Chronological

18 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Sha’ul, that the nefesh Yonatan was kashur (tied together) with the nefesh Dovid, and Yonatan loved him as his own nefesh.

² And Sha’ul drafted him that day, and would let him return no more to the bais aviv.

³ Then Yonatan and Dovid made a brit (covenant), because he loved him as his own nefesh.

⁴ And Yonatan stripped himself of the me’il (robe) that was upon him, and gave it to Dovid, and his middah [war garments], even to his cherev, and to his keshet, and to his khagor (belt).

⁵ And Dovid went out whithersoever Sha’ul sent him, and prospered; and Sha’ul set him over the anshei hamilchamah, and he was accepted in the sight of kol HaAm, and also in the sight of the avdei Sha’ul.

⁶ And it came to pass as they came, when Dovid was returned from the slaughter of the Pelishti, that the nashim came out of all towns of Yisroel, singing and dancing, to meet Sha’ul HaMelech, with tambourines, with simchah, and with cymbals.

⁷ And the nashim answered one another as they played, and said, Sha’ul hath slain his alafim, and Dovid his revavot (myriads).

⁸ And Sha’ul was very angry, and the saying was displeasing in his eyes and he said, They have ascribed unto Dovid revavot, and to me they have ascribed but alafim; and what can he have more but the maluchah (kingship)?

⁹ And there was jealous suspicion in the way Sha’ul eyed Dovid from that day forward.

¹⁰ And it came to pass on the next day, that the ruach Elohim ra’ah came upon Sha’ul, and he prophesied inside the bais; and Dovid made [kinnor] music with his yad, as at other times; and there was a khanit in the yad Sha’ul.

¹¹ And Sha’ul hurled the khanit; for he said, I will pin Dovid even to the wall with it. And Dovid escaped his presence twice.

¹² And Sha’ul was afraid of Dovid, because Hashem was with him, and was departed from Sha’ul.

¹³ Therefore Sha’ul removed him from him, and made him his sar elef; and he went out and came in before HaAm.

¹⁴ And Dovid was maskil (successful) in kol drakhim of him; and Hashem was with him.

¹⁵ Wherefore when Sha’ul saw that he was maskil me’od, he was afraid of him.

¹⁶ But kol Yisroel and Yehudah loved Dovid, because he went out and came in before them.

¹⁷ And Sha’ul said to Dovid, Hinei bitti hagedolah Merav, her will I give thee as isha; only be thou ben chayil (valiant) for me, and fight Hashem’s milchamot. For Sha’ul said, Let not mine yad be upon him, but let the yad Pelishtim be upon him.

¹⁸ And Dovid said unto Sha’ul, Who am I? And what is my life, or the mishpakhat avi in Yisroel, that I should be Choson to HaMelech?

¹⁹ But it came to pass at the time when Merav Bat Sha’ul should have been given to Dovid, that she was given as isha unto Adriel the Mecholati.

²⁰ And Michal Bat Sha’ul loved Dovid; and they told Sha’ul, and the thing was yashar in [Sha’ul’s] eyes.

²¹ And Sha’ul said, I will give him her, that she may be a mokesh to him, and that the yad Pelishtim may be against him. Wherefore Sha’ul said to Dovid, Thou shalt this day become Choson to me by one of my two.

²² And Sha’ul commanded his avadim, saying, Commune with Dovid privately, and say, Hinei, HaMelech hath chafetz (delight) in thee, and all his avadim love thee; now therefore be Choson to HaMelech.

²³ And the avadim of Sha’ul spoke those devarim in the ears of Dovid. And Dovid said, Seemeth it a light thing in your eyes to become Choson to HaMelech, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?

²⁴ And the avadim of Sha’ul told him, saying, According to these words spoke Dovid.

²⁵ And Sha’ul said, Thus shall ye say to Dovid, HaMelech has chafetz (desire) for not any mohar (dowry, bride price) but a hundred arelot (foreskins) of the Pelishtim, to be avenged of the oyevei HaMelech. But Sha’ul schemed to make Dovid fall by the yad Pelishtim.

²⁶ And when his avadim told Dovid these devarim, it pleased Dovid well to be Choson of HaMelech; and the yamim [leading up to the duedate of the arelot] were not expired.

²⁷ Wherefore Dovid arose and went, he and his anashim, and slaughtered of the Pelishtim (Philistines) two hundred ish; and Dovid brought their arelot, and they gave them in full count to HaMelech, that he might be the Choson of HaMelech. And Sha’ul gave him Michal bitto as isha.

²⁸ And Sha’ul saw and knew that Hashem was with Dovid, and that Michal Bat Sha’ul loved him.

²⁹ And Sha’ul was yet the more afraid of Dovid; and Sha’ul became oyev to Dovid kol hayamim.

