and David and no hurt, as the Lord liveth. But if ] Jonathan say thus unto the young man, "Behold, the arrows are beyond thee;" go thy way, for the Lord hath sent thee away. And, as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord be between thee and me forever.' "So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the King set him down to eat meat, and David's place was empty. Nevertheless Saul spake not 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, which was the second day of the 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 today?' And Jonathan answered Saul, 'David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. Therefore he cometh not unto the King's table.' Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him: For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.' And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, 'Wherefore should he be slain? what hath he done?' And Saul cast a javelin at him David to smite him; whereby Jonathan knew that and Jonathan it was determined of his father to slay David. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat; for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame. “And it came to pass in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. And he said unto his lad, 'Run, find out now the arrows which I shoot.' And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, 'Is not the arrow beyond thee?' And Jonathan cried after the lad, 'Make speed, haste, stay not.' And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master, but the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew the matter. And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad and said unto him, 'Go, carry them to the city.' And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground and bowed himself three times; and they kissed one another and wept with one another, until David exceeded. And Jonathan said to David: 'Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn 204 David ard Jonathan both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, "The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed forever."" And he arose and departed; and Jonathan went into the city." Saul hunted David day and night, following him in swift pursuit from place to place. Yet, at the height of the chase, “ Jonathan, Saul's son arose and went to David and strengthened his hand in God, and he said unto him: 'Fear not; for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.' And they two made a covenant before the Lord; and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house." This was their last meeting, though David stood twice at the side of the sleeping King and held his life in his hand, but would not touch him to harm him. Both David with the company that gathered about him and Saul with his royal soldiery fought the Philistines, with varying success. Jonathan, it very well may be, was beside his father on the morning after David had taken his spear from the sleeping monarch, when Saul renewed his pledge to do no harm to David; if so, it was the last time they looked upon one another in life; for, though Saul kept his pledge this time, both he and Jonathan, his princely son and heir, went down to death in the rout of the Israelites at Mount Gilboa. The two were taken from the Philistines at Bethshan by the valiant men of Jabesh-gilead, "and they took their bones and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days." Word was brought to David while he was rejoicing over his victory at Ziklag, where he inflicted a signal defeat upon the Amalekites, of the loss of his King and father-inlaw, and of his princely friend, Jonathan. Though the news meant David's succession to the throne, he took no thought of anything save his own loss, and the lament he then composed remains the best, as it was the first, of the lamentations of the sons of men for friends dead and gone, as follows: "The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest their daughters triumph. Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon you, nor fields of offerings; for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow 205 David and Jonathan David and Jonathan Abraham Orestes and Pylades as told Lucian in his Amores" of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. "Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights; who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant hast thou been to me; thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!" 66 The fame of friendship which so long had told Phocis preserves from early times the memory of the union between Orestes and Pylades, who, taking a god as witness of the friendship between them, sailed through life together, as if in one boat. Both together put to death Clytemnestra, as though both were sons of Agamemnon; and Aegisthus was slain by both. Pylades suffered more than his friend by the punishment that was on the track of Orestes. Pylades stood by his friend when he was condemned |