1   Bvt Dauid also fled from Naioth, which is in Ramatha, and coming spake before Ionathas: What haue I done? what is myn iniquitie, and what sinne of myn against thy father, that he seeketh my life?

2   Who sayd to him: God forbid, thou shalt not die: for neither wil my father doe any thing great or litle, vnles he first tel me: this word therefore only hath my father concealed from me? no this shal not be.

3   And he sware againe to Dauid. And Dauid sayd: Thy father surely knoweth, that I haue found grace in thy sight, and wil say: Let not Ionathas know this, lest perhaps he be sad. Yea more our Lord liueth, and thy soule liueth, by one degree only (as I may so say) I and death are diuided.

4   And Ionathas said to Dauid: Whatsoeuer thy soule shal say to me, I wil doe for thee.

5   And Dauid sayd to Ionathas: Behold the calendes are to morowe, & I after the maner am wont to sitte beside the king to eate: dismisse me therefore that I may be hid in the field vntil the euening of the third day.

6   If thy father looking inquire for me, thou shalt answer him: Dauid desired me, that he might goe quickely into Bethlehem his citie: because there be solemne victimes to al of his tribe.

7   If he shal say, Wel: peace shal be to thy seruant, but if he be angrie, know that his malice is complete.

8   Doe mercie therefore toward thy seruant: because thou hast caused me thy seruant to enter the league of our Lord with thee. but if there be any iniquitie in me, do thou kil me, and bring me not in to thy father.

9   And Ionathas sayd: Be this farre from thee, for

Saul. Dauid. Ionathas. neither can it be, that I should not tel thee, if I shal certainly know that my fathers malice is complete against thee.

10   And Dauid answered Ionathas: Who shal bring me word, if thy father answer thee perhaps any thing sharpely of me?

11   And Ionathas sayd to Dauid: Come, let vs goe forth abroad into the field, and when they were both gone forth into the field,

12   Ionathas said to Dauid: Lord God of Israel, if I shal search out my fathers meaning, to morowe or the day after, and some good thing be vpon Dauid, and I send not immediatly vnto thee, and make thee know thereof,

13   these thinges doe our Lord to Ionathas, and these thinges adde he. But if my fathers malice shal perseuer against thee, I wil reuele thyn care, and wil dismisse thee, that thou mayst goe in peace, and our Lord be with thee, as he hath beene with my father.

14   And if I liue, thou shalt doe me the mercie of our Lord, but if I die,

15   thou shalt not take away thy mercie from my house for euer, when our Lord shal haue rooted out the enemies of Dauid, euerie one out of the land, take he away Ionathas from his house, and our Lord require it of the handes of Dauides enemies.

16   Ionathas therefore made a league with the house of Dauid: and our Lord required it of the handes of Dauids enemies.

17   And Ionathas added to sweare vnto Dauid, because he loued him, for as his owne soule, so he loued him.

18   And Ionathas sayd to him: To morowe are the calendes, and thou shalt be asked for:

19   for thy sitting wil be inquired of til after to morowe. Thou shalt therefore goe downe in hast, and shalt come to the place, where thou must be hid in the day, when it is lawful to worke, and thou shalt sit beside the stone, which is named Ezel.

20   And I wil shoote three arrowes nere it, and wil shoote as it were excersising my self at a marke.

21   I wil send also a boy saying to him: Goe, and fetch me the arrowes.

22   If I shal say to the boy: Loe the arrowes are on this side thee, take them vp: come thou to me, because there is peace to thee, and there is no euil, our Lord liueth. But if I shal speake thus to the boy: Loe the arrowes are beyond thee: Goe in peace, because our Lord hath dismissed thee.

23   And concerning the word which I and thou haue spoken, our Lord be betwen thee and me for euer.

24   Dauid therefore was hidde in the fielde, and the calendes came, and the king sate downe to eate bread.

25   And when the king was sette vpon his chaire (according to the custome)

Saul. Dauid. Ionathas. which was beside the wal, Ionathas arose, and Abner sate at the side of Saul, and Dauids place appeared voide.

26   And Saul sayd nothing that day, for he thought it had chanced perhaps vnto him, that he was not cleane, nor purified.

27   And when the second day was come after the calendes, againe Dauids place appeared emptie. And Saul said to Ionathas his sonne: Why came not the sonne of Isai neither yesterday, nor to day to eate?

28   Ionathas answered Saul: He desired me instantly, that he might goe into Bethlehem,

29   and he said: Let me goe, because there is a solemne sacrifice in the citie, one of my brethren hath sent for me: now therefore if I haue found grace in thy sight, I wil goe quickly, and see my brethren. For this cause he came not to the kings table.

30   But Saul being wrath against Ionathas, said to him: Thou sonne of a woman which of her owne accord rauisheth a man, am I ignorant that thou louest the sonne of Isai vnto thyne owne confusion, and to the confusion of thyne ignominious mother?

31   For al the dayes, that the sonne of Isai shal liue vpon the earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Therefore now presently send, and bring him to me: because he is the sonne of death.

32   And Ionathas answering Saul his father, said: Why shal he dye? what hath he done?

33   And Saul caught a speare to strike him. And Ionathas vnderstood that it was determined of his father, that he would kil Dauid.

34   Ionathas therefore rose from the table in anger of furie, and did not eate bread the second day of the calendes. For he was stroken heauie vpon Dauid, because his father had confounded him.

35   And when the morning appeared, Ionathas came into the field according to the appointment with Dauid, and a little boy with him.

36   and said to his boy: Goe, and fetch me the arrowes, which I shoote. And when the boy had runne, he shotte an other arrowe beyond the boy.

37   The boy therefore came to the place of the arrowe, which Ionathas had shotte: and Ionathas cried behind the back of the boy, and said: Loe the arrowe is there further beyond thee.

38   And Ionathas cried againe behind the back of the boy, saying: Make hast spedely, stand not. And Ionathas his boy gathered vp his arrowes, and brought them to his master:

39   and he was altogether ignorant, what was done: for only Ionathas and Dauid knew the matter.

40   Ionathas therefore gaue his armoure to the boy, and said to him: Goe, and cary

Dauid. Ionathas. them into the citie.

41   And when the boy was gone, Dauid rose out of his place, which did bend to the South, and falling flatt on the ground, adored thrise: and kissing one an other, they wept together, but Dauid more.

42   Ionathas therefore said to Dauid: Goe in peace: what soeuer we haue sworne both of vs in the name of our Lord, saying: Our Lord be betwen me and thee, and betwen my seede and thy seede for euer.

43   And Dauid arose, and departed: but Ionathas also entred into the Citie.

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