Targum Jonathan on I Samuel Chapter 24
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וּסְלֵיק דָוִד מִתַּמָן וִיתֵב בִּמְצַדְתָּא עֵין גֶדִי:
And David went up from there and dwelt in the stronghold of En gedi.
וַהֲוָה כַּד תַּב שָׁאוּל מִבָתַר פְּלִשְׁתָּאֵי וְחַוִיאוּ לֵיה לְמֵימַר הָא דָוִד בְּמַדְבְּרָא דְעֵין גֶדִי:
When Saul returned from pursuing after the Philistines, they told him, “Behold, David is in the Desert of En gedi.”
וּדְבַר שָׁאוּל תְּלָתָא אַלְפִין גְבַר עוּלֵים מִכָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וַאֲזַל לְמִבְעֵי יַת דָוִד וְגַבְרוֹהִי עַל אַפֵּי שְׁקִיפֵי כֵיפַיָא:
Then Saul took three thousand young men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men superficially in the clefts of the rocks.
וַאֲתָא לְחַטְרֵי עָאנָא דְעַל אוֹרְחָא וְתַמָן מְעַרְתָּא וְעַל שָׁאוּל לְמֶעְבַּד צוֹרְכֵיהּ וְדָוִד וְגַבְרוֹהִי בִסְיָפֵי מְעַרְתָּא יָתְבִין:
And he came to the sheepfolds that were by the road, where there was a cave. And Saul went in to relieve himself, while David and his men were dwelling in the innermost parts of the cave.
וַאֲמַרוּ גַבְרֵי דָוִד לֵיהּ הָא יוֹמָא דַאֲמַר יְיָ לָךְ הָא אֲנָא מְסַר יַת בְּעֵיל דְבָבָךְ בִּידָךְ וְתַעֲבֵּיד לֵיהּ כְּמָא דְתַקֵן בְּעֵינָךְ וְקָם דָוִד וּפְסַק יַת כְּנַף מְעִילָא דִלְשָׁאוּל בְּרָז:
And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will surrender your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall be right in your sight.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off the hem of Saul’s robe.
וַהֲוָה בָתַר כֵּן וְחָשׁ דָוִד בְּלִבֵּיהּ עַל דִי פְסַק יַת כַּנְפָא דִלְשָׁאוּל:
And afterward David was troubled in his heart, because he had cut off Saul’s hem.
וַאֲמַר לְגַבְרוֹהִי חָס לִי מִן קֳדָם יְיָ אִם אַעְבֵּיד יַת פִּתְגָמָא הָדֵין לְרִבּוֹנִי לִמְשִׁיחָא דַייָ לְאוֹשָׁטָא יְדִי בֵּיהּ אֲרֵי מְשִׁיחָא דַייָ הוּא:
And he said to his men, “Far be it from me – from before the LORD – that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, for he is the LORD’s anointed.”
וּפַיֵס דָוִד יַת גַבְרוֹהִי בְּפִתְגָמַיָא וְלָא שַׁבְקִינוּן לְמֵיקַם עַל שָׁאוּל וְשָׁאוּל קָם מִמְעַרְתָּא וַאֲזַל בְּאוֹרְחָא:
So David calmed down his men with these words, and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up from the cave and went upon the road.
וְקָם דָוִד בָּתַר כֵּן וּנְפַק מִן מְעַרְתָּא וּקְרָא בָּתַר שָׁאוּל לְמֵימָר רִבּוֹנִי מַלְכָּא וְאִסְתְּכֵי שָׁאוּל לַאֲחוֹרוֹהִי וּכְרַע דָוִד עַל אַפּוֹהִי עַל אַרְעָא וּסְגִיד:
Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave. He called after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David knelt down with his face to the ground and he bowed down.
וַאֲמַר דָוִד לְשָׁאוּל לְמָא אַתְּ שָׁמַע יַת פִּתְגָמֵי בְנֵי אֱנָשָׁא דְאָמְרִין הָא דָוִד כָּמֵין בִּישְׁתָּךְ:
And David said to Saul, “Why are you listening to the words of the sons of man who are saying, ‘David is lying in wait for your ruin’?
הָא יוֹמָא דֵין חֲזָאָה עֵינָךְ יַת דְמַסְרָךְ יְיָ יוֹמָא דֵין בִּידִי בִּמְעַרְתָּא וַאֲמַרוּ אוֹחֲרָנִין לְמִקְטְלָךְ וְחָסִית עֲלָךְ וַאֲמַרִית לָא אוֹשִׁיט יְדִי בְּרִבּוֹנִי אֲרֵי מְשִׁיחָא דַייָ הוּא:
Behold, this day your eyes are seeing how the LORD surrendered you today into my hand in the cave. And others said to kill you, but I spared you and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD’s anointed.’
