Targum Jonathan on I Samuel Chapter 26
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וַאֲתוֹ אֱנָשֵׁי זִיף לְוַת שָׁאוּל לְגִבְעֲתָא לְמֵימַר הֲלָא דָוִד מִטַמָר בְּגִבְעֲתָא דַחֲכִילָה דִי עַל אַפֵּי יְשִׁימוֹן:
Then the men of Ziph came to Saul at The Hill, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is facing Jeshimon?”
וְקָם שָׁאוּל וּנְחַת לְמַדְבְּרָא דְזִיף וְעִמֵיהּ תְּלָתָא אַלְפִין גַבְרָא בְחוּרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִבְעֵי יַת דָוִד בְּמַדְבְּרָא דְזִיף:
So Saul arose and went down to the Desert of Ziph – three thousand men chosen from Israel with him – to seek David in the Desert of Ziph.
וּשְׁרָא שָׁאוּל בְּגִבְעֲת חֲבִילָה דִי עַל אַפֵי יְשִׁימוֹן עַל אוֹרְחָא וְדָוִד יָתֵיב בְּמַדְבְּרָא וַחֲזָא אֲרֵי אֲתָא שָׁאוּל בַּתְרוֹהִי לְמַדְבְּרָא:
And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is facing Jeshimon, on the road, while David was staying in the desert. When he saw that Saul came after him into the desert,
וּשְׁלַח דָוִד מְאַלְלִין וִידַע אֲרֵי אֲתָא שָׁאוּל בִּקְשׁוֹט:
David sent out spies and learned that Saul indeed had come.
וְקָם דָוִד וַאֲתָא לְאַתְרָא דִי שְׁרָא תָמָן שָׁאוּל וַחֲזָא דָוִד יַת אַתְרָא דִשְׁכַב תַּמָן שָׁאוּל וְאַבְנֵר בַּר נֵר רַב חֵילֵיהּ וְשָׁאוּל שְׁכִיב בְּכַרְכּוּמָא וְעַמָא שָׁרָן סַחֲרָנוֹהִי:
Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul and Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army, lay. Saul was lying within the bulwarks, while the people were encamped around him.
וַאֲתֵיב דָוִד וַאֲמַר לַאֲחִימֶלֶךְ חִתָּאָה וְלַאֲבִישַׁי בַּר צְרוּיָה אֲחוּהִי דְיוֹאָב לְמֵימַר מַן יֵחוֹת עִמִי לְוַת שָׁאוּל לְמַשְׁרִיתָא וַאֲמַר אֲבִישַׁי אֲנָא אֵיחוֹת עִמָךְ:
Then David said in reaction to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me to Saul, into the camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”
וַאֲתָא דָוִד וַאֲבִישַׁי לְוַת עַמָא בְּלֵיְלְיָא וְהָא שָׁאוּל שְׁכִיב דְמוּךְ בְּכַרְכּוּמָא וּמוּרְנִיתֵיהּ נְעִיצָא בְאַרְעָא אִיסָדוֹהִי וְאַבְנֵר וְעַמָא שָׁרָן סַחֲרָנוֹהִי:
So David and Abishai went to the people by night. And behold, Saul lay sleeping within the bulwarks, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the people were encamped around him.
וַאֲמַר אֲבִישַׁי לְדָוִד מְסַר יְיָ יוֹמָא דֵין יַת בְּעֵיל דְבָבָךְ בִּידָךְ וּכְעַן אֶמְחִינֵיהּ כְּעַן בְּמוּרְנִיתָא וְאַבְרְזִינֵיהּ בְּאַרְעָא זִמְנָא חָדָא וְלָא אֶשְׁנֵי לֵיהּ:
Then said Abishai to David, “The LORD has surrendered your enemy into your hand today. And now, let me strike him now with the spear and pin it to ground just once. I need not repeat it!”
וַאֲמַר דָוִד לַאֲבִישַׁי לָא תְחַבְּלִינֵיהּ אֲרֵי מַן אוֹשִׁיט יְדֵיהּ בִּמְשִׁיחָא דַייָ וְזָכֵי:
But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be innocent?”
וַאֲמַר דָוִד קַיָם הוּא יְיָ אֱלָהֵין מִן קֳדָם יְיָ יִתְמְחֵי אוֹ יוֹמֵיהּ יִמְטֵי וִימוּת אוֹ בִקְרָבָא יֵחוּת וְיִתְקְטֵל:
And David said, “As the LORD is the existing One, he will be struck from before the LORD, or his day shall come and he will die, or he shall go down into battle and be killed.
חָס לִי מִן קֳדָם יְיָ מִלְאוֹשָׁטָא יְדִי בִּמְשִׁיחָא דַייָ וּכְעַן סַב יַת מוּרְנִיתָא דִי אִיסָדוֹהִי וְיַת מָנָא דְמַיָא וְנֵיזִיל לָנָא:
Far be it from me that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. But now, take now the spear that is at his head and the vessel of water and let us go.”
וּנְסִיב דָוִד יַת מוּרְנִיתָא וְיַת מָנָא דְמַיָא מֵאִיסָדֵי שָׁאוּל וַאֲזַלוּ לְהוֹן וְלֵית דַחֲזֵי וְלֵית דִידַע וְלֵית דְמִתְעַר אֲרֵי כוּלְהוֹן דְמָכִין אֲרֵי שֵׁינָא תַקִיפָא מִן קֳדָם יְיָ נְפָלַת עֲלֵיהוֹן:
So David took the spear and the vessel of water from Saul’s head, and they went away. There was no one who saw it, no one who noticed, no one who awoke, for they were all sleeping, for a strong sleep from before the LORD had fallen upon them.
וַעֲבַר דָוִד עִבְרָא וְקָם עַל רֵישׁ טוּרָא מֵרָחִיק סַגִי אַתְרָא בֵּינֵיהוֹן:
Then David went over to the other side, and stood afar off on the top of the mountain, with a great space between them.
וּקְרָא דָוִד לְעַמָא וּלְאַבְנֵר בַּר נֵר לְמֵימַר הֲלָא תַעֲנֵי אַבְנֵר וַאֲתֵיב אַבְנֵר וַאֲמַר מַן דֵין דְקָרֵי בְּרֵישׁ מַלְכָּא:
And David called to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered and said, “Who are you that invokes the head of the king?”
וַאֲמַר דָוִד לְאַבְנֵר הֲלָא גְבַר גִבַּר אַתְּ וּמַן כְּוָתָךְ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וּלְמָא לָא נְטַרְתָּא עַל רִבּוֹנָךְ מַלְכָּא אֲרֵי אֲתָא חַד מִן עַמָא לְחַבָּלָא יַת מַלְכָּא רִבּוֹנָךְ:
And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came to harm the king, your lord.
לָא תַקֵין פִּתְגָמָא הָדֵין דִי עֲבַדְתָּא קַיָים הוּא יְיָ אֲרֵי גַבְרִין חַיָבֵי קְטוֹל אַתּוּן דְלָא נְטַרְתּוּן עַל רִבּוֹנְכוֹן עַל מְשִׁיחָא דַייָ וּכְעַן חֲזֵי אָן מוּרְנִיתָא דְמַלְכָּא וְיַת מָנָא דְמַיָא דְאִיסָדוֹהִי:
This thing that you have done is not right. As the LORD is the existing One, you are men deserving to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, over the LORD’s anointed. And now, see where the king’s spear is, and the vessel of water that was at his head.
וְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע שָׁאוּל יַת קָלָא דְדָוִד וַאֲמַר הֲקָלָךְ דֵין בְּרִי דָוִד וַאֲמַר דָוִד קָלִי רִבּוֹנִי מַלְכָּא:
And Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.”
וַאֲמַר לְמָא דְנַן רִבּוֹנִי רָדִיף בָּתַר עַבְדֵיהּ אֲרֵי מֶה עֲבָדִית וּמַה בְּיָדִי חוֹבָא:
And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? There is no guilt on my hands!
וּכְעַן יִשְׁמַע כְּעַן רִבּוֹנִי מַלְכָּא יַת פִּתְגָמֵי עַבְדֵיהּ אִם מִן קֳדָם יְיָ אִתְגָרִית בִּי יְקַבֵּל קוּרְבָּנִי בְּרַעֲוָא וְאִם בְּנֵי אֱנָשָׁא לִיטִין אִנוּן קֳדָם יְיָ אֲרֵי תָרֵיכוּנִי יוֹמָא דֵין מִלְמֵידַר בְּאַחֲסָנַת עַמָא דַייָ לְמֵימַר אֱזֵיל דָוִד בֵּינֵי עַמְמַיָא פַּלְחֵי טַעֲוָתָא:
And now, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is from before the LORD that you are incited against me, let your offering be accepted with delight. But if it is from the sons of men, cursed are they before the LORD, for they have driven me today from dwelling on the heritage of the LORD’s people, saying, ‘Go, dwell among the sons of the nations that serve idols.’
וּכְעַן לָא יִתְשַׁד דָמִי לְאַרְעָא מִן קֳדָם מֵימְרָא דַייָ אֲרֵי נְפַק מַלְכָּא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל לְמִיבְעֵי יַת חֲלָשׁ חַד כְּמָא דְמִתְרַדֵיף קוֹרָאָה בְּטוּרַיָא:
And now, let not my blood be shed on the earth, away from before the speech of the LORD, for the king of Israel has come out to seek one weak person, as a partridge is hunted in the mountains.”
וַאֲמַר שָׁאוּל חָבִית תּוּב בְּרִי דָוִד אֲרֵי לָא אַבְאֵישׁ לָךְ עוֹד חֲלַף דִיקָרַת נַפְשִׁי בְּעֵינָךְ יוֹמָא הָדֵין הָא אִסְתַּכָּלִית וְאִטַפָּשִׁית סַגִי לַחֲדָא:
Then Saul said, “I am guilty. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my soul was precious in your sight this day. Behold, I have been foolish and behaved exceedingly obtusely.”
וַאֲתֵיב דָוִד וַאֲמַר הָא מוּרְנִיתָא דְמַלְכָּא וְיֶעְבַּר חַד מֵעוּלֵמַיָא וְיִסְבָהּ:
And David answered and said, “Behold the spear of the king. Let one of the young men come over and fetch it.
וַיָי יָתֵיב לִגְבַר יַת זְכוּתֵיה וְיַת קוּשְׁטֵיהּ דְמַסְרָךְ יְיָ יוֹמָא דֵין בִּידִי וְלָא אֲבֵיתִי לְאוֹשָׁטָא יְדִי בִּמְשִׁיחָא דַיָי:
The LORD will return to each man his merit and his truth, for the LORD surrendered you into [my] hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed.
וְהָא כְּמָא דִי יָקְרַת נַפְשָׁךְ יוֹמָא דֵין בְּעֵינָי כֵּן תִּיקַר נַפְשִׁי קֳדָם יְיָ וִישֵׁיזְבִינַנִי מִכָּל עָקָא:
Behold, as your soul was precious in my sight, so may my soul be precious before the LORD. May He deliver me out of all anguish.”
וַאֲמַר שָׁאוּל לְדָוִד בְּרִיךְ אַתְּ בְּרִי דָוִד אַף מִמְלַךְ תִּמְלוֹךְ וְאַף אַצְלַח תַּצְלַח וַאֲזַל דָוִד לְאוֹרְחֵיהּ וְשָׁאוּל תַּב לְאַתְרֵיהּ:
Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will indeed be king and will indeed succeed.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place