7 there for all the family.' If he say thus, 'It is well;' thy servant shall have peace; but if he be very wroth, then be 8 sure that evil is determined by him. Thus shalt thou deal

kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of Jehovah with thee: notwithstanding, if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest 9 thou bring me to thy father?" 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 if thy 11 father answer thee roughly?" And Jonathan said unto David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." And they 12 went out both of them into the field. And Jonathan said unto David, "Jehovah, God of Israel-when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, or the day after, and, behold, if there be good toward David, and I then send not 13 unto thee, and shew it thee-Jehovah 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 Jehovah be with thee, as he hath been with 14 my father. And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew 15 me the kindness of Jehovah, that I die not; but also thou

shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever; no, not when Jehovah hath cut off the enemies of David every 16 one from the face of the earth." So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "Let Jehovah even 17 require it at the hand of David's enemies." 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 wilt be missed, because thy seat will be 19 empty. And on the third day thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself on the 20 day of the deed, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I 21 shot at a mark. And, behold, I will send the lad, saying, 'Go, find 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 Je22 hovah liveth. But if I say thus unto the youth, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond thee;' go thy way; for Jehovah hath sent 23 thee away. And as to the matter which thou and I have

spoken of, behold, Jehovah is witness between thee and me for ever."

So David hid himself in the field; and when the new 24 moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. And 25 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. But Saul spake not 26 anything that day; for he thought, "Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean."

And it came to pass on the morrow, the second day of the 27 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?" And Jonathan 28 answered Saul," David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beth-lehem; and said, 'Let me go, I pray thee; for our family 29 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."

Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he 30 said unto him, "Thou perverse rebellious son, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and to the confusion of thy mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou 31 shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die." And 32 Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, "Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?" And 33 Saul cast the spear at him to smite him; whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to slay David. So 34 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 reviled him.

And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went 35 out into the field as appointed with David, and a little lad with him. And he said unto his lad, "Run, find now the 36 arrows which I shoot." As the lad ran, he shot the arrow beyond him. And when the lad was come to the place 37 of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, "Is not the arrow beyond thee?" And 38 Jonathan cried after the lad, " Make speed, haste, stay not." And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan 39

master.

40 and David knew the matter. And Jonathan gave his weapons unto his lad, and said unto him, "Go, carry them to the city."

41 As soon as the lad was gone, David arose from the south side, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept 42 one with another, until David wept aloud. And Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of Jehovah, saying, "Jehovah be witness between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever." And he arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.

1

CHAP. XXI.-Then David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest and Ahimelech was afraid at meeting David, and said unto him, "Why art thou alone, and no man with 2 thee?" And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, "The king hath charged me with a matter, and hath said unto me, 'Let no man know any thing of the matter about which I send thee, and with which I have charged thee;' and I have 3 appointed my servants to a certain place. Now therefore what is there under thy hand? give me five loaves of bread 4 in my hand, or what there is present." And the priest

answered David, and said, "There is no common bread under my hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men 5 have kept themselves only from women. And David answered the priest, and said unto him, "Of a truth women have been withheld from us for three days past, since I came out; and the vessels of the young men are holy; and if it is a profane action, yet will it this day be right through the 6 agent thereof." So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shew-bread, that was taken from before Jehovah, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before Jehovah; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of the herdmen that belonged to Saul. 8 And David said unto Ahimelech, "And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my other weapons with me, because the king's 9 business required haste." And the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod;

if thou wilt take that, take it; for there is no other save that here." And David said, "There is none like that; give it me."

And David arose, and fled that day before Saul, and went 10 toAchish the king of Gath. And the servants of Achish said 11 unto him, "Is not this David, the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, 'Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands?"" And David laid up these words in his heart, and was greatly 12 afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And he changed his 13 behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and made marks on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish unto 14 his servants, "Lo, ye see the man is mad; wherefore have ye brought him to me? Have I need of mad-men, that ye 15 have brought this man to play the mad-man in my presence? shall this man come into my house?"

CHAP. XXII.-David therefore departed thence, and 1 escaped to the cave of Adullam; and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one in distress, and every one that was in 2 debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them; and there were with him about four hundred men.

And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said 3 unto the king of Moab, "Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me." And he brought them before the king of 4 Moab; and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the fastness. And the prophet Gad said unto David, 5 "Abide not in the fastness; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah." Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.

When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men 6 that were with him, (now Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree upon the height, and his spear was in his hand, and all his servants were standing beside him ;) then 7 Saul said unto his servants that stood beside him, "Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards, and make all of you captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds; that all of you have con- 8 spired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that

9

my son hath made a covenant with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?"

Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, "I saw the son of Jesse come to 10 Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. And he enquired of Jehovah for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine."

11

Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were 12 in Nob; and they came all of them to the king. And Saul said, "Hear now, thou son of Ahitub." And he answered, 13 "Here I am, my lord." And Saul said unto him, "Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie 14 in wait, as at this day?" Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, "And who among all thy servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and hath access to private audience of thee, and is honoured in thine 15 house? Did I that day begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me; let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more."

16

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And the king said, "Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house."

And the king said unto the footmen that stood beside him, "Turn, and slay the priests of Jehovah; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and I did not shew it to me." But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of Jehovah. 18 Then the king said to Doeg, "Turn thou, and fall upon the priests." And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons 19 that did wear a linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, he smote with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

20

And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, 21 named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the priests of Jehovah. 22 And David said unto Abiathar, "I knew it on that day, when