³⁰ Then the sarim of the Pelishtim went forth [to fight]; and it came to pass, after they went forth, that Dovid prospered [in military success] more than all the avadim (officers) of Sha’ul; so that shmo became esteemed as of good reputation.

19 And Sha’ul spoke to Yonatan [Yehonaton] bno, and to all his avadim, that they should kill Dovid. But Yehonatan Ben Sha’ul liked Dovid me’od.

² Yehonatan reported [this] to Dovid, saying, Sha’ul aviv seeketh to kill thee; now therefore be shomer in the boker, and abide baseter (in a secret place) and hide thyself;

³ And I will go out and stand beside avi in the sadeh where thou art, and I will speak of thee with avi; and what I see, that I will tell thee.

⁴ And Yehonatan spoke tov of Dovid unto Sha’ul aviv, and said unto him, Let not HaMelech commit chet against his eved, against Dovid; because he hath not committed chet against thee, and because his ma’asim have been toward thee tov me’od:

⁵ For he did put his nefesh in his yad, and slaughtered the Pelishti (Philistine), and Hashem wrought Teshuah Gedolah for kol Yisroel; thou sawest it, and didst rejoice with simcha. Why then wilt thou commit chet against dahm naki (innocent blood), to slay Dovid chinom (without cause)?

⁶ And Sha’ul paid heed unto the voice of Yehonatan; and Sha’ul swore a shevuah, As Hashem liveth, he shall not be slain.

⁷ And Yehonatan called Dovid, and Yehonatan reported to him all these devarim. And Yehonatan brought Dovid to Sha’ul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.

⁸ And there was milchamah again; and Dovid went out, and fought with the Pelishtim (Philistines), and slaughtered them with a makkah gedolah (with a great blow); and they fled from him.

⁹ And there was a ruach Hashem ra’ah upon Sha’ul, as he sat in his Bais with his khanit (spear) in his yad; while Dovid menaggen (was playing music) with his yad.

¹⁰ And Sha’ul sought to pin Dovid to the wall with the khanit; but he slipped away out of Sha’ul’s presence, and he drove the khanit into the wall; and Dovid fled, and escaped that lailah.

¹¹ Sha’ul also sent malachim unto Bais Dovid, to put him under surveillance, and to slay him in the boker; and Michal his isha warned Dovid, saying, If thou not escape with thy nefesh halilah (tonight), makhar (tomorrow) thou shalt be slain.

¹² So Michal let Dovid down through the chalon; and he went, and fled, and escaped.

¹³ And Michal took the terafim, and laid it in the mittah, and put a piece of woven goat’s hair at its head, and covered it with beged (cloth, garment).

¹⁴ And when Sha’ul sent malachim to capture Dovid, she said, He is choleh (ill).

¹⁵ And Sha’ul sent the malachim back to see Dovid, saying [to them], Bring him up to me in the mittah (bed), to have him slain.

¹⁶ And when the malachim were come in, hinei, there was the terafim in the mittah, with a piece of woven goats’ hair at its head.

¹⁷ And Sha’ul said unto Michal, Why hast thou so deceived me, and sent away mine oyev, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Sha’ul, He said unto me, Let me get away; why should I kill thee?

¹⁸ So Dovid fled, and escaped, and came to Shmuel at Ramah, and told him all that Sha’ul had done to him. And he and Shmuel went and dwelt in the dwellings of the nevi’im.

¹⁹ And it was told Sha’ul, saying, Hinei, Dovid is at the dwellings of the nevi’im in Ramah.

²⁰ And Sha’ul sent malachim to capture Dovid; and when they saw the kat (sect, group) of the nevi’im prophesying, and Shmuel standing as nitzav (overseeing) them, the Ruach Elohim was upon the malachim of Sha’ul, and they also prophesied.

²¹ And when it was told Sha’ul, he sent other malachim, and they prophesied likewise. And Sha’ul sent malachim again shelishim (third ones) and they prophesied also.

²² Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a bor hagadol (great pit) at Sechu; and he asked and said, Where are Shmuel and Dovid? And one said, Hinei, they are at the dwellings of the nevi’im in Ramah.

²³ And he went there to the dwellings of the nevi’im at Ramah; and the Ruach Elohim was upon him also, and he walked along prophesying, until he came to the dwellings of the nevi’im at Ramah.

²⁴ And he stripped off his beged also, and prophesied before Shmuel in like manner, and lay down arom (naked) all that day and all that lailah. Thus they say, Is Sha’ul also among the nevi’im?

20 And Dovid fled from Naiot in Ramah, and came and said before Yonatan, What have I done? What is mine avon? And what is my chattat before avicha, that he seeketh my nefesh?

² And he said unto him, Chalilah (may it never be!); thou shalt not die: hinei, avi will do nothing either gadol or katon, but that he will reveal it to me; and why should avi hide this thing from me? It is not so.

