Day 128 of 730

¹Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David.

²Jonathan told David, saying, "Saul my father seeks to kill you. Now therefore, please take care of yourself in the morning, and live in a secret place, and hide yourself.

³I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will talk with my father about you; and if I see anything, I will tell you."

⁴Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, "Do not let the king sin against his servant, against David; because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you;

⁵for he put his life in his hand, and struck the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?"

⁶Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan: and Saul swore, "As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death."

⁷Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as before.

⁸There was war again. David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and killed them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him.

⁹An evil spirit from the Lord was on Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand.

¹⁰Saul sought to pin David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled, and escaped that night.

¹¹Saul sent messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to kill him in the morning. Michal, David's wife, told him, saying, "If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed."

¹²So Michal let David down through the window. He went, fled, and escaped.

¹³Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head, and covered it with the clothes.

¹⁴When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, "He is sick."

¹⁵Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, "Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him."

¹⁶When the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head.

¹⁷Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me thus, and let my enemy go, so that he is escaped?" Michal answered Saul, "He said to me, 'Let me go! Why should I kill you?'"

¹⁸Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and lived in Naioth.

¹⁹It was told Saul, saying, "Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah."

²⁰Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came on the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.

²¹When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.

²²Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Secu: and he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" One said, "Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah."

²³He went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God came on him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

²⁴He also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

¹David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?"

²He said to him, "Far from it; you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so."

³David swore moreover, and said, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he says, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved:' but truly as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death."

⁴Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you."

⁵David said to Jonathan, "Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to dine with the king; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field to the third day at evening.

⁶If your father miss me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.'

⁷If he says, 'It is well;' your servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, then know that evil is determined by him.

⁸Therefore deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you: but if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?"

⁹Jonathan said, "Far be it from you; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come on you, then wouldn't I tell you that?"

¹⁰Then David said to Jonathan, "Who shall tell me if perchance your father answers you roughly?"

¹¹Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." They both went out into the field.

¹²Jonathan said to David, "By the Lord, the God of Israel, when I have sounded my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good toward David, shall I not then send to you, and disclose it to you?

¹³The Lord do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I do not disclose it to you, and send you away, that you may go in peace: and the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father.

¹⁴You shall not only while yet I live show me the loving kindness of the Lord, that I not die;

¹⁵but also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever; no, not when the Lord has cut off the enemies of David everyone from the surface of the earth."

¹⁶So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "The Lord will require it at the hand of David's enemies."

¹⁷Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

¹⁸Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon: and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.

¹⁹When you have stayed three days, you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself when this started, and shall remain by the stone Ezel.

²⁰I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark.

²¹Behold, I will send the boy, saying, 'Go, find the arrows!' If I tell the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are on this side of you. Take them;' then come; for there is peace to you and no hurt, as the Lord lives.

²²But if I say this to the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond you;' then go your way; for the Lord has sent you away.

²³Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever."

²⁴So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon had come, the king sat him down to eat food.

²⁵The king sat on his seat, as at other times, even on the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side: but David's place was empty.

²⁶Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day: for he thought, "Something has happened to him. He is not clean. Surely he is not clean."

²⁷It happened on the next day after the new moon, the second day, that David's place was empty. Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why doesn't the son of Jesse come to eat, neither yesterday, nor today?"

²⁸Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.

²⁹He said, 'Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city. My brother has commanded me to be there. Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me go away and see my brothers.' Therefore he has not come to the king's table."

³⁰Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, "You son of a perverse rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?

³¹For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die!"

³²Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"

³³Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.

³⁴So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month; for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.

³⁵It happened in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him.

³⁶He said to his boy, "Run, find now the arrows which I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.

³⁷When the boy had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the boy, and said, "Isn't the arrow beyond you?"

³⁸Jonathan cried after the boy, "Go fast! Hurry! Do not delay!" Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.

³⁹But the boy did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.

⁴⁰Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy, and said to him, "Go, carry them to the city."

⁴¹As soon as the boy was gone, David arose out of the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. They kissed one another, and wept one with another, and David wept the most.

⁴²Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, because we have both sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever.'" He arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city.

¹Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways.

²For you will eat the labor of your hands. You will be happy, and it will be well with you.

³Your wife will be as a fruitful vine, in the innermost parts of your house; your children like olive plants, around your table.

⁴Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears the Lord.

⁵May the Lord bless you out of Zion, and may you see the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

⁶Yes, may you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel.

¹Listen, sons, to a father's instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;

²for I give you sound learning. Do not forsake my law.

³For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.

⁴He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.

⁵Get wisdom. Get understanding. Do not forget, neither swerve from the words of my mouth.

⁶Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.

⁷Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.

⁸Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor, when you embrace her.

⁹She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you."

¹⁰Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.

¹¹I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.

¹²When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.

¹³Take firm hold of instruction. Do not let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.

¹⁴Do not enter into the path of the wicked. Do not walk in the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, and do not pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.

¹⁶For they do not sleep, unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what they stumble over.

²⁰My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.

²¹Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart.

²²For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.

²³Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.

²⁴Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.

²⁶Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.

²⁷Do not turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.