וְרִבּוֹנִי אִסְתַּכַּל אַף חֲזֵי יַת כְּנַף מְעִילָךְ בִּידִי אֲרֵי בְּמִפְסְקִי יַת כְּנַף מְעִילָךְ וְלָא קְטַלְתִּיךְ דַע וַחֲזוֹ אֲרֵי לֵית בִּידִי חוֹב וְסוּרְחַן וְלָא חָטִית לָךְ וְאַתְּ כָּמִין עַל נַפְשִׁי לְמִקְטְלָהּ:
Look, my lord! Yea, see the hem of your robe in my hand! For by the fact that I cut off the hem of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is neither guilt nor transgression in my hand. I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait against my life in order to kill me.
יְדִין יְיָ בֵּינָא וּבֵינָךְ וְיִתְפְּרַע לִי יְיָ מִנָךְ וִידִי לָא תְהִי בָךְ:
May the LORD judge between me and you. May the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you.
כְּמָא דְאָמְרִין מַתְלָא דְמִלְקָדְמִין מֵרַשִׁיעִין תִּפּוֹק חוֹבַתְהוֹן וִידִי לָא תְהֵי בָךְ:
Just as they say the proverb of old times, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth their guilt,’ my hand shall not be against you.
בָּתַר מַן נְפַק מַלְכָּא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל בָּתַר מַן אַתְּ רָדִיף בָּתַר חֲלַשׁ חָד בָּתַר הֶדְיוֹט חָד:
After whom has Israel’s king come out? After whom do you pursue? After one weak person! After one common man!
וִיהֵי יְיָ לְדַיָין וְיַעְבֵּד דִין בֵּינָא וּבֵינָךְ וּגְלֵי קֳדָמוֹהִי וִידוּן דִינִי וְיִתְפְּרַע עוּלְבָּנִי מִמָךְ:
May the Lord be judge and make judgment between me and you! May it be revealed before Him that He judges my case and revenge my humiliation on you!
וַהֲוָה כַּד שֵׁיצֵי דָוִד לְמַלָלָא יַת פִּתְגָמַיָא הָאִלֵין עִם שָׁאוּל וַאֲמַר שָׁאוּל הֲקָלָךְ דֵין בְּרִי דָוִד וַאֲרֵים שָׁאוּל קָלֵיהּ וּבְכָא:
When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.
וַאֲמַר לְדָוִד זַכַּאי אַתְּ מִנִי אֲרֵי אַתְּ גְמַלְתַּנִי טַבְתָּא וַאֲנָא גְמַלְתָּךְ בִּישְׁתָא:
He said to David, “You are more innocent than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.
וְאַתְּ חֲוֵיתָא יוֹמָא דֵין יַת דַעֲבַדְתָּ עִמִי טִיבוּ וְיַת דְמַסְרַנִי יְיָ בִּידָךְ וְלָא קְטַלְתָּנִי:
And you have told today how well you have dealt with me, in that you did not kill me when the LORD surrendered you into your hand.
וַאֲרֵי יַשְׁכַּח גְבַר יַת בְּעֵיל דְבָבֵיהּ וְיִשְׁלְחִנֵיהּ בְּאוֹרַח תַּקָנָא וַיָי יְשַׁלְמִנָךְ טַבְתָא חֲלַף יוֹמָא דֵין דַעֲבַדְתָּא לִי:
For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go on a right road? So may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.
וּכְעַן הָא יָדַעְנָא אֲרֵי מִמְלַךְ תִּמְלַךְ וְתִתְקַיֵים בִּידָךְ מַלְכוּתָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל:
And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.
וּכְעַן קַיֵים לִי בְּמֵימְרָא דַייָ דְלָא תְשֵׁיצֵי יַת בְּנַי בַּתְרָי וְלָא תִפְסוֹק יַת שְׁמִי מִבֵּית אַבָּא:
Now swear to me by the speech of the LORD, that you will not destroy my seed after me and that you will not destroy my name out of my father’s house.”
וְקַיֵם דָוִד לְשָׁאוּל וַאֲזַל שָׁאוּל לְבֵיתֵיהּ וְדָוִד וְגַבְרוֹהִי סְלִיקוּ לִמְצַדְתָּא:
And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the strongholds.