³ And Dovid took an oath, moreover, and said, Avicha certainly knoweth that I have found chen in thine eyes; and he saith, Let not Yonatan know this, lest he be grieved; but truly as Hashem liveth, and as thy nefesh liveth, there is hardly a peysah (step) between me and mavet.

⁴ Then said Yonatan unto Dovid, Whatsoever thy nefesh saith, I will even do it for thee.

⁵ And Dovid said unto Yonatan, Hinei, makhar (tomorrow) is Rosh Chodesh, and I should not fail to sit with HaMelech for tish; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the sadeh unto the erev hashlishit.

⁶ If avicha at all miss me, then say, Dovid earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Beit-Lechem his town; for there is a zevach hayamim there for kol mishpakhat.

⁷ If he say thus, It is tov; thy eved shall have shalom; but if he be very wrathful, then be sure that ra’ah is determined by him.

⁸ Therefore thou shalt deal with chesed unto thy eved; for thou hast brought thy eved into Brit Hashem with thee; notwithstanding, if there be in me avon (iniquity), slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to avicha?

⁹ And Yonatan said, Chalilah (far be it) from thee; for if I had da’as certainly that ra’ah were determined by Avi to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?

¹⁰ Then said Dovid to Yonatan, Who shall tell me? Or what if avicha answer thee roughly?

¹¹ And Yonatan said unto Dovid, Come, and let us go out into the sadeh. And they went out both of them into the sadeh.

¹² And Yonatan said unto Dovid, Hashem Elohei Yisroel, when I have sounded out Avi at this time on Yom HaShishi from now, and, hinei, if there be tov toward Dovid, and I then send not unto thee, and reveal it in thy ozen (ear);

¹³ Hashem do so and much more to Yonatan; but if it please Avi to do thee ra’ah, then I will reveal it in thy ozen (ear), and send thee away, that thou mayest go in shalom; and Hashem be with thee, as He hath been with Avi.

¹⁴ And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the chesed Hashem, that I die not;

¹⁵ But also thou shalt not cut off thy chesed from my bais ad olam; no, not when Hashem hath cut off the oyevim of Dovid, every one from the pnei ha’adamah.

¹⁶ So Yonatan made Brit with the Bais Dovid, saying, Let Hashem even require it at the hands of the oyevim of Dovid.

¹⁷ And Yonatan caused Dovid to swear a shevua again, because he loved him; for he loved him with the ahavat nafsho (with the love of his own nefesh, self).

¹⁸ Then Yonatan said to Dovid, Makhar (tomorrow) is Rosh Chodesh; and thou shalt be missed, because thy moshav (seat) will be empty.

¹⁹ And when thou hast stayed three days, then thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the makom (place) where thou didst hide thyself on the day of the ma’aseh (deed, i.e. the eventful earlier day, see v.12), and shalt remain by the even (stone) Ezel.

²⁰ And I will shoot three khitzim (arrows) on the side thereof, as though I shot at a matarah (target).

²¹ And, hinei, I will send a na’ar, saying, Go, find the khitzim (arrows). If I expressly say unto the na’ar, Hinei, the khitzim (arrows) are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou, for there is shalom to thee, and no davar (problem, concern); as Hashem liveth.

²² But if I say thus unto the elem (youth, young man), Hinei, the khitzim (arrows) are beyond thee, go thy way; for Hashem hath sent thee away.

²³ And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, hinei, Hashem be between thee and me ad olam.

²⁴ So Dovid hid himself in the sadeh; and when Rosh Chodesh was come, HaMelech sat him down to eat lechem.

²⁵ And HaMelech sat upon his moshav (seat), as at other times, even upon a moshav by the wall; and Yonatan arose, and Avner sat by Sha’ul’s side, and Dovid’s makom (place) was empty.

²⁶ Nevertheless Sha’ul spoke not anything that day; for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not tahor; surely he is not tahor.

²⁷ And it came to pass on the day after Rosh Chodesh, which was the second day of the month, that Dovid’s makom was empty; and Sha’ul said unto Yonatan bno, Wherefore cometh not Ben Yishai to halechem neither yesterday, nor today?

²⁸ And Yonatan answered Sha’ul, Dovid earnestly asked leave of me to go to Beit-Lechem;

²⁹ And he said, Let me go, now; for we have mishpakhat zevach in the Ir; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there; and now, if I have found chen in thine eyes, let me get away, now, and see my brethren. Therefore he cometh not unto the Shulchan HaMelech.

³⁰ Then af Sha’ul (anger of Sha’ul) was kindled against Yonatan, and he said unto him, Thou ben of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I have da’as that thou hast chosen Ben Yishai to thine own shame, and unto the shame of ervat immecha (thy mother’s nakedness)?

