, scito quia malum decretum est ab eo.
   8 Fac ergo misericordiam in servum tuum, quia foedus Domini me famulum tuum tecum inire fecisti; si autem est in me aliqua iniquitas, tu me interfice et ad patrem tuum ne introducas me".
   9 Et ait Ionathan: "Absit hoc a te; neque enim fieri potest ut, si certo cognovero malum decretum esse a patre meo contra te, non annuntiem tibi".
   10 Responditque David ad Ionathan: "Quis nuntiabit mihi, si quid forte responderit tibi pater tuus dure?".
   11 Et ait Ionathan ad David: "Veni, egrediamur foras in agrum". Cumque exissent ambo in agrum,
   12 ait Ionathan ad David: "Vivit Dominus, Deus Israel, investigabo sententiam patris mei hoc fere tempore cras vel perendie; et si aliquid boni fuerit super David, et non statim miserim ad te et notum tibi fecerim,
   13 haec faciat Dominus in Ionathan et haec augeat! Si autem perseveraverit patris mei malitia adversum te, hoc quoque notum faciam tibi et dimittam te, ut vadas in pace. Et sit Dominus tecum, sicut fuit cum patre meo.
   14 Et, si vixero, facies mihi misericordiam Domini; si vero mortuus fuero,
   15 non auferas misericordiam tuam a domo mea usque in sempiternum, quando eradicaverit Dominus inimicos David unumquemque de terra".
   16 Pepigit ergo foedus Ionathan cum domo David dicens: "Requirat Dominus de manu inimicorum David!".
   17 Et addidit Ionathan ut faceret David iurare per dilectionem suam erga illum; sicut animam enim suam, ita diligebat eum.
   18 Dixitque ad eum Ionathan: "Cras neomenia est, et requireris;
   19 vacua erit enim sessio tua. Perendie descendes festinus et venies in locum, ubi abscondisti te in die facti illius; et sedebis iuxta acervum illum.
   20 Et ego tres sagittas mittam iuxta eum et iaciam quasi exercens me ad signum.
   21 Mittam quoque et puerum dicens ei: "Vade et affer mihi sagittas".
   22 Si dixero puero: "Ecce sagittae intra te sunt, tolle eas", tu veni ad me, quia pax tibi est, et nihil est mali, vivit Dominus. Si autem sic locutus fuero puero: "Ecce sagittae ultra te sunt", vade, quia dimisit te Dominus.
   23 De verbo autem, quod locuti fuimus, ego et tu, sit Dominus inter me et te usque in sempiternum".
   24 Absconditus est ergo David in agro; et venit neomenia, et sedit rex ad mensam ad comedendum.
   25 Cumque sedisset rex super cathedram suam secundum consuetudinem, quae erat iuxta parietem, sedit Ionathan ex adverso, et sedit Abner ex latere Saul; vacuusque apparuit locus David.
   26 Et non est locutus Saul quidquam in die illa; cogitabat enim quod forte evenisset ei, ut non esset mundus nec purificatus.
   27 Cumque illuxisset dies secunda post neomeniam, rursum vacuus apparuit locus David; dixitque Saul ad Ionathan filium suum: "Cur non venit filius Isai nec heri nec hodie ad vescendum?".
   28 Et respondit Ionathan Sauli: "Rogavit me obnixe, ut iret in Bethlehem,
   29 et ait: "Dimitte me, quoniam sacrificium familiae est in civitate, et frater meus ipse accersivit me; nunc ergo, si inveni gratiam in oculis tuis, vadam cito et videbo fratres meos". Ob hanc causam non venit ad mensam regis".
   30 Iratus autem Saul adversum Ionathan dixit ei: "Fili mulieris perversae, numquid ignoro quia diligis filium Isai in confusionem tuam et in confusionem nuditatis matris tuae?
   31 Omnibus enim diebus, quibus filius Isai vixerit super terram, non stabilieris tu neque regnum tuum; itaque iam nunc mitte et adduc eum ad me, quia filius mortis est".
   32 Respondens autem Ionathan Sauli patri suo ait: "Quare morietur? Quid fecit?".
   33 Et arripuit Saul lanceam, ut percuteret eum; et intellexit Ionathan quod definitum esset patri suo, ut interficeret David.
   34 Surrexit ergo Ionathan a mensa in ira furoris et non comedit in die neomeniae secunda panem; contristatus est enim super David, eo quod confudisset eum pater suus.
   35 Cumque illuxisset mane, venit Ionathan in agrum ad locum constitutum a David et puer parvulus cum eo;
   36 et ait ad puerum suum: "Vade et affer mihi sagittas, quas ego iacio". Cumque puer cucurrisset, iecit sagittam trans puerum.
   37 Venit itaque puer ad locum sagittae, quam miserat Ionathan, et clamavit Ionathan post tergum pueri et ait: "Ecce ibi est sagitta porro ultra te".
   38 Clamavitque Ionathan post tergum pueri: "Festina velociter, ne steteris". Sustulit autem puer Ionathae sagittam et attulit ad dominum suum
   39 et quid ageretur penitus ignorabat, tantummodo enim Ionathan et David rem noverant.
   40 Dedit igitur Ionathan arma sua puero et dixit ei: "Vade, defer in civitatem".
   41 Cumque abisset puer, surrexit David de latere acervi et cadens pronus in terram adoravit tertio; et osculantes alterutrum fleverunt pariter, David autem amplius.
   42 Dixit ergo Ionathan ad David: "Vade in pace; iuravimus enim ambo in nomine Domini dicentes: Dominus erit inter me et te et inter semen meum et semen tuum usque in sempiternum".

Source: Bibliorum Sacrorum Editio, Sacrosanti Oecumenici Concilii Vaticani II, Ratione Habita, Iussu Pauli PP. VI Recognita, Auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II Promulgata, Editio Typica Altera

King James Version

   1 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?
   2 And he said unto him, God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father will do nothing either great or small, but that he will shew it me: and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so.
   3 And David sware moreover, and said, Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved: but truly as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death.
   4 Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.
   5 And David said unto Jonathan, Behold, to morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even.
   6 If thy father at all miss me, then say, David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beth-lehem his city: for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.
   7 If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.
   8 Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the LORD with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?
   9 And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?
   10 Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?
   11 ¶ And Jonathan said unto David, Come, and let us go out into the field. And they went out both of them into the field.
   12 And Jonathan said unto David, O LORD God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about to morrow any time, or the third day, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not unto thee, and shew it thee;
   13 The LORD do so and much more to Jonathan: but if it please my father to do thee evil, then I will shew it thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the LORD be with thee, as he hath been with my father.
   14 And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:
   15 But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.
   16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David's enemies.
   17 And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
   18 Then Jonathan said to David, To morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.
   19 And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel.
   20 And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.
   21 And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the LORD liveth.
   22 But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.
   23 And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the LORD be between thee and me for ever.
   24 ¶ So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat.
   25 And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon a seat by the wall: and Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty.
   26 Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.
   27 And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?
   28 And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem:
   29 And he said, Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favour in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the king's table.
   30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
   31 For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.
   32 And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?
   33 And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.
   34 So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
   35 ¶ And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him.
   36 And he said unto his lad, Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot. And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
   37 And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, Is not the arrow beyond thee?
   38 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
   39 But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
   40 And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the city.
   41 ¶ And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.
   42 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as 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. And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.