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¹ Dauid fled fro Naioth in Ramath, and came, & spake before Ionathas: What haue I done? What trespace haue I made? What haue I synned in ye sighte of thy father, yt he seketh to kyll me?² He sayde vnto him: God forbyd, thou shalt not dye. Beholde, my father doth nothinge, nether greate ner small, but he sheweth it before myne eares. Wherfore shulde my father the hyde this fro me? It shal not be so.³ The sware Dauid agayne, and sayde: Thy father knoweth well, yt I haue founde fauoure in yi sighte, therfore shal he thynke: Ionathas shal not knowe of this, lest it greue him. Verely, as truly as the LORDE lyueth, and as truly as yi soule lyueth, there is but one steppe betwene me & death.⁴ Ionathas sayde vnto Dauid: I wil do for the what so euer thy hert desyreth.⁵ Dauid sayde vnto him: Beholde, tomorow is the new Mone, that I shulde syt at the table with the kynge. Let me hyde my selfe therfore in the felde vnto the thirde daye at euen.⁶ Yf thy father then axe after me, saye: Dauid prayed me, yt he mighte runne to Bethleem vnto his cite, for all his kynred haue there a yearly sacrifice.⁷ Yf he saye then: It is good, the stondeth it well with yi seruaunt. But yf he be wroth, thou shalt perceaue that he intendeth euell.⁸ Do mercy therfore vpon thy seruaunt: for with me yi seruaunt hast thou made a couenaunt in the LORDE. But yf there be eny trespace in me, then slaye me thy selfe, for why woldest thou brynge me vnto thy father?

⁹ Ionathas sayde: That be farre from the, that I shulde perceaue my father to intende eny euell agaynst the, and shulde not tell the.¹⁰ Dauid sayde: Who shal brynge me worde, yf thy father geue the an harde answere?¹¹ Ionathas sayde vnto Dauid: Come, let vs go forth into the felde. And they wente out both in to ye felde.¹² And Ionathas sayde vnto Dauid: LORDE God of Israel, yf I perceaue by my father tomorow or on the thirde daye, that it goeth well with Dauid, & sende not vnto the, and shewe the before thine eares,¹³ then let the LORDE do this and that vnto Ionathas. But yf my father delyte in euell agaynst the, I wil shewe it before thine eares also, and let ye go, that thou mayest departe in peace. And the LORDE be with the, as he hath bene with my father.¹⁴ Yf I do it not, then do thou no mercy of the LORDE on me, while I lyue, no not whan I dye,¹⁵ and plucke thy mercy fro my house for euer. And whan the LORDE roteth out ye enemies of Dauid, euery one out of the londe,¹⁶ then let Dauid rote out Ionathas also with his house, and the LORDE requyre it of the hande of Dauids enemies.¹⁷ And Ionathas proceaded further, and sware vnto Dauid (he loued him so well: for he loued him euen es his owne soule)¹⁸ and Ionathas sayde vnto him: Tomorow is ye new Mone, and thou shalt be axed after: for thou shalt be wanted where thou wast wonte to sit.¹⁹ But on the thirde daye come downe soone, & go in to ye place where thou hydest the on the worckdaye, & set the downe by the stone of Asel:²⁰ then wyl I shute thre arowes on yt side, as though I wolde shute at a marck:²¹ and beholde, I wil sende the boye, and saye vnto him, Go seke ye arowes. Yf I saye now vnto the lad: Lo, the arowes lye hitherwarde behynde ye, fetch them, then come thou, for it is peace, and there is no parell, as truly as the LORDE lyueth.²² But yf I saye vnto the lad: beholde, the arowes lye yonderwarde before the, then go thou thy waye, for the LORDE hath let the go.²³ As for that which thou and I haue spoke together, the LORDE is betwene me and the for euer.

²⁴ Dauid hid himself in the felde. And wha the new Mone came, the kynge sat him downe at the table to eate.²⁵ Whan the kynge had set him downe in his place as he was wonte by the wall, Ionathas stode vp, but Abner sat him downe besyde Saul. And Dauid was myssed in his place.²⁶ And Saul spake nothinge that daye, for he thoughte: There is somwhat happend vnto him, that he is not cleane.²⁷ On the seconde daye of the new Mone, whan Dauid was myssed in his place, Saul saide vnto Ionathas his sonne: Wherfore is not the sonne of Isai come to the table nether yesterdaye ner to daye?²⁸ Ionathas answered Saul: He prayed me that he mighte go vnto Bethleem,²⁹ and sayde: Let me go, for oure kynred hath a sacrifyce to do in the cyte, and my brother hath sent for me himselfe: yf I haue founde fauoure now in thy syghte, I wyll go, and se my brethren: therfore is he not come to the kynges table.³⁰ Then was the kynge wroth at Ionathas, and sayde vnto him: Thou wicked and vnthrifte, I knowe how that thou hast chosen the sonne of Isai, to the shame of thy selfe and of yi shamefull mother.³¹ For as longe as ye sonne of Isai lyueth vpo earth nether thou ner thy kingdome shal prospere. Sende now therfore, and cause him to be fetched vnto me, for he is a childe of death.³² Ionathas answered his father Saul and sayde vnto him: Wherfore shal he dye? what hath he done?³³ Then shot Saul the iauelynge at him, that he might smite him. The perceaued Ionathas, that his father was vtterly determed to kyll Dauid,³⁴ and he rose vp from ye table in a wrothfull displeasure, and ate no bred yt same seconde daye of the new Mone: for he was vexed because of Dauid, that his father had done him soch dishonor.

³⁵ On the morow wente Ionathas forth in to the felde, at the tyme appoynted of Dauid, and a litle boy with him,³⁶ and sayde vnto ye boy: Runne and seke me the arowes which I shute. Whan the boy ranne, he shot an arowe ouer him.³⁷ And whan the boy came to the place whither Ionathas had shot ye arowe, Ionathas cryed after him, and sayde: The arowe lyeth yonderwarde before the.³⁸ And he cryed after him agayne: haist the, and stonde not styll. Then the boy gathered vp Ionothas arowes, and brought them to his lorde.³⁹ And the boy knewe nothinge, onely Ionathas and Dauid knewe of ye matter.⁴⁰ Then Ionathas gaue his boy his wapes and sayde vnto him: Go thy waye, and cary them in to the cite.⁴¹ And whan the boy was gone, Dauid arose from the place towarde the south, and fell vpon his face to the groude, and worshipped thre tymes, and they kissed one another, and wepte together. But Dauid most specially.⁴² And Ionathas saide vnto Dauid: Go thy waye in peace: What soeuer we both haue sworne & spoke together in the name of the LORDE, the LORDE be witnesse betwene me and the, betwene my sede and yi sede for euer. And Ionathas gat him vp, and came in to the cite.