³¹ For as long as Ben Yishai liveth al ha’adamah (upon the earth) thou shalt not be established, nor malkhutecha (thy kingdom). Wherefore now send and bring him unto me, for he is ben mavet (son of death, he shall surely die).

³² And Yonatan answered Sha’ul Aviv, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? What hath he done?

³³ And Sha’ul cast the khanit (spear) at him to strike him dead; whereby Yonatan knew that it was determined of Aviv to slay Dovid.

³⁴ So Yonatan arose from the shulchan in chari af (fierce anger), and did eat no lechem the second day of the month; for he was grieved for Dovid, because Aviv had shamefully humiliated him.

³⁵ And it came to pass in the boker, that Yonatan went out into the sadeh at the mo’ed (appointed time) with Dovid, and a na’ar katon with him.

³⁶ And he said unto his na’ar, Run, find out now the khitzim (arrows) which I shoot. And as the na’ar ran, he shot a khetz beyond him.

³⁷ And when the na’ar was come to the makom of the khetz which Yonatan had shot, Yonatan cried after the na’ar, and said, Is not the khetz beyond thee?

³⁸ And Yonatan cried after the na’ar, Make speed, haste, stay not. And na’ar Yonatan gathered up the khitzim (arrows), and came to his adon.

³⁹ But the na’ar had no da’as of anything; only Yonatan and Dovid knew the davar (matter).

⁴⁰ And Yonatan gave his weapons unto his na’ar, and said unto him, Go, carry them to the Ir.

⁴¹ And as soon as the na’ar was gone, Dovid arose out of a place toward the negev (south), and fell on his face to the ground, and prostrated himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until Dovid wept exceedingly.

⁴² And Yonatan said to Dovid, Go in shalom, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the Shem of Hashem, saying, Hashem be between me and thee, and between my zera and thy zera ad olam. [21:1] And he arose and departed: and Yonatan went into the Ir.

11 (For the one directing. Of Dovid.) In Hashem do I take refuge; how say ye to my nefesh, Flee as a bird to your mountain?

² For, hinei, the resha’im bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may secretly shoot at the yishrei lev (upright in heart).

³ If the foundations be destroyed, what can the tzaddik do?

⁴ Hashem is in His Heikhal Kodesh, Hashem’s kisse is in Shomayim; His eyes examine, His eyelids try, Bnei Adam.

⁵ Hashem trieth the tzaddik, but the resha’im and him that loveth chamas (violence) His Nefesh hateth.

⁶ Upon the resha’im He shall rain snares, eish and gofrit, and a burning wind; this shall be the portion of their kos (cup).

⁷ For Hashem is tzaddik (righteous), Hashem loveth tzedakot; His countenance doth behold the yashar (upright).

59 (For the one directing. Set to Do Not Destroy. Mikhtam Dovid. When Sha’ul sent and they watched [Dovid’s] bais to kill him) Save me from mine enemies, O Elohai; protect me from them that rise up against me.

² Deliver me from the po’alei aven (workers of iniquity), and save me from anshei damim (bloody men).

³ For, hinei, they lie in wait for my nefesh; the fierce stir up strife against me; not for my peysha, nor for my chattat, Hashem.

⁴ They run and prepare themselves without my avon (wrong, fault); awake to help me, and see.

⁵ Thou therefore, Hashem Elohim Tzva’os, Elohei Yisroel, rouse Thyself to visit [in punishment] kol HaGoyim; be not merciful to any bogedei aven (wicked boged [traitor]). Selah.

⁶ They return at erev; they growl like a kelev (dog), and prowl around the Ir.

⁷ Hinei, they belch out with their mouth; charavot (swords) are in their sfatot (lips); for who, say they, doth hear?

⁸ But Thou, Hashem, shalt laugh at them; Thou shalt have all the Goyim in derision.

⁹ O my Strength, I will be shomer to watch for Thee; for Elohim is my stronghold.

¹⁰ The G-d of my chesed shall come to meet me; Elohim shall let me see [the end] of my shorer (watchers, [i.e., slandering foes insidiously fixated on me and lying in wait]).

¹¹ Slay them not, lest my people forget; scatter them by Thy power; and bring them down, Adonoi mogineinu (our Shield).

¹² For the chattat of their mouth and the davar of their sfatayim let them even be caught in their ga’on (pride); and for the cursing and lying which they speak.

¹³ Consume them in chemah (wrath), consume them, till they are no more; and let them know that Elohim ruleth in Ya’akov unto the ends of ha’aretz. Selah.

¹⁴ And at erev let them return; and let them growl like a kelev, and prowl around the Ir.

¹⁵ Let them wander up and down for okhel (food), and howl if they be not satisfied.

¹⁶ But I will sing of Thy oz; yes, I will sing aloud of Thy chesed in the boker; for Thou hast been my stronghold and refuge in the day of my tzoros.

¹⁷ Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I sing; for Elohim is my strongold, and the Elohim of my